Byzantine Catholic Prayer for the Home
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Table of Contents Table of Contents i Prayer in the Home iv Common Prayer 1 Prayers of Introduction 1 The Sign of the Cross 1 The Heavenly King 1 The Trisagion 1 The Doxology (The "Glory Be") 1 The Prayer to the Holy Trinity 1 The Lord's Prayer (The "Our Father") 1 Psalm 50151 2 The Nicene Creed 2 The Act of Contrition 2 Prayer of Repentance 2 Christ is Risen 3 Marian Prayers 3 The Angelic Salutation (The "Hail Mary") 3 The Common Hirrnos (The "It is Truly Proper") 3 The Paschal Hirmos (The "Angel Exclaimed to Her") 3 The Prayer to the Holy Protection 3 Invocations 3 The Jesus Prayer 3 Invocations to the Theotokos and the Saints 3 Alternate Trisagion Prayers 3 We Bow to Your Cross 4 All You Who Have Been Baptized 4 Concluding Prayers 4 Christian Greetings 4 Common Greeting 4 Greeting during an Anointing 4 Paschal Greeting 4 Christmas Greeting 4 Theophany Greeting 4 Prayers to the Angels and the Saints 4 Evening Prayer to the Guardian Angel 4 Prayer to St. Michael the Archangel 5 Prayer to St. Nicholas of Myra 5 Prayers for Various Intentions 5 Prayer Commending One's Self to God 5 Prayer for Wisdom and Virtue 5 Prayer to Our Lady of Perpetual Help for a Particular Intention 5 Prayer before Meals 6 Prayer after Meals 6 Prayer before Work 6 Prayer after Work 6 Prayer of the Married 6 Prayer of Parents for their Children 6 Prayer of Children for their Parents 7 Prayer for Priests 7 Prayer for the Sick 7 Prayer in the Time of Illness 7 Prayer of 'Thanksgiving for Recovery 7 Prayer for a Happy Death 8 Prayers for the Departed 8 Prayers before and after Holy Communion 9 Holydays of the Church according to the Pittsburgh Byzantine Metropolia 10 Fasting Periods 11 Proper Liturgical Conduct in Church 12 The Holy Mystery of Penance and Reconciliation 13 Akathist Hymns 16 The Akathist Hymn to Our Lord, the Most Sweet Jesus 16 The Akathist Hymn to Our Lady, the Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary 20 The Akathist to St. Michael the Archangel 24 The Paraklis: The Office of Consolation to the Most Holy Theotokos 30 Devotional Molebens 35 Devotional Moleben to Jesus, the Lover of Mankind 35 Devotional Moleben to Mary, the Most Holy Virgin 36 Devotional Moleben for the Christmas Fast (Advent) 37 Devotional Moleben to St. Nicholas of Myra 39 Devotional Moleben for the Great Fast (Lent) 41 Meditative and Devotional Rosaries 43 The Jesus Rosary 43 The Rosary of Mary, the Theotokos 43 The Rosary of Divine Mercy 48 Evening and Morning Prayer 49 Evening Prayer 49 Morning Prayer 50 The Office of Hours 54 The Kathismata 54 The Office of Vespers (Evening Prayer) 57 The Office of Compline (Night Prayer) 59 The Office of Matins (Morning Prayer) 62 The Hours 66 The First Hour 66 The Third Hour 67 The Sixth Hour 69 The Ninth Hour 71 'The Hours for the Great Fast 74 The First Hour 74 The Third Hour 76 The Sixth Hour 78 The Ninth Hour 81 The Hours for Bright Week 84 The Propers for Sundays and Weekdays: Tropana; Stichera, and Sessional Hymns 85 Tone 1 85 Tone2 85 Tone 3 86 Tone 4 87 Tone 5 87 Tone 6 88 Tone7 89 Tone8 89 Troparia for Weekdays 90 Sessional Hymns for Weekdays 91 The Menaion: Moveable Feasts and Holydays 93 The Menaion: lmmoveable Feasts and Holydays 112 Common Propers: Tropana and Stichera 112 For the Holy Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary 112 For the Holy Angels and Archangels 112 For a Prophet 112 For an Apostle 113 For Several Apostles 113 For a Hierarch 113 For Several Hierarchs 114 ForaMonk 114 For Several Monks 114 ForaMartyr 115 For Several Martyrs 115 For a Hieromartyr 115 For Several Hieromartyrs 116 For a Monk-Martyr 11 6 For Several Monk-Martyrs 116 For a Woman-Martyr 117 For Several Woman-Martyrs 117 ForaNun 117 For Several Nuns 118 For a Nun-Martyr 118 For a Confessor(s) 119 For Charitable and Wonder-Workers 119 Special Stichera 119 Stichera for Feasts of Our Lord 119 Stichera for Feasts of the Holy Cross 120 Stichera for Feasts of St. John the Forerunner 120 September 120 October 130 November 139 Decem ber 148 January 159 February 171 March 178 April 186 May 193 June 200 July 208 August 21 6 Addendum: Additional Feastdays 227 Prayer in the Home The Domestic Church Ultimate union with God, of deification, is a constant pilgrimage which begins at the very inception of an individual's life. As the Church Fathers stated centuries ago, this is man's purpose for existence, and one to which he naturally moves. In order to become deified, one must become more than like Christ, or an imitation of Christ; one must become Christ. There are no separate ways in which one achieves this goal; an individual's entire life must be consumed by Christ. Fidelity to the gospel, exercising extreme humility rather than pride, partaking of the sacramental Mysteries, and constant prayer are not separate exercises - all, taken together and without division, are the manifestation (singular case) of metanoia, or the conscientious decision to live totally in, with and for Christ, rather an in, with and for the world. Although all these aspects, taken together, are absolutely necessary in making the pilgrimage to deification, perhaps the foundation is prayer. Without prayer, there is no mystical union with God; without prayer, there is no point in living the fruits of metanoia. In the Eastern Christian Churches, prayer is the key to metanoia, through which we become deified. Prayer is more than just attending liturgical celebrations and receiving the sacramental Mysteries, whether on occasion or as a constant practice. Prayer must begin in the home - the domestic Church - and must be carried out in practice in the outside world, including Church, the workplace, the school and every other area of life. Without prayer in the home, every other action, even "religious", is futile. Prayer requires discipline - the choice to pray with the same, or greater, fervor that one exercises in fulfilling other duties. It also requires true and sincere effort, coming from the heart, and not just from rote recitation. Prayer is conversation with God, and though this conversing, the individual comes to mystically know God, through Jesus Christ, as his Lord. The lcon Corner One's home should be a place of tangible prayer. Each Christian home should have an "lcon Corner." This constitutes the Home Altar or Family Shrine. It serves as the focal point for prayer. The lcon Corner usually consists of a table, stand or shelf with a linen or other cloth covering. Over the table are the icons of Our Lord (on the right) and Our Lady (on the left), often with a crucifix in-between. Other icons of personal choice may and should flank the icon corner. A perpetual candle can be bumed if it is not a safety hazard. Otherwise, candles are lit during times of prayer. Placed on the table are normally the following items: a festal icon depicting the season; the Bible; prayer books; holy water; blessed candles; the blessed palms and willows from Flowery Sunday; flowers from the Feast of the Dormition, and rosaries. The lcon Comer is placed in a prominent room, such as the living room, the family room or the master bedroom. Traditionally, it faces east, if such an arrangement is possible. Using This Book All material in this book is from approved sources and is intended for private use. It contains common Byzantine prayers for various uses and needs, as well as daily cycles of prayer, including both basic Evening and Moming Prayer as well as the Office of Hours. The Office of Hours has been designed so that it may be prayed by persons whose schedules are limited. Thus, most repetitions have been deleted and certain prayers compacted. The various troparia, when prayed, are "connected" by the Doxology (The "Glory Be"), as indicated below: Troparion Glory be ...now and ever ... Kontakion. If there are more than three prayers within the troparia, such as a troparion, kontakion and theotokion, the Doxology is divided in order to connect the prayers, as follows: Troparion Glory be... Kontakion Now and ever... Theotokion. If there are four or more prayers within the troparia, the Doxology, again divided, is prayed only between the last three prayers. Examples are: Troparion Troparion Glory be ... Kontakion Now and ever... Kontakion Troparion Troparion Troparion Kontakion Glory be ... Kontakion Now and ever ... Kontakion. If chanted, the tone of the Doxology is in the tone of the troparion, kontakion or theotokion following it. For example: Troparion Tone 2 Glory be ...now and ever... Tone 6 Kontakion Tone 6 or: Troparion Tone 4 Troparion Tone 2 Glory be ... Tone 5 Kontakion Tone 5 Now and ever... Tone I Kontakion Tone I. One should possess an updated calendar with the Paschal Cycle to insure that the proper Moveable Feasts are celebrated correctly. Also, if one intends to pray the Psalmody from Sacred Scripture during the Office of the Hours, one needs either a Bible or a book containing the Psalms. Common Prayer Prayers of Introduction The Sign of the Cross The Sign of the Cross is made with the nght hand by touching the tips of the first three fingers (symbolizing the Holy Trinity) and by placing the last two fingers into the palm of the hand (symbolizing the two natures of Christ in one Person).