The Lauds Prayer

The Lauds Prayer along with Vespers is one of the most important prayers of the Liturgy of the hours. Previously reserved only for consecrated persons, the Liturgy of the Hours has been prayed by many lay people since the Second Vatican Council. It is the same in each country and allows the unity of the Catholic Church in prayer.

What are Lauds?

“Lord, hear my voice in the morning; Every morning I bring my requests to you and I wait.” (Psalm 5:3). The term “laudes” comes from the Latin “praise” and celebrates the goodness of God at the beginning of a new day. The Lauds correspond to the morning prayer of the Liturgy of the Hours. It is a prayer composed of a hymn, a reading and several psalms, which allow us to consecrate ourselves to God at the beginning of our day. When we are still free from all the worries of the day, we place ourselves in the hands of the Lord through this ancient and very complete prayer and we thank him for all his goodness.

Lauds are the most prayed morning prayer in the world: all religious communities and all priests undertake to pray the Offices of the Hours respecting the rule of Saint Benedict.

Lauds are a magnificent prayer, usually prayed in community, but they can also be prayed with the family or alone.

How to pray Lauds?

Development: Invitation

The office begins with the introductory verses:

“Lord, open my lips,
And my mouth will proclaim your praise.”

“Glory to the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit
As it was in the beginning, now and always,
For ever and ever, amen.”

Then comes the Anthem. It can be sung or recited standing and it changes every day. When launching the trade, God is praised and his goodness is sung.

The Psalms

The Invitatory is followed by the psalmody. It’s about a psalm, a canticle from the Old Testament and a psalm of praise, which are chanted or recited by the seated assembly. They all end with the verses:

“Glory to the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit
For ever and ever, amen”

The assembly bows its head as a sign of respect as the first verse is pronounced. Each psalm is preceded by an antiphon. An antiphon is a phrase chosen according to the words of the psalm and which is enunciated before the psalmody by a single person and repeated by the assembly at the end of the psalm.

The reading

The psalms are followed by a brief reading of a biblical text taken from the Scriptures. This text, like the Hymn and the preceding psalms, changes every day. A time of silence and meditation is generally observed at the end of this reading, followed by a short response between the reader and the assembly.

The Canticle of Zechariah

The Evangelical Canticle, since it is taken from the Gospel, also called Canticle of Zechariah or Benedictus in reference to its Latin name, is the culminating point of Lauds. This song recalls the promise that God made to Abraham and roots all Christians in this promise. It is preceded and followed by an antiphon, like the other psalms, and is chanted or recited standing as a sign of respect.

“Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel,
because he has visited and redeemed his people,
raising us a force of salvation
in the house of David, his servant,
as he had predicted from ancient times,
by the mouth of his holy prophets.
It is the salvation that frees us from our enemies
and from the hand of all who hate us;
performing mercy
that he had with our parents,
remembering his holy alliance
and the oath he swore to our father Abraham.
To grant us that, free from fear,
torn from the hand of enemies,
we serve him with holiness and justice,
in his presence, all our days.
And you, child, will be called a prophet of the Most High,
because you will go before the Lord
to prepare their ways,
announcing salvation to his people,
the forgiveness of their sins.
By the tender mercy of our God,
The sun that rises from above will visit us,
to enlighten those who live in darkness
and in the shadow of death,
to guide our steps
on the path of peace”

“Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
As it was in the beginning, now and always,
forever and ever. Amen.”

Intercessions and prayer of the Our Father

Next come the prayers of intercession to consecrate our day to Godour work and to pray for the Church and the world.
They are followed by the Our Father and a blessing to begin our journey as missionaries of the Lord.

“Our father who art in Heaven,
Hallowed be thy name,
Your kingdom come to us,
Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread,
Forgive our offenses,
As we also forgive those who offend us.
And lead us not into temptation
More deliver us from evil.
Amen”

Lauds are different every day, depending on the week and the day.

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