Praying the Daily Office
In the past, and again recently, I have had people approach me and ask how they might pray the Daily Offices at home, either with others or by themselves. I thought it might be helpful to walk through some helpful tips, rubrics, and guidelines so you feel more equipped to pray the Daily Offices at home.
Before you get started, there is some preparatory work that needs to be done. If you want, set up a space to offer your prayers. Candles to remind you of Christ as the light of the world and the reading of Scripture as “a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.” (Ps. 119:105). If visual aids are helpful to you, then place a cross/ crucifix or an icon nearby to help direct your attention to God and the prayers of the saints ascending in true worship to him. If one is inclined, use incense to signify one's prayers ascending to heaven (Rev. 8:4). Though the simplicity of a family gathered together at the table is not to be eschewed. This will also be the time to put a marker in your BCP at the Psalms, the Collect of the Day, check the calendar for any Saint days, and the lessons for the office (we will talk about all that in a moment). And lastly, remember that if distractions come, it is okay. How you treat others is part of your prayer to God. If it is an intrusive thought that won't leave you alone, offer it up in prayer to God and return to the Office.
Two more notes before walking through the services. The rubrics, the small italicized words in the Prayer Book, are directions to help and guide you. Also, read the Office aloud. It will help keep your mind from drifting and increase cognition.
Begin by reading the seasonal sentence provided, or one of the other passages of Scripture listed at the beginning of Morning and Evening prayer. From this point, you will move into the Call to Confession. I generally use the longer version during penitential season and the shorter one outside of Advent and Lent, though that is just my practice. After Confession comes the Absolution. Since you are not a priest, in its place, read the collect for Trinity 21 (pg. 218).
Having made our confession, you will recite the Lord’s Prayer. Note that the rubric says to kneel; here and elsewhere, it will guide you when to kneel or stand. Prayer is not just head knowledge or a cognitive exercise. Prayer is worship that engages the whole body. Generally, we kneel to pray to God, we stand to sing and confess, sit to listen, and bow to show reverence. You are more than a brain on a stick.
After the Lord’s Prayer is the Invitatory, which begins, “O Lord open thou our lips,” here you may make the sign of the cross on your lips. This is the opening sentence of a short call and response; however, if you are alone, you say both parts. Following the Invitatory in Morning Prayer is the Venite. In Evening Prayer, you move on to the Psalms. Before you recite the Venite, you can use the seasonal antiphons as provided. The rubrics also allow you to use Ps. 95 in place of the Venite, the main difference being the ending section—this substitution is fitting in Lent. After the Venite and at the end of the Psalms and canticles, you will say the Gloria Patri (”Glory be to the Father…”). If there were an antiphon for the Venite, you would repeat that after the Gloria Patri. But just like in Church, the Gloria Patri is not said during Passiontide.
Next is the Psalms; you can either use the 30-day lectionary for the Psalms, embedded in the Psalter. The interior header of the page for the Psalms will say the day of the month, and you will begin with the page title that reads Morning or Evening prayer. The other option is to look at the lectionary at the beginning of the BCP (pgs. x-xlv) and find the day of the week (i.e., go to the Fourth Sunday after Easter and then Saturday under that heading; the left page is Morning Prayer and the right side is Evening Prayer). There you will see listed both the Psalm(s) to read and the lessons which will follow. After reading the Psalm, you will say the Gloria Patri and return to the Morning or Evening Prayer section. You might notice that the Gloria in excelsis is listed as an option after the Psalm in Evening Prayer. While you can do this, know that this is peculiar to the early American Prayer Book and is not part of the earlier or later Prayer Book traditions. It was added to provide a choral beauty to the service, so I would advise you to either sing it or just stick with the Gloria Patri (note that the Gloria in excelsis should not be sung in Lent).
Next, you will read the lessons assigned for the day. After each lesson is a canticle usually taken from the Old or New Testament. Canticle means hymn or song, so if you are inclined, you may find a setting (provided in the hymnal), or you can also just read it. The Te Deum and Benedictus in Morning Prayer and the Magnificat, and the Nunc Dimittis in Evening Prayer should be the normative canticles to follow the readings. However, there are others listed that can be read. My recommendation is to use the one that best fits the liturgical season. For example, the Te Deum should not be said during penitential times, so use another canticle provided in the BCP. The Benedictus can be shortened at the gap on the page, but it should be read in its entirety for Advent (see rubric).
A couple of other optional notes about the canticles are: in the Magnificat, at “And holy is his Name,” you can make a slight bow as you are referencing the Holy Name of Jesus. For the Gospel Canticles in Evening Prayer, you may make the small sign of the cross (cross on your head, mouth, and heart) at the beginning of the canticle.
After the Lessons and canticles, you should say the Apostles Creed. The Nicene Creed is primarily offered as an option if the Office is used as an Ante-communion service.
If you are saying the office alone, the Salutation (”The Lord be with you…”) can be omitted. You would then begin with the Sufferages (”O Lord, show thy mercy upon us”, etc.).
Next, you would recite the Collect for the Day, which is the collect from the previous Sunday and/or for the liturgical season (i.e., for Advent 2, you would say the collect for Advent 2 and for Advent 1, which is to be said until Christmas; see rubric after the collect). The collects can be found in the section after Holy Communion, titled “Collects, Epistles, and Gospels.” After the Collect for the Day, you will pray the Collects for Peace and Grace. At this point, you can add other prayers listed in the BCP after the Offices or at the end of the BCP after Family Prayers (a shortened form of Morning and Evening Prayer for families with little children). If you are to recite the Litany at this point in the service, you will not add any prayers but go directly to the Prayer of Chrysostom. The point being, you have already prayed for everything else. If the Litany is not prayed, you continue with each prayer listed (note the two options in Morning Prayer for those in Civil Authority). The Office concludes with 2 Cor. 13:14 called “The Grace”.
Ora pro nobis,
Fr. Aaron