The Weekly Vigil Before the Sabbath

In winter, however, when the nights are longer, the vigils that are celebrated every week on the evening that begins the Sabbath are arranged by the elders in the monasteries to last until the fourth cockcrow. The reason is this: after watching through the whole night they may rest their bodies for the remaining time of nearly two hours, and so avoid flagging from drowsiness the whole day long, being content with rest for this short time instead of resting the whole night. [a]

It is right for us too to observe this with the utmost care: to be content with the sleep allowed us after the office of vigils up to daybreak, that is, until the morning Psalms, and afterward to spend the whole day in work and necessary duties. Otherwise, worn out by the vigils and weak, we might be forced to take by day the sleep we cut off from the night, and so be thought not to have cut short our bodily rest so much as to have changed the time of our rest and our night’s retirement. For our feeble flesh could not possibly be cheated of the whole night’s rest and still keep its vigor unshaken through the following day without sleepiness of mind and heaviness of spirit. It will be hindered by this rather than helped, unless, after the vigils are over, it enjoys a short sleep.

So if, as we have suggested, at least an hour’s sleep is snatched before daybreak, we will save all the hours of vigil we have spent through the night in prayer, granting nature what is due to it, and with no need to take back by day what we cut off from the night. For a man will certainly have to give up everything to this flesh if he tries, not in a reasonable way to withhold only a part, but to refuse it the whole; if, to speak frankly, he is eager to cut off not what is superfluous but what is necessary. That is why vigils have to be paid back with greater interest if they are stretched out to daybreak with thoughtless and unreasonable length.

So they divide them into an office in three parts, so that by this variety the effort may be spread out and the exhaustion of the body relieved by some pleasant relaxation. For when they have sung three Psalms antiphonally, standing, then, sitting on the ground or on very low seats, one of them repeats three Psalms while the rest respond, each Psalm being assigned to one of the brothers, who follow one another in turn. To these they add three readings, still sitting quietly. And so, by lessening their bodily effort, they manage to keep their vigils with greater attention of mind.