A quick guide to Prime

Continuing my quick guide series to the Benedictine Office using the Monastic Diurnal, the second hour of the day is Prime.

What is Prime?

Prime has been abolished in the modern Liturgy of the Hours, and many Benedictine monasteries have followed suit, 'in the spirit of Vatican II'.  

That's a shame, because it is one of the most distinctively 'Benedictine' hours in its spirituality and design.

Prime, named for the first hour of the day, can be used as your main morning prayer - traditionally oblates were encouraged to say Prime and Compline, not least since they are relatively short and the simplest of the hours to learn.

In a monastery it is traditionally the hour said before the first work period of the day, and is immediately followed by 'chapter' (which is entirely optional outside a monastery since it is not mentioned in the Rule of St Benedict, and so is not included in the Diurnal for that reason), said in the chapter room named for it.

Chapter typically includes the reading of the martyrology, the daily section of the Rule (and often a short homily on it), and prayers for the deceased members and those associated with the community.  Chapter can also include any necessary discussion of work assignments and so forth.

Where can you find Prime in your book?

Prime for Monday to Saturday (Psalms 1-2, 6-19) can be found right at the beginning of the Psalter section of the Diurnal (middle of the book).

Prime on Sunday however, starts on page 146 (after Saturday Lauds), as it uses the first four stanzas of Psalm 118).

Structure and page numbers for Prime

Opening prayers	MD 1
Hymn	MD 1-2; 146-7 (Sunday)
Antiphon (said before the beginning  of the psalms, and repeated at the end  after the three or four psalms of the day  have been said).	Of the day of the week (see below for psalms), date, feast or season (on feasts etc, usually antiphon 1 of Lauds)
Psalms of the day of the week	Monday - MD 3 ff. Tuesday - start MD 10 ff. Wednesday – MD 16 ff. Thursday – MD 20 ff. Friday - MD 24 ff. Saturday - MD 31 ff. Sunday- MD 147 ff.
Chapter	MD 7 or 150.
Versicle	MD 7 or 150.
Closing prayers, including collect.	MD 8-9.

 

You can find more detailed notes on how to say Prime starting here.

Trips and tracks around Prime

The key thing to remember with Prime is that the opening and closing prayers for it are set out on page 1 of the psalter section, and under Monday Prime.  These opening prayers need to be said every day, even though this is not spelt out under each day of the week.

So on Tuesday, for example, you need to turn back to page 1 for the Deus in adjutorium/O God come to my aid and hymn before saying the antiphon and psalms for that day, and go back to page 7 after you've said the antiphon after the psalms for the chapter, versicle and closing section of the hour.

The good news is that apart from the antiphon and psalms (or parts of psalms), everything (including the collect) stays the same each day.

The other key thing to keep in mind is that on feasts (Class III or above), instead of using the antiphon for the season, you use one for the feast, usually (but not always) the first antiphon of Lauds.

The psalms and spirituality of the hour

At Lauds, the focus is on the Resurrection, and the possibility it invites for us to invite the light of Christ into our lives, and to participate in the remaking of the world, the new Creation (Psalms 148-150). 

Prime tells us how to actually set about making this a reality, namely taking the first step of humility (chapter 7 of the Rule), which is, in essence, keeping in mind always an awareness of the presence of God.  

Much of St Benedict's discussion of the first step of humility in the Rule seems to have been inspired by St Ambrose's commentary on the first four stanzas of Psalm 118 (said on Sunday at Prime, and also echoed in the closing sentences of the Prologue to the Rule).  The theme of 'practical atheism' - acting as if God does not exist or does not care, and the consequences and antidotes to this - runs through the rest of the psalms of the hour.

You can find notes on the psalms of Prime to help you with the Latin, as well as their broader meaning, here.

  

Brush up your rubrics: Getting ready for Advent Part I - Prime and Compline in Advent

I want to offer a short series of notes and links on the Office of Advent to encourage you to start preparing now.

Advent is easily the most complex period when it comes to saying the Office, due to the mix of texts that need to be juggled for the season, week of Advent, day of the week and date.  But on the positive side, Advent also includes some of the most beautiful texts and chants in the repertoire, which are well worth learning.

Accordingly, today a look at Compline and Prime, which are relatively straightforward.

Compline

At Compline, apart from chant tones, the only change is in the Marian antiphon, which becomes Alma Redemptoris Mater.

For the psalms, the most commonly utilised chant tone is actually the one (in directum) that appears in most chant books (I haven't been able to find the other seasonal tones in a printed book - do let me know if you know of a good source for these!).  You can get a feel for it by listening to one of the archived podcasts from Le Barroux).

For the hymn tone, you can listen to Te lucis ante terminum sung to the Advent tone (page 183 in the Antiphonale Monasticum) over at Liber Hynarius.

For the Marian antiphon, on weekdays use the simple tone:



On Saturdays, Sundays and major feasts, the Solemn tone.  Here it is sung by the nuns of Argentan:

Prime

The key change to Prime is that instead of the normal antiphons for each day of the week, there are antiphons for each week of Advent (up to December 16), and then each day of the week (December 17-23).

Up to and including December 16

Up until December 16, the antiphon for Prime (except where displaced by feasts) is the first antiphon of Lauds on Sunday.

So for week I of Advent, the antiphon is In illa die; in week 2 of Advent, Ecce in nubibus caeli.

As well as under Sundays in Advent, you can also find them in the section that sets out the Ordinary of Advent, on MD 13* (right at the front of the Diurnal).

The psalms (of each day of the week), chapter, versicles and collect all stay as usual.

The text of the hymn remains unchanged (Iam lucis), but there is an Advent hymn tone to use - the tone is the same for all of the hymns from Prime to None, and you can find it in the Antiphonale Monasticum. 

December 17-23

Between December 17 and 23, there is a different antiphon for each day of the week, and you can find these on pages 37*-40*.

The antiphon for Prime is, as usual, the first antiphon of Lauds.