- Paschal Hours
The Paschal Hours are the form in which the
Little Hours are chanted on Pascha (Easter) and throughoutBright Week in theEastern Orthodox Church and thoseEastern Catholic Churches which follow theByzantine Rite .Specifically, the Paschal Hours replace:
*TheFirst Hour at the end ofMatins
*TheThird Hour andSixth Hour beforeDivine Liturgy
*TheNinth Hour beforeVespers
*Compline and theMidnight Office The Paschal Hours may also be chanted in place of the usual
Thanksgiving after Communion . [Citation
last =
first =
author-link =
last2=
first2=
author2-link=
contribution =
year =1997
publication-date=
title =The Great Horologion or Book of Hours
editor-last =
editor-first =
editor-link=
edition=
volume =
series =
page =618
place =Boston MA
publisher =Holy Transfiguration Monastery
id =
isbn =0-943405-08-4
url =
accessdate = ] In addition, it is a pious tradition to substitute the Paschal Hours for Morning Prayers and Evening Prayers during all of Bright week.In this way, the faithful take a little rest from the long prayer services, but do not neglect to give joyous thanks to God, so as not to fall into despondency and gluttony, as they partake of festive foods.
Outline
The Paschal Hours differ from the normal
Daily Office in several significant aspects: the entire service ischant ed (sung) rather than being read; the services are much shorter than usual; and there are noPsalm s at all.The hymnography and prayers center on Christ's victory over sin and death and Christians' hope for salvation.
*Opening
blessing
*Troparion of Pascha (thrice)
*Having beheld the Resurrection of Christ... (thrice)
*Hypakoe of Pascha
*Kontakion of Pascha
*Troparia:
**In the tomb with the body and inHades with the soul, inParadise with the thief and on the throne with the Father and the Spirit, wast Thou, O boundless Christ filling all things.
**Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit
**Bearing life and more fruitful than Paradise, brighter than any royal chamber, Thy tomb, O Christ, is the fountain of our resurrection.
**Both now and ever and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
**Rejoice, O holy and divine abode of the Most High, for through thee, OTheotokos , joy is given to those who cry: Blessed art thou among women, O all-undefiled Lady.
*Lord, have mercy (40 times)
*Blessing by priest
*Lord, have mercy (thrice)
*Dismissal Each of the Paschal Hours is exactly the same (in some traditions, a Prayer of
St. Basil is added before thedismissal of Paschal Compline). [Citation
last =Nassar
first =Seraphim
author-link =
last2=
first2=
author2-link=
contribution =
year =1938
publication-date=1979
title =Divine Prayers and Services of the Catholic Orthodox Church of Christ
editor-last =
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editor-link=
edition=3rd
volume =
series =
pages =935-6
place =Englewood NJ
publisher =Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America
id =
isbn =
url =
accessdate = ]References
External links
* [http://www.orthodox.net/pascha/paschalhours.html Paschal Hours] (full text of the service)
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