A simple design, extensive Scriptural symbolism: the official emblem for Ascension’s Second Edition of the Liturgy of the Hours is here! Designed by artist Ruth Stricklin alongside the other sacred artwork for the Liturgy of the Hours, the emblem reflects the beauty and tradition of this prayer. Packed with theological significance and biblical inspiration, this emblem will be imprinted on all four volumes of the upcoming Divine Office collection.

Praise Him With Stringed Instruments

“Rejoice in the Lord, O you righteous. Praise befits the upright. 

Praise the Lord with the lyre; make melody to him with the harp of ten strings.

Sing to him a new song; play skillfully on the strings, with loud shouts.” –Psalm 33:2

An ornate stringed instrument is the largest feature of the emblem, standing at the center. This is a lyre, the traditional symbol in Scripture for praising God. Stringed instruments, especially a harp or lyre, are a common motif in the psalter: they often accompanied the voices of the Jewish people as they sang psalms to worship God, especially in times of great exaltation. Tradition believes that King David wrote many of the Old Testament psalms: he was skilled with a stringed instrument like a lyre, and likely composed many of these hymns to its music.  

“Praise him with trumpet sound;

    praise him with lute and harp! 

Praise him with tambourine and dance;

    praise him with strings and pipe!” –Psalm 150:4

Several psalms speak of praising God with stringed musical instruments, especially in the morning to usher in the dawn of a new day praising God: 

“It is good to give thanks to the Lord, 

    to sing praises to your name, O Most High; 

to declare your steadfast love in the morning, 

    and your faithfulness by night, 

to the music of the lute and the harp, 

    to the melody of the lyre.” –Psalm 92:1

The lyre represents the particular musical nature of the Liturgy of the Hours. Psalmody has a central place in the Liturgy of the Hours: two are featured in morning and evening prayer each day, and praying all the hours in a day makes a total psalm count of around a dozen. The psalms (and other canticles) in the Liturgy of the Hours can be recited or chanted. 

Laurel Leaves: Triumph and Resurrection

“'Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?’ The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”  –1 Corinthians 15:54-57

A branch of laurel leaves fills the bottom of the emblem. In classical Greek and Roman times, laurel wreaths were awarded to winners of athletic competitions and bestowed on distinguished people during ceremonial occasions. They symbolize victory, honor, wisdom, and immortality. For Christians, the laurel wreath is Christ’s because he conquered death. His Resurrection brought new life to our souls.  

“Jesus said to [Martha]: ‘I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me, even though they die, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die.’” –John 11:25-26

Through his victory over death by his cross and Resurrection, Christ has the final word, and he continues to give the Church his grace to overcome the spirit of the world. 

“Whatever is born of God conquers the world. And this is the victory that conquers the world, our faith.” –1 John 5:4

Christ’s triumph over death is ours, too! We too will rise again with Christ when our bodies are glorified and reunited with our souls, at the end of time. 

Alpha and Omega: Sanctified From Beginning to End 

 “But I trust in you, O Lord;

I say, ‘You are my God.’

My times are in your hand…” – Psalm 31:14-15

The symbols on either side of the lyre are the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet. These letters, alpha and omega, symbolize that all of time is in God’s hand. He holds its beginning, end, and all days in between. In the Old Testament, the Lord proclaimed himself as the Almighty one who was, who is, and who is to come:

“Thus says the Lord, the King of Israel, 

and his Redeemer, the Lord of hosts: 

I am the first and I am the last; 

besides me there is no god.” –Isaiah 44:6

God also called himself the alpha and the omega, revealing himself as the everlasting source and the completion of all things in the last book of the New Testament:

“I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end.” –Revelation 21:6

The alpha and omega symbols relate to the Liturgy of the Hours in an important way, showing how this prayer sanctifies time. Because every moment we have is a gift from the Lord, we are called to use our time to serve him. In heaven, we will spend eternity glorifying and thanking God. The Liturgy of the Hours is a primary way that the Church fulfills her work of praising God in time here on earth. With Christ at the center, the Church’s rhythm of days and years becomes holy, and each of us who participate in the prayer of the Church is sanctified, too. The Liturgy of the Hours forms us spiritually, conforming us to God and making us more like him.