E
Errham
Guest
Do the Eastern Catholics/Orthodox have devotions in the Western sense of the word? Really the only one that I can of is the Komboskini.
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P
pianistclare
Guest
Don’t they do the Jesus prayer on prayer ropes?
E
Errham
Guest
Err, yes, that’s exactly what a Komboskini is.
I
Iconodule
Guest
Many of us have prayer rules that we follow by discipline, which are prayed in addition to our regular daily prayers.
Z
Zabdi_Premjit
Guest
Can you clarify for me what you’d consider a devotion? Or give a definition?
If I prayed an akathist or a canon, would that be considered a devotion?
What about if I took out a prayer rope and recited a few arrow prayers?
I think the later is similar to the Latin practices of the rosary and chaplets, but it lacks the same degree of standardisation. Perhaps the fluidity affects whether it is considered a devotion? Is a devotion always a pre-set thing?
P
pianistclare
Guest
errr… who knew? Never have seen that term before, thanks!
E
Errham
Guest
Well, that’s the confusing thing, is that there’s no clear-cut definition between liturgy/devotional/sacramental like there is in the West. For instance, the Jordanville Prayer Book states that it is a pious tradition to recite the pre-communion canons and akathist every day. Would this count as liturgy? Probably. Would this count as devotional as well? Probably.
V
Vico
Guest
Here is a Vatican document on the subject, including western and eastern.
vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/ccdds/documents/rc_con_ccdds_doc_20020513_vers-direttorio_en.html
V
Vico
Guest
Horologion is a Book of Hours, it is like the Breviary.
Jesus Prayer
From the Byzantine Nuns of Saint Clare:
Heavenly King, Comforter, spirit of truth, Who are everywhere present and fill all things, treasury of blessings, and give of life, come and dwell within us, cleanse us of all stain, and save our souls, O gracious One.
Holy God, + holy and mighty, holy and immortal have mercy on us. (three times)
Glory be to the Father, + and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, now and ever and forever. Amen
Most Holy Trinity, have mercy on us; Lord, cleanse us of our sins; Master, forgive our transgressions; come to us, Holy One, and heal our infirmities for Your Name’s sake.
Lord have mercy. (three times) Glory be to the Father, + and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, now and ever, and forever. Amen.
Our Father, Who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name. Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory. Father, + Son and Holy Spirit, now and ever, and forever. Amen.
**Psalm 50 **Prayer of Repentance
Have mercy on me, God, in your kindness.
In your compassion blot out my offense.
O wash me more and more from my guilt
and cleanse me from my sin.
My offenses truly I know them;
my sin is always before me.
Against you, you alone, have I sinned;
what is evil in your sight I have done.
That you may be justified when you give sentence
and be without reproach when you judge.
O see, in guilt I was born,
a sinner was I conceived.
Indeed you love truth in the heart;
then in the secret of my heart teach me wisdom.
O purify me, then I shall be clean;
O wash me, I shall be whiter than snow.
Make me hear rejoicing and gladness,
that the bones you have crushed may thrill.
From my sins turn away your face
and blot out all my guilt.
A pure heart create for me, O God,
put a steadfast spirit within me.
Do not cast me away from your presence,
nor deprive me of your holy spirit.
Give me again the joy of your help;
with a spirit of fervor sustain me,
that I may teach transgressors your ways
and sinners may return to you.
O rescue me, God, my helper,
and my tongue shall ring out your goodness.
O Lord, open my lips
and my mouth shall declare your praise.
For in sacrifice you take no delight,
burnt offering from me you would refuse,
My sacrifice, a contrite spirit.
A humbled, contrite heart you will not spurn.
In your goodness, show favor to Zion:
rebuild the walls of Jerusalem.
Then you will be pleased with lawful sacrifice,
burnt offerings wholly consumed,
then you will be offered young bulls on your altar.
Say the Nicene Creed.
Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me a sinner. (100 times)
It is truly proper to glorify you, O Theotokos,
the Ever-blessed, Immaculate, and the Mother of our God.
More honorable than the Cherubim,
and beyond compare more glorious than the Seraphim,
who, a virgin, gave birth to God the Word,
you, truly the Mother of God, we magnify.
Glory be to the Father, + and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit,
now and ever and forever. Amen.
Lord, have mercy. (three times)
Through the prayers of our holy Fathers, O Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on us. Amen.
Jesus Prayer
From the Byzantine Nuns of Saint Clare:
- = sign of the cross
Heavenly King, Comforter, spirit of truth, Who are everywhere present and fill all things, treasury of blessings, and give of life, come and dwell within us, cleanse us of all stain, and save our souls, O gracious One.
Holy God, + holy and mighty, holy and immortal have mercy on us. (three times)
Glory be to the Father, + and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, now and ever and forever. Amen
Most Holy Trinity, have mercy on us; Lord, cleanse us of our sins; Master, forgive our transgressions; come to us, Holy One, and heal our infirmities for Your Name’s sake.
Lord have mercy. (three times) Glory be to the Father, + and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, now and ever, and forever. Amen.
Our Father, Who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name. Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory. Father, + Son and Holy Spirit, now and ever, and forever. Amen.
- Come, let us adore our King and God.
- Come, let us adore Christ, our King and our God.
- Come, let us adore and bow down to Christ our King and our God.
**Psalm 50 **Prayer of Repentance
Have mercy on me, God, in your kindness.
In your compassion blot out my offense.
O wash me more and more from my guilt
and cleanse me from my sin.
My offenses truly I know them;
my sin is always before me.
Against you, you alone, have I sinned;
what is evil in your sight I have done.
That you may be justified when you give sentence
and be without reproach when you judge.
O see, in guilt I was born,
a sinner was I conceived.
Indeed you love truth in the heart;
then in the secret of my heart teach me wisdom.
O purify me, then I shall be clean;
O wash me, I shall be whiter than snow.
Make me hear rejoicing and gladness,
that the bones you have crushed may thrill.
From my sins turn away your face
and blot out all my guilt.
A pure heart create for me, O God,
put a steadfast spirit within me.
Do not cast me away from your presence,
nor deprive me of your holy spirit.
Give me again the joy of your help;
with a spirit of fervor sustain me,
that I may teach transgressors your ways
and sinners may return to you.
O rescue me, God, my helper,
and my tongue shall ring out your goodness.
O Lord, open my lips
and my mouth shall declare your praise.
For in sacrifice you take no delight,
burnt offering from me you would refuse,
My sacrifice, a contrite spirit.
A humbled, contrite heart you will not spurn.
In your goodness, show favor to Zion:
rebuild the walls of Jerusalem.
Then you will be pleased with lawful sacrifice,
burnt offerings wholly consumed,
then you will be offered young bulls on your altar.
Say the Nicene Creed.
Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me a sinner. (100 times)
It is truly proper to glorify you, O Theotokos,
the Ever-blessed, Immaculate, and the Mother of our God.
More honorable than the Cherubim,
and beyond compare more glorious than the Seraphim,
who, a virgin, gave birth to God the Word,
you, truly the Mother of God, we magnify.
Glory be to the Father, + and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit,
now and ever and forever. Amen.
Lord, have mercy. (three times)
Through the prayers of our holy Fathers, O Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on us. Amen.
P
Phillip_Rolfes
Guest
In my experience I would have to say “yes,” Eastern Catholics and Orthodox certainly have devotions in the Western sense of the word. In addition to the Jesus Prayer and the various Prayer Rules associated with it, there is also the Prayer Rule of the Theotokos, there are Akathists and Molebens, there are the Morning and Evening Prayer Rules, there are devotions in preparation for the Sacrament of Confession as well as in preparation for receiving Communion, etc., etc., etc.
Some may argue that the distinction is that many of these devotions are “para-liturgical,” or at the very least have strong liturgical connections. But one could also say the same about the vast majority of Latin devotions as well.
E
Errham
Guest
There’s no Eastern equivlant to the Breviary. The Eastern “Breviary” comprises some 20-30 volumes and costs well into the $2,000 range. In other words - unless you’re a monk or a live-in at a parish, you won’t be praying the full Eastern Divine Offices.
That being said, most people can at least pray a partial one. The core text is the Horologion - this is roughly equivalent to the Ordinary, as it contains all the fixed (non-variable) portions of the services. There are two types of Horologion - the Great Horologion (currently the only English one in print is from Holy Transfiguration Monastery) which contains the troparia, kontakia and synaxarions (we’ll get to these in a minute) for every day of the year, which roughly sets you up with a fairly complete (for the layman) office. Then you have the “regular” Horologion (currently three in print - from the Jordanville Monastery, St. Tikhon’s Seminary and the “Old Rite” one) - which contain only the fixed parts, although most of them contain some of the Menaion/Pentecostarion/Triodion services for the major feasts as well.
Then you have the Psalter, which is equivalent to, well, the Psalter. The Eastern psalter is divided into twenty sections called Kathismas, of which one is read at Vespers and two at Matins, such that the entire Psalter is recited over the course of one week (or twice, during Great Lent, when the number of Kathisma readings doubles). This has more editions in print than any other Eastern service book, so I won’t get into them.
Then there’s the Octoechos. My understanding of this is pretty shabby, but essentially, it contains hymns for Matins, Vespers and Compline (as well as Sunday Midnight Service) that rotate on an eight-week cycle. From what I understand, on the “major” feast days the material is almost all covered in the Menaion/Pentecostarion/Triodion, so this sees most of its use on days with more obscure saints. There’s currently only one edition in print for the daily Octoechos, from St. John of Krondstat Press, which costs around $250. It’s generally only found in parishes. There’s also an Octoechos in print which contains only the material for Sunday services, which is a bit more common.
Then there’s the Menaion, which is roughly equivalent to the Proper of Saints - but much more extensive, as just about every day is a feast day in the Eastern Churches, and quite a lot of material is generally covered in it. This is the really big item on the Eastern shopping list, running twelve volumes (one for every month) at a cost of around $1,300. There are currently two in print, one from St. John of Krondstat Press and one from Holy Transfiguration Monastery. The troparia and kontakia (the most essential part of the Menaion) can be found in the Great Horologion. There’s also the Festal Menaion, which covers only the great feast days, this is much more common in home usage.
There’s also the Pentecostarion and Triodion. The Triodion is essentially a Menaion for Great Lent, and the Pentecostarion for the Easter Season. One could say that they’re equivalent to the Proper of Seasons, but it isn’t quite an accurate comparison as they only cover very specific parts of the year. They’re both relatively cheap ($40 or so for the Triodion, $100-$125 for the Pentecostarion) so you might find these in a rather devout home.
And lastly, there’s the Synaxarion, which contains readings for every day of the year explaining the day’s meaning or the life of the Saint who’s being celebrated that day. The full Synaxarion is twelve volumes and costs $500-$700, but far more common in home usage are abbreviated Lives of the Saints, with the cheapest I believe being the Prologue of Ohrid at around $120.
Oh, and prayer books - these are much more common in home usage than Horologions. Essentially they contain abridged morning prayers (which are usually a shortened Midnight Service) and evening prayers (which are usually a shortened small compline).
Obviously, I’m no expert on the subject, so any Byzantine riters here should feel free to correct me if I’m wrong on anything. I’m also generally more familiar with the Orthodox books than the Eastern Catholic ones, so I might have left a few out.
That being said, most people can at least pray a partial one. The core text is the Horologion - this is roughly equivalent to the Ordinary, as it contains all the fixed (non-variable) portions of the services. There are two types of Horologion - the Great Horologion (currently the only English one in print is from Holy Transfiguration Monastery) which contains the troparia, kontakia and synaxarions (we’ll get to these in a minute) for every day of the year, which roughly sets you up with a fairly complete (for the layman) office. Then you have the “regular” Horologion (currently three in print - from the Jordanville Monastery, St. Tikhon’s Seminary and the “Old Rite” one) - which contain only the fixed parts, although most of them contain some of the Menaion/Pentecostarion/Triodion services for the major feasts as well.
Then you have the Psalter, which is equivalent to, well, the Psalter. The Eastern psalter is divided into twenty sections called Kathismas, of which one is read at Vespers and two at Matins, such that the entire Psalter is recited over the course of one week (or twice, during Great Lent, when the number of Kathisma readings doubles). This has more editions in print than any other Eastern service book, so I won’t get into them.
Then there’s the Octoechos. My understanding of this is pretty shabby, but essentially, it contains hymns for Matins, Vespers and Compline (as well as Sunday Midnight Service) that rotate on an eight-week cycle. From what I understand, on the “major” feast days the material is almost all covered in the Menaion/Pentecostarion/Triodion, so this sees most of its use on days with more obscure saints. There’s currently only one edition in print for the daily Octoechos, from St. John of Krondstat Press, which costs around $250. It’s generally only found in parishes. There’s also an Octoechos in print which contains only the material for Sunday services, which is a bit more common.
Then there’s the Menaion, which is roughly equivalent to the Proper of Saints - but much more extensive, as just about every day is a feast day in the Eastern Churches, and quite a lot of material is generally covered in it. This is the really big item on the Eastern shopping list, running twelve volumes (one for every month) at a cost of around $1,300. There are currently two in print, one from St. John of Krondstat Press and one from Holy Transfiguration Monastery. The troparia and kontakia (the most essential part of the Menaion) can be found in the Great Horologion. There’s also the Festal Menaion, which covers only the great feast days, this is much more common in home usage.
There’s also the Pentecostarion and Triodion. The Triodion is essentially a Menaion for Great Lent, and the Pentecostarion for the Easter Season. One could say that they’re equivalent to the Proper of Seasons, but it isn’t quite an accurate comparison as they only cover very specific parts of the year. They’re both relatively cheap ($40 or so for the Triodion, $100-$125 for the Pentecostarion) so you might find these in a rather devout home.
And lastly, there’s the Synaxarion, which contains readings for every day of the year explaining the day’s meaning or the life of the Saint who’s being celebrated that day. The full Synaxarion is twelve volumes and costs $500-$700, but far more common in home usage are abbreviated Lives of the Saints, with the cheapest I believe being the Prologue of Ohrid at around $120.
Oh, and prayer books - these are much more common in home usage than Horologions. Essentially they contain abridged morning prayers (which are usually a shortened Midnight Service) and evening prayers (which are usually a shortened small compline).
Obviously, I’m no expert on the subject, so any Byzantine riters here should feel free to correct me if I’m wrong on anything. I’m also generally more familiar with the Orthodox books than the Eastern Catholic ones, so I might have left a few out.
W
wynd
Guest
This is the Rule of St. Pachomius, right?
W
wynd
Guest
Good summary. Thankfully, certain Orthodox publishers have taken it upon themselves to publish rubrical guides which tell you which books, hymns, etc. to use and when for a given day. Example: stspress.com/shop/books/2015-liturgical-calendar-and-rubrics/ …Then you just have to figure out where in the liturgical library to find all those items
Z
Zabdi_Premjit
Guest
Yes.
V
Vico
Guest
Yes.
B
babochka
Guest
V
Vico
Guest
You are welcome. Here are some Marian prayers from the Byzantine Hierarchical Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom:Open unto us the doors of mercy, O blessed Theotokos. Let us not perish who put our trust in you, but rather through you be delivered from misfortune. For you are the salvation of all Christians.
Theotokion - Tone 6, Kontakion:
Now and ever and forever. Amen
Steadfast Protectress of Christians, unshakeable Meadiatrix before the Creator, do not despise the prayerful voices of sinners; but in your goodness hurry to assist those who faithfully cry out to you. Hasten to intercede and heed our supplications, interceding always, Theotokos, in behalf of those who honor you.
Theotokion - Tone 6, Kontakion:
Now and ever and forever. Amen
Steadfast Protectress of Christians, unshakeable Meadiatrix before the Creator, do not despise the prayerful voices of sinners; but in your goodness hurry to assist those who faithfully cry out to you. Hasten to intercede and heed our supplications, interceding always, Theotokos, in behalf of those who honor you.
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