Holy Rule for February 13
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St. Mary's Monastery
Feb 12, 2026, 5:21:43 PM (8 days ago) Feb 12
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Br. Jerome Leo’s Daily Reflection on the Holy Rule
February 13, June 14, October 14
Chapter 11: How the Night Office Is to Be Said on Sundays
On Sunday the hour of rising for the Night Office should be earlier. In that Office let the measure already prescribed be kept, namely the singing of six Psalms and a verse. Then let all be seated on the benches in their proper order while the lessons and their responsories are read from the book, as we said above. These shall be four in number, with the chanter saying the "Glory be to the Father" in the fourth responsory only, and all rising reverently as soon as he begins it.
After these lessons let six more Psalms with antiphons follow in order, as before, and a verse and then let four more lessons be read with their responsories in the same way as the former.
After these let there be three canticles from the book of the Prophets, as the Abbot shall appoint, and let these canticles be chanted with "Alleluia." Then when the verse has been said and the Abbot has given the blessing, let four more lessons be read, from the New Testament, in the manner prescribed above. After the fourth responsory let the Abbot begin the hymn "We praise You, O God." When this is finished the Abbot shall read the lesson from the book of the Gospels, while all stand in reverence and awe. At the end let all answer "Amen," and let the Abbot proceed at once to the hymn "To You be praise." After the blessing has been given, let them begin the Morning Office.
This order for the Night Office on Sunday shall be observed the year around, both summer and winter; unless it should happen (which God forbid) that the brethren be late in rising, in which case the lessons or the responsories will have to be shortened somewhat. Let every precaution be taken, however, against such an occurrence; but if it does happen, then the one through whose neglect it has come about should make due satisfaction to God in the oratory.
REFLECTION
Making the relatively safe assumption that the majority of those reading this will not be spending the wee hours of Sunday celebrating three nocturns instead of two, what do we glean from this? Well, for starters, let's note that St. Benedict goes out of his way to make Sunday special year-round, even when he would at other times shorten the Office. Making Sunday special, by the way, was not some novel idea of his own: it's a commandment of God, one we often forget these days.
Sunday is not just a day off. Sunday is not observed by just cramming Church in somehow and the rest of the day is no different. The Roman Catholic practice of Saturday Vigil Masses can really throw a wrench into this: do it late Saturday afternoon and "get it out of the way." Whoops! In spite of the theological and liturgical justifications of a Vigil Mass, that's what it often boils down to in people's minds: less than an hour, done late the day before, and you're done! Not!!!
If Sunday affords no extra time at all to you for rest, for prayer, for lectio, please change something. I know one family who can't make it to Mass on Sunday because of sports schedules for several kids in different games. What will those kids grow up thinking of as Sabbath? A rushed 45 minute Mass Saturday evening, if that? How many observant Jews does one find in that dilemma-none? They know what comes first.
No one took the Sabbath away from Christians: we surrendered it ourselves! It is, by the way, still there waiting, just as God is, for us to take back, fully within our power to do so. All we have to do is change ourselves. That can be hard at first, but the rewards are immense.
Many of us can clearly recall when no stores were open on Sunday, save a few of the gas stations and an emergency pharmacy. I wonder how our willingness to make Sunday just another shopping day contributed to the change we see today?
Albert Schweitzer once said that the proof that Christianity had failed in Europe was war. I would say that the only proof needed to say that our Christian theology of the Sabbath has failed is to take a look at what's left of Sunday. And please don't blame the pagans for this one: we are at the root of the problem. Most likely at fault was our legalistic idea of "youse goes to Church and youse done with it."
The stores won't close if we stop shopping, but OUR Sundays will be different, changed. We can opt out of the secular morass that Sunday has become and we will be better people for doing so. Make your Sunday a real Sabbath, do it on your own.
This Sunday observance, by the way, is not imposing monasticism on your children: it's making them Christian. Not an optional job!
Br. Jerome Leo Hughes, OSB (RIP)
Br. Jerome Leo’s Daily Reflection on the Holy Rule
February 13, June 14, October 14
Chapter 11: How the Night Office Is to Be Said on Sundays
On Sunday the hour of rising for the Night Office should be earlier. In that Office let the measure already prescribed be kept, namely the singing of six Psalms and a verse. Then let all be seated on the benches in their proper order while the lessons and their responsories are read from the book, as we said above. These shall be four in number, with the chanter saying the "Glory be to the Father" in the fourth responsory only, and all rising reverently as soon as he begins it.
After these lessons let six more Psalms with antiphons follow in order, as before, and a verse and then let four more lessons be read with their responsories in the same way as the former.
After these let there be three canticles from the book of the Prophets, as the Abbot shall appoint, and let these canticles be chanted with "Alleluia." Then when the verse has been said and the Abbot has given the blessing, let four more lessons be read, from the New Testament, in the manner prescribed above. After the fourth responsory let the Abbot begin the hymn "We praise You, O God." When this is finished the Abbot shall read the lesson from the book of the Gospels, while all stand in reverence and awe. At the end let all answer "Amen," and let the Abbot proceed at once to the hymn "To You be praise." After the blessing has been given, let them begin the Morning Office.
This order for the Night Office on Sunday shall be observed the year around, both summer and winter; unless it should happen (which God forbid) that the brethren be late in rising, in which case the lessons or the responsories will have to be shortened somewhat. Let every precaution be taken, however, against such an occurrence; but if it does happen, then the one through whose neglect it has come about should make due satisfaction to God in the oratory.
REFLECTION
Making the relatively safe assumption that the majority of those reading this will not be spending the wee hours of Sunday celebrating three nocturns instead of two, what do we glean from this? Well, for starters, let's note that St. Benedict goes out of his way to make Sunday special year-round, even when he would at other times shorten the Office. Making Sunday special, by the way, was not some novel idea of his own: it's a commandment of God, one we often forget these days.
Sunday is not just a day off. Sunday is not observed by just cramming Church in somehow and the rest of the day is no different. The Roman Catholic practice of Saturday Vigil Masses can really throw a wrench into this: do it late Saturday afternoon and "get it out of the way." Whoops! In spite of the theological and liturgical justifications of a Vigil Mass, that's what it often boils down to in people's minds: less than an hour, done late the day before, and you're done! Not!!!
If Sunday affords no extra time at all to you for rest, for prayer, for lectio, please change something. I know one family who can't make it to Mass on Sunday because of sports schedules for several kids in different games. What will those kids grow up thinking of as Sabbath? A rushed 45 minute Mass Saturday evening, if that? How many observant Jews does one find in that dilemma-none? They know what comes first.
No one took the Sabbath away from Christians: we surrendered it ourselves! It is, by the way, still there waiting, just as God is, for us to take back, fully within our power to do so. All we have to do is change ourselves. That can be hard at first, but the rewards are immense.
Many of us can clearly recall when no stores were open on Sunday, save a few of the gas stations and an emergency pharmacy. I wonder how our willingness to make Sunday just another shopping day contributed to the change we see today?
Albert Schweitzer once said that the proof that Christianity had failed in Europe was war. I would say that the only proof needed to say that our Christian theology of the Sabbath has failed is to take a look at what's left of Sunday. And please don't blame the pagans for this one: we are at the root of the problem. Most likely at fault was our legalistic idea of "youse goes to Church and youse done with it."
The stores won't close if we stop shopping, but OUR Sundays will be different, changed. We can opt out of the secular morass that Sunday has become and we will be better people for doing so. Make your Sunday a real Sabbath, do it on your own.
This Sunday observance, by the way, is not imposing monasticism on your children: it's making them Christian. Not an optional job!
Br. Jerome Leo Hughes, OSB (RIP)
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