Seven prayers are required of every orthodox believer?

JesusisKingofKings

This comes I think from the book by H.H Pope Shenouda III ..So many years with the problems of people part III..

Safaa

These 7 prayer are called the Prayer of the Hours, the Holy Agpeya, and they are the following:

† 1st Hour - Prime

Morning Prayer is designed to be prayed early coming of the true Light, the Lord Jesus Christ. The Prime is mainly associated with the eternity of God, His incarnation, His resurrection from the dead. It is intended to offer thanks to Him for having risen us from the sleep, beseeching Him to shin upon us, enlighten our lives, and grant us the power of His resurrection.

† 3rd Hour - Terce

The Third Hour commemorated three significant events: Christ's trail by Pilate, His ascension to heaven, and the descent of the Holy Spirit may cleanse our hearts and renew our lives.

† 6th Hour - Sext

The Sixth Hour reminds us of the crucifixion and passion of Christ. We pray that, through His life-giving passion, He may deliver our minds from lusts, and turn our thoughts to the remembrance of His commandments, and make of us a light of the world and salt of the earth.

† 9th Hour - None

The Ninth Hour commemorates the redemptive death of Christ in the flesh on the cross, and His acceptance of the repentance of the Thief. We pray that the Savior may mortify out carnal lusts, make us partakers of His grace, and accept our repentance when we cry out with the Thief, "Remember us, O Lord, when You come into Your Kingdom." (Luke 23:42).

† 11th Hour - Vespers

The Vespers (Sunset): Eleventh Hour, is associated with the act of taking down Christ's body from the cross. At the end of the day, we give thanks for God's protection, and confess our sins with the Prodigal Son (Luke 15:11-31) that we may be counted among the labours who were called at the eleventh hour of the day (Matt. 20:1-16).


† 12th Hour - Compline

The Compline (Retiring): Twelfth Hour, commemorates the burial of Christ. We remember the passing world and the final judgment. Mindful of our imminent standing before God, we ask forgiveness of our sins and protection through the night.

† Midnight

The Midnight Hour: commemorates the second coming of the Lord. The office consists of three watches, corresponding to the three stages of Christ's prayer in the garden of Gethsemane (Matt. 25:1-13).

" Taken from St. Takla.org "

JesusisKingofKings

Do we have to pray them all everyday?

I want to pray my own prayers sometimes only.

Safaa

JesusisKingofKings,

It is difficult to start praying the 7 prayers of Agpeya, because it is hard to stay discipline. You can start by the Prime and use one or two Psalms, and when you managed very well you add the hour of Vespers and so on. Gradual increase is the best way than to start hard dose and stumble after a while.
At the same time do not leave your own prayer, and always ask the Lord to help you, because the enemy of all good will try to hinder your prayer with Agpeya.
There is a book or article by His Holiness about the benefits of using the Agpeya, I will try to find it on the internet, and if any one of dear tasbeha knows the link to it, please post the address.

LauraForChrist

I agree with what Safaa said...
but talk to your Father of Confession about it first... because they'll know better about how much of the agpeya for you personally to pray then anyone else..

I asked my FOC before about this too, and he gave me an example..
When you start school, you can't start at the college level, otherwise it will be too much for you and you won't understand a thing! but when you start, you begin at the 1st grade passing through all of the grades, and gradually making your way up to college...

yeah i hope you understood that.. I am really bad at explaining/paraphrasing.. :P but the same thing applies to your prayer life.. as Safaa said, it should be a slow gradual process...
maybe even just starting w/the prayer of thanksgiving or something... and gradually adding a psalm along with some personal prayers.. but I say definetely talk about it with abouna..

---------------------------
In His name,


Laura

CopticPete

I have a quick question about that, i always knew the agpeya to be a coptic book, but is there any other books like it in other orthodox churches that are suppose to be prayed the same way?

-Pete

marys

from my research, the armenian church has a similar division of prayers that they read prior to their divine liturgy the day before in preparation, and also, the syrian church has 7 prayers just as we do, divided just as we have them. {http://sor.cua.edu/Intro/}The title of their book, however, i don't know. i'm sure the same stands true for our other sister churches.

Christ4Life

hmm well my FOC always asks if i read prime and compline... i guess you should start with those and add the others gradually...