What does each of the canonical hours commemorate?

First: First Hour Prayer (Matins) . St. Basil the Great says, “each period contains a reminder peculiar to itself of blessings received from God. Prayers are recited early in the morning so that the first movements of the soul and the mind may be consecrated to God and that we may take up no other consideration before we have been cheered and heartened by the thought of God, as it is written: ‘I remembered God and was delighted’ (Ps. 76:4 LXX), and that the body may not busy itself with tasks before we have fulfilled the words: ‘To you will I pray, O Lord; in the morning you shall hear my voice. In the morning I will stand before you and will see’ (Ps. 5:4).”¹²⁸

Second: Third Hour Prayer (Terce) . St. Basil the Great says, “Again at the third hour the brethren must assemble and betake themselves to prayer, even if they may have dispersed to their various employments, recalling to mind the gift of the Spirit bestowed upon the Apostles at this third hour, all should worship together, so that they also may become worthy to receive the gift of sanctity, and they should implore the guidance of the Holy Spirit and His instruction in what is good and useful, according to the words: ‘Create a clean heat in me, O God, and renew a right spirit within my bowels. Cast me not away from your face; and take not your holy Spirit from me. Restore unto me the joy of your salvation and strengthen me with a guiding spirit’ (Ps. 51:10–13). Again, it is said elsewhere, ‘Your good spirit shall mead me into the right land’ (Ps. 142:10 LXX); and having prayed thus, we should again apply ourselves to our tasks.

“But if some, perhaps, are not in attendance because the nature of place of their work keeps them at too great a distance, they are strictly obliged to carry out wherever they are, with promptness, all that is prescribed for common observance, for ‘where there are two or three gathered together in my name,’ says the Lord, ‘there am I in the midst of them’ (Matt. 18:20).”¹²⁹

126 St. Basil of Caesarea, A Discourse on Ascetical Discipline (FOTC 9:212–213).

127 St. Basil of Caesarea, The Long Rules Q. 37 (FOTC 9:308).

128 St. Basil of Caesarea, The Long Rules Q. 37 (FOTC 9:308–309).

129 St. Basil of Caesarea, The Long Rules Q. 37 (FOTC 9:310).

Third: Sixth Hour Prayer (Sext) . St. Basil the Great says, “It is also our judgment that prayer is necessary at the sixth hour, in imitation of the saints who say: ‘Evening and morning and at noon I will speak and declare; and he shall hear my voice’ (Ps. 55:17). And so we may be saved from invasion and the noonday Devil (Ps. 90:6 LXX), at this time, also, the ninetieth Psalm will be recited.”¹³⁰

Fourth: Ninth Hour Prayer (None) . St. Basil the Great says, “The ninth hour, however, was appointed as a compulsory time for prayer by the Apostles themselves in the Acts where it is related that ‘Peter and John went up to the temple at the ninth hour of prayer’ (Acts 3:1).”¹³¹

Fifth: Eleventh Hour Prayer (Vespers) . St. Basil the Great says, “When the day’s work is ended, thanksgiving should be offered for what has been granted us or for what we have done rightly therein and confession made of our omissions whether voluntary or involuntary, or of a secret fault, if we chance to have committed any in words or deeds, or in the heart itself; for by prayer we propitiate God for all our misdemeanors. The examination of our past actions is a great help toward not falling into like faults again; wherefore the Psalmist says: ‘the things you say in your hearts, be sorry for them upon your beds’ (Ps. 4:5 LXX).”¹³²

Sixth: Twelfth Hour Prayer (Compline) . St. Basil the Great says, “Again, at nightfall, we must ask that our rest be sinless and untroubled by dreams. At this hour, also, the ninetieth Psalm should be recited.”¹³³

Seventh: Midnight Prayer (Vigil) . St. Basil the Great says, “Prayer time should cover the whole of life, but since there is absolute need at certain intervals to interrupt the bending of the knee and the chanting of psalms, the hours appointed for prayer by the saints should be observed. The mighty David says, ‘I rose at midnight to give praise to you for the judgments of your justification’ (Ps. 119:62); and we find Paul and Silas following his example, for they praised God in prison at midnight (Acts 16:25).”¹³⁴

St. Jerome says, “We read also in the gospel how the Lord spent whole nights in prayer (Luke 6:12) and how the apostles when they were shut up in prison kept vigil all night long, singing their psalms until the earth quaked, and the keeper of the prison believed, and the magistrates and citizens were filled with terror (Acts 16:25–38). Paul says: ‘continue in prayer and watch in the same’ (Col. 4:2) and in another place he speaks of himself as in watchings often (2 Cor. 11:27). Vigilantius may sleep if he pleases and may choke in his sleep, destroyed by the destroyer of Egypt and of the Egyptians. But let us say with David: ‘Behold, he that keeps Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep’ (Ps. 121:4). So will the Holy

130 St. Basil of Caesarea, The Long Rules Q. 37 (FOTC 9:310).

131 St. Basil of Caesarea, The Long Rules Q. 37 (FOTC 9:310).

132 St. Basil of Caesarea, The Long Rules Q. 37 (FOTC 9:310).

133 St. Basil of Caesarea, The Long Rules Q. 37 (FOTC 9:310).

134 St. Basil of Caesarea, A Discourse on Ascetical Discipline (FOTC 9:212).

One and the Watcher come to us. And if ever by reason of our sins He fall asleep, let us say to Him: ‘Awake, why do you sleep, O Lord’ (Ps. 44:23); and when our ship is tossed by the waves let us rouse Him and say, ‘Master, save us: we perish’ (Matt. 8:25; Luke 8:24).”¹³⁵