Category: prayers of the church

The Great Litany – The Litany of Peace. A Short Introduction.

The Great Litany The Litany of Peace   An Orthodox deacon extending his orarion at the end of a petition of a litany. (A Deacon, Andrei Ryabushkin, 1888)   The Great Litany is said as the first litany of Divine Liturgy and Vespers, after the Six Psalms in Matins and at the beginning of the… Continue reading The Great Litany – The Litany of Peace. A Short Introduction.

That we may be delivered from all tribulation, wrath, and necessity…

That we may be delivered from all tribulation, wrath, and necessity… Thoughts on a petition in the Great Ectenia, the Litany of Peace Oct 21/Nov 3 2009 22nd Tuesday after Pentecost. Monk Hilarion the Great.     That we may be delivered from all tribulation, wrath, and necessity, let us pray to the Lord.  10th… Continue reading That we may be delivered from all tribulation, wrath, and necessity…

Dormition hymns: The Furnace and the Theotokos. The Three Holy Children. The Angel of the Lord.

I am amazed at how often the hymns at the end of vigil seem so much more profound and beautiful than those at the beginning. I do not think they are of substantially higher quality, although it could be argued that the “Canon” is the masterpiece of all Orthodox hymnology, but I do believe that WE are of higher quality! Standing (sitting, pacing, having an itch, having your mind wander, thinking about how your feet hurt, getting hungry, etc, etc) during the vigil prepares us for holy moments when something being chanted seems to permeate to the very depths of our soul. …

What follows is a little more discussion about vigil and a particuarly powerful metaphor for the Theotokos, which is mentioned in hymns to her: a furnace.

O Lord and Master of my life… a few words about the Prayer of St Ephrem.

      The “Prayer of St Ephrem” is ubiquitous during Great Lent, and is used in all weekday services, and in prayers at home.       This prayer is much like the “Our Father”, in the following way. When the disciples asked the Lord to teach them to pray, He told them to… Continue reading O Lord and Master of my life… a few words about the Prayer of St Ephrem.

The Lord’s Prayer / ??????? ????????

The Lord’s Prayer translated from the Russian at ??-??????: http://www.pagez.ru/days/index.php?id=month&month=06&day=06 “Hallowed be Thy name; Thy kingdom come” (Lk. 11, 2) Thy name, the name of my Heavenly Father, I will reverence and hallow above every name. If I defile or soil my own name, I can cleanse it in the name of my Father. Do… Continue reading The Lord’s Prayer / ??????? ????????

Adoption to Sonship

“Our Father, Who art in the heavens”(Lk. 11:2)by St. Theophan the Recluse From the Russian book, “Day by Day.” Translated from the Russian text at ??-???????: http://www.pagez.ru/days/index.php?id=month&month=06&day=05 Our Father! How little we understand what this means! Christ gave us the Father; often during His earthly life He repeated the words: “your Heavenly Father,” and he… Continue reading Adoption to Sonship

Audio talk on: Vespers, An overview of the themes of Vespers, and the Jewish character of Orthodox worship.

LISTEN NOW In this catechetical talk, we give an overview of the themes of Vespers and the “Jewishness” of Orthodox worship. If the “LISTEN NOW” link does not work, copy this URL into your browser:http://www.orthodox.net/catechism/prayers-of-the-church_+vespers.m3u If this file does not work for you, try the direct link to the actual mp3 file:http://www.orthodox.net/catechism/prayers-of-the-church_+vespers.mp3 RSS feed of… Continue reading Audio talk on: Vespers, An overview of the themes of Vespers, and the Jewish character of Orthodox worship.