Topic: Praying the Hours

[Justin Kissel]

The Orthodoxwiki article on the cycle of prayers/services mentions how the Hours are sometimes combined rather than said at the technically appropriate time. Is it more proper to use the three aggregates (as the site calls them), or to do the prayers individually? I would assume that they are combined for convenience, but what if you are able to do them individually, and that would actually be more doable for you?

[Alveus Lacuna]

If I pray the hours, which is unfortunately a rare occurrence for me, I have found that it is best to just say the psalms themselves and leave all of the rest alone.

[Justin Kissel]

Well, see, I used to do them, and I liked them because it was like a short burst of prayer... do it for 10 minutes and then you're done. And then come back a few hours later and do it again. It was just sort of nice to break up the day like that. However, the article said that "in current practice the services are more commonly served together," so I just wanted to throw the subject out there for discussion.

[quietmorning]

I pray the hours - I found this site http://www.holycrossonline.org/daily_bread/ (choose the option "Daily Bread" - then what ever hour you are looking for.)  with shortened versions of the hours.  This works wonderful for me as I work at home and each one takes between five and six minutes.  I pray the full version of the noon office at noon.  I printed these and put them in a little notebook to use at my prayer corner.

Hope this helps!

[Orthodox11]

I would assume that they are combined for convenience, but what if you are able to do them individually, and that would actually be more doable for you?

Why not?

[quietmorning]

I pray the first hour at 6:30, then the morning prayers at 7am - then the third hour at 9:00 am, then the noon office (6th hour) (in full) between noon and 12:30 pm - then the 9th hour at 3pm.  If I can't sleep, as soon as I get out of the bed to go do something else, I pray the mid-night office no matter what time it is.  I have reminders set for me for fifteen minutes in advance - so that if I get busy doing something I can wrap it up and go pray.  I also do not use incense during the hour prayers. 

Makes for a day of constantly being reminded of His Grace.  

[Orthodox11]

I pray the first hour at 6:30, then the morning prayers at 7am - then the third hour at 9:00 am, then the noon office (6th hour) (in full) between noon and 12:30 pm - then the 9th hour at 3pm.  If I can't sleep, as soon as I get out of the bed to go do something else, I pray the mid-night office no matter what time it is.  I have reminders set for me for fifteen minutes in advance - so that if I get busy doing something I can wrap it up and go pray.  I also do not use incense during the hour prayers. 

This is wonderful! I wish I was able to stick to a similar rule.

I'm curious though, why, since the Morning Prayers are but an abbreviation of the Midnight Office, you pray them after the 1st Hour and not before?

[quietmorning]

I pray the first hour at 6:30, then the morning prayers at 7am - then the third hour at 9:00 am, then the noon office (6th hour) (in full) between noon and 12:30 pm - then the 9th hour at 3pm.  If I can't sleep, as soon as I get out of the bed to go do something else, I pray the mid-night office no matter what time it is.  I have reminders set for me for fifteen minutes in advance - so that if I get busy doing something I can wrap it up and go pray.  I also do not use incense during the hour prayers. 

This is wonderful! I wish I was able to stick to a similar rule.

I'm curious though, why, since the Morning Prayers are but an abbreviation of the Midnight Office, you pray them after the 1st Hour and not before?

I'm not sure I understand the question. . . heh. . .maybe I have my hours mislabeled?  I'll look at my lunch break and see if I made a goof. 

In the mean time, I'll feed back to you what I think you mean. . .and you can straighten me out from there, if you don't mind. 

I didn't know that the morning prayers were an abbreviated version **newbie here ** - and the super abbreviated version I pray if  can't sleep is nothing like the morning prayers I use (the Morning Prayers from the Antiochian Liturgy Book) . . .hmmmm.  I'll have to look at the long version and see if the short versions I use for praying the hours are actually in the same context. 

Is this what you meant?

I tend to pray the 1st hour first because the prayers listed in the web site are a statement of faith that He will hear me in the morning. . .a good step into my morning prayers.  A good moment to wake up and smell the coffee too. . .so that I'm fully awake and alert once I get to the Morning Prayers. 

Does this matter?  (Honestly asking. . .because I seriously don't know.)

[FormerReformer]

I pray the first hour at 6:30, then the morning prayers at 7am - then the third hour at 9:00 am, then the noon office (6th hour) (in full) between noon and 12:30 pm - then the 9th hour at 3pm.  If I can't sleep, as soon as I get out of the bed to go do something else, I pray the mid-night office no matter what time it is.  I have reminders set for me for fifteen minutes in advance - so that if I get busy doing something I can wrap it up and go pray.  I also do not use incense during the hour prayers. 

This is wonderful! I wish I was able to stick to a similar rule.

I'm curious though, why, since the Morning Prayers are but an abbreviation of the Midnight Office, you pray them after the 1st Hour and not before?

I'm not sure I understand the question. . . heh. . .maybe I have my hours mislabeled?  I'll look at my lunch break and see if I made a goof. 

In the mean time, I'll feed back to you what I think you mean. . .and you can straighten me out from there, if you don't mind. 

I didn't know that the morning prayers were an abbreviated version **newbie here ** - and the super abbreviated version I pray if  can't sleep is nothing like the morning prayers I use (the Morning Prayers from the Antiochian Liturgy Book) . . .hmmmm.  I'll have to look at the long version and see if the short versions I use for praying the hours are actually in the same context. 

Is this what you meant?

The Midnight Office from the website are a super-abbreviated version of the Midnight Office, of which the Morning Prayers themselves are an abbreviated version (the Troparia and Prayer to the Trinity are taken from the Midnight, which is reflected in your link by having one of the prayers of the Troparia followed by the prayer to the Trinity slightly reworded from what you would find in the Little Red Prayer Book Morning Prayers).  The full Midnight Office would have the Trisagion followed by Psalm 50 followed by Psalm 118 (119), Creed, another Trisagion, Troparia, Kyrie Eleisons, Prayer of the Hours, Psalms 120 and 133, another Trisagion, Prayers for the Departed, Dismissal (and if a Priest is present a whole Litany after the Dismissal).

Usually takes me about 30 minutes on nights when I can't sleep. 

[Elijah]

I pray the first hour at 6:30, then the morning prayers at 7am - then the third hour at 9:00 am, then the noon office (6th hour) (in full) between noon and 12:30 pm - then the 9th hour at 3pm.  If I can't sleep, as soon as I get out of the bed to go do something else, I pray the mid-night office no matter what time it is.  I have reminders set for me for fifteen minutes in advance - so that if I get busy doing something I can wrap it up and go pray.  I also do not use incense during the hour prayers. 

Makes for a day of constantly being reminded of His Grace.  

Quietmorning, do you get enough time for the two prayers between that short time interval?

[quietmorning]

The first prayer because it's very very abbreviated is only five or six minutes long - - but it's a GOOD one for me to pray, so it leaves a good twenty minutes between if I'm so inclined.  Sometimes if I wake up late, I'll pray the first then be silent at my prayer corner for a bit then go on into my morning prayers.  I don't know if I would or should 'need' time between the two, actually - but usually there is  twenty minutes or so. 

[SubdeaconDavid]

The resource that I use is the Slavonic in English Reader services of the hours produced at: http://pages.prodigy.net/frjohnwhiteford/horologion.htm
  There is a degree of shortening because ektenias are replaced by Lord have mercy and they are entirely proper to be read by a layman, reader or subdeacon.

[bogdan]

The resource that I use is the Slavonic in English Reader services of the hours produced at: http://pages.prodigy.net/frjohnwhiteford/horologion.htm
  There is a degree of shortening because ektenias are replaced by Lord have mercy and they are entirely proper to be read by a layman, reader or subdeacon.

^ I second this excellent resource.

This website has the hours, with the proper troparia for the saints of the day: http://orthodox.seasidehosting.st/