Subcategories

• Troparia and Kontakia

  Short hymns sung after the small entrance at Divine Liturgy. For Sundays the subject is the Holy Resurrection; a different hymn for each of the Eight Tones. Every feast has its particular hymn describing the event or the virtues of the saint. Also there are hymns giving in an abbreviated form the substance of the day's feast.  Originally, this was a hymn composed of many stanza (18-24) whose lengthy text required the use of a scroll. What remains today are short preliminary stanzas that give a concise meaning to the feast being celebrated.  These hymns are also sung following the Sixth Ode in Matins, and during the Hours.

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  37

• Orthodox Psalter

  Daily Readings from the Orthodox Psalter

  The Psalter is divided into 20 kathismata of three stases. Each stasis contains between one and three psalms. Except Kathisma 17, it is entirely the long Psalm 118.

  Each of the divine services contain fixed portions of the Psalter that are read or chanted each time the service is celebrated. In addition, certain services of the Daily Cycle contain prescribed kathisma readings. These prescribed readings rotate daily so that the Psalter is read through once in its entirety in single week, and twice during Great Lent. (The Psalter is not read on Holy Thursday, Holy Friday, or during Bright Week.) 

   

  Day	Psalter Readings  Except Lent		During Lent			Holy Week
  	St. Thomas Sun. to Sept. 21 Dec. 20 to Jan. 14 Sun. of Prodigal  to Sun. of Forgiveness	Sept. 22 to Dec. 19 Jan. 15 to Sat. before Sun. of Prodigal	Except for Fifth Week	5th week If Annunciation does not fall on Thursday of week 5 (the Great Canon of St. Andrew of Crete is read on Thursday Matins)	5th week If Annunciation falls on Thursday of week 5 (the Great Canon of St. Andrew of Crete is read on Tuesday Matins)
  Sunday	Matins - Kathisma 2, 3, 17(or Polyeleos)					Matins - Kathisma 2, 3, Polyeleos
  Monday	Matins - Kathisma 4,5 Vespers - Kathisma 6	Matins - Kathisma 4,5,6 Vespers - Kathisma 18	Matins - Kathisma 4,5,6 Third Hour - Kathisma 7 Sixth Hour - Kathisma 8 Ninth Hour - Kathisma 9 Vespers - Kathisma 18	Matins - Kathisma 4,5,6 Third Hour - Kathisma 7 Sixth Hour - Kathisma 8 Ninth Hour - Kathisma 9 Vespers - Kathisma 10	Matins - Kathisma 4,5,6 First  Hour - Kathisma 7 Third Hour - Kathisma 8 Sixth Hour - Kathisma 9 Ninth Hour - Kathisma 10 Vespers - Kathisma 11	Matins - Kathisma 4, 5, 6 Third Hour - Kathisma 7 Sixth Hour - Kathisma 8 Vespers - Kathisma 18
  Tuesday	Matins - Kathisma 7,8 Vespers - Kathisma 9	Matins - Kathisma 7,8,9 Vespers - Kathisma 18	Matins - Kathisma 10,11,12 First Hour - Kathisma 13 Third Hour - Kathisma 14 Sixth Hour - Kathisma 15 Ninth Hour - Kathisma 16 Vespers - Kathisma 18	Matins - Kathisma 11, 12, 13 First  Hour - Kathisma 14 Third Hour - Kathisma 15 Sixth Hour - Kathisma 16 Ninth Hour - Kathisma 18 Vespers - Kathisma 19	Matins - Kathisma 12 Third Hour - Kathisma 13 Sixth Hour - Kathisma 14 Ninth Hour - Kathisma 15 Vespers - Kathisma 16	Matins - Kathisma 9 10, 11 Third Hour - Kathisma 12 Sixth Hour - Kathisma 13 Vespers - Kathisma 18
  Wednesday	Matins - Kathisma 10,11 Vespers - Kathisma 12	Matins - Kathisma 10,11,12 Vespers - Kathisma 18	Matins - Kathisma 19,20,1 First Hour - Kathisma 2 Third Hour - Kathisma 3 Sixth Hour - Kathisma 4 Ninth Hour - Kathisma 5 Vespers - Kathisma 18	Matins - Kathisma 20, 1, 2 First  Hour - Kathisma 3 Third Hour - Kathisma 4 Sixth Hour - Kathisma 5 Ninth Hour - Kathisma 6 Vespers - Kathisma 7	Matins - Kathisma 19, 20, 1 First  Hour - Kathisma 2 Third Hour - Kathisma 3 Sixth Hour - Kathisma 4 Ninth Hour - Kathisma 5	Matins - Kathisma 14, 15, 16 Third Hour - Kathisma 19 Sixth Hour - Kathisma 20 Vespers - Kathisma 18
  Thursday	Matins - Kathisma 13,14 Vespers - Kathisma 15	Matins - Kathisma 13,14,15 Vespers - Kathisma 18	Matins - Kathisma 6,7,8 First Hour - Kathisma 9 Third Hour - Kathisma 10 Sixth Hour - Kathisma 11 Ninth Hour - Kathisma 12 Vespers - Kathisma 18	Matins - Kathisma 8 Third Hour - Kathisma 9 Sixth Hour - Kathisma 10 Ninth Hour - Kathisma 11 Vespers - Kathisma 12	Matins - Kathisma 6, 7, 8 First  Hour - Kathisma 9 Third Hour - Kathisma 10 Sixth Hour - Kathisma 11 Ninth Hour - Kathisma 12	(none)
  Friday	Matins - Kathisma 19,20 Vespers - Kathisma 18		Matins - Kathisma 13,14,15 Third Hour - Kathisma 19 Sixth Hour - Kathisma 20 Vespers - Kathisma 18			(none)
  Saturday	Matins - Kathisma 16,17 Vespers - Kathisma 1					Matins - Kathisma 17
  See Also: Psalms Chanted in the Services, Psalms in Antiphons, Psalms in Communion Hymns, Psalms in Prokeimenon and Alleluia Verses

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  20

• Canticles (or Odes)

  There are nine Biblical Canticles that are chanted at Matins These form the basis of the Canon, a major component of Matins.

  The nine Canticles are as follows:

  • Canticle One - The (First) Song of Moses (Exodus 15:1-19)
  • Canticle Two - The (Second) Song of Moses (Deuteronomy 32:1-43)
  • Canticle Three - The Prayer of Hannah (I Kings 2:1-10) KJV: 1+Samuel 2:1-10
  • Canticle Four - The Prayer of Habakkuk (Habakkuk 3:1-19)
  • Canticle Five - The Prayer of Isaiah (Isaiah 26:9-20)
  • Canticle Six - The Prayer of Jonah (Jonah 2:2-9)
  • Canticle Seven - The Prayer of the Three Holy Children (Daniel 3:26-56)
  • Canticle Eight - The Song of the Three Holy Children (Daniel 3:57-88)
  • Canticle Nine - The Song of the Theotokos (the Magnificat: Luke 1:46-55); the Song of Zacharias (the Benedictus Luke 1:68-79)

  Originally, these Canticles were chanted in their entirety every day, with a short refrain inserted between each verse. Eventually, short verses (troparia) were composed to replace these refrains, a process traditionally inaugurated by Saint Andrew of Crete. Gradually over the centuries, the verses of the Biblical Canticles were omitted (except for the Magnificat) and only the composed troparia were read, linked to the original canticles by an Irmos. During Great Lent however, the original Biblical Canticles are still read.

  Another Biblical Canticle, the The Song of Simeon (Luke 2:29-32), is either read or sung at Vespers.

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  9

• Text of Prayers

  In the Orthodox Church it is said that we pray what we believe and believe what we pray.  The text of our written prayers not only help with our communion with God through words of praise, thanksgiving, repentance, supplication, and intercession, but also brings to remembrance the Gospel message of Christ, the Apostolic teachings, and our faith.

  This part of our website gives the text of some of the prayers of the Orthodox Church.

  The publication of such prayers does not limit the free expression of the Christian soul to the Creator, the Most-holy Theotokos and the Saints. On the contrary, by reading these prayers one can learn how to pray. They become models for our own, personal prayers.  Often, we would like to pray but, distracted by the world around us, or troubled by fear or sorrow, we do not even know how to begin. We then begin with the a prayerbook and find that not only much of what we wanted to say is included in the prayers of the fathers, but that afterwards, we find words of our own to continue the outpouring of our soul.

  Article Count:

  68