The general Eastern Christian tradition for the celebration of Sundays and greater feasts is the “trinity” of Eucharistic (in the larger and original sense of the term) services consisting of Vespers (Vechernia), Matins (Uttrenya) and the Divine Liturgy. Certainly in villages or if one had the great fortune of living near a monastery, fulfilling this was much easier when the culture itself revolved around the rythym of the Church.
When one becomes accustomed to the catechetical and “eucharistic” content of Vespers and Matins it becomes quickly apparent even from a perusal of the Sunday Octoechos how these “greater” services are certainly part of a much greater whole of the “sacrifice of praise” in relation to the Divine Liturgy.
In the exigencies of parishes where people live at a distance, where even a priest may either have several parishes or have another job, etc. there may be practicalities of keeping the full cycle. Ideally, you should go if you can, if your parish offers any or all of these services.
But even amongst Orthodox parishes, it is sometimes hard to find a parish that serves all three of the “great” offices for Sundays and feasts. Certainly while all will have the Divine Liturgy, those of the Slavic tradition will often have Great Vespers and not Matins, while those of the Greek tradition may often stress Orthros (Matins) more than Vespers. Some of the Russian tradition have either part or all of the Vsenoshchnie Bdenie or the All-Night Vigil which is a combination of Vespers and Matins (and sometimes the First Hour).
Some parishes may also have the Little Hours (First, Third, Sixth) as a proximal preparation before the Divine Liturgy while the priest is vesting, celebrating the Proskomidia, etc. This is certainly better than nothing if Vespers and Matins are not available.
That being said, I know of no spiritual father worth his *Horologion * that would deny that some sort of preparatory rule for Communion prayed at home before the icons along with Confession would suffice for preparation for Holy Communion if attendance at Vespers would be difficult or impossible.
There is a wonderful Canon and rule for preparation for Holy Communion that is contained in several prayer books (in Greek, Russian, Ukrainian and ACROD Orthodox prayer books as well as in the Ukrainian Catholic Anthology) that I have found especially efficacious that can be easily combined with Small Compline the evening before receiving the Holy Mysteries.
