"By
the venerable tradition of the universal Church, lauds as morning
prayer and vespers as evening prayer are the two hinges on which the
daily office turns; hence they are to be considered as the chief
hours and celebrated as such."(General Instruction on the Liturgy of the Hours,#37.)
That's the
reason that versions of the Liturgy of the Hours focus on Morning
and Evening Prayer. If someone wants to pray the liturgical hours,
these are the ones to start with. And for many laymen, these are the
only ones that are ever used. (Although to take one more step and add
Compline before bedtime would not be a bad idea. But I digress.)
Let's explore
this idea of “hinges”. The Latin for “hinge” is cardo. The
Church's government “hinges” upon the college of Cardinals, those
bishops of elevated rank who advise the Pope and elect new popes from
their ranks. Then there's the four cardinal virtues: prudence,
justice, temperance, and fortitude. These four are the virtues of
natural morality. They are the natural “hinges” upon which hang
the higher, theological virtues.
But
hinges just aren't for hanging things. Hinges hold a door to a
building, enabling it to open and shut.
I
think that's how we can appreciate morning and evening prayer—lauds
and vespers—in our lives. The psalms of morning prayer open the
door on our day, welcoming the rising sun as God's daily gift,
recalling the opening tomb of Easter morning, and opening our hearts
to a daily new beginning.
Vespers,
or evening prayer, gently shuts the door as the working day draws to
an end. We shut the door on the day's busy-ness, and enclose
ourselves in our home, the domestic church, where we offer an
“evening oblation” of the day's accomplishments. With evening
prayer we also close the door on the day's troubles, on our failures,
and rest in the peace that only Christ can give.
Whether
or not you pray the liturgy of the hours, regular morning and evening prayer
of some kind can, and should form the “hinges” of your day.
Praising God each morning as the day begins, and begging his help for
all the adventures that day will bring. Ending each day by placing it
into his hands,and resting for a moment in his all-knowing, almighty, all-loving heart. He stands at
the door and ever knocks. Those good, sturdy hinges of daily prayer will keep the door in working order.
