Holy Rule for February 18
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St. Mary's Monastery
Feb 17, 2026, 5:41:35 PM (3 days ago) Feb 17
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Br. Jerome Leo’s Daily Reflection on the Holy Rule
February 18, June 19, October 19
Chapter 15: At What Times "Alleluia" Is to Be Said
From Holy Easter until Pentecost without interruption let "Alleluia" be said both in the Psalms and in the responsories. From Pentecost to the beginning of Lent let it be said every night with the last six Psalms of the Night Office only. On every Sunday, however, outside of Lent, the canticles, the Morning Office, Prime, Terce, Sext and None shall be said with "Alleluia," but Vespers with antiphons. The responsories are never to be said with "Alleluia" except from Easter to Pentecost.
REFLECTION
When I lived in the Byzantine rite for a very happy while, one of the things that surprised me was the fact that they still used Alleluia in Lent. That sounded strange to my Western ears, but not for long. In the West, Alleluia has become virtually nothing but a synonym for "Hooray!" In the East, this is not so. Our Western connection of Alleluia as primarily a word of rejoicing reserved for happy times is not quite on the mark, with all due apologies to St. Benedict and the rest of Western tradition.
When was the last time you stopped to think that "Amen" really meant "So be it"? I do now and then, but usually just parrot the word out without a thought. So it is with most people saying Alleluia. "Oh, yeah, uh...alleluia...." Alleluia means "Praise the Lord." Focus on this and one can readily see why the East still says it during Lent.
Of course, St. Benedict's prescriptions here are a perfect blend of change and variety for the Office. They "dress up" the most festive times of the years and provide a break from the ordinary. Probably what St. Benedict had in mind at the time was that our hearts should be so full at Paschaltide that no other words would do: only the ineffable stuttering out of "Alleluia!!" would convey our joy. He wasn't wrong about that, but saying Alleluia mindlessly misses the point. So does saying Alleluia only at joyous times, if you will forgive me for saying so.
The charismatic movement in the 1970's made popular the English equivalent of Alleluia: "Praise the Lord!" It was an expression of joy and gratitude for whatever God had done for one. Ah, but then the "whatever" part of that phrase soon came to be evident! A very clever catch phrase evolved for those times when things WEREN'T so great, when one had difficulty appreciating what sometimes seems like God's decidedly strange sense of humor. On such occasions, they said: "Praise the Lord Anyhow!" So it should be with Alleluia!
Our Office and Mass may change in Lent in the Western tradition, but our hearts must always and everywhere, in every circumstance, say "Alleluia!" and really mean it, really know it.
Br. Jerome Leo Hughes, OSB (RIP)
Br. Jerome Leo’s Daily Reflection on the Holy Rule
February 18, June 19, October 19
Chapter 15: At What Times "Alleluia" Is to Be Said
From Holy Easter until Pentecost without interruption let "Alleluia" be said both in the Psalms and in the responsories. From Pentecost to the beginning of Lent let it be said every night with the last six Psalms of the Night Office only. On every Sunday, however, outside of Lent, the canticles, the Morning Office, Prime, Terce, Sext and None shall be said with "Alleluia," but Vespers with antiphons. The responsories are never to be said with "Alleluia" except from Easter to Pentecost.
REFLECTION
When I lived in the Byzantine rite for a very happy while, one of the things that surprised me was the fact that they still used Alleluia in Lent. That sounded strange to my Western ears, but not for long. In the West, Alleluia has become virtually nothing but a synonym for "Hooray!" In the East, this is not so. Our Western connection of Alleluia as primarily a word of rejoicing reserved for happy times is not quite on the mark, with all due apologies to St. Benedict and the rest of Western tradition.
When was the last time you stopped to think that "Amen" really meant "So be it"? I do now and then, but usually just parrot the word out without a thought. So it is with most people saying Alleluia. "Oh, yeah, uh...alleluia...." Alleluia means "Praise the Lord." Focus on this and one can readily see why the East still says it during Lent.
Of course, St. Benedict's prescriptions here are a perfect blend of change and variety for the Office. They "dress up" the most festive times of the years and provide a break from the ordinary. Probably what St. Benedict had in mind at the time was that our hearts should be so full at Paschaltide that no other words would do: only the ineffable stuttering out of "Alleluia!!" would convey our joy. He wasn't wrong about that, but saying Alleluia mindlessly misses the point. So does saying Alleluia only at joyous times, if you will forgive me for saying so.
The charismatic movement in the 1970's made popular the English equivalent of Alleluia: "Praise the Lord!" It was an expression of joy and gratitude for whatever God had done for one. Ah, but then the "whatever" part of that phrase soon came to be evident! A very clever catch phrase evolved for those times when things WEREN'T so great, when one had difficulty appreciating what sometimes seems like God's decidedly strange sense of humor. On such occasions, they said: "Praise the Lord Anyhow!" So it should be with Alleluia!
Our Office and Mass may change in Lent in the Western tradition, but our hearts must always and everywhere, in every circumstance, say "Alleluia!" and really mean it, really know it.
Br. Jerome Leo Hughes, OSB (RIP)
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