Matins (Orthros)

The morning service of psalms and praise.

Before You Begin

Matins (Orthros) is the long morning service of psalms and praise. It greets the new day as a gift, and on Sundays and feasts it celebrates the Resurrection of Christ with its own Gospel and hymns. The parts noted as changing with the day vary with the calendar; the rest stays the same each morning.

The Six Psalms

The service opens with the Six Psalms, read in stillness, the soul standing quietly before God at first light, between its fears and its hope in Him.

The Great Litany

The deacon leads the petitions, and the people answer "Lord, have mercy," offering the new day and the whole world to God.

“God Is the Lord” and the Troparia

The choir proclaims "God is the Lord, and has revealed Himself to us; blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!", and sings the troparia of the day.

The Kathismata

Portions of the Psalter are read, each followed by short sessional hymns of the day.

The Resurrection Hymns

On Sundays the Church sings the Evlogitaria, "The choir of angels was amazed, beholding You numbered among the dead", and the Hymns of Ascent, lifting the heart toward God.

The Matins Gospel

A Gospel is read. On Sundays it is one of the eleven Resurrection Gospels, recounting the Lord's rising and His appearances. The people then sing "Having beheld the Resurrection of Christ, let us worship the holy Lord Jesus."

Psalm 50

The great psalm of repentance is prayed: "Have mercy on me, O God, according to Your great mercy", the heart's turning back to God before the day's work begins.

The Canon

The Canon is sung, nine odes of hymns drawn from the day's books, and at the ninth ode the Song of the Theotokos: "My soul magnifies the Lord... More honorable than the Cherubim."

The Praises and Great Doxology

Psalms 148-150, the Praises, are sung with the hymns of the day, leading into the Great Doxology: "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will among men."

The Dismissal

After the closing litanies the priest blesses the people, and all are sent into the day: "Glory to You, O Christ our God and our hope, glory to You."