Lauds

Who would dare to sing before their first coffee? Monks, every morning, along with everyone who prays the Liturgy of the Hours. Their day opens with a line from the psalms: “O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth shall proclaim your praise.” A Lauds emoji ought to have that energy, a mouth opening just as the day breaks.

The name comes from the Latin laudes, praises, after the psalms of praise that once closed this office. Every morning it also includes the Benedictus, the canticle of Zechariah, father of John the Baptist, who greets the dawn from on high breaking upon those who sit in darkness (Luke 1:78-79). The Second Vatican Council called Lauds and Vespers the two hinges of the Church’s daily prayer: morning and evening, the day swings on them.

For now all we have is 🌅 and 🙏, which mostly looks like a yoga session on the beach. We dream of something more specific: a sun rising behind an open book, a singing mouth, a bird on the sill of a monastery window, or a mug of coffee set next to the breviary. If you are a morning person, this is your moment to draw.