I love the Royal Hours services of the Orthodox Church. Among the Akathist Prayers, Liturgies, and other worship services, this one is like icing on a cake to my spiritual life. I practice the Hours of Prayer every Monday through Saturday (Sunday I have pre-Eucharistic prayers, the Divine Liturgy, and I try to pray Ninth Hour). My First Hour is about 5:40 am, Third at 9:00 am, Sixth at Noon, and Ninth at 3:00 pm. These times represent our cycle of salvation through Jesus Christ; the Resurrection (1st), coming of the Holy Spirit (3rd), Crucifixion (6th) and death (9th). Adding Vespers (about 6 pm), Compline (bedtime) and Midnight gives the practitioner key points to stand in God’s presence in a 24-hour day.
I’m a morning person who loves getting up to carve plenty of time out to pray. My First Hour is a personal church service. I don’t have nearly as much time throughout the day, so my other hours are no more than a few minutes each other Hour. My wife and I pray a brief Vespers before I fix dinner. I have to drag myself to some sort of Compline. Midnight happens whatever time I get up at night for whatever reason. Other people dread the sunrise and tend to be more night owl-ish and have a prayer rule different than mine. Talking to a spiritual father or mother is the best way to develop a pattern that is most suitable to each believer.
The Royal Hours is observed the Friday morning before Pascha (Orthodox Easter) and the morning before the Lord’s Nativity (Christmas). Chants, hymns, and scriptures from the first four Hours are given in one service. Sunrise to near sunset is shared as equally important to be in the Lord’s presence. Psalms and other words of worship that one may not have time for at Third or Sixth Hour can be said and heard. The Royal Hours of both feast days are unique according to the feast. But the Hours of Prayer can be kept and practiced year-round by anyone.
Often people bemoan the end of the Holiday Season as we go back to work, school, and regular life. “I wish everyday could be like Christmas.” Sure, we all like being around family and friends. Who doesn’t enjoy gifts, greeting cards and favorite foods? For most of us, Christmas is a day of great happiness. However, many people find it to be a burden of a day. There are memories of lost loved ones, winter depression symptoms can worsen and there is the stress that comes with failed expectations. Perhaps if we could take something from the holiday that means more than presents and seeks some greater presence, Christmas can be sustainable. Perhaps the solution is not an everlasting Christmas. Perhaps we should seek the eternal Christ whom we celebrate. Praying the Hours is a means of doing this.
Make the effort to pray for a few minutes when you wake up, and again at 9 am, noon and 3 pm. If not exactly at those times, then sometime close. Read a Psalm or scripture the Church designates at that time. Learn one of the short hymns of the specific Hour or a general Prayer of the Hours. Talk to an Orthodox priest, monk, nun, or some seasoned and recommended believer. In time, take the lights down and the tree to be recycled. But keep praying to the Baby in the manger. He grew up to be someone quite amazing.
West Point Orthodox Christian Chapel 