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FIRST HOUR

The First Hour being joined to the Morning Office, as has been said above, begins straight away with:

Come, let us worship and fall down before the King, our God.
Come, let us worship and fall down before Christ, the King, our God.
Come, let us worship and fall down before Christ himself, the King, our God.

Psalm 5
Give ear to my words, O Lord, understand my cry. Attend to the voice of my supplication, my King and my God; for to you I shall pray, O Lord. In the morning you will hear my voice. In the morning I shall stand before you, and you will watch over me; because you are not a God who wants iniquity. The evildoer will not dwell with you, nor will the lawless remain before your eyes. You have hated all those who work iniquity; you will destroy all those who speak lies. The Lord abhors a man of bloodshed and deceit. But I in the abundance of your mercy shall enter your house, I shall worship towards your holy temple in fear of you. Guide me, Lord, in your justice because of my enemies, direct my way before you. Because there is no truth in their mouths; their heart is vain. Their throat is an open tomb, they deceive with their tongues. Judge them, O God. Let them fall through their counsels; according to the multitude of their impieties cast them out, for they have embittered you, O Lord. And may all those who hope in you be glad; they will rejoice for ever, and you will dwell among them, and all those who love your name will boast in you. Because you will bless the righteous; you have crowned him, O Lord, with your good pleasure.

Psalm 89
Lord, you have been our refuge from one generation to another. Before the mountains came into being or the earth and the world was formed, from age to age you are. Do not turn humankind back to humiliation, and you said, ‘Turn back, children of men’. Because a thousand years in your eyes, O Lord, are like a day, or like yesterday which has passed, and like a watch in the night. Their years will be mere trifles, in the morning like grass may he pass away. In the morning let him flower and pass away; in the evening let him fall, dry up and wither. Because we have perished in your anger, and in your wrath we have been dismayed. You have set our iniquities before you; our age in the light of your countenance. Because all our days have perished, and in your anger we have perished; our years they considered like a spider. The days of our years there are seventy years in them, but if we are strong, eighty, and the majority of them are labour and toil; because weakness has come over us and we shall be chastened. Who knows the might of your anger? And can gauge your wrath from fear of you? So make your right hand known to me, and those chastened in heart by wisdom. Turn back, O Lord, how long? And be entreated for your servants. We have been filled in the morning with your mercy, O Lord, and we have rejoiced and been glad. In all our days let be glad; in return for the days when you humbled us, the years when we saw evils. And look upon your servants and upon the work of your hands and guide your children. And let the brightness of the Lord be upon us, and direct the works of our hands for us and direct the work of our hand.

Psalm 100
I will sing to you of mercy and judgement, O Lord, I will chant and think on a blameless way: when will you come to me? I have walked in the midst of my house in the innocence of my heart. I have set no lawless deed before my eyes; I have hated those who commit transgressions. No twisted heart has been attached to me; the evil man who avoids me I have not acknowledged. The man who secretly slanders his neighbour, him I have driven out. With a man of proud looks and insatiate heart, I have not eaten. My eyes are upon the faithful in the land, for them to dwell with me; the man who walks on a blameless way, he has ministered to me. The man who acts proudly has not dwelt in my house; the man who speaks calumnies has not prospered before me. Morning by morning I slew all the sinners in the land, to purge from the Lord's city all workers of iniquity.

Glory. Both now. Alleluia. (x3) Lord, have mercy. (x3)

Then the Canonarch or the designated Monk chants following in the middle in the 6th Tone.
Hearken to my voice in the morning, my King and my God.

Verse 1: Give ear to my words, O Lord, understand my cry.
Hearken to my voice in the morning, my King and my God.
Verse 2: For to you I shall pray, O Lord. In the morning you will hear my voice.
Hearken to my voice in the morning, my King and my God.

[The current Greek books prescribe the Troparion Behold the Bridegroom, as at Matins, for the Hours on the first three days of Holy Week, rather than the Lenten verses:
Behold, the Bridegroom comes in the middle of the night, and blessed is that servant whom he finds watching; but unworthy is the one whom he finds slothful. Take care then, my soul, not to be overcome with sleep, lest you be given up to death, and be shut out of the kingdom; but rouse yourself and cry: Holy, holy, holy are you, O God; through the Mother of God, have mercy on us.]

Glory. Both now. Theotokion

What shall we call you, O Full of grace? Heaven? For you made the Sun of righteousness to dawn. Paradise? For you made the flower of incorruption blossom. Virgin? For you remained incorrupt. Pure Mother? For you held in your holy embrace a Son who is the God of all. Implore him that our souls may be saved.

Then we chant the following Verses:
Direct my steps according to your word, and let no iniquity lord it over me (twice).
Deliver me from the slander of men, and I shall keep your commandments (twice).
Let your face shine on your servant, and teach me your statutes (twice).
Let my mouth be filled with your praise, O Lord, that I may hymn your glory, all day long your splendour (three times).

Then: Holy God, Holy Strong, Holy Immortal, have mercy on us (three times)

Our Father, in heaven, may your name be hallowed; your kingdom come; your will be done on earth as in heaven. Give us today our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.

Priest: For yours is the kingdom, the power and the glory, of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and for ever, and to the ages of ages.

Reader: Amen.

Jacob lamented the loss of Joseph, and the noble one was seated in a chariot, honoured like a king; for as he had not been slave to the pleasures of the Egyptian woman, he was glorified in return by the one who sees the hearts of men, and bestows an incorruptible crown.

Think, miserable soul, on the hour of the end, and made fearful by the cutting down of the fig tree, work with love of toil at the talent given you, as you watch and cry: May we not be left outside Christ's bridal chamber!

I have transgressed far more than the harlot, O Good One, yet have never brought you showers of tears; but entreating in silence I fall before you, as I kiss your immaculate feet with love, that as Master you may grant me forgiveness of offences, as I cry out, my Saviour, ‘Deliver me from the filth of my works’.

Then: Lord, have mercy. (x40)

Lord, have mercy (x3). Glory. Both now. Greater in honour than the Cherubim, and beyond compare more glorious than the Seraphim, without corruption you gave birth to God the Word, truly the Mother of God we magnify you. In the name of the Lord, bless, Father.

Priest: May God take pity on us and bless us, shed the light of his countenance on us and have mercy on us.

Then the prayer of St Ephrem with 4 full and 12 small metanias

Lord and Master of my life, do not give me a spirit of sloth, idle curiosity, love of power and useless chatter. (Prostration)

Rather accord to me, your servant, a spirit of chastity, humility, patience and love. (Prostration)

Yes, Lord and King, grant me to see my own faults, and not to condemn my brother; for you are blessed to the ages of ages. Amen. (Prostration)

The 12 small metanias and then the last sentence of the prayer is repeated with one prostration.

[Then Trisagion, All-holy Trinity, Our Father, For yours, Lord, have mercy (x12) Glory, Both now.]

The Superior says the following prayer:

[In Athonite use the Reader adds: To you my Champion and Commander I your city saved from disasters dedicate, O Mother of God, hymns of victory and thanksgiving; but as you have unassailable might from every kind of danger now deliver me, that I may cry to you: Hail, Bride without bridegroom!]

On Wednesday we add
CATECHESIS 72
On the saving Passion; and teaching on humility and patient endurance.
Given on the Wednesday of Holy Week.
By our venerable father Theodore the Studite.

Brethren and Fathers, the present day is holy and to be venerated, for from this day the Lord begins to take on himself the sufferings of the Cross for our sake, in accordance with David's words: Why did the nations rage and the peoples imagine vain things? The kings of the earth rose up and the rulers assembled together against the Lord and against his Christ [Psalm 2:1-2]. They assembled together to plot an evil plan against the Master. The deceitful Judas denied him utterly and betrays the teacher with a deceitful kiss. The Lord of all things is led away prisoner, stands before the judgement seat, is interrogated and answers; and when he answers—O fearful report!—he is struck by a slave and bears it with longsuffering, saying: If I have spoken evil, give testimony to the evil; but if well, why do you strike me?[John 18:23] Then he is scoffed at, mocked, jeered at, ridiculed, spat at, buffeted, scourged. He ascends the Cross, and when he has ascended he prays for his murderers: Father, forgive them their sin, for they do not know what they do [Luke 23:33]. Then he is given gall with vinegar to drink, he is pierced by a lance, the immortal is put to death. These in brief are the Master's sufferings, and one who hears them with understanding is not angry, or embittered, or enraged, or puffed up, or arrogant towards his brother; is not envious, or filled with vainglory. Rather he is humbled, crushed, considers himself to be earth and ashes, desires communion in Christ's sufferings, to is eager to be conformed to his death, so that he may have a part in the glory of his resurrection. But you too take courage, because you have shared and are sharing in the Master's sufferings. For you see where you are. Is it not for the sake of his word and his testimony that you are in exile and persecution? [These Catecheses were given when St Theodore and his monks were in exile from Constantinople in the reign of Michael II (820-829).] Have you not previously experienced prison? Have you not shed your blood under tortures? Have not some of our brothers died a martyr's death? Such then is our boast in the Lord, such our gift. But since until the end beatitude is not assured because of the ease of reversal and the impossibility of knowing what the morrow will bring to birth, stand your ground unflinching and unmoving in the Lord striving side by side with one spirit and one soul for the faith of the Gospel, in no way intimidated by your opponents [Phil. 1:27-6], not giving offence in anything, but in everything recommending ourselves as God's ministers [2 Cor. 6:3-4}, by obedience, humility, meekness, longsuffering, great endurance. For you need endurance in order to do God's will and obtain the promise. For in a little while he who is coming will come and not delay [Heb 10:36-37]. But if he will come and not delay, why do we hate being in afflictions and do not rather choose to die each day for the Master? For it is written: If we have died with him, we shall also live with him; if we endure, we shall also reign with him; if we disown him, he will also disown us; if we are unfaithful, he remains faithful; he cannot disown himself [1 Tim. 2:11-13}. How great joy the saints will have when they see the Lord coming from heaven with the angels of his power [2 Thess. 1:7], inviting them with inexpressible joy, crowning them and becoming their companion for ever and ever? What anguish will they have who have disobeyed the Gospel and transgressed his commandments? They will suffer the penalty, as it is written, of eternal destruction, cut off from his presence and from the glory of his strength, when he comes to be glorified in his saints and marvelled at among all who have believed [2 Thess. 1:9-10]. And so, brethren, as we contemplate and think on these things, again and again let us purify ourselves from every defilement of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God [2 Cor, 7:1], zealous for what is better, striving for what is more perfect, hating what is evil, holding fast to what is good, loving one another with brotherly affection, outdoing one another in showing honour, not lagging in zeal, being ardent in spirit, serving the Lord, rejoicing in hope, patient in affliction, persevering in prayer [Rom. 12:9-12], that by such sincerity we may worthily celebrate the imminent Pascha, and be counted worthy to enjoy the eternal blessings in Christ Jesus our Lord, to whom be glory and might with the Father and the Holy Spirit, now and for ever, and to the ages of ages. Amen.

And Dismissal.

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Archimandrite Ephrem ©

This page was last updated on 03 November 2008