Hours ceases.

A grave illness exempts from the saying of the canonical Hours. Hence,
those seriously ill, those who fear the saying of the Office may upset
them in their weak state, and convalescents from a serious illness, are
excused from saying the Hours. In this matter the advice of a spiritual
or a medical adviser should be faithfully carried out by patients. St.
Alphonsus teaches that invalids and convalescents may be allowed to say
Mass and yet not be bound to say the Office, as the saying of Mass does
not fatigue them so much as the saying of the Office (St. Alphonsus,
n. 155).

A grave fear exempts from the saying of the Office. A priest amongst
furious persecutors of the Church should be excused from any recitation
of his Hours which he fears may draw on him cruel or severe punishments.

Blindness makes the recitation of the Office a physical impossibility.
Even very defective sight, although not total blindness, exempts from
the obligation of saying the Office. In all such cases a formal
declaration of exemption should be sought. Some theologians hold that
such priests, if they have committed to memory a notable part of the
psalms, should repeat that part from memory. The new psaltery makes such
memorising an extremely difficult feat and no obligation for such a
repetition from memory can be imposed.

Want of a Breviary excuses from the recitation of the Office. For
example, if a priest setting out on a long journey forgets to take his
Breviary or leaves it in a railway carriage, and cannot procure another,
or cannot procure another without, great inconvenience, he is exempt
from the obligation of his Office; and the omission being involuntary is