Q: Ceremonial of Bishops n. 1174 has instructions about celebrating an hour of the Liturgy of the Hours at a council or diocesan synod. The deacon carries the Book of the Gospels, accompanied by acolytes with lighted candles, and proclaims an appropriate reading, as at Mass. When would this happen? Before the blessing or after? Before the concluding prayer, or after? Would a verse before the Gospel be sung?
The Latin text is:
Si vero celebratur Hora Liturgiæ Horarum, celebratione peracta liber Evangeliorum honorifice defertur a diacono, comitantibus acolythis cum cereis accensis et tunc eodem ritu quo in Missa legitur aptus textus Evangelii atque, lectione finita, diaconus imponit librum apertum in pluteum idoneum, ut supra.
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A: This happens celebratione peracta—which means when the celebration of the hour has been completed. So, after the blessing and dismissal.
It is carried out eodem ritu quo in Missa—which means using the same rite as at Mass. So, yes, it would include a gospel acclamation and verse.
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Thank you.
I have been working through some of this with AI. An initial answer it gave was to have the Gospel after the Concluding Prayer.
I told it about how the various hours end, with a bishop and deacon:
Morning Prayer, Evening Prayer – Concluding Prayer, Blessing and Dismissal.
Office of Readings. Concluding Prayer, Optional Blessing, Optional Dismissal. (Ceremonial of Bisohps n. 214)
Daytime hours: Concluding Prayer. Acclamation. No blessing. No dismissal.
Night Prayer. The bishop says the concluding prayer, blessing, no dismissal, Antiphon in honour of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
Each has a Concluding Prayer, so Ceremonial of Bishops n. 1174 could have said after the Concluding Prayer, if that was what was wanted. It modified its response to have the Gospel after everything, except for Night Prayer, when it thought the Gospel reading before the Antiphon in honour of the Blessed Virgin Mary was the best option.
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Thanks for sharing this. Interesting interpretation. It calls for a variation at Night Prayer without explaining it. I imagine it would be rare to put the gospels on display after Night Prayer anyway.