Compline, the final prayer office in the liturgical day, is believed to have been first instituted by St. Benedict, the Father of the western monastic movement during the 6th century. The Latin word completorium was used by Benedict to indicate the completion of the day in corporate prayer just prior to "The Great Silence" that would soon fall upon the monastic community as monks retired to sleep or the night watch.
For many of us, our daily quiet-time with the Lord comes in the morning, because we understand that once our day begins it is very difficult to put on the breaks until the day is done. After our daily tasks and errands, we eat supper, do the wash, put the kids to bed, feed the dog, try to carve out some time for our spouses, and prepare for the next day often with little energy left to say more than a short prayer, much less recall, reflect, and repent. i know, it can be exhausting, especially when the only thing our tired minds and bodies feel like doing is crashing in front of the television to zone out and unwind before we have to wake up and do it all over again.
However, that is where the beauty of compline comes in to play!
Grab a prayer book with complines for each day of the week and let the liturgy take you into a brief time of closing prayer before you retire. Even if you don't "feel" it, the liturgy will 1) guide you as your weary mind drifts 2) keep you focused 3) cause your spirit to awaken as you bring your heart before God on a tired night. Although historically, compline is done corporately or in small groups, it may be used as an evening prayer liturgy for individuals, couples or families (it can be completed in about 10-15 minutes).
Simply put, the compline is the prayer office that wraps up our day in God. It brings closure and reconciliation to the dangling spiritual conflicts that we often leave unresolved. The compline is a way of setting things right in our relationship with God while inviting His peace and protection into our hearts and homes before the Great Silence of sleep falls upon us. The compline gives us one last glimpse of the day, one more opportunity to express our adoration, and one final chance to receive the loving kisses from our Lord.
In the Lion, In the Lamb,
mark
For many of us, our daily quiet-time with the Lord comes in the morning, because we understand that once our day begins it is very difficult to put on the breaks until the day is done. After our daily tasks and errands, we eat supper, do the wash, put the kids to bed, feed the dog, try to carve out some time for our spouses, and prepare for the next day often with little energy left to say more than a short prayer, much less recall, reflect, and repent. i know, it can be exhausting, especially when the only thing our tired minds and bodies feel like doing is crashing in front of the television to zone out and unwind before we have to wake up and do it all over again.
However, that is where the beauty of compline comes in to play!
Grab a prayer book with complines for each day of the week and let the liturgy take you into a brief time of closing prayer before you retire. Even if you don't "feel" it, the liturgy will 1) guide you as your weary mind drifts 2) keep you focused 3) cause your spirit to awaken as you bring your heart before God on a tired night. Although historically, compline is done corporately or in small groups, it may be used as an evening prayer liturgy for individuals, couples or families (it can be completed in about 10-15 minutes).
Simply put, the compline is the prayer office that wraps up our day in God. It brings closure and reconciliation to the dangling spiritual conflicts that we often leave unresolved. The compline is a way of setting things right in our relationship with God while inviting His peace and protection into our hearts and homes before the Great Silence of sleep falls upon us. The compline gives us one last glimpse of the day, one more opportunity to express our adoration, and one final chance to receive the loving kisses from our Lord.
In the Lion, In the Lamb,
mark
re-monk challenge: re-monkurself for the next 30 days by committing to doing compline each night before bedtime.
Resources for Compline: The Book of Common Prayer, Celtic Daily Prayer, Common Prayer: A Liturgy for Ordinary Radicals. Follow this link for an example of a simple compline service for evening prayer.
