Morris ClarkIf you have ever wanted to pray the Liturgy of the Hours but felt overwhelmed by where to start, which psalms to read, or how to keep track of the liturgical calendar, you are not alone. The Divine Office is a beautiful ancient tradition of the Church, but it can feel intimidating for beginners. That is where Universalis comes in. Universalis is a website and mobile application that takes all the complexity out of praying the official prayers of the Church, including Morning Prayer (also known as Lauds), Daytime Prayer, Evening Prayer, and Night Prayer. It automatically calculates which psalms, readings, and antiphons to use for any given day, making the rich tradition of the Liturgy of the Hours accessible to anyone with a smartphone or internet connection. This guide will walk you through everything you need to know about Universalis Morning Prayer, its structure, and how to use it effectively.
What Is Universalis?
Universalis is a digital tool that provides the complete Liturgy of the Hours and Mass readings for the Catholic Church. Available as a website and as apps for iOS, Android, and Mac, Universalis contains everything you need to pray the Divine Office every single day, forever, without needing an internet connection once the app is downloaded. Tens of thousands of people use Universalis daily to pray Morning Prayer, Evening Prayer, and the other hours.
The app and website automatically work out exactly what you need to see for each day based on the liturgical calendar, including local calendars for the USA, Canada, the UK, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, Singapore, and every diocese in those countries. It includes the official translations used in each region, with the New American Bible (NAB) for the United States and the Jerusalem Bible or English Standard Version (ESV) for other English-speaking countries.
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What Is Morning Prayer (Lauds)?
Morning Prayer, also known as Lauds (from the Latin “laudes” meaning “praises”), is one of the major hours of the Liturgy of the Divine Office. It is traditionally prayed at daybreak, as the sun rises, to consecrate the beginning of the day to God. Lauds is considered one of the two “hinge hours” of the Divine Office, along with Evening Prayer (Vespers), because they are the most ancient and most important of the daily prayers.
The structure of Lauds has remained remarkably consistent throughout Church history. It includes an introduction, a hymn, psalms and canticles, a Scripture reading, a short responsory, the Gospel Canticle of Zechariah (the Benedictus), intercessions, the Lord’s Prayer, and a concluding prayer . The themes of Morning Prayer focus on praise, thanksgiving, and offering the day ahead to God.
The Structure of Universalis Morning Prayer
Morning Prayer follows a consistent structure that has been used by the Church for centuries. Understanding this structure will help you pray with more intention and reverence. Each element has a specific purpose in consecrating your morning to God.
Opening Versicle: The prayer begins with the words: “O God, come to our aid. O Lord, make haste to help us.” This is followed by the Glory Be (Gloria Patri) . If this is the first hour you are praying that day, you would first pray the Invitatory Psalm, which invites you into the presence of God .
Hymn: A hymn appropriate to the time of day, season, or feast follows the introduction. The hymn sets the tone for the hour and helps transition your mind from the concerns of the world to prayer. Different seasons of the Church have different hymns, and Universalis automatically selects the correct one based on the liturgical calendar.
Psalms and Canticle: This is the heart of Lauds. It typically includes a mix of psalms of praise, a canticle from the Old Testament, and another psalm or canticle from the New Testament. For example, one typical Morning Prayer includes Psalm 91 (92), which proclaims God’s mercy in the morning, followed by the canticle from Ezekiel 36 about God giving a new heart and a new spirit, and then Psalm 8 about the greatness of God and the dignity of man.
Scripture Reading: A short passage from the Bible is read, usually between one and three verses long. This reading is meant to be reflected upon briefly as you begin your day.
Short Responsory: A brief back-and-forth prayer that follows the Scripture reading, often echoing the theme of the psalm or reading. For example: “My heart has said of you: I have sought your presence, Lord”.
Benedictus (The Canticle of Zechariah): This is the Gospel canticle for Morning Prayer, taken from Luke 1:68-79. It is the song that Zechariah sang after the birth of his son, John the Baptist. It proclaims God’s faithfulness, his covenant, and the coming of salvation through Christ. This is a high point of Morning Prayer.
Intercessions: A series of prayer petitions offered to Christ, often focusing on themes of consecrating the day, asking for protection, and interceding for the needs of the Church and the world.
The Lord’s Prayer:Â The Our Father is prayed, often with a special introduction that ties it to the theme of the hour.
Concluding Prayer: A collect (a short prayer that “collects” the intentions of the hour) is prayed. This prayer changes daily or seasonally.
Final Blessing or Dismissal:Â The hour concludes with a closing versicle, often “May the Lord bless us, protect us from all evil, and bring us to everlasting life,” and the response “Amen.”
How to Use Universalis for Morning Prayer
The beauty of Universalis is that it does all the heavy lifting for you. You do not need to know which psalms to read or which antiphons to use; the app or website calculates everything automatically based on the date and your local calendar. Here is how to get started.
On the Website:Â Navigate to the Universalis homepage (universalis.com). The home page will show you the Liturgy of the Hours, Mass readings, and other content for the current day. Click on “Morning Prayer (Lauds)” to open the full text. If it is not immediately visible, use the menu to select the Liturgy of the Hours section.
On the Mobile App: Download the “Catholic Calendar: Universalis” app from the Google Play Store or Apple App Store. You can try it free for 30 days before purchasing. Once installed, open the app and select “Morning Prayer” from the main menu. The app will automatically show you the correct prayers for today.
Choosing Your Calendar: Universalis allows you to select your local calendar so that you see the correct feast days, memorials, and liturgical readings for your region. You can choose from the USA, Canada, the UK, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, Singapore, and many other dioceses.
Internet Not Required: Once downloaded, the Universalis app works entirely offline. You do not need an internet connection to pray Morning Prayer, making it ideal for travel, remote areas, or simply to save data.
The Invitatory Psalm: Where Morning Prayer Begins
If Morning Prayer is the first hour you are praying on a given day, you should begin with the Invitatory Psalm rather than jumping straight into the opening versicle. The Invitatory Psalm is traditionally Psalm 95 (94), “Come, let us sing to the Lord,” though during Eastertide the psalm may vary.
The purpose of the Invitatory Psalm is to invite you into the presence of God before you begin the formal prayer of the day. It is like knocking on the door before entering the throne room. Universalis will automatically include the Invitatory Psalm if you select Morning Prayer as your first hour of the day.
About the Daytime Hours (Terce, Sext, None)
In addition to Morning Prayer, the Liturgy of the Hours includes three shorter daytime prayers: Terce (Mid-Morning Prayer), Sext (Midday Prayer), and None (Afternoon Prayer). These are often called the “Little Hours” because they are shorter than Lauds and Vespers.
Universalis labels these hours clearly as “Mid-Morning Prayer,” “Midday Prayer,” and “Afternoon Prayer” to make them more understandable to modern readers. These hours are traditionally prayed as breaks from work to refocus on God.
The structure of each daytime hour is simple: an opening versicle, a hymn, three short psalms or portions of psalms with antiphons, a short Scripture reading, a versicle and response, and a concluding prayer.
Key Features of Universalis You Should Know
Universalis offers much more than just the prayers of the hours. Understanding these additional features will help you get the most out of the app and deepen your prayer life.
Mass Readings: Universalis includes the complete Mass readings for every day, including the first reading, responsorial psalm, second reading (on Sundays and solemnities), and Gospel reading. In the United States, the readings use the official NAB translation.
“About Today” Page: This feature tells you what saints are being celebrated today, worldwide. It includes reflections, biographies, and illustrations to help you learn more about the lives of the saints.
Spiritual Reading: This section gathers the patristic and hagiographic readings for all the saints and feasts of the day, giving you access to the wisdom of the Church Fathers and the stories of the saints.
The Rosary: Universalis includes a Rosary feature with a verse of Scripture for every Hail Mary of every Mystery, helping you meditate more deeply on the life of Christ.
Daily Books: This feature takes selected spiritual classics and presents them in daily instalments to focus and enrich your prayer life.
Commentaries: Access commentaries on the day’s Mass readings from a leading biblical scholar to deepen your understanding of Scripture.
The Canticles of Morning Prayer
One of the most beautiful aspects of Morning Prayer is the inclusion of biblical canticles. These are songs taken directly from Scripture, sung or recited as part of the prayer. In Lauds, there are two primary canticles: the Canticle of Zechariah (Benedictus) and an Old Testament canticle that varies by day.
The Old Testament Canticle: This canticle is drawn from various books of the Old Testament, such as Isaiah, Ezekiel, or the Song of Hannah. For example, on some days, the canticle from Ezekiel 36 is used: “I will give you a new heart, and put a new spirit in you”. This canticle changes with the liturgical season and feast days.
The Benedictus (Canticle of Zechariah): This is the fixed Gospel canticle for Morning Prayer, prayed every day. It proclaims: “Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, for he has visited his people and brought about their redemption”. This canticle sums up the hope of the Old Testament fulfilled in Christ and is a fitting way to begin each day.
Why Pray the Liturgy of the Hours?
The Liturgy of the Hours, also called the Divine Office, is the official public prayer of the Catholic Church. Alongside the Mass, it sanctifies the passage of time by offering prayer at various hours of the day. When you pray Morning Prayer with Universalis, you are joining your voice to the universal Church, praying the same psalms and readings that priests, religious, and laypeople around the world are praying at that same moment.
The Church encourages all the baptized, not just clergy and religious, to pray the Liturgy of the Hours. The Second Vatican Council taught that the Liturgy of the Hours is the prayer not only of the clergy but of the whole People of God. Universalis makes this possible for anyone with a smartphone or computer, regardless of their familiarity with the traditional structure of the hours.
Universalis Subscription and Purchase Information
Universalis is not free, but it is reasonably priced for the depth of content it provides. On mobile platforms, you can try the app free for 30 days before purchasing. On Mac, the app is available for a one-time purchase of ₦19,900.00 (approximately $13 USD). Importantly, the purchase lasts forever; there is no ongoing subscription required to keep it working.
If you have already purchased a Universalis registration code for another platform, do not purchase the app again. Instead, download the “Catholic Calendar: Universalis” app and enter your registration code in the “About” screen.
Conclusion
Universalis Morning Prayer is a gift to the modern Catholic who desires to pray the ancient prayer of the Church but feels overwhelmed by the complexity of the breviary. Whether you are using the website on your computer or the app on your phone, Universalis takes the guesswork out of the Liturgy of the Hours, showing you exactly which psalms, readings, and antiphons to pray for any given day. The structure of Lauds is consistent and beautiful: opening versicle, hymn, psalms and canticle, Scripture reading, responsory, the Benedictus, intercessions, the Lord’s Prayer, and the concluding collect. By praying Morning Prayer with Universalis, you join your voice to the universal Church, sanctifying the beginning of each day with the praise of God.
Start small. Try praying just the Morning Prayer for one week. Let the psalms and canticles shape your heart. Let the Benedictus remind you that God has visited his people with redemption. And let the intercessions carry the needs of the world before the throne of grace. Over time, you may find yourself drawn to pray the Daytime Hours, Evening Prayer, and Night Prayer as well. But even if all you ever do is Lauds, you have begun a beautiful and ancient practice that will deepen your relationship with God and connect you to the prayer of the Church across the ages and around the world. Download Universalis today, and let the morning be consecrated to the Lord.
Morris Clark
