Morning Prayer

Dear Creator Family,
​
Thank you all so much for the kind messages and prayers. When I tested positive for COVID two Saturdays ago, I was anticipating the worst. Many of you know that the first time I had COVID it was a near hospitalization event. I was hopeful by Monday night that this time around was not going to be as bad and, thanks be to God, it wasn’t. Still, it was a slow and uncomfortable week in isolation at home. So when I tested again last Saturday night, I was shocked when the result was positive.

Much thanks go to Jay Lee and Lynn Michaux who conducted Morning Prayer services our last two Sundays. Lay persons who are called to lead Morning Prayer are a true blessing as their ministry makes it possible for us to gather when I am unable or away.

Attending the beautiful service of Morning Prayer is a privilege we don’t get very often. When we do celebrate Morning Prayer, we are seated and speaking along with the Apostles, the Church Father, the desert solitaries, and the entire corpus of our monastic brethren.

The hours of the church were set at the times when, alone or together, everyone prayed. These hours were separated into eight events,

• Matins: Usually counted as a single hour in the middle of the night
• Lauds: At dawn  (Morning Prayer)
• Prime: At sunrise
• Terce: At 9 AM
• Sext: At noon
• None: At 3 PM
• Vespers: At sunset
• Compline: Before going to bed

​While our monastic tradition kept the The Liturgy of the Hours or The Divine Office or Breviary intact, there grew an abbreviated schedule for ease of use. The second hour--Lauds, was named after the Laudate Psalms. Laudate, from the Latin laudare, means “to praise” and is repeated over and over in Psalms 148, 149, and 150. These Psalms were to be read at each service, as Lauds' focus is on praising God at the start of the day. The morning was and is a special event through which we are reminded of Jesus' resurrection as the Light of the World.

Lauds, or Morning Prayer, is an ancient practice in general and a regularized liturgical event.  The earliest evidence of Lauds appears in the second and third centuries in the Canons of Hippolytus and in writings by St. Cyprian and the Apostolic Fathers. Descriptions during the fourth and fifth centuries appear in writings by Ss. John Cassian, Melania the Younger, Hilary of Poitiers, Eusebius, and John Chrysostom. During the 6th century St. Benedict of Nursia gave a detailed description of Lauds in his Rule.

Throughout the centuries, the church has incorporated Morning Prayer as a standard practice as a corporate liturgy and encouraged it as a private practice. Historically, Morning Prayer was vital in bridging the gap when, for whatever reason, a Priest was not available to conduct the Holy Eucharist. The Colonial church relied on Morning Prayer after the Revolutionary War as many of the Anglican Priests remained loyal to Britain and had returned to England. The church in Virginia became so devoted to Morning Prayer that it remained the primary Sunday service long after the return of Priests.     

Our ability to celebrate Morning Prayer links us through time to the earliest church and broadens our experience and understanding of Praise. It was a joy for me to participate in Church these last two Sundays through ZOOM, and I pray that your praise lifted you to Christ in his Resurrection.

Laudare,

​Fr. Bill+