Matins is the Catechism of the Early Church!

      Pray always! We, who are the Church, remember and participate in events in the life of Jesus Christ, the Holy Theotokos and the Saints by following the liturgical calendar through the seasons of the year. We pray several times during the day. The Office of Hours sets up a schedule for the day. During most of the year, the day begins at sundown with Vespers, followed by Compline, Night Prayers, Matins, First Hour, Third Hour, Sixth Hour and Ninth Hour. The exception to this schedule is Great Lent, during which the day begins with Night Prayers. (The numbering of the Hours comes from the Roman system of conducting the business day.)

Matins, also called Orthros, is the daily service of morning prayer of the church. It is often scheduled to conclude at the break of day. Matins consists of the weaving together of psalms, litanies, poetic prayers, hymns and petitions tailored to the day and the season. Some parts are consistent while others are more variable.

The main body of prayers, called the Canon, contains sections called odes. Odes consist of verses of poetic commentary based on Biblical canticles and the theme for the day of the week and the season of the liturgical year. Matins incorporates nine canticles:

          1. The Song of Moses, after crossing the Red Sea: Ex. 15:1-19,21 

          2. The Song of Moses, before his death: Deut. 32:1-43

          3. The Prayer of Hannah: 1 Sam. 2:1-10

          4. The Prayer of Habakkuk: Hab. 3:1-19

          5. The Prayer of Isaiah: Isa. 26:9-19

          6. The Prayer of Jonah: Jonah 2:1-9

          7. The Prayer of Azariah: Dan. 3:26-51a

          8. The Song of the Three Children: Dan. 3:51a-88

9. The Prayer of Mary the Theotokos (The Magnificat): Luke 1:46-55 or The Prayer of Zechariah (The Benedictus): Luke 1:68-79

These canticles used to be sung as part of Matins, but now they are replaced by the odes. The influence of the canticles is recognizable in the odes, at least in the first verse.

In parish usage, usually only some of the nine odes are sung each day. Most commonly, the first and ninth odes are sung.  During Great and Holy Lent, usually only three of the odes are sung on any given day, and so the book used for the service is called The Lenten Triodion ¹ , for “tri-ode” or “three-odes”. For example, Monday of the Third Week, odes 1, 8 and 9 are listed in the Triodion. Interestingly, Ode 2 is only found on Tuesdays during Lent and on All Souls Saturdays, and not during the rest of the year.

Daily themes are as follows:  

Monday – the Holy Angels (top row, second from left)

Tuesday – the Forerunner,  St.  John the Baptist (top row, second from right)

Wednesday – Mary, the Theotokos and the Honorable Cross (top row, far right)

Thursday – the Holy Apostles and St. Nicholas (second row, far left)

Friday – the Crucifixion, the Honorable Cross (second row, far right)

Saturday – the Sabbath of All Saints (center and bottom)

Sunday – the Resurrection (top row, far left)

¹ Lenten Triodion  by The Sisters of St. Basil the Great, Uniontown, Pennsylvania, 1995.

If you would like to download a copy of the Sunday Matins Booklet used at St John's Parish click here

and a copy is also available to purchase through the parish bookstore.