Time of Matins

[MiserereMeiDeus]

Hello everyone! I was curious about when Matins were traditionally prayed. Was it split up throughout the night, or was it prayed before Lauds?

 

[Mark1970]

Think it depended a lot on who was praying it. Some religious communities prayed it in the early hours of the morning, either combined with Lauds or separately. I’ve got a copy of “A Short Brieviary”, produced for Benedictine Oblates in the 1940’s which says that both Matins and Lauds can be anticipated the previous evening. But there also stories of the abuses, such as priests who would recite the entire 8 traditional offices in one sitting, taking just over an hour to do so! I think the ideal for Matins was the early hours of the morning.

 

[JReducation]

The law today is that it can be prayed at any time during the day. If you’re a lay person, you can pray it at any time. However, there are rules to it. If you pray it after night prayer (compline) you pray it for the next day. Let’s say it’s Thurs and you pray it after night prayer, you pray Matins for Fri.

If you’re a religious, you pray it whenever your community prays it. In my community we pray it at 4:45 and we pray Lauds at 6:00. When I was a novice, we prayed it at 11:00 am, because the novitiate schedule did not allow for getting up at 4:30, since we didn’t go to bed until after 10. Novices have a very full day, nore so than the professed. After you’re professed, you can go to bed whenever you choose, after night prayer and you get a nap in the afternoon. It’s much easier to pray it in the early morning. Come October, we’ll move it to 6:30 and Lauds to 7:30. The reason is the cold. You don’t want your men getting sick because they get up at 4:00 in the morning when the temperature is 10 degrees.

Each community makes up its schedule according to its ministry and its vows. Religious who make simple vows are not bound to the Office at all. They usuallly pray only two hours. Religious in solemn vows are bound to the entire office. We pray some hours in community and some alone, depending on the work schedule. The major hours are always prayed together: Vespers, Matins and Lauds. Then Compline is also prayed in common. That can vary from one solemn vowed community to another. Almost all will pray Lauds and Vespers together. If they don’t pray Matins together, they pray it as I said above.

As you can see, there has never been a hard and fast rule for it. The Benedictines have one tradition, Carthusians have their own; the mendicants have another; clerks regular have another; religious congregations have another; and diocesan clergy have another. Then there are the differences between East and West. You have many options to choose from.

Fraternally,

Br. JR, OSF

 

[OraLabora]

The Benedictine monastery I am affiliated with prays it at 5 am (in French with Latin hymn, sung recto-tono), with Lauds at 7:30 am (in Latin, Gregorian chant). The one I visited in France also did Matins at 5 am (in Latin, sung recto-tono), and Lauds in Latin Gregorian chant at 7:30 am (makes sense… our abbey is it’s daughter abbey). The Cistercians in this area (both Common and Strict observances) do Matins at 4 am. I personally recite the office at 5:55 am on most days, with Lauds at 6:50 am, but I sleep in on Sundays so do the offices later. By sleep in, I mean getting up at around 7 instead of 5:45.

In ancient days it was more variable due to the lack of a fixed way of measuring time; the Rule of St. Benedict allowed for shorter readings in the summer due to the shorter night, and moving Vigils up closer to Lauds (with only a short break in between), so monks could get enough hours of sleep.

I think in a sense the hard and fast rule is:

1. Matins at 0-dark-30;
2. Lauds as close to sunrise as is practical.

 

[MiserereMeiDeus]

Thank you for the wealth of information!

Brother Jr, do you happen to know what the custom of the Diocesan Priest was/is?

OraLabora, forgive my ignorance, but can you clarify what this means…

1. Matins at 0-dark-30;

 

[JReducation]

Thank you for the wealth of information!

Brother Jr, do you happen to know what the custom of the Diocesan Priest was/is?

Because Diocesan Priests are secular men, they don’t have hard and fast rules as do religious. The pray the Office in whatever way is practical for them. Some of them pray it together and others pray alone. It’s really up to them how they want to do it. They’re not bound to community life. I knew one rectory where the priests got along very well. They had an agreement to pray and eat together on Thursdays.

I knew another rectory where the personalities did not exactly work well together. The ate, prayed and worked on their own.

They don’t really have a universal custom. It’s really up to them. Bishops encourage them to pray together, but they can only demand so much. Diocesan deacons and priests do not make a vow of obedience. They make a promise of obedience. The promise does not cover as much as the vow does. When religious make a vow, they must obey whatever their constitution says they obey. Diocesan priests have no such constitutions to guide their lives. They are like other secular men. They follow whatever spiritual inspiration the Lord provides, rather than one specific spiritual tradition as do men and women in religious life.

Fraternally,

Br. JR, OSF

 

[MiserereMeiDeus]

Because Diocesan Priests are secular men, they don’t have hard and fast rules as do religious. The pray the Office in whatever way is practical for them.

That makes sense. My conception of Matins was always that it was prayed late at night, 3 o’ clock for example. Or early in the morning, before sunrise. I have always had an attraction towards this Office, and would like to attempt to incorporate it into my spiritual life.

 

[JReducation]

That makes sense. My conception of Matins was always that it was prayed late at night, 3 o’ clock for example. Or early in the morning, before sunrise. I have always had an attraction towards this Office, and would like to attempt to incorporate it into my spiritual life.

You can pray it at any time during the day. Just keep in mind that if you pray it before vespers, you must pray the Matins for that day. If it’s after vespers, you pray it for the next day. Unless you’re a religious, you’re not bound to a particular horarium. Even religious have diversity in horariums.

One of the dangers of rigid traditionalism is to try to make everything uniform. That would be incorrect, because some things were never uniform. The schedule for the Divine Office is one of them. Even the way that it was prayed was never uniform. Heck, the books were not uniform, nor were the calendars.

So what part was uniform? The hours were uniform. We all had the same number of hours and we still do. There were eight and now there are seven. One has been supressed. Even monastic communities celebrate only seven.

No, you don’t have to get up in the middle of the night to pray matins. YOu can do it after night prayer or early in the morning before morning prayer, if you like praying it during the high hours. Otherwise, you can pray it at any time during the day. It’s not locked into a specific slot of time as are the other hours.

Fraternally,

Br. JR, OSF

 

[MiserereMeiDeus]

Thank you Brother Jr, those guidelines are helpful. I would not be able to pray it in a very rigid structure due to my ever changing schedule, so it is good to know that I can pray it anytime.

Now the only problem is finding an affordable 1962 Breviary set…

 

[Batfink]

1962 was not a key year for the Liturgy of the Hours as it was for the Mass. If you want a pre-VII Breviary, then this website might be useful until you can buy one.

The modern LOTH is really beautiful and prayerful; you might want to give it a go even if you like the older one!

 

[MiserereMeiDeus]

I have used Divinum Officium before, and it is quite helpful. I am a fan for print though, so I will eventually make a purchase.

I have prayed the modern LOTH before, using both Christian Prayer and several websites that offer the full version. There is something about the older form of the office though that attracts me. However that is not much of a surprise, considering my love of the Usus Antiquior .

 

[JReducation]

Thank you Brother Jr, those guidelines are helpful. I would not be able to pray it in a very rigid structure due to my ever changing schedule, so it is good to know that I can pray it anytime.

Now the only problem is finding an affordable 1962 Breviary set…

1962 was not a key year for the Liturgy of the Hours as it was for the Mass. If you want a pre-VII Breviary, then this website might be useful until you can buy one.

The modern LOTH is really beautiful and prayerful; you might want to give it a go even if you like the older one!

Some of the older books are difficult to find and can be expensive. The new books are expensive too, but hopefully less expensive.

I would suggest that you try to zoom in on your school of spirituality. If it’s Benedictine, then find out what they’re using. If it’s other, then look at them. The Franciscan family has its own: The Roman-Franciscan Breviary. The Dominicans have their own. The Carmelites use the Roman breviary, but have an additional book, sort of like an insert, for their saints. AsBalfink said, the Roman Breviary, in four volumes, is very beautiful.

The beauty of the one volume Christian Prayer is portability and economics. It’s a smaller book and you don’t have to change it with the seasons. You save over $150.00. For some people this is important, especially if finances are tight. I like it because I have poor vision and it’s the only edition that has large print. When I’m alone, I use that one, because I can see it. In community I use the Roman-Franciscan Breviary. Even if I can’t see parts of it, I can follow along by listening. But I’m the guy who sets his default font at 14 pts.

Fraternally,

Br. JR, OSF

 

[MiserereMeiDeus]

Some of the older books are difficult to find and can be expensive. The new books are expensive too, but hopefully less expensive.

Oh yes, I can definitely testify to this. My copy of the Monastic Diurnal (Benedictine) was a pretty penny. It is excellent quality though. However it only has the day hours (naturally) and I am looking for Matins as well.

 

[MiserereMeiDeus]

I would be interested in learning more about the different schools of spirituality though!

 

[OraLabora]

Thank you for the wealth of information!

Brother Jr, do you happen to know what the custom of the Diocesan Priest was/is?

OraLabora, forgive my ignorance, but can you clarify what this means…

0-dark-30

Old military slang. It means 30 minutes past some ungodly hour in the middle of the night or wee hours of the morning.

Meaning in my post: typically Matins is sung in the dark hours of the night/early morning.

 

[JReducation]

0-dark-30

Old military slang. It means 30 minutes past some ungodly hour in the middle of the night or wee hours of the morning.

Meaning in my post: typically Matins is sung in the dark hours of the night/early morning.

Actually, it’s not so typical. It’s only done by those who follow the Benedictine horarium. Not the rest of us. Franciscans never did it in the middle of the night. We always did it very early in the morning, usually around 5:00 or 5:30. Many of the old Benedictine communities got up at midnight to pray Matins, then went back to bed. That was not the typical thing for everyone else.

Fraternally,

Br. JR, OSF

 

[MiserereMeiDeus]

I have always been somewhat of an early riser, so perhaps I will try to pray it online during the early morning; until I can purchase the actual books.

Many of the old Benedictine communities got up at midnight to pray Matins, then went back to bed.

This might be interesting to try out. I live down the street from a Benedictine Archabbey, and now I’m curious as to what their tradition was.

 

[JReducation]

I have always been somewhat of an early riser, so perhaps I will try to pray it online during the early morning; until I can purchase the actual books.

This might be interesting to try out. I live down the street from a Benedictine Archabbey, and now I’m curious as to what their tradition was.

I’ll bet you $5.00 that they no longer get up in the middle of the night and go back to bed. They probably get up very early to get both Matins and Lauds said before mass.

What happened was that the Benedictines gradually became very active. They ran parishes, schools, colleges and retreat houses. These affected their schedule. Their cousins: Cistercians, Trappists, and Camaldolese are not active outside of their houses. It’s easier for them to follow the old horarium. They work about four hours and they’re done for the day. They can take a nap in the afternoon and they can go to bed very early. Some houses call it a night at 8:00 pm.

In our house, community recreation is beginning at 8 pm. That’s when people start to come home from a meeting or a class at the university. You’re lucky to get to bed by 11 and we’re in chapel at 5:00. There are no rest periods during the day, unless you’re in the tropics. The brothers in the tropics stop from 12:00 to 2:30. They eat lunch and then have quiet time when they can nap or just rest with a good book. The idea is to prevent dehydration. AC is not very common in the tropics, because it’s not practical.

Given that most Benedictine monks are working all day, it’s probably the case that community time is in the evening. They would not be in bed by 8.

Some communities also change their schedule in the summer, because it’s impossible to sleep at 8. It’s still daytime. Instead you try to be in chapel by 5:00 am. You go to bed later and sleep through the night.

Fraternally,

Br. JR, OSF

 

[BVM_1221]

Hello everyone! I was curious about when Matins were traditionally prayed. Was it split up throughout the night, or was it prayed before Lauds?

Here is a source of information…

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matins

 

[OraLabora]

Actually, it’s not so typical. It’s only done by those who follow the Benedictine horarium. Not the rest of us. Franciscans never did it in the middle of the night. We always did it very early in the morning, usually around 5:00 or 5:30. Many of the old Benedictine communities got up at midnight to pray Matins, then went back to bed. That was not the typical thing for everyone else.

Fraternally,

Br. JR, OSF

The two Benedictine communities I am familiar with (Saint-Benoît-du-Lac in Canada, the abbey I am affiliated with, and St-Wandrille in France, the abbey that founded us in 1912) do it at 5 am now, it’s the Cistercians (locally) who have kept it earlier (4 am) and the Carthusians too of course still do it in the middle of the night (nearest Carthusians to me are in Vermont; check out the film “Into Great Silence” about the Carthusians, it is great). The nearest community of Benedictine women (nuns, not sisters) do it anticipated after Compline, but they still use the old Benedictine schema (250+ psalms per week and they still do Prime!)