About Morning Office. (Matins)

About the Morning Office. (Matins) #

Vespers depicts the beginning of human history, the first days of the Fall — the evening (the end) of the creation of the world, which for man after the Fall was replaced by a dark night, deprived of the vision of the bright Face of God. Morning Office depicts the joyful and radiant morning — the manifestation of Christ to the world. And in its second half, an even brighter morning — the Resurrection of the Lord. The dawn over Bethlehem has only just begun to glow; the stars have not yet faded. And behold, amid the quiet sky — the gentle song of the angels: “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill among men.” Christ is born — this moment is represented by the beginning of Morning Office (the Small Doxology), a moment joyful and radiant, but the time of full triumph has not yet come. Christ, born upon the earth, must for our sake walk the sorrowful path of life in the form of a servant, and the yet more sorrowful path of Golgotha, before He may enter into the joy of the Resurrection and bring us also into it. Remembering this, in the stillness of the night not yet ended, we humbly hasten, like the shepherds of Bethlehem, to the holy manger, with a cry of repentance in the words of the Hexapsalmos (Six Psalms).

In the church there is a dim half-light, so that the fiery words of the psalmist David may strike the heart all the more powerfully amid the stillness and gloom. The Orthodox Church has chosen for the Hexapsalmos psalms of such a character as to allow those who pray to feel with the fullest possible vividness the fallen state of man, to awaken in them a sense of sinfulness and defenselessness before the judgment of God’s holiness and righteousness, the fear of eternal destruction through alienation from the love of God, and a living desire and hope for salvation in God, in His infinite mercy — mercy that forgives all, cleanses from sins, restores to life from the realm of death, and regenerates by His boundless fatherly love. These are Psalms 3, 37, 62, 87, 102, and 142. Like “burning coals,” the fiery words of the prophet fall upon the soul that is disposed to listen and to ponder these “songs of repentance.”

Weeping at the manger of the Lord over our sins and begging for mercy (both in the psalms and in the Great Litany that follows the Hexapsalmos), the faithful then exult at the birth of the Lord: “God is the Lord and hath appeared unto us; blessed is He that cometh in the name of the Lord,” — the choir greets Christ, who was born for our salvation. The troparion of the day, feast, or saint is then sung. After this, once again, the holy and instructive Psalter is read. At Sunday Morning Office, the 2nd and 3rd kathismata are always read, because they contain psalms in which the holy prophet David foretells in detail the sufferings and crucifixion of the Savior, the mockings He would endure, and the division of His garments by the soldiers (Psalm 21), His death, descent into Hades, and Resurrection (Psalm 15), His victory over Hades, the destruction of the devil’s power, and His ascension into heaven (Psalm 23). The last psalm is already filled with rejoicing. The Lord, as Victor, opens the gates of Paradise, enters therein Himself, and opens them for His faithful. “Lift up your gates, ye princes; and be ye lifted up, ye everlasting gates, and the King of Glory shall enter in. Who is this King of Glory? The Lord strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle. He is the King of Glory” (Psalm 23). And the spirit of the worshippers becomes yet more radiant.

After this, the 17th kathisma is read (except on feasts of the Lord and the Sunday of Thomas).

Polyeleos (Many Mercies) #

The Polyeleos begins. Polyeleos means “much oil,” that is, abundant illumination. At the same time, the word Polyeleos can also be translated as “much mercy.” Both meanings are fitting for this part of the festal Morning Office, which is called the Polyeleos. According to the Ustav, many lamps are lit at this time, hence the term “much oil.”

The Polyeleos is also the singing of Psalms 134 and 135, in which the phrase “for His mercy endureth forever” is repeated many times — thus, the word “mercy” resounds abundantly. The Royal Doors are opened — as a sign that Christ’s tomb is opened, and through Christ’s Resurrection the doors of the Heavenly Bridal Chamber are opened. The light shining from the altar symbolizes the radiance of the angels who stood at the tomb, bearing the glad tidings of the Resurrection.

On Sundays, after the kathismata, the Church expresses the triumph of praising the Resurrection of the Lord. Then is depicted the early coming of the myrrh-bearing women and the joyful message of the angels to them:

“The assembly of angels was amazed when they beheld Thee, O Savior, numbered among the dead, yet destroying the power of death and raising up Adam together with Thyself, and freeing all from Hades.

Why do ye mingle myrrh with tears of compassion?” — proclaimed the angel to the myrrh-bearers, appearing resplendent at the tomb — “Behold the grave (without the Dead One) and know that the Savior is risen from the tomb.”

“Early in the morning, the myrrh-bearers, weeping, hastened to Thy tomb, but an angel appeared to them and said: ‘The time of mourning is over; weep no more, but proclaim to the apostles the Resurrection.’”

“The women, bringing myrrh to Thy tomb, O Savior, wept; but an angel said to them: ‘Why seek ye the Living among the dead? He is risen, as God, from the tomb.’”

“Let us worship the Father and His Son and the Holy Spirit — the Holy Trinity, of one Essence — crying out with the seraphim: Holy, Holy, Holy art Thou, O Lord.

O Virgin, in giving birth to the Giver of life, Thou didst deliver Adam from sin, and to Eve Thou didst grant joy instead of sorrow; and He who was incarnate of Thee, God and Man, hath directed those who had fallen away to the path of life.”

Antiphons #

On Sundays, after the troparia “Blessed art Thou, O Lord” and the Little Litany, the Antiphons or Stepenniy (Hymns of Ascent) are sung. From ancient times these hymns were called antiphons because they were sung by two choirs alternately, and they are called Stepenniy (“of the steps” or “of ascent”) because their meaning is drawn from the fifteen Psalms known as the Psalms of Ascent. These Psalms, 119–133 (Septuagint numbering), were sung in the Old Testament Church on the fifteen steps leading up to the Jerusalem Temple — one psalm for each step.

Portions of these psalms are combined with verses composed by Saint John of Damascus and the monks of the Studite monastery. The Stepenniy Antiphons portray the feelings of the sons of Israel returning from Babylonian captivity to the land of their fathers. In these psalms are expressed the feelings of the soul yearning to be freed from the captivity of sin — from bondage to the devil — in order to dwell in the habitations opened to us by Christ’s Resurrection. Here the soul lifts up to the Lord now a sorrowful cry for deliverance from passions and the assaults of the enemy, now a prayer of hope in God’s mercy, now a lament over its own inner uncleanness, now a joy in serving God in the Church, now a fear before the judgment of God, now a complete trust in the compassion of the Savior:

“From my youth many passions have warred against me; but do Thou Thyself defend and save me, O my Savior.”

“Those who hate Zion (the Church of Christ) shall be put to shame by the Lord, for they shall be withered as grass by the fire” (that is, like grass, they shall become prey to the flames).

“By the Holy Spirit every soul is given life and, by purity, is exalted and made radiant through the mystical Trinity.”

Reading of the Holy Gospel and Its Procession to the Center of the Church #

Next, in the order of Matins, follows the reading of the Gospel. At Sunday Matins, the Gospel is always read concerning the appearances of the Risen Savior to the myrrh-bearing women and the apostles. The Gospel is read in the altar, as though at the tomb of the Lord, and then is carried out to the center of the church for the veneration and kissing by the faithful, and remains in the center of the church until all the faithful have approached and venerated it.

As the Gospel is carried out from the altar, the faithful, gazing upon it as upon the Risen Lord Himself, bow down before it and, with compunction of heart, sing the solemn hymn to the Risen One: “Having beheld the Resurrection of Christ, let us worship the Holy Lord Jesus.” Thus, the carrying out of the Holy Gospel to the center of the church during the Sunday Vigil symbolizes that the Risen Lord also appears to us, though unworthy, just as He appeared after His Resurrection to the myrrh-bearing women and the holy apostles, according to His true promise: “Lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world” (Matthew 28:20).

Procession of the Icon #

On feasts of the Lord, of the Mother of God, and of the saints, during the Polyeleos, the icon of the feast or of the saint is also carried out to the center of the church, and before it is sung the magnification of the feast.
The holy icon of the Most Holy God-bearer stands in the midst of the church, in the midst of us, to remind us that the Sovereign Lady of the world is herself always among us — as a compassionate Mother among her children, as a radiant and mighty Queen among her faithful servants. She is near to all who are faithful to the Gospel of Her Son, and is ready to aid each one who hastens to her in times of sorrow and tribulation.

After the hymn “Having beheld the Resurrection of Christ,” Psalm 50 is appointed to be read. Then is sung:

  • Glory…
    “Through the prayers of the apostles, O Merciful One, cleanse the multitude of our transgressions.”

  • Both now…
    “Through the prayers of the God-bearer.”

  • Verse:
    “Have mercy on me, O God, according to Thy great mercy; and according to the multitude of Thy compassions, blot out my transgressions, O God, my Savior.”

After this is sung the sticheron (called the “sticheron after Psalm 50”):

“Jesus is risen from the tomb, as He foretold, and hath granted us eternal life, and great mercy.”

On feast days, instead of this sticheron, the sticheron of the feast is sung.
The deacon then intones the litany — the prayer: “Save, O God, Thy people.”
After this follows the singing of the Canon.

Singing of the Canon #

The Canon (meaning “rule”) is a collection of spiritual hymns, composed after the model of Old Testament songs and pointing to them through their content.

The model for the first song of the canon is the song of the holy prophet Moses, in which he glorifies God for delivering Israel from Pharaoh, who was drowned with his armies in the depths of the sea (Exodus 15):

“I will sing unto the Lord, for He hath triumphed gloriously: the horse and his rider hath He thrown into the sea. The Lord is my God, and I will glorify Him.”

The model for the second song — which is sung only during the Holy Forty Days (Great Lent) — is the reproachful song of the prophet Moses to the people of Israel:

“Give ear, O heavens, and I will speak; and let the earth hear the words of my mouth” (Deuteronomy 32).

The third is based on the song of holy Anna, the mother of Samuel, who praised the Lord for granting her a son. Anna prayed, saying:

“My heart rejoiceth in the Lord, and my horn is exalted in my God.”

The fourth takes its content from the song of the prophet Habakkuk, who portrays the awesome coming of the Lord to judge mankind:

“O Lord, I have heard Thy report and was afraid” (Habakkuk 3).

The model for the fifth song is the song of the prophet Isaiah (chapter 26), depicting the coming reign of the Messiah, who judges the sinful and raises the righteous.

The source of the sixth song is the prayer of Jonah, who praised the Lord from the belly of the whale:

“I cried by reason of mine affliction unto the Lord, and He heard me; out of the belly of hell cried I, and Thou heardest my voice” (Jonah 2:2–3).

Jonah, as is well known, was a type of the risen Christ.

The seventh song takes its content from the song of the three Hebrew youths — Ananias, Azarias, and Misael — who were cast into the fiery furnace by the command of Nebuchadnezzar but remained unharmed. This song expresses lamentation over the sins of the Jewish people and the solemn glorification of the true God (Daniel 3:26–27). In the furnace, heated sevenfold yet not consuming the three youths, the Church sees a type of the virginal and seedless conception and birth of Jesus Christ. She glorifies the omnipotence of the Savior and prays for enlightenment by the radiant fire of the Godhead.

The eighth song takes its content from the second part of the song of the three youths, in which all creation is summoned to glorify the Lord (Daniel 3:57–88).

After the eighth song of the canon, the song of the God-bearer is sung:

“My soul doth magnify the Lord, and my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Savior,”

along with the New Testament refrain in honor of the Mother of God:

“More honorable than the cherubim and truly more glorious than the seraphim, thee who without corruption gavest birth to God the Word, the true God-bearer, we magnify.”

(This hymn is given here in Russian rendering.)

The hymn “More Honorable than the Cherubim” (“Честнейшую херувим”) was composed by Cosmas of Maiuma on Great and Holy Friday, the day of special sorrow for the Mother of the Lord Jesus. This hymn was especially well-pleasing to the Most Pure Virgin, and she appeared to the saint with a radiant and joyful countenance, saying:

“Thy songs are pleasing to Me, but this one is more pleasing than all the others. Those who sing spiritual songs are dear to Me, but never am I so near to them as when they sing this new song of thine.”

In the ninth song, the Church glorifies the Holy Virgin, the Mother of the Savior who came into the world.

In the midst of the kathismas and after the sixth song of the canon, it is appointed to read an instructive Gospel and the Prologue.
In doing this, the Church leads us into the heart of the feast’s remembrance and prepares us for the thoughtful hearing of the Gospel at the Liturgy on the following day.

Stichera at the Praises and the Great Doxology #

After the canon, which is completed with the Little Litany, the deacon at the Sunday Vigil proclaims:

“Holy is the Lord our God.”

Then are sung the Psalms of Praise — Psalms 148–150.

Following this comes the singing of the stichera at the praises, which conclude with a hymn honoring the Mother of God (a God-bearer sticheron):

“Thou art higher than all hymns of praise, O Virgin God-bearer; for through Him who was incarnate of thee, Hades hath been taken captive, Adam hath been called forth (from Hades), the curse hath been abolished, Eve is set free, death is slain, and we have been given life (in union with God).
Therefore, singing we cry aloud: ‘Glory be to Christ our God, who hath shown forth such good favor.’”

The priest exclaims:

“Glory to Thee who hast shown us the light!”

The Christians respond with the Great Doxology:

“Glory to God in the highest.”

In the ancient Church, especially in the catacombs, the vigil lasted until morning. With the exclamation “Glory to Thee who hast shown us the light,” the clergy proclaimed the appearance of the morning dawn or the rising of the sun.
We give thanks to the Lord for having shown us the light of the knowledge of God, granted us the light of faith, and illumined us with the radiant splendor of His Face and His Gospel:

“Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill among men.
We praise Thee, we bless Thee, we worship Thee, we glorify Thee, we give thanks to Thee for Thy great glory.
O Lord, heavenly King, God the Father Almighty;
O Lord, the Only-begotten Son, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit;
O Lord God, Lamb of God, Son of the Father, that takest away the sin of the world, have mercy on us;
Thou that takest away the sins of the world, receive our prayer;
Thou that sittest at the right hand of the Father, have mercy on us;
For Thou only art holy, Thou only art the Lord, Jesus Christ, to the glory of God the Father, Amen.
Every day will we bless Thee and praise Thy name forever, yea, forever and ever.”

The Doxology concludes with the singing of:

“Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal, have mercy on us.”

This supplication for mercy, which by itself expresses self-condemning repentance, profound humility, the fear of destruction, and the very sense of man’s fallen state, here, in connection with the angelic glorification of God the Savior, takes on a different tone: it expresses the joy at the salvation now revealed, a heartfelt thirst for grace-filled mercy, and a reverent readiness with all the strength of the soul to serve the merciful God.

After the Doxology, the troparion of the feast is sung, or (on Sunday) the special troparia glorifying Christ’s Resurrection, by which He has destroyed death and illumined the world with His light through the preaching of the holy apostles.

Then follow two litanies:

  • “Have mercy on us, O God,”

  • and “Let us complete our morning prayers.”

Afterward comes the prayer of the Bowing of Heads and, following the usual conclusion, the dismissal.
Then the First Hour is read.

The Morning Office can be either a Daily or a Polyeleos (Festal) Morning Office.
The Daily Morning Office is celebrated on those days when a daily Vespers is served, while the Polyeleos Morning Office is celebrated on feast days commemorating the saints.

Order of the Daily Morning Office #

After the conclusion of the Midnight Office, the priest exclaims:

“Blessed is our God.”

The reader responds:

“Amen,”

and reads the Trisagion (“Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal, have mercy on us”); after the Our Father.

The priest then says:

“For Thine is the kingdom…”

The reader responds:

“Amen,”

and begins:

“O come, let us worship…”

Then he reads:

  • Psalm 49 (“The Lord shall hear thee in the day of tribulation”),

  • and Psalm 20 (“O Lord, in Thy strength the king shall rejoice”).

During the reading of the psalms, the priest performs the censing of the church.

Afterward:

  • Glory… Both now…

  • Trisagion again; after the Our Father:

  • Troparia: “O Lord, save Thy people”;

  • Glory: “O Thou who wast lifted up of Thine own will upon the Cross”;

  • Both now: “O most dreadful and unashamed intercessor.”

Then follows the Brief Litany:

  1. “Have mercy on us, O God,”

  2. A petition for the country,

  3. A petition for the whole brotherhood and all Christians.

The priest proclaims:

“Glory to the Most Holy, Consubstantial, Life-giving, and Indivisible Trinity.”

The reader responds:

“Amen,”

and then reads the Six Psalms.
After the Six Psalms: the Great Litany.

Then:

“God is the Lord” (intoned in the tone of the appointed troparion);
the troparion according to the Ustav is sung,
followed by:

  • Glory and Both now,

  • the God-bearer hymn (in the tone corresponding to the troparion and the day).

Then:

  • the Kathismata are read.

Between the Kathismata, the Little Litany is said, and Sessional hymns (Sedalny) are sung from the Octoechos.

After the last Little Litany and Sessional hymns, Psalm 50 (“Have mercy on me, O God”) is read.

Then:

  • the Canon from the Octoechos and the Menaion is sung.

  • The Irmosi (first lines) of the canon from the Menaion are sung instead of the Katavasia.

  • After the 3rd Song: a Little Litany and Sessional hymns from the Menaion.

  • After the 6th Song: a Little Litany;

  • the Kontakion and Ikos from the Menaion.

After the 8th Song, the priest proclaims:

“The God-bearer let us magnify in hymns.”

The singers then chant the Song of the God-bearer:

“My soul doth magnify the Lord,”

with the refrains:

“More honorable than the cherubim…”

During the singing of “More honorable than the cherubim,” the priest or deacon censes the altar and the whole church.

After the canon:

  • It is truly meet (“It is truly meet to bless thee, O God-bearer…”),

  • followed by the Little Litany,

  • and the Light-bearing hymns (Svetilny) according to the Ustav.

Then:

  • the Psalms of Praise are read.

After that:

  • “To Thee is due glory…” is proclaimed.

Then the reader continues:

“Glory to Thee who hast shown us the light,”

and reads the Great Doxology.

Following this:

  • the Litany: “Let us complete our morning prayers unto the Lord.”

Afterward:

  • the Stichera at the Stichovnia from the Octoechos are sung.

Then:

  • “It is good to give thanks unto the Lord” is read,

  • followed by the Trisagion,

  • the Our Father,

  • and the appointed Troparion and God-bearer hymn from the Menaion.

The Fervent Litany (“Have mercy on us, O God”) follows.

After the litany:

  • the priest exclaims the dismissal,

  • the reader responds: “Amen,”

  • and then: “O come, let us worship,” said three times.

Finally, the reader reads the psalms of the First Hour.

Polyeleos Morning Office #

The Polyeleos Morning Office, up through the Kathismata, differs from the Daily Morning Office only in that after the Kathismata, the Sessional hymns (Sedalny) are read from the Menaion.

Then, after the final (second) Kathisma, the order of the Morning Office no longer follows that of the daily service, but rather proceeds as follows:
after the Little Litany and Sessional hymn following the second Kathisma, the Polyeleos is sung, along with the Magnification before the festal icon.

At the Polyeleos, the Royal Doors are opened, and the priest and deacon cense the altar, the entire church, and the people.

After the reading of the Gospel, the Royal Doors are closed, but they are opened again for the Great Doxology and remain open until the reading of the First Hour.

After the Polyeleos:

  • the Little Litany is said,

  • followed by the Sessional hymn from the Menaion,

  • the first Antiphon of the Stepenniy of the Fourth Tone (“From my youth up have many passions warred against me”),

  • and the Prokeimenon.

The priest proclaims:

“For holy art Thou, O Lord our God.”

The singers respond:

“Amen,”

and sing:

“Let every breath praise the Lord.”

The deacon then says:

“And that we may be accounted worthy to hear the Holy Gospel, let us pray to the Lord,”
and so forth.

The priest reads the Gospel.

After the Gospel, Psalm 50 (“Have mercy on me, O God”) is read.

Following this:

  • Glory: “Through the prayers of the apostles” (or of the saints appropriate to the feast), “O Merciful One, cleanse our many offenses”;

  • Both now: “Through the prayers of the God-bearer, O Merciful One, cleanse our many offenses.”

Then:

  • Verse: “Have mercy on me, O God, according to Thy great mercy,”

  • and a Sticheron from the Menaion is sung.

The deacon reads the prayer:

“Save, O God, Thy people.”

The singers respond:

“Lord, have mercy,” said twelve times.

The priest exclaims:

“Through the mercy and compassion and love for mankind of Thine Only-begotten Son…”

The singers respond:

“Amen,”

and the Canon is sung.

There are two canons:

  • the first, dedicated to the God-bearer, sung on six odes,

  • and the second, of the feast, from the Menaion, sung on eight odes.

The Katavasia are sung according to the Typikon.

After the Canon:

  • the Psalms of Praise (Psalms 148–150) are read,

  • and the Stichera at the Praises are sung.

After the Stichera, the priest proclaims:

“Glory to Thee who hast shown us the light.”

The singers chant the Great Doxology.

After the Doxology:

  • the Troparion of the feast is sung.

Then follow two litanies:

  • “Have mercy on us, O God,”

  • and “Let us complete our morning prayers unto the Lord.”

Then is sung:

  • “Establish, O God”.

The deacon then proclaims:

“Wisdom!”

The priest says:

“O Most Holy Lady, God-bearer, save us.”

The singers respond:

“More honorable than the cherubim…”

The priest then says:

“Glory to Thee, O Christ God, our hope, glory to Thee.”

The singers respond:

“Glory… Both now… Lord, have mercy” (twice), and “Lord, bless.”

The priest gives the dismissal according to the Typikon.

The reader responds:

“Amen,”

and the reading of the First Hour follows.