At all other hours, they being by saying Deus in adjutorium meum intende, Domine ad adjuvandum me festina (God come to my assistance, O Lord make haste to help me) while making the sign of the cross. After this, the minor Trinitarian doxology is spoken, Gloria Patri et Filio and Spiritui Sancto, sicut erat in principio et nunc et semper, et in saecula saeculorum, amen (Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning and now, and forever amen). The first prayer comes from the great penitential Psalm 51, and the other comes from Psalm 70. The Doxology is a great hymn of prayer coming to us from the early Church.
It's very easy, over time, to simply mumble these prayers and wait until we get to the meaty part of the Liturgy of the Hours, the Psalms themselves. So why not just begin with the sign of the cross and get going? Well, let's take a look at the significance of each of these prayers.
1. O Lord, open my lips....
In his commentary on Psalm 51, Aquinas notes on this verse...
"But it must be noted that in the opening of the mouth is understood the depth of instruction, wherever in the Scriptures is found the opening of the mouth; as in Job 3. "After this Job opened his mouth." And Mattthew 5. "Opening his mouth, Jesus." that is, in the depth of Scripture. And then my mouth shall declare thy praise; as if he were saying: What I hold in my heart, I shall confess with my mouth."
As we begin the Liturgy of the Hours, the prayer of the Church, we call upon God to instruct us in how we ought to pray, to guide us in our attempt to render Him praise. As the disciples found after Pentecost, the Holy Spirit is the one who opens lips, and pours forth the glory of God from the mouths of men. It is just as Paul writes, "for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us"(Rom 8:26). Before we pray, we must ask God, through the movement of the Spirit, to inspire our prayer, so that what we wish to render God in our hearts, comes forth clearly with our mouths.
2. God come to my assistance...
In his commentary on this verse, St. Augustine notes...
"For we have need for an eternal aid in this world. But when have we not? Now however being in tribulation, let us especially say, “O God, to my aid make speed."
This call for divine assistance is necessary for all Christians, because daily we are involved in the competition of faith, as Paul writes,
"Be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we are not contending against flesh and blood, but against the principalities, against the powers, against the world rulers of this present darkness, against the spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore take the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand... Pray at all times in the Spirit [O Lord open my lips], with all prayer and supplication." (Eph 6:10-13, 17)
Calling upon the Lord at the beginning of prayer while making the sign of the cross is marking ourselves as Christians, setting us apart and preparing us to be the salt of the earth and the light of the world, to run so as to win. As Christians, we require divine assistance in all we do, so that we may glorify God, become sanctified, and edify our brothers and sisters. No wonder, then, we make this prayer as we begin the Liturgy of the Hours!
3. Glory to the Father...
We read in the Catholic encyclopedia that a doxology is typically used at the end of a rite or a hymn. Why do we say a doxology after praying, "God come to my assistance"? Doxologies are used to praise God (the etymology of Doxology is "glory" and "saying") so it is no wonder that, after invoking the divine assistance, we give praise to the Trinity, by whom we receive assistance and the ability and dignity to pray.
4. All together....
So let's put everything together. At the beginning of the Liturgy of the Hours, a great exchange is committed: we receive assistance, the Holy Spirit, from God, and in return we offer praise. Herein lies the essence of prayer! Aquinas notes that prayer is a speech act (cf. II-II.83ff), as does Von Balthasar, and countless other theologians and mystics. In a speech act, or in any form of communication, there involves a giving and a receiving. We speak to someone, and then we listen to them. What we are doing at the beginning of the Liturgy of the Hours is not some simple ritual, but a great expression of Christian prayer. We receive from God the gift of the Holy Spirit who opens our lips to pray and who is our advocate against evil, and in return, we can do nothing but offer a simple hymn of praise to the Father, through the Son, in the Holy Spirit. Moved by the Spirit, contemplating the Word for the Glory of the Father, we then proceed to pray the Psalms, the Fifth Gospel. Is that awesome or what!
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