The Little Office of Our Lady; a treatise theoretical, practical, and exegetical

Front matter

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Introduction

I HAVE written this treatise especially for those who by their vows are called upon to share in the public prayer of the Church. To my knowledge no adequate treatise, such as 1 have aimed at, exists in any language. And when one con¬ siders the thousands of souls who are bound to pay their service to God through the Little Office of our Lady, it is strange that the want has not been hitherto supplied by hands more competent than mine. However, if the perusal of this book help to a better understanding of words so frequently on the lips of religious, if it make them value more and more the priceless privilege of joining in the public prayer of the Church, and if it cause them to realise some of the wider doctrines of the spiritual life, then, indeed, the labour of several years will have been well spent and my reward made exceeding great.

But although this book has been written primarily for the use of religious, I have borne in mind the wants of that ever-increasing number of the laity who prefer to find their devo¬ tion in the Church's prayers, where all is staid and sober and short, rather than in the utterances of private individuals, which are often the reverse. In days gone by the Little Office in English was the favourite devotion of our Catholic forefathers. Happy for England when our prayers once more take such forms, and we build our spiritual life on the simple direct spirit of Holy Mother Church, instead of on those so-called devotions which the late saintly Cardinal Manning was wont to count as some of the greatest evils of the Church to-day.

Vlll.

INTRODUCTION

As to the book itself. I have divided the treatise into three parts : —

In the Theoretical part, 1 inquire into the nature and excellence of Liturgical Prayer ; and then discuss the materials which compose the Little Office ; lastly, I give an historical account of the growth and development of the Prayer as we have it to-day.

In the Practical part, I consider the best means of saying the Office with fruit and according to the mind of the Church, and I also make various suggestions to this end, and treat of some difficulties.

The Exegetical part consists of a full and complete Commentary, drawn from the Fathers and great mystical writers, on every verse of the Psalms, together with a full explanation of the hymns, lessons, responsories, antiphons, versicles, and prayers. To this is added by way of Appendix a Ceremonial and the latest decrees of the Sacred Congregation of Rites upon the subject.

As to the use to be made of this book. It is not intended to be read through once and then laid aside, as a mere book of reference. But, as the Office is a daily work, so should this treatise be made a daily handbook for reading and studying now one part, and then another. I recommend that first of all the book be read through, in order to grasp the general subject. Then that portions of the Third Part be studied daily. On retreat days, the First and Second Parts may be read with advantage. Again, a verse of a Psalm with its commentary may be usefully taken as the subject of mental prayer, and the lights which are gained during the recitation will prove abundant food for this time. And for spiritual reading, slow and thoughtful, what can be better than a com¬ mentary on the Psalms ; for here we have the Holy Ghost speaking to us directly in the words of the Scripture ; and His saints explaining them to us. The main point I want to arrive at with those who use this book is the value of the Public Prayer above all private prayer, and the consequent necessity of making a deliberate study thereof.

As regard the materials of this book. I have drawn them from all manner of sources. Whatever is good I have made

INTRODUCTION

IX.

use of, according to my lights, irrespective of country and person. One work, largely quoted, is The Myroure of our Ladyey written by an unknown author in the old days for the Brigittine nuns of Sion Abbey at Isleworth. This venerable English community after three hundred years’ exile on the Continent have returned to England, and are settled at Sion Abbey, Chudleigh, Devon. As their form of Office is entirely different from the Roman use, I had to content myself with extracting from the Myroure such parts as would apply to the Little Office to-day. While preserving the pious author’s quaint phraseology I have modernised his spelling, and in a few — very few — instances changed, here and there, a word which would not be intelligible to most of my readers. I have invariably quoted from the edition of The Myroure of our Ladye published by the Early English Text Society. The Commentary on the Psalms is a cento made up from all sources. Like the late Archabbat Wolter of Beuron in his Psallite Sapientery I have used largely that most beautiful and complete work, Dr. Neale’s Commentary on the Psalms ( 1 860). There are few who have had so intimate a know¬ ledge of the devotional spirit and aspect of the Middle Ages, or were so thoroughly imbued with their tone, as the lamented author. Joining to this an immense patristic and scriptural knowledge, he, with infinite patience, wrote before his death a commentary on the first fifty-eight Psalms, which is all gold. While borrowing largely and freely from this priceless work, I have not hesitated to alter, to abbreviate, and often to enlarge the matter wherever I thought proper. While the Commen¬ tary I give is solely devotional, I have pointed out, without being critical, the generally received opinion about the origin of the Psalm and the circumstances under which it was written.

I must express my heartfelt thanks to my valued and wellproved friend, Dom. J. G. Dolan, O.S.B., who in the midst of mission cares has found time to be of great service to me, not only by acting as Censor Deputatus for the ecclesiastical authorities, but also by making excellent and thoughtful sug¬ gestions, which I have gladly carried out.

It only remains to add my earnest prayer that those holy virgins who, forsaking all things, follow the Lamb whitherso-

X.

INTRODUCTION ever He goeth, and, by their good works, fill our land with the sweet odour of Christ, thus recalling the days when a Hilda, an Edith, an Ethelreda, a Mildred, a Werburgha, found union with God by doing for Him a woman's work in the world, that they, when using this book, will remember me and mine, alive or dead, in their prayers before the Throne of Grace.

London, E. L. T.

November 5, 1902.

Chapter I. On Liturgical Prayer

The Little Office of our Lady is one of the liturgical prayers of the Church ; and she imposes it on many of her children. For them it takes the place of that greater office known by the distinctive title of the Divine Office. Although the Little Office of our Lady is considerably shorter than the evervarying Office which the clergy and religious of both sexes in solemn vows have to say, yet, coming as it does from the same authority which regulates and prescribes its use, it is as much a liturgical prayer as the other, and has the same claims to be considered as part of the public official worship which the mystical Spouse of Christ, the Church, daily offers to her Divine Head.

In these last words we have the whole idea of Liturgical Prayer ; and, in order that it should be properly understood, and secure in our heart its true value, we propose to consider, somewhat at length, the nature of prayer, especially in its relation to the recitation of the Office.

We cannot get a better definition of prayer than that found in our catechism, which is the one given by the great Angelical doctor St. Thomas : Prayer is the lifting up of the i heart and mind to God. It is, in its simplest form, an act of the soul which calls into play the powers of understanding and will, or, in other words, the reason and the affections. The understanding has to be directed to God ; the will has to be moved towards Him. Faith must illuminate our under¬ standing so that we may know Him Whom we address ; while Hope and Charity must inflame our will so that we may love, praise, adore, thank, and beseech Him in Whom we believe. There can be no prayer, properly so-called, of the under¬ standing without a resulting motion of the will ; neither can there be a prayer of the will without the preliminary exercise of the understanding. Both must be employed ; for, as God is One, so is the soul. He has made man to His Own image and likeness. He does not wish us to have a dry knowledge of Himself, but such an understanding as will make us turn to Him as the sole Object that can adequately fill a creature's heart. Again, He does not ask us to love Him blindly, not knowing Who or What He is. He demands a reasonable service [i], a love based on knowledge. Without the use of reason we debase His service into a mere superstition. Hence it can be seen, from the definition of prayer, that it is the work of the soul acting through under¬ standing and will. It is well to get this principle deeply rooted in the mind from the outset, for it proves how necessary it is for each one, as far as means allow, to make a con¬ scientious study of, the subject of prayer; and especially of the Liturgical Prayer. For those bound to its recitation this must be a serious duty, since the Office is a daily task, laid upon us by Holy Church under a grave obligation.

Prayer is divided into two great classes : mental prayer and vocal prayer. Mental prayer is that in which the soul itself works without the aid of any exterior instrument. Vocal prayer, as its very name implies, calls in the use of the human voice as an external means of praying. But there is this important point to bear in mind. If the soul can pray without the help of the body, the body cannot pray without the help of the soul. Vocal prayer must find an echo in the heart, otherwise it is but an empty form, and merits

[i] Rom. xii. 2.

the contempt which our Lord shows for the prayers of the Pharisees, who expected to be heard for their muojh speaking [i]. It would be but a lip-service which He does not want : These people know me with their lips and not with their hearts, says the Lord by His prophet [2]. This strict dependence of vocal prayer on mental prayer is in keeping with our human nature. Our bodies can only be said to act in a reasonable manner when prompted by the soul. There is nothing in the nature of things that can prevent the soul from acting, that is to say, from knowing and loving, without making use of the organs of the body : a proof, by the way, making for the immortality of the soul. It is on account of this truth that Holy Church bids us, before beginning our Office, pray that we may say it attentively and devoutly ; that is, with due application of the body and the soul.

Of vocal prayer, which mainly concerns us in this book, the division is two-fold — public and private ; and both have to be considered from the point of view of the prayer itself, and the one who prays. Public vocal prayer, strictly so-called, is that prayer which is the official act of the whole body of the Church. Private vocal prayer is that which individuals, by themselves or with others, say according to their own private devotion. It, therefore, cannot be looked upon as the public act of the whole body of the Church. Now as regards those who pray : the individual may be either a public servant of the Church who in her name is charged with making intercession ; or a private individual [3] who bears no official position, and is not appointed, like, Aaron, to stand between the living and the dead [4]. Those who, either by their state or by vow approved of by . the Church, are charged with saying the Office, whether it be the Divine Office or the Little Office of our Lady, say it as public servants of the Church who, officially, stand before the Throne of God and make intercession for the whole body of Christ's Church.

[1] Matthew vi. 7. [2] Isaias xxix. 13.

[3] Though forsaking his own fancies, he may find both his security and profit in following the formulas which are publicly authorised by the Church, and thus unite himself with the public praying of the Church.

[4] Numbers xvi. 48.

When performing this duty, even when alone, they cease to be private individuals : they are invested with the public character of ambassadors to the heavenly court. He is consti¬ tuted in those things which appertain to God [i]. But although invested with a public character, those who recite the Office do not lose the merit of their own personal action according to the words of the Apostle : Who sows in blessings the same also shall reap in blessings ; [2] or that other saying : From the fruit of his mouth shall a man be filled with good things [3]. And there is no prayer so efficacious as that of the Office, for it has a peculiar and great merit before God for a reason we shall give below. “A single psalm said well excites all the powers of our soul and makes us produce a hundred acts of virtue. One hour said with devotion implies at the bottom of the heart a thousand good desires, a thousand pious affections ” [4]: thus St. Alphonsus. Is it any wonder that St. Benedict tells his monks : “ Let nothing be preferred to the work of God ” ? [5]

But there is a deeper view of the public prayer of the Church and of those who are privileged to take part therein. We must look more closely into the matter and endeavour to search out honey and oil out of the Rock [6] . Now the Rock was Christ [7] ; and He, the same yesterday , to-day and for ever¬ more [8], is the soul of the Liturgical prayer. It is Jesus Christ Who prays in us ; it is He Who prays by us ; it is He Who prays with us. This is the great truth which gives the value to Liturgical prayer and sets it so far above any private devotions. It is this sublime truth which makes St. Alphonsus say that one Pater Noster said in the Office is worth a thousand said out of private devotion.

We must go back to our baptismal Creed for the founda¬ tion of all this. We profess our belief in the Almighty Father, in the Incarnate Son, and the Holy Ghost ; and then in the mystical Body of Christ, quickened by the Abiding Presence, the Holy Catholic Church, which is the Commu -

[1] Heb. v. 1. [5] Holy Rule, Cap. 43.

[4] The Divine Office. Introduction. [8] Heb. xiii. 8.

nion of Saints. This is the doctrine of the Mystical Body which the Holy Ghost by St. Paul thus explains : —

For as the body is one and hath many members, and all the members of that one body , being many, are one body ; so also is Christ. For by one Spirit are we all baptised into one Body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink of one Spirit. . . . Now ye

are the Body of Christ and members in particidar [1].

And again : —

For there is one Body and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling. One Lord, one faith, one baptism, one

God and Father of all . {That) speaking the truth in

love {we) may grow up in all things into Him who is the Head, even Christ, from whom all the body fitly framed and knit together through that which every joint supplieth, according to the working in due measure of each several part, maketh the increase of the body unto the building up of itself in love [2].

And once more : —

And He is before all things and in Him all things consist.

And He is the Head of the Body, the Church. . . . for it

pleased the Father that in Him should all fulness dwell [3].

On these words of the Apostle the whole structure of the Liturgical prayer is built. It is the outward manifestation of the real life of the Church, the mystical Body of God the Son. And in this way our Divine Lord has united to Him¬ self, as members of a body to the head, all those who live by grace. This forms what is called the Mystical Body of

Christ. As He has a real human body born of the Virgin

Mary so He has also a Mystical Body begotten by grace born of the Water and the Blood [4] and quickened at Pente¬ cost by the coming of the Holy Ghost, the Lord and Life-giver. Those who are members of His Body live with His life and act through with Him according to the saying : I live ; no longer I but Christ lives in me [5] ; and that other : Of His fulness we all have received [6]. When this Mystical Body acts it is always in union with its Divine Head, Jesus

Christ. Its acts become His acts, for they are guided by His Spirit. They are thus invested with a dignity and a worth far beyond their natural power. They become the acts of the Infinite God Himself. On the other hand, when Jesus Christ works He acts as the Head of the Church, of that Mystical body which He has united so closely to Himself and which only exists in Him. He makes use of the Body Mystical for carrying out His Own gracious ends ; and plays on it as a skilful harper who touches the strings of a well-tuned instrument and is sure that they will respond to the feelings which sweep over his soul.

What, then, is the work of Jesus Christ as the Head of the Church ? He is the great Adorer of His Father, or, as the saintly founder of St. Sulpice was wont to say, the Sole Religious [i]. Through the Incarnation, God is able to receive from Creation a homage and a worship which perfectly befit Him, and which otherwise could never have been found. Finite creatures, be they the holiest and highest, can never worship God as He deserves ; for to Him is due a worship without bounds. How, then, can creatures, who are limited on all sides, pay such a homage ? No one but God Himself, the Infinite One, can offer a worship which has the perfection that is required. It was therefore necessary, if He is to have a fitting worship, that God the Son, of the very same substance and equal to His Father in all things, should become Man, so that as the God-Man He, in His created nature, and in the name of all creation, should pay a homage which, on account of His Own Divine Person, is infinite and worthy of all acceptance by the Eternal Father. But while on the one hand God receives from Jesus Christ a worship without end¬ ing, according t6 the words : Great is the Lord and exceed¬ ingly to he praised [2] ; on the other, the life of the God-Man is also destined for us, to supply the wants of our race. He is decreed to be our Head in order to enable us through Him to worship our Maker. Not only during the thirty-three years of His mortal life was He to worship His Father, but

[1] Religion in its real meaning is that bond which binds the creature to the Creator ( Religo — I bind).

[2] Ps. xlvii. 1.

that homage has to be paid for evermore. The life of Jesus now in Heaven is concerned with the same work : Living for ever to make intercession for us [i]. He is the Lamb slain from the beginning of the world [2] ; the Eternal Sacrifice to which we are associated. The Mystical Body ever needs to pour forth its homage to the Eternal ; and Jesus Christ, her Divine Head, is ever making intercession for us in Her name. We have an Advocate with the Father , Jesus Christy the Righteous [3]. This position of our Lord, as the Mystical Head of the Church, the Adorer of the Father in the name of His brethren, must be understood if we are to appreciate the Liturgical prayer at its proper value, and to understand our share therein. Let us, then, with the eye of faith, pene¬ trate within the veil and, with adoring look, gaze on the worship of heaven. Let us enter into His courts with praise [4] and listen to the morning stars singing together and the Sons of God shouting for joy [5]. The Beloved disciple, St. John, shall be our guide.

And after this I looked and behold a door was opened in heaven ; and the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me ; which said : Come up hither and I will show thee things which must be hereafter. And immediately I was in the spirit : and, behold , a Throne was set in heaven and One sat on the Throne. And He that sat was to look upon like a jasper and a sardine stone ; and there was a rainbow round about the Throne , in sight like unto an emerald.

And round about the Throne were four and twenty seats ; and sitting upon the seats I saw four and twenty elders , sitting clothed in white raiment ; and they had on their heads crowns of gold.

And out of the Throne proceeded lightnings and thunderings and voices : and there were seven lamps of fire burning before the Throne which are the seven Spirits of God.

And before the Throne there was a sea of glass like unto crystal : and in the midst of the Throne, and round about the Throne, were four living creatures, full of eyes, before and behind.

[2] Apoc. xiii. 8.

[3] John ii. 1.

And the first living creature was like a lion , and the second living creature like a calf, and the third living creature had a face as a man, and the fourth living creature was like a flyingeagle.

And the four living creatures had each of them six wings about him : and they were full of eyes within : and they rest not day or night, saying : Holy, Holy , Holy, Lord God Almighty, Who was, and is, and is to come.

And when those living creatures gave glory and honour and thanks to Him that sat on the Throne, Who liveth for ever and ever, the four and twenty elders fell down before Him that sat on the Throne, and worshipped Him that liveth for ever and ever, and cast their crowns before the Throne, saying: Thou- art worthy, 0 Lord, to receive glory and honour and power : for Thou hast created all things, and for Thy pleasure they were and are created . [i].

And I beheld, and lo, in the midst of the Throne and of the four living creatures, and in the midst of the elders, a Lamb standing as if it were slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent forth into all the earth. And He came and took the book out of the right hand of Him that sat upon the Throne.

And when He had taken the book, the four living creatures and the four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps, and golden vials full of odours, which are the prayers of the saints. And they sang a New Song : Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof : for Thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by Thy Blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people , and nation ; and hast made us unto God kings and priests : and we shall reign on the earth.

And I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels round about the Throne and the living creatures and the elders : and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands ; saying, with a loud voice : Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing.

[i] Apoc. iv. i-i i.

And every creature which is in heaven , and on earth , and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying, Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, be unto Him that sitteth upon the Throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever: and the four living creatures said: Amen. And the four and twenty elders fell down and worshipped Him that liveth for ever and ever [i].

And the four and twenty elders who sat before God on their seats, fell upon their faces, and worshipped God, saying: We give Thee thanks, 0 Lord God Almighty, Who art, and wast, and art to come, because Thou hast taken to Thee Thy great power, and hast reigned.

And the temple of God was opened in heaven, and there was seen in His temple the ark of His testimony : and there were lightning, and voices, and thunderings, and an earthquake, and great hail. And there appeared a great sign in heaven : a Woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars [2].

And I looked, and to, a Lamb stood on the mount Sion, and with Him an hundred and forty and four thousand, having His Father's name written in their foreheads. And I heard a Voice from heaven, as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of a great thunder : and I heard the voice of harpers harping with their harps : and they sang as it were a New Song before the Throne, and before the four living creatures, and the elders : And no marl could learn that Song but the hundred and forty and four thousand who were redeemed from the earth. These were they who were not defiled with women for they are virgins. These are they who follow the Lamb whithersoever He goeth. These were purchased from among men, the first-fruits unto God and to the Lamb ; and in their mouth was found no guile , for they are with¬ out blemish before the Throne of God [3].

And after that I looked, and, behold, the temple of the taber¬ nacle of the testimony in heaven was opened. . . And the temple was filled with smoke from the Glory of God, and from His power [4].

And after these things I heard a great voice of much people in heaven , saying: Alleluia! Salvation , and glory, and honour, and power, unto the Lord our God. . . And the four and twenty elders and the four living creatures fell down and worshipped God that sat on the Throne, saying: Amen; Alleluia. And a Voice came out of the Throne saying : Praise our God, all ye His servants, and ye that fear Him, both small and great. And I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude, and as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of mighty thunderings, saying, Alleluia : for the Lord our God the Almighty reigneth. Let us be glad and rejoice, and give glory to Him : for the Marriage of the Lamb is come, and His Spouse hath made herself ready [i].

And I heard a great Voice out of heaven saying, Behold the tabernacle of God with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself shall be with them, and shall be their God.

And He that sat upon the Throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And He said unto me : Write : for these words are true and faithful. And He said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the End [2].

In this picture of the worship of heaven, which fills our heart with a reverential awe, we have all the elements of the Liturgical prayer. He Who sits upon the Throne is the object of all worship ; the mystic living creatures are continually pouring forth their adoration ; the elders are for ever casting in abasement their crowns before the Throne ; the glorious angelic host in their varied choirs, each a very world of beauty, of intelligence and love, join in the mighty song of praise ; the one Voice from all creation, animate and inanimate, is always giving expression of their love and worship to their Maker, harping as harpers on the mystical harp of the Heart of the Lamb, Who has redeemed them to God and is in their midst as the Leader and Director of all the adoration, and the Voice Himself which comes from the Throne, the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. For it is deep down in the Heart of the Lamb that are found all the prayers of the Saints. He first conceives them as the expression of His own worship to the Father, and then instills them into our souls ; thus causing us to have the same mind that is in ii