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Monthly Archives: April 2013
Seven Sacred Pauses 7: Compline
Seventh Hour: Compline We’re back to where we started. Back to darkness again, where we began in the first hour of the day. But not really. One of the great misunderstandings of spiritual life is the tendency to confuse cycles … Continue reading
Seven Sacred Pauses 6: Vespers
Sixth Hour: Vespers Vespers. Evening. The liminal time when daylight fades into darkness. Those transitional moments—the turning of day to night, the changing of seasons, the thresholds and passages that mark significant shifts in our lives—are often perceived as “thin … Continue reading
Seven Sacred Pauses 5: None
Fifth Hour: None The fifth hour of the day, None. It’s mid-afternoon, three to six, the conclusion of the work day and the preparation for winding down in the evening. Metaphorically, this hour serves as a reminder that life continues … Continue reading
Seven Sacred Pauses 4: Sext
Fourth Hour: Sext Midday. Noon. The highest point in the sun’s arc as it passes through the sky. The tilting point of the day. Metaphorically, sext is the hour of greatest creativity and productivity, the time when the fire of … Continue reading
Seven Sacred Pauses 3: Terce
Third Hour: Terce Terce—the third hour. In our modern terms, the beginning of the working day, nine to noon. These three hours of the day are called the “little hours,” the time when work is planned and begun. Metaphorically, the … Continue reading
Seven Sacred Pauses 2: Lauds
Second Hour: Lauds I’ll admit it: I’m not a morning person. At least most of the time. There come those rare moments, however, when I get up fully awake just as the sun is beginning to rise, and have the … Continue reading
Seven Sacred Pauses 1: Vigils
First Hour: Vigils The Ammas and Abbas, the holy mothers and fathers of our faith, made a practice of praying the Liturgy of the Hours—the seven holy pauses during the day which call us to draw together in community and … Continue reading
Posted in Liturgy of the Hours, Spiritual Transformaton
Tagged faith, Liturgy of the Hours, Matins, Meditation, Penelope J. Stokes, spirituality, Vigil
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