(Latin: laus, praise)
In the Divine Office, the canonical hour which follows Matins; sometimes however reckoned with the latter as forming one Canonical Hour. Originally the conclusion of the night vigil in the early Christian assembly was called matutinae laude, (morning praises) because it was sung at dawn and comprised the praise Psalms 148,149, 150. From the early Middle Ages the word Laudes (Lauds) was used in its present sense. Lauds is preeminently the hour in the Office in which the Church praises God, the Light of the World. Traditionally, Lauds consisted of antiphonal psalms, a canticle of the Old Testament together with Little Chapter, Hymn, Benedictus and Oration. In the revision of the Breviary by Pius X, the traditional structure of Lauds was retained but a new arrangement of psalms was made and the number of Old Testament canticles, from which one is chosen, was extended.
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