Liturgie nach der RB

Transcription

1 Liturgie nach der RB Aquinata Böckmann (Translation by Sr. Matilda Handl (from Erbe und Auftrag, Liturgie nach der RB, Dez. 2001, pp )) Liturgy of the Hours according to the RB i The liturgy holds for Benedict a priority which characterizes each normal monastic day from morning to evening. Nothing is to be preferrred to the Work of God (43,3). The liturgy also is the core of our lives. Since the Council we have changed, adapted and vivified the Liturgy of the Hours in all our communities. Some updating and change will continue to make for a truly transforming liturgy. Therefore we need to see which principles guided Benedict in his chapters on the liturgy. These will give us orientation even though we may depart from the letter of the rule. Sometimes the reason for his arrangement is more important than its literal observance. Furthermore, we need to ask ourselves: What is the hidden intention, the spirit behind it? 1. Order and Quantity The liturgy of the hours of the RB is carefully arranged. Numbers, measures, quantities have a significance which can be recognized when the Rule is read in the context of tradition. Even the symbolic meaning of the numbers is important: 12 psalms (2 x 6) for the Vigil, 4 or 3 at (Vespers/Lauds and the Little Hours). 7 prayer times

2 per day (RB 16), 4 Little Hours, etc. These may seem unimportant to us, but for Benedict the order of the Office reflects the liturgy of heaven (see also, for example, RM 33,27-41). Benedict speaks of the number of psalms (10,1.3) and of 150 psalms per week. For the people of his time that was a reasonable and beneficial quantity. He reduced the number of psalms considerably. His immediate source (RM) and also the Roman Cathedral Office had 300 or more psalms per week, Arles even 500. (Later on Cluny had 240 psalms per day, Peter Damian even 12 psalters per day!) Benedict wanted a certain number to be used as a good measure which monks would gladly exceed. When in 18,23-25 Benedict says the minimum is singing the entire psalter in a week, he is not alone. We can point out that pious Jews were accustomed to start with Ps. 1 on Sundays and end with Ps. 150 on Saturdays. Benedict, as elsewhere, designates the minimum, yet encourages us to go beyond it. It was a good measure for his time. We can ask ourselves what quantity -- referring chiefly to the psalms -- would be a good measure for the Liturgy of the Hours in our community in our environment and with our task. The monastic instruction (if following the Roman Liturgia Horarum) provides for different possibilities, 150 psalms per week, every two weeks or even every 4 weeks. 2. Tradition and Adaptation

3 Looking at Benedict within the various traditions, we can conclude that he informed himself well and gathered his content from various directions: from the North (southern Gaul, Milan), from northern Africa, and above all from the East. Of course, he placed himself midway between the Roman Cathedral Office and the known Office of the Rule of the Master (RM, his immediate source). Both offices reflect older traditions. Evidently Benedict also knew why something was done in one way or in another. Actually, Benedict himself did not add much that is new: He always wants Ps.66 to introduce Lauds. At the beginning of the Day Hours he places God, come to my assistance. Concerning the psalms, he created an Office which combines selected psalms with the psalterium currens (that is, praying one psalm after another in their sequence). For the readings at the Vigils he includes the writings of the Church Fathers, emphasizing the orthodoxy of the Fathers and describing their works as commentaries to the Bible (9,8). He introduces the praying of the Our Father out loud, giving his reasons and making a distinction between Lauds/Vespers and the Little Hours. In the basic structure of each hour of prayer, we note both, continuity with tradition and innovation. The basic element of the liturgy was the psalter (for Cassian, the essential part). The second element were the readings from OT and NT (see a trace in 8,3: psalms and readings). These are the main elements, also for Benedict, with the psalms being the more important (See No. 5.) The third element was the oration at the end, called kyrie, missae or benedictio, in which the Our Father may be included. This

4 three-step structure is fairly well documented in the tradition. Benedict adds a part we might call hymnology, following the Roman Cathedral Office (and Caesarius). After the readings there are proper responsories, the hymn and versicle. These are three poetic, musical elements. Thus in Benedict we have four elements which constitute the liturgy until today: psalmody - readings - hymns - oration. The Liturgia Horarum after the Council placed all the hymns at the beginning, as Benedict had done for the Little Hours during the day. The rooting in tradition also gives Benedict flexibility, as we can see in 18, He practically says: You can also change it, but please pray the entire psalter. Thus he differentiates between principles more or less important to him. For us today not only the order of the entire liturgy code (8-18) is important, but also the principles behind it and which ones Benedict emphasizes. This is seen better when one consider him in the light of tradition. Here are some principles: orthodox texts importance of petition (O God, come to my assistance, see later on) Ps. 66 (it could be called a missionary psalm) reconciliation with one another in the liturgy (Our Father) importance of the Roman Office and of the monastic tradition the entire psalter

5 in everything: discretio! It seems important that there be a firm basic structure within which one can adapt and develop creativity. 3. The Entire Person and the Whole Community Benedict not only pays attention to the theology of the Liturgy of the Hours. He also attends to the persons who want to celebrate the liturgy and cares that they are properly disposed and well prepared for it (RB 8). He shortened quite a bit, divided some psalms, provided for variations to prevent great fatigue and emphasized the role of gestures, such as the rising for the Gloria Patri (RB 9,11). There is more participation by the brothers. The liturgy provides for a thoughtful distribution of roles (RB 9;11). The abbot has his parts (3rd nocturn on Sundays, Our Father), the cantor (responsory 9,7) -- Benedict is the first one to mention him -- and the brothers read or sing alternately. Often they join in an antiphon or the alleluia when it is fitting. Benedict appreciated music and poetry. He was concerned about dignified and beautiful singing (RB 45; 47,3f 9). Poetic elements such as hymns and responsories were developed. Also the Alleluia, to which a special chapter is devoted (15), gives joy to the whole person. The entire person and the whole community, where there is not always perfect harmony, but in which scandals are normal! Whatever happened during the day becomes part of the celebration, and here cleansing and healing can take place (13,12-14). (See also RB 27,4; 28,5; 67:44)

6 Benedict considered larger and smaller communities (17,6). The Little Hours might not be prayed in the oratory, but in the fields; in that case the psalms were to be prayed by heart, without an antiphon, and at the end the brothers would kneel down. Simplification according to circumstances (see 50.2f)! A large community, Benedict thought, might sing the liturgy with greater solemnity. Compline at the end of the day was to be very simple, possibly prayed in the dormitory, using always the same texts learned by heart. Fitting psalms were chosen, expressing confidence in God. Compline thus is very human, expressing the concrete human situation. It might be worthwhile to study the old form of Compline and how its texts fit the rituals of evening and going to sleep. Liturgy of the whole person and the entire community! This also applies to our liturgy. Not only the basic structure and the laws of liturgy are important, but also the situation of the community and its members. 4. Theology of the Liturgy of the Hours In these sober chapters one does not look for a profound theology or spirituality, but it is present as fire is hidden beneath the ashes. Just some pointers: 4.1 Dialog

7 Thinking of the basic structure, it contains a form of the dialog of God with human beings and vice versa: the psalms as preparation; the reading as God speaking to us; the poetic elements as accepting, ruminating, meditating; then follows the oration, petition and direct calling on God. The vehicle of the dialog is mainly Sacred Scripture, especially the psalter, which contains within itself the same basic structure, consisting of words addressed to God and God s Word to us (see below). We learn from the dialog of the liturgy how to listen to God and speak with God. We can ask ourselves how we apply this dialog for our lectio divina and our daily life. 4.2 Sanctifying the Time The Liturgy of the Hours is embedded in cosmic time. We remember the importance of the sun, its rising (Easter of each day), but also its setting, sanctified by Vespers; we think of noon: Sext, and of midnight, Vigils. The hours are counted according to the sun s position. The monastic day is arranged according to the sun. Even the year is connected with the sun... The moon also has its significance. Some days of the week are marked by the liturgy, above all Sunday as the day of resurrection. This takes us to the time of salvation. Easter is the climax of the entire year; practically since autumn we are heading towards it, and it characterizes the time following it (see RB 8,1.4: until Easter, from Easter until...). There is even a special chapter (15) about the Alleluia.

8 We also celebrate the Resurrection on Sunday of each week. More alleluias, a third nocturn for the resurrection, special psalms for Lauds and all the Hours (except Compline). Vigils begin with Ps. 21 (20), the canticles have Easter character, more numerous readings are offered to the hearers. The Eucharist was celebrated on Sundays (not only a Communion service as on weekdays). Benedict did not mention this especially, since he followed the custom of the 6th century and of the diocese (for Eucharist, see RB 62; for daily Communion before the main meal, see RB 38,10). Human time also played an important role. Time was not to be counted mechanically. The brothers needed sleep, possibly a siesta (RB 48,5), time for digesting the food and for the necessities of nature (RB 8). Perhaps they worked hard in the fields, the heat of summer might be oppressive (RB 48; see 41,4-5). Benedict felt free, unabashed one might say, to postpone the Liturgy of the Hours: Midnight practically becomes the 8th hour (see RB 8,1f; 16,5), Terce is prayed at the 2nd or 4th hour, None at the 8th or 10th (see RB 48). Perhaps some of Benedict s contemporaries found this shocking. The time of my community and of my person and service also needs to be sanctified by the Liturgy of the Hours. Like Benedict, we need to keep a balance between cosmic, theological time and the conditions of the person, our task, and our environment. 4.3 Praise and Petition According to Cassian, the Divine Office in the desert was a fairly casual affair, combining work and listening to psalms. For Benedict it was a

9 solemn praise of God. This is amazing, since a realistic look at its content shows so many petitions from beginning to end (especially in the psalms). Yet Benedict considered it all as praise (laus - confiteri, see RB 16; 10 T). Yes, it was indeed a duty, a service (18,24; 50,4), but above all it was praise. This praise seems to include the pleadings, as in the psalms. Thus, Vigils begin with a petition, Lord, open my lips... (Ps 51 (50), 17), the office of the day with God, come to my assistance, Lord, make haste to help me (70(69),2). According to Cassian (see Collationes X,10), this was the urgent, constant prayer. It expresses both, the dependence of human beings on God and the confidence that God always wants to help us, and in this sense it expresses love. It is the beggar s outstretched hand and leads us to being poor in spirit, the first beatitude, to which the promise of the Kingdom of Heaven is attached. The verse concretely says that we cannot adore and praise God without his prevenient help. At the same time we remember RB Prol 4, Every time you begin a good work, you must pray to GOD most earnestly (ejaculations) to bring it to perfection. The major hours conclude with the Kyrie litany. It is another prayer plea for mercy which Benedict introduced (adaptation of the Office of Rome or southern Gaul)! We might consider the beginning and the end of the Liturgy of the Hours as the two main forms of the Jesus-Prayer which Benedict did not limit to Jesus, but which can be addressed to Christ the Lord or to God (generally). It includes calling on his name, combined with the plea for help or mercy. Maybe we could even say that this spirituality pervades the entire Divine Office? When we think of the psalms, we know that they are filled

10 with Jesus-Prayers : Lord, have mercy might be called their foundation tone, as on an organ. But the other accent, praise, is not forgotten. After every psalm and after the last responsory (of the Vigils), there follows a Glory be to the Father... This adds solemnity to the psalms, emphasizing praise and the christological orientation (see 9,7; 11,3). It is enhanced by the musical elements, especially the Alleluia (RB 15). Benedict solemnized the Divine Office. The brothers become singers before the divine majesty (see RB 19). In RB 16 praise (laus - confiteri) is stressed five times. Two motivations for praise are indicated: Praise of our creator (16,5) - which also includes creation, as seen in Lauds and Vespers; and for the deeds of his justice (16,5), - this means salvation history. The two elements of creation and salvation history also are the most important reasons for praise in the psalms. We can see how the Liturgy of the Hours is nourished by the spirit of the psalms. Sometimes we think we ought to praise God more; yet the liturgy encourages us to ask, and our petitions are praise at the same time. It seems that the spirituality of the Jesus-Prayer permeates the liturgy in the RB. In any case, it is important to deepen the spirituality of the psalms. 4.4 Glorification of God and Edification of the Human Person Does Benedict emphasize the glorification of God or the edification of the person? There is the view that in the desert the accent was on the person s

11 edification. The psalms were divided into digestible sections, followed by silence with the psalm oration as climax. This accent is said to have been lost by Benedict. As we will see later, Benedict himself did not use the psalm oration, but he sought to edify the brothers in other ways. At the very beginning of Chapter 19, he places the monks in the divine presence and before the eyes of God. Singing is to be done wisely, in the fear of God and aware of being with the angels before God (19,3-6, probably concretized by an apsis fresco as we know it from the churches and oratories of the first Christian centuries). The liturgy code throughout emphasizes reverentia (awe, reverence) and honor (respect) (see 9,6; 11,3). Then there are the solemn elements, such as the Glory be to the Father... and the doxologies (in the hymns), as well as the Alleluia. Benedict values music, provides parts for different brothers, and is sensitive to the whole person. Singing not only makes a sacred performance of the liturgy, but it becomes the voice of the heart, the voice of love. All this fosters interior prayer, which begins already while the psalms are sung. The worthy performance of the liturgy is stressed. The monks try not to make mistakes in singing (45); the service of reading and chanting shall edify the hearers (47,3; see 38,12). In this manner, Benedict joined the two motives of God s glory and edification into one. In the actual performance of the liturgy, there also is a certain tension between praise of God, glorifying God and edifying the those who are celebrating together. Solemn music and the beauty of the liturgy can edify us, but so does the uniting of the community in singing and in

12 understanding what we hear, so that our hearts and our lives are in harmony with our voices (see RB 19,7). 4.5 Divine Office and Unceasing Prayer Here we must first concern ourselves with a theory that is being repeated, relying on Vogüé, namely that the monastic liturgy is meant to be a constant prayer. Pursued to its extreme, it would practically mean that a person who has attained a state of constant prayer no longer needs the Divine Office, since the liturgy is considered to teach us unceasing prayer. Yet the Divine Office must be more than a teacher. In the chapters on the liturgy, Benedict takes the importance of community for granted. The liturgy unites the community, it is the source and climax of the community, of its being and its doing (as well as of the individual). This can be recognized in the RB when brothers are sent on a journey from the choir as it were, and that they return there (67,1-3). Above all, the liturgy is the communal celebration of the mystery of salvation. Of course, for the individual the liturgy is also a guide towards unceasing prayer (see later on). However, I believe this is not its sole function. Some Pointers on Liturgy and Unceasing Prayer: The beginning of RB 19 is interesting: We always are in the presence of God, but we want to be especially mindful of it... This means that the Divine Office is a strong moment, an intensification of life as a whole. We celebrate that which is always true: God s eyes are always on us and look at us; we ought to praise God always and everywhere, to live always in God s presence, to know it and be aware of it always (see 19,3-5). But which ordinary person can do that? So there is a special time when we

13 practice what we want to live always: living before God, with God! (Compare content of the first degree of humility, RB 7,10-30, with RB 19). Already from this point of view, the Liturgy of the Hours is a help towards constant prayer, or to be more precise, according to RB 19: living in God s presence. Next we can consider the verse at the beginning of the prayer during the day (O God, come to my assistance). Not only is it sung at the beginning of the liturgy, it also comes at the start of the weekly service (RB 35,17). The verse certainly was repeated many times during the day, so to speak as the unceasing prayer (as intended by Cassian, Collationes X,10). The liturgy offers us a treasury of biblical ejaculations which can be repeated throughout the day. (Think of the responsory which easily stays in the heart and in the memory.) We also can point to the various rituals, the special and the daily ones. There psalm verses are spoken which can easily be continued throughout the day as ejaculations: Ps 5l(50),17 at the beginning of Vigils and when reading at meals (RB 9,1; 38,3) Ps 86(85),17 when beginning and ending the weekly kitchen service (RB 35,16) Ps 119(118),116 at profession (RB 58,21) Ps 48(47),10 when receiving guests (RB 53,14). Elements of the liturgy are woven throughout the activities of ordinary days and also mark the central moment of monastic life, profession.

14 The deepest meaning of unceasing prayer is the harmony of life with Sacred Scripture, that is, the incarnation of the divine Word within us; see later comments on RB 19,7. Liturgy authentically celebrated will lead us to unceasing prayer -- this is shown by the hints just given. But even in the state of constant prayer, the liturgy of the community will never become superfluous, rather the opposite is true. 5. All of Holy Scripture and the Entire Psalter 5.1 As seen in the chapters on the liturgy, all of Holy Scripture is read in the liurgy, together with explanations (RB 9,8; see 73). Before going to sleep, a choice is indicated, but Benedict clearly states that these first books of the OT are to be read at other times (42,3-4). In our culture of many choices ( the best pages of...) this may seem difficult. Benedict s courage is to be admired when he says that every page, even every word of Sacred Scripture, is the truest guide for human life (73,3). We need the same kind of courage for a disciplined lectio divina. 5.2 Psalms and readings can be considered the bedrock of the Divine Office. We use them not only in the liturgy, but also at the time of lectio, meditatio (meditatio: RB 8,3; lectio RB 48,13). The psalms are especially important. If the brothers get up too late, for example, Benedict is more ready to shorten the readings than the psalms (RB 11,11-12). Many verses of the liturgy code are devoted to the quantity of psalms and their distribution. The biblical foundation of the Liturgy of the Hours is built on two psalm quotations (see

15 RB 16). Benedict is close to the ancient monastic tradition in his preference of the psalms. The psalter was not considered just a part of the Bible, but its very core. Ambrose says regarding Ps 1: In the psalms Christ is born, lives and dies, rises, sits at the Father s right hand. The psalm is the pledge of unity, like a zither bringing together the one melody from various and different voices (pignus pacis atque concordiae, citharae modo ex diversis et disparibus vocibus unam exprimens cantilenam - In Ps l,9,2; see also 1, 8,2). The name given to the Liturgy of the Hours in the RB also points to the importance of the psalms. Chapter 19 is entitled The Discipline of Psalmody, literally, How to conduct ourselves while singing the psalms, and in 19,4 we read Sing praise (psalms) wisely, in 19,5 I will sing psalms to you, in 19,7 and let us stand to sing the psalms in such a way. This certainly does not refer just to the singing of the psalms, but to sing psalms now signifies the singing of the entire Divine Office, just as psallere originally meant simply the singing of songs, only later the singing of certain kinds of songs. Next Benedict says that our hearts (minds) must be in harmony with our voices (19,7). What does the voice sing? Apart from the hymn and the Kyrie-Litany, we sing words from Sacred Scripture, mostly the psalms. The heart (mind), mens, should be in harmony with them. Remembering RB 19,3 telling us to sing wisely, it seems to me that according to the Latin tradition this may be interpreted also as saying there should be agreement, harmony between living and the sung/heard biblical word. Note that the Latin word mens denotes the mind that should be in harmony with the voice.

16 This would be another form of prayer, akin to RB 20: As our heart feels before the great God, so our prayer rises up, and by our voice (or the silence) we give the prayer its fitting form. RB 19,7 expresses the objective spirituality of the RB, but it is truly dynamic. Prayer engages my will, so that I allow myself to be formed and transformed (incarnation) by Sacred Scripture (we might more properly say, by the person of Jesus Christ). This is no alienation, but through this transforming liturgy I become my true self, and our communities will grow authentically Tradition and Adaptation Looking at Benedict within the various traditions, we can conclude that he informed himself well and gathered his content from various directions: from the North (southern Gaul, Milan), from northern Africa, and above all from the East. Of course, he placed himself midway between the Roman Cathedral Office and the known Office of the Rule of the Master (RM, his immediate source). Both offices reflect older traditions. Evidently Benedict also knew why something was done in one way or in another. Actually, Benedict himself did not add much that is new: He always wants Ps.66 to introduce Lauds. At the beginning of the Day Hours he places God, come to my assistance. Concerning the psalms, he created an Office which combines selected psalms with the psalterium currens (that is, praying one psalm after another in their sequence).

17 For the readings at the Vigils he includes the writings of the Church Fathers, emphasizing the orthodoxy of the Fathers and describing their works as commentaries to the Bible (9,8). He introduces the praying of the Our Father out loud, giving his reasons and making a distinction between Lauds/Vespers and the Little Hours. In the basic structure of each hour of prayer, we note both, continuity with tradition and innovation. The basic element of the liturgy was the psalter (for Cassian, the essential part). The second element were the readings from OT and NT (see a trace in 8,3: psalms and readings). These are the main elements, also for Benedict, with the psalms being the more important (See No. 5.) The third element was the oration at the end, called kyrie, missae or benedictio, in which the Our Father may be included. This three-step structure is fairly well documented in the tradition. Benedict adds a part we might call hymnology, following the Roman Cathedral Office (and Caesarius). After the readings there are proper responsories, the hymn and versicle. These are three poetic, musical elements. Thus in Benedict we have four elements which constitute the liturgy until today: psalmody - readings - hymns - oration. The Liturgia Horarum after the Council placed all the hymns at the beginning, as Benedict had done for the Little Hours during the day. The rooting in tradition also gives Benedict flexibility, as we can see in 18, He practically says: You can also change it, but please pray the entire psalter. Thus he differentiates between principles more or less important to him.

18 For us today not only the order of the entire liturgy code (8-18) is important, but also the principles behind it and which ones Benedict emphasizes. This is seen better when one consider him in the light of tradition. Here are some principles: orthodox texts importance of petition (O God, come to my assistance, see later on) Ps. 66 (it could be called a missionary psalm) reconciliation with one another in the liturgy (Our Father) importance of the Roman Office and of the monastic tradition the entire psalter in everything: discretio! It seems important that there be a firm basic structure within which one can adapt and develop creativity. 3. The Entire Person and the Whole Community Benedict not only pays attention to the theology of the Liturgy of the Hours. He also attends to the persons who want to celebrate the liturgy and cares that they are properly disposed and well prepared for it (RB 8). He shortened quite a bit, divided some psalms, provided for variations to prevent great fatigue and emphasized the role of gestures, such as the rising for the Gloria Patri (RB 9,11). There is more participation by the brothers. The liturgy provides for a thoughtful distribution of roles (RB 9;11). The abbot

19 has his parts (3rd nocturn on Sundays, Our Father), the cantor (responsory 9,7) -- Benedict is the first one to mention him -- and the brothers read or sing alternately. Often they join in an antiphon or the alleluia when it is fitting. Benedict appreciated music and poetry. He was concerned about dignified and beautiful singing (RB 45; 47,3f 9). Poetic elements such as hymns and responsories were developed. Also the Alleluia, to which a special chapter is devoted (15), gives joy to the whole person. The entire person and the whole community, where there is not always perfect harmony, but in which scandals are normal! Whatever happened during the day becomes part of the celebration, and here cleansing and healing can take place (13,12-14). (See also RB 27,4; 28,5; 67:44) Benedict considered larger and smaller communities (17,6). The Little Hours might not be prayed in the oratory, but in the fields; in that case the psalms were to be prayed by heart, without an antiphon, and at the end the brothers would kneel down. Simplification according to circumstances (see 50.2f)! A large community, Benedict thought, might sing the liturgy with greater solemnity. Compline at the end of the day was to be very simple, possibly prayed in the dormitory, using always the same texts learned by heart. Fitting psalms were chosen, expressing confidence in God. Compline thus is very human, expressing the concrete human situation.

20 It might be worthwhile to study the old form of Compline and how its texts fit the rituals of evening and going to sleep. Liturgy of the whole person and the entire community! This also applies to our liturgy. Not only the basic structure and the laws of liturgy are important, but also the situation of the community and its members. i This article is a collection and summary of several conferences about the liturgy code of the Rule of Benedict (RB 8-19). For this reason there are few bibliographical indications. The author is working on a more comprehensive commentary on these chapters, including the history of the Benedictine Office. However, more time is needed before publication.