The Setup of the Books
The full Liturgy of the Hours is compiled into a four volume set: the blue book is for Advent and Christmas seasons, the red book is for Lent and Easter seasons, and the brown and green books are for Ordinary time.
The Psalter
Each Liturgy of the Hours book is similar to the Bible, in that it is not just one book, but it is many books compiled into one. The heart of the Liturgy of the Hours is the Psalter, or the psalm cycle. It is a four week cycle in which every one of the psalms and canticles is said at least once if all of the offices are observed.
The Ordinary
The Ordinary contains instruction on what the prayers and motions are for the offices as well as the prayers that are said every day without change, such as the Gospel canticles.
The Seasonal Propers
The front of the book contains the seasonal propers, meaning the readings, responsories, and antiphons that are particular to each day in a liturgical season. For example, if it is Tuesday in the 24th week in Ordinary time, there are readings that are assigned to that day, which are found in the seasonal propers. The four week Psalter helps keep track of which week you are on in any given liturgical season because it corresponds to intervals of four, and with the beginning of each new liturgical season, the Psalter resets to Week 1.
The Sanctoral
The four week Psalter experiences interruption for the celebration of a saint's feast day or another important feast or solemnity in the Church calendar. The section of the book that contains these feasts is called the Sanctoral. Just like the Seasonal Propers, the Sanctoral contains all of the particular readings, responsories, antiphons, and prayers for each feast day.
The feasts follow a ranking of solemnity based on how important each one is for the worship of the universal Church. The rankings from highest to lowest are as follows:
1. Solemnity
2. Feast
3. Memorial
4. Optional Memorial.
Solemnities are often holy day's of obligation. There are not very many solemnities throughout the year compared to the number of optional memorials. Imagine if the Church made every saint's feast day a holy day of obligation, Mass attendance would be required nearly every day of the month of June (check it out on our Saints and Feasts page here!) Instead, Mass is required on Sundays, which are always a mini Easter even during Lent, and holy days of obligations, which are very few. Sundays and solemnities take precedence over a lower ranking feast if they land on the same day. The exception to that rule is if a parish is named after that saint or that feast. For example, if a parish is named after St. Nicholas and his feast day lands on a Sunday one year, that parish can properly celebrate the feast of St. Nicholas by using the readings assigned for him that day rather than that Sunday's readings since it is their patron's feast day.
The Commons
The Commons are in the back of the book and contain the general antiphons, psalms, canticles, responsories, intercessions, and prayers for feast days. Just like the Seasonal Propers contain all of the particular things while the Psalter contains the general things, the Sanctoral contains all of the particular things for feasts while the Commons contain the general things. The commons are also ranked in order of solemnity. They are as follows:
1. Common of the Dedication of a Church
2. Common of the Blessed Virgin Mary
3. Common of Apostles
4. Common of Several Martyrs
5. Common of One Martyr
6. Common of Pastors
7. Common of Doctors of the Church
8. Common of Virgins
9. Common of Holy Men/Women
10. For religious
11. For those who worked for the Underprivileged
Office for the Dead
The Office for the Dead comes at the end of the book after all of the commons. As Christians we pray for our departed brothers and sisters who are still part of the body of Christ. When there is a death, whether it's for a pope, bishop, priest, deacon, religious community member, parishioner, or family member, you can pray the Office of the Dead. The Liturgy of the Hours is the constant praise of God in heaven and on earth, so it only makes perfect sense that we should commend our departed brothers and sisters to the Lord with the psalms and hymns of praise that we joyfully hope they will be singing in heaven. On this side of life we live separately from them, but in the Spirit we are united with them as the Church, they in the communion of saints in heaven and we as pilgrims of faith still on earth, offering up in unison the highest, glorious praises of God the Father, through the Son, in the unity of Holy Spirit.
The full Liturgy of the Hours is compiled into a four volume set: the blue book is for Advent and Christmas seasons, the red book is for Lent and Easter seasons, and the brown and green books are for Ordinary time.
The Psalter
Each Liturgy of the Hours book is similar to the Bible, in that it is not just one book, but it is many books compiled into one. The heart of the Liturgy of the Hours is the Psalter, or the psalm cycle. It is a four week cycle in which every one of the psalms and canticles is said at least once if all of the offices are observed.
The Ordinary
The Ordinary contains instruction on what the prayers and motions are for the offices as well as the prayers that are said every day without change, such as the Gospel canticles.
The Seasonal Propers
The front of the book contains the seasonal propers, meaning the readings, responsories, and antiphons that are particular to each day in a liturgical season. For example, if it is Tuesday in the 24th week in Ordinary time, there are readings that are assigned to that day, which are found in the seasonal propers. The four week Psalter helps keep track of which week you are on in any given liturgical season because it corresponds to intervals of four, and with the beginning of each new liturgical season, the Psalter resets to Week 1.
The Sanctoral
The four week Psalter experiences interruption for the celebration of a saint's feast day or another important feast or solemnity in the Church calendar. The section of the book that contains these feasts is called the Sanctoral. Just like the Seasonal Propers, the Sanctoral contains all of the particular readings, responsories, antiphons, and prayers for each feast day.
The feasts follow a ranking of solemnity based on how important each one is for the worship of the universal Church. The rankings from highest to lowest are as follows:
1. Solemnity
2. Feast
3. Memorial
4. Optional Memorial.
Solemnities are often holy day's of obligation. There are not very many solemnities throughout the year compared to the number of optional memorials. Imagine if the Church made every saint's feast day a holy day of obligation, Mass attendance would be required nearly every day of the month of June (check it out on our Saints and Feasts page here!) Instead, Mass is required on Sundays, which are always a mini Easter even during Lent, and holy days of obligations, which are very few. Sundays and solemnities take precedence over a lower ranking feast if they land on the same day. The exception to that rule is if a parish is named after that saint or that feast. For example, if a parish is named after St. Nicholas and his feast day lands on a Sunday one year, that parish can properly celebrate the feast of St. Nicholas by using the readings assigned for him that day rather than that Sunday's readings since it is their patron's feast day.
The Commons
The Commons are in the back of the book and contain the general antiphons, psalms, canticles, responsories, intercessions, and prayers for feast days. Just like the Seasonal Propers contain all of the particular things while the Psalter contains the general things, the Sanctoral contains all of the particular things for feasts while the Commons contain the general things. The commons are also ranked in order of solemnity. They are as follows:
1. Common of the Dedication of a Church
2. Common of the Blessed Virgin Mary
3. Common of Apostles
4. Common of Several Martyrs
5. Common of One Martyr
6. Common of Pastors
7. Common of Doctors of the Church
8. Common of Virgins
9. Common of Holy Men/Women
10. For religious
11. For those who worked for the Underprivileged
Office for the Dead
The Office for the Dead comes at the end of the book after all of the commons. As Christians we pray for our departed brothers and sisters who are still part of the body of Christ. When there is a death, whether it's for a pope, bishop, priest, deacon, religious community member, parishioner, or family member, you can pray the Office of the Dead. The Liturgy of the Hours is the constant praise of God in heaven and on earth, so it only makes perfect sense that we should commend our departed brothers and sisters to the Lord with the psalms and hymns of praise that we joyfully hope they will be singing in heaven. On this side of life we live separately from them, but in the Spirit we are united with them as the Church, they in the communion of saints in heaven and we as pilgrims of faith still on earth, offering up in unison the highest, glorious praises of God the Father, through the Son, in the unity of Holy Spirit.
