Brush up your rubrics - Getting ready for Advent - Lauds, Part I

Today I want to continue my series on getting ready for Advent with a look at Lauds in the first part of Advent.

Ordinary of Advent

For the first half of Advent (up to and including December 16), although there are special antiphons for each Sunday of Advent, on weekdays the psalms and antiphon on weekdays at Lauds are exactly as set out in the psalter.

The key thing to remember is not to use the chapter, short responsory, hymn and versicle from the psalter section, but instead use the texts for the 'Ordinary of Advent', MD 9* (ie the same chapter, hymn etc every day)

Proper of Advent

In addition,  there is a Benedictus antiphon for each Advent day - so you need to keep a track of which day and week you are in.

Where to put your ribbons

In other words, you basically need to deploy three ribbons  - one for the psalms and antiphons of the day; one for the Ordinary of Advent; and one for the Advent day (plus from Tuesday onwards, one for Psalm 66 and another the text of the Benedictus).

 The table below summarises where the texts can be found in the Diurnal.

Lauds on weekdays in Advent up to and including 16 December

LAUDS	‘Default’ texts
Opening prayers – Deus…	MD 1
Psalm 66 – Deus miseratur…	MD 38, 58
Antiphons	Of day of the week
Antiphon(s), Psalm 50; 2 variable psalms; OT canticle; Laudate psalms Ps 148-150	Monday - MD 59 Tuesday - start MD 76 Wednesday – MD 89 Thursday – MD 102 Friday - MD 118 Saturday - MD 133
Chapter	Of Advent – Venite et ascendamus
Short Responsory	Of Advent – Veni ad liberandum
Hymn	Of Advent – Vox Clara
Versicle	Of Advent – Vox clamantis
Antiphon for the Benedictus	Of the Advent Day (ie Monday in the first week of Advent, Tuesday in..., etc)
Benedictus	MD 56, 73
Antiphon for the Benedictus
Closing prayers	MD 57
-          Collect	Of the Advent week/day
-          Commemoration of the saint	Canticle antiphon, versicle and collect said immediately after the collect of the day

The hymn: Vox clara

If you want to learn the hymn, the recordings below give the correct tune (but with some minor word differences).

Brush up your rubrics - Lauds

For those who say Lauds (or are interested in learning to say it), I'm currently posting a series over at Psallam Domino on that hour, including the spiritual and theological context of the hour, as well as notes on the variable psalms (and links to previous more detailed notes on the fixed psalms of the hour).

For those just wanting the quick skinny on the hour, here are a few key summaries to help you.


1.  The structure of Lauds.

The table below summarises the structure of Lauds - note that there are in effect three versions of it: Lauds on Sundays; Lauds for major feasts (festal); and Lauds on normal weekdays.  The table sets out what changes each day and what doesn't.

ELEMENT OF LAUDS	SUNDAY                       FEASTS                 WEEKDAYS
Opening prayers	Fixed
Psalm 66	Fixed
Antiphon:	Variable (normally alleluia)
Psalm 50+ Gloria	Fixed	Psalm 92+variable antiphon	Fixed +variable antiphon
Psalm+Gloria	Psalm 117	Psalm 99+variable antiphon	Of the day +variable antiphon
Psalm+Gloria	Psalm 62	Psalm 62+variable antiphon	Of the day +variable antiphon
Antiphon	Variable
Antiphon for the canticle	Variable	Variable	Variable
OT Canticle	Benedicite Domino (no Gloria)	Festal canticle of the day of the week with Gloria	Ferial or festal canticle of the day of the week  with Gloria
Antiphon	Variable
Ps 148+149+150+Gloria	Fixed
Antiphon	Variable
Chapter	Variable
Responsory	Variable
Hymn	Variable – summer winter and seasons	Of the feast	Of the day of the week or season
versicle	Variable
Antiphon for the Benedictus	Variable
Benedictus	Fixed
Antiphon	Variable
Closing prayers	Fixed
-          Collect	Of the Sunday	Of the feast	Of the Sunday or day
-          Commemoration (if applicable)	Of the feast	Of the feast or day (ie Lent or Advent days)	Of the feast

2.  Page numbers in the Diurnal

The chants for Lauds can be found in the Antiphonale Monasticum (which can be downloaded from the CCWatershed or purchased through monastic bookshops, including online via Le Barroux); alternatively learn them by ear by listening to the monks of Norcia..

PART OF LAUDS                                 PAGE

Opening prayers – Deus…	MD 1
Psalm 66 – Deus miseratur…	MD 38, 58
Antiphons	of day of the week or feast/season
Antiphon(s), Psalm 50; 2 variable psalms; OT canticle; Laudate psalms Ps 148-150	Sunday, MD 39 Festal (for feasts), MD 44 Monday - MD 59 Tuesday - start MD 76 Wednesday – MD 89 Thursday – MD 102 Friday - MD 118 Saturday - MD 133
Chapter	See in psalter as above or for season/feast
Short Responsory	See in psalter as above or for season/feast
Hymn	Of the day of the week (pg nos above) or feast/season
Versicle	See in psalter as above or for season/feast
Antiphon for the Benedictus	Of the day of the week/feast/season [on Sundays, of the week of the liturgical year]
Benedictus	MD 56, 73
Antiphon for the Benedictus	M-S of the day of the week; Sun of the week in the calendar
Closing prayers	MD 57
-          Collect	Of the week of the liturgical year or day/feast
-          Commemoration of the saint or day	Canticle antiphon, versicle and collect said immediately after the collect of the day

3.  Key points to remember about Lauds

1. The key texts for each day of the week (starting with Sunday) can be found in the Diurnal after Prime (but the hour is said before it) in the psalter section.

2. Lauds is said in the early morning, ideally at first light.

3. Only two (three on feasts) of the psalms change each day – Psalm 66 and 148-150 are normally said every day, and Psalm 50 is said every day except feasts and during some seasons.

4. There is also an Old Testament canticle for each day of the week (including a ‘ferial’ and optional ‘festal’ canticle for Monday-Saturday).

5. The antiphons, chapter, responsory, hymn, versicle can be of the day of the week (Class IV days), season, feast or day.

6. The collect is either of the Sunday of the week (all Class IV days) or of the day, season or feast.

7. The antiphon for the Benedictus is of the day of the week or feast from Monday to Saturday, but on Sunday is normally of the week of the month or liturgical season.