Small hearing

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The crucifixion of Christ in the initial D of a book of hours

The prayer times third , sixth and non in the prayer of the hours of the Catholic Church are called small hearing , which are prayed at the third, sixth and ninth hour of the ancient day division (corresponds to about 9 a.m., 12 p.m. and 3 p.m.). In the past, the prim was also counted among the small ears. Occasionally still is today Compline counted among the Little Hours.

They are called small hearing because they appear short compared to the other prayer times of the Liturgy of the Hours, especially when compared to the Matins with her many psalms and long scriptures. The small hearing consists of the opening Deus in adiutorium meum intende (“O God, come to my aid”), a hymn , three psalms , a short scripture reading , called a chapter , with a versicle and the oration with a call for dismissal and a final verse.

historical development

Already in early Christian times people were looking for mystical interpretations of the times of the day. Cyprianus sees in the three times of the day, the third, sixth and non, separated by a period of three hours each, an allusion to the Trinity . At these times of the day, sacred since ancient times, one commemorates the descent of the Holy Spirit on the third , on the sext of the prayer of the apostle Peter at noon ( Acts 10,9f  EU ) or the admission of the Gentiles into the church, on the non- hour of Christ's death on the cross .

Basil mentions the apostles Peter and Paul who went to the temple for prayer around the ninth hour. Johannes Cassianus , who took over the interpretation of Cyprianus for the third and sixth, added that the Non is commemorating the descent of Christ into the underworld .

The three numbers of the psalms in the prayer of the little ears are given in the Rule of Benedict . According to Bäumer, St. Benedict adopted this tradition from the Palestinian monks. The brevity of the selected psalms was due to the work. Cassianus († around 430), however, had raised objections to the custom of some communities to prolong the prayer times excessively and thereby defend the view that one had to sing as many psalms in the office of the day as there were at the respective hour of the day correspond, so three to the third, et cetera. Still others wanted "six psalms to be prayed at every prayer meeting of the day."

The prim , which was built in the same way and preceded the work one day, was also counted among the small ears . In the course of the liturgical reforms after the Second Vatican Council , the prim was then perceived as a duplication of the lauds and abolished. Meanwhile, those who are not obliged by vows to keep the full choir prayer can choose from the remaining minor horizons Terz, Sext and Non that best corresponds to the time of day, “so that the tradition is preserved during the day during work to pray. ”In some monasteries and communities, Sext and Non are combined to form a time of day , which is also known as the day hour ,“ noon shore ”or“ middle hour ”.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Liborius Olaf Lumma : Liturgy in the rhythm of the day. A brief introduction to the history and practice of the Liturgy of the Hours. Pustet, Regensburg 2011, p. 44.
  2. ↑ Suitbert Bäumer OSB, History of the Breviary - Attempt at a source-based representation of the development of the early church and the Roman office up to our days , Herder Verlag, Freiburg im Breisgau, 1895, pp. 101-102.
  3. ^ Regula Benedicti , chap. 17th
  4. ↑ Suitbert Bäumer OSB, History of the Breviary - Attempt at a source-based representation of the development of the early church and the Roman office up to our days , Verlag Herder, Freiburg im Breisgau, 1895, p. 175.
  5. ↑ Cassianus, From the institutions of the monasteries (De institutis coenobiorum et de octo principalium vitiorum remediis), Second book: The canonical prescriptions for the nocturnal prayers and psalm chants.
  6. ↑ SC 89 d.
  7. ↑ AES, 77.

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