What is Matins?

"Matins" or "Orthros" is the service of morning prayer in the Orthodox Church that usually precedes and prepares the faithful for the Divine Liturgy. The Matins service, served by the priest, deacon (if present) and chanters, offers both praise to God and instruction to the worshipers.

If he has not already done so, during Matins the priest prepares the gifts (bread and wine) for the Divine Liturgy while praying for those who have offered the bread, the living and dead whose commemoration is requested, the local church, and the universal Church. Altar servers, laymen who have a blessing to work on various quiet tasks during the service, such as tending to candles and arranging music; others pray in preparation for the Divine Liturgy. However, there are certain times when complete stillness and silence should be observed: during the Six Psalms, the Litanies, the Gospel reading and any censing by the priest or deacon.

Prosphoron is the leavened bread used in the Divine Liturgy of the Orthodox Church, symbolizing Christ's body. It includes a special seal that is cut by the priest representing Christ, the Virgin Mary, and the saints.

If you arrive during Matins and are a newcomer to Orthodox worship, you may mistakenly think that you are late for the Divine Liturgy. The fact that worship and prayer are already in progress should not cause you to feel that you have chosen an ill-timed entrance. Rather, your senses should be alerted to the eternal, continuous worship that is always taking place in Heaven, and in which you have come to participate.

Chanters singing the hymns at the services.

Individual chanters sing the majority of Matins hymnody, and much of it differs from week to week and contains rich, multilayered theology appropriate to the liturgical day. The tone of the service, therefore, is one of preparation, building towards the joy of the Divine Liturgy.

Keep in mind, however, that the music of Orthodoxy is old and rich with as much diversity as Orthodoxy itself. There are many common rules that govern the use of hymnody, but there are also as many different local adaptations (sets of musical variations and customs) as there are Orthodox parishes. However, as previously mentioned, there are a few general rules, which follow.

During Matins, following the daily gospel reading, the faithful are invited to venerate the gospel book.

The reason the weekend cycle of services (Vespers, Matins and Divine Liturgy) changes in content every week is that there are two overlapping, intersecting systems of commemoration. The first, commemorated every weekend, is the Resurrection of Christ. The other is the daily cycle of feasts and commemorations of saints.

There are eight sets of Resurrectional hymns, corresponding to the eight tones, each of which concentrates on a different aspect of the Resurrection. The tone of the week and the phrase "for the Resurrection" refer to this Octoechos, or eight-tone series.

The Resurrection, as the Feast of Feasts, has the greatest priority and generally the highest number of dedicated hymns and prayers.

If you find yourself confused, please feel free to ask your priest (after Liturgy), who will be glad to help you find your way through this meaningful and complex service.