The Liturgy of the Hours (Divine Office) — Daily Practice

O God, come to my assistance. O Lord, make haste to help me. Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen. THE SHAPE OF THE DAY Invitatory — the first prayer of the day: Psalm 95, "Come, let us sing to the Lord." Morning Prayer (Lauds) — at rising, sanctifying the new day; ends with the Benedictus. Daytime Prayer — mid-morning, midday, or mid-afternoon; a short psalm and reading. Evening Prayer (Vespers) — at the close of the day, in thanksgiving; ends with the Magnificat. Night Prayer (Compline) — the last prayer before sleep; ends with the Nunc Dimittis and a Marian antiphon. Office of Readings — a longer hour of Scripture and the Fathers, prayed at any time. HOW TO BEGIN Most people start with one hour, not seven. Morning Prayer and Night Prayer are the two "hinges" of the day and are enough to begin. Each hour opens with "O God, come to my assistance," moves through psalms, a Scripture reading, a gospel canticle, intercessions, the Our Father, and a closing prayer. Pray it aloud if you can. It is the prayer of the whole Church, and even prayed alone it is never prayed alone.