Introduction: The Sanctification of Time
When Catholics think about the sanctification of time, they will typically think of the Breviary, the Liturgy of the Hours—the structured method of praying the psalms throughout the day. The praying of the psalms was a practice that began with the Jews but was continued by the earliest Christians. Christians would gather several times a day to pray together, and the Didache—written in the first century—requires that Christians pray the Lord’s Prayer three times daily.
The early monks adopted the practice of praying all 150 psalms over the course of a week at set hours throughout the day. A schedule of hours quickly developed: matins at midnight, lauds at 3:00 AM, prime at 6:00 AM, terce at 9:00 AM, sext at noon, nones at 3:00 PM, vespers at 6:00 PM, and compline at 9:00 PM. Because clocks and timepieces had none of the precision of our digital devices, these hours shifted according to time of year or where one found oneself on the globe. Today, the hours are required of all priests and religious, though the schedule is not so rigorous, since some of the lesser hours may be left out and several may be said in one sitting.
Since most of our audience is lay, this may not be the most practical option for those of us who want to sanctify our days—though I and many other layfolk incorporate at least some of the hours into our days. What is most practical and, perhaps, most important for us laity is the practice of fulfilling the duties of our state in life. This is the content of our first piece by the French spiritual master Jean-Pierre de Caussade. Writing 150 years before St. Thérèse of Lisieux, Caussade teaches what could easily be called a “little way.” Fulfilling one’s duties, accepting one’s crosses, and simply doing whatever is required in what he calls the “sacrament of the present moment” makes acquiring sanctity easy. Yet, doing these little things are not always easy.
As an aid, the laity—like religious—can apply a rule of life to their lives. In her article, Holly Pierlot lays out something of an examen to help us plan out and organise a rule for our own lives. She responds to several common questions and points out that the rule is not the end all be all; it must be flexible enough to allow for the fulfillment of unexpected duties that arise throughout one’s day. Our third and final piece by Austin Leduc then turns to the Mass, which, he points out, brings together the past, the present, the future, and eternity. Nothing sanctifies time like God entering into it and drawing it into His own eternity.
This episode is much more conducive to reflection than others, so I invite you to follow Holly Pierlot’s advice: get a fresh cup of coffee, a note pad, and a pen, then sit down in a comfortable chair and push play.
And we will see you again in the future…
Aaron P. Debusschere
Editor