“THE HOUSE OF GOD AND THE CHURCH SERVICES”  

By the Priest N. R. Antonov  

Continuation 

§ 95. A General Overview of Mattins, the Second Part of the All-Night Vigil. During the Vigil, Mattins begins immediately after the priest’s blessing the people. The reader takes up the hymn which was sung by the angels on the night of Christ’s Nativity, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill among men” (thrice). Spoken before the Royal Gates, which are now closed, and in the half-darkened church - in many churches there is the custom to extinguish the candles and put out the lights during the Six Psalms - these words recall the Birth of Christ and they refer back to Vespers representing the Old Testament waiting for Jesus Christ, they refer to the peace which the Lord preached on earth, and the blessing which He brought to mankind. Then immediately we begin that part of Mattins which is called the Six Psalms (Pss 3, 37, 62, 87, 102, and 142). These psalms speak of the conflict which encompassed the Righteous David, although in the person of David they prefigure Jesus Christ, and through the troubles that David experienced they indicate those awaiting the Messiah. Just as with the psalms read in the Hours, the Six Psalms are rich not only in morally instructive precepts, but also in prophetic prefigurations.

In the first psalm, the first line, “O Lord, why are they multiplied that afflict me?” indicates the multitude of enemies that would encircle the Messiah, Christ. The second, “O Lord, rebuke me not in Thine anger,” paints a picture of the power of those sorrows and afflictions, which the Messiah Christ would suffer, as well as the the depth of the transgressions and sins of mankind, which the Messiah would take upon His shoulders, and in consequence of which He would suffer. In the third, “O God, my God, unto Thee I rise early at dawn,” and in the fourth, “O Lord God of my salvation, by day have I cried and by night before Thee,” we have depicted for us the prayer through which the Suffering Messiah would be reconciled to the will of the Heavenly Father. In the fifth, “Bless the Lord, O my soul,” we have a depiction of the mystery of the redemption and cleansing of mankind from their sins by the long-awaited Messiah Christ. And finally, in the sixth, “O Lord, hear my prayer,” hope in the help of God and in the Risen Christ is expressed. In this way, during the Six Psalms we have painted for us a clear picture of Jesus Christ’s earthly life.

After the reading of the first three psalms, the priest comes out from the sanctuary and stands on the soleas, and silently reads twelve prayers, before the Royal Gates. These prayers are called the morning prayers and in them he prays for the people present in church with him and for all Orthodox Christians, beseeching the Lord that they might greet the morning and day with rejoicing, that they might abandon their sins, that they might be granted sincere faith, a firm hope and unhypocritical love, that all might be blessed in their deeds, words and thoughts and be deemed worthy of the Kingdom of Heaven.

After the Six Psalms we have the Great Litany, after which there follows a triumphant hymn to Christ our God,Who came down to earth for our salvation. Its words, repeated four times with interspersed verses, are: “God is the Lord, and hath appeared unto us; blessed is He that cometh in the Name of the Lord.” As well as referring to the coming of Jesus Christ to earth, these words recall His triumphant entry into Jerusalem for His voluntary Passion. Appended to this hymn, we have the troparia appointed according to the tone, or according to the festival or saints being celebrated. Then begins the reading of the kathismata or sections from the Psalter. The whole Psalter comprises 150 psalms, which are divided into twenty sections. The word kathisma derives from the Greek word, kathizo, I sit, and they might well be called sessions. In modern practice, at least (although there is some argument about the practice of the Early Church) it is the custom to sit down to listen to these readings from the Psalter. There being twenty kathismata, two are read daily at Mattins, and one at Vespers, except on Sunday, when there are two kathismata at Mattins, but, because of the festive nature of the day, none at Sunday evening Vespers. In this way, every week the whole Psalter is read during the Divine services. Each kathisma is divided into three parts, which are called “glories,” because at the end of each we read the “Glory both now,” and the threefold Alleluia. During the recitation of the “Glory both now” and the Alleluia, it is often the custom to stand. This is probably simply an ascetical practice, to prevent one from dozing off during a long and sustained reading from the Psalter.

The kathismata themselves are divided from each other in the services by appointed hymns (called because of their place in the service kathismata or sessional hymns), and sometimes by Little Litanies.

At Sunday Mattins, we always read the second and third kathismata, which include psalms, 15, 21, and 23, where the Passion, death on the Cross and Resurrection of Jesus Christ are prophetically spoken of. Thus we have the following verses: “Thou wilt not abandon my soul in hades, nor wilt Thou suffer Thy Holy One to see corruption”(Ps. 15:10), “O God, my God, attend to me; why hast Thou forsaken me? … All that look upon me have laughed me to scorn … they have wagged their heads … Many dogs have encircled me, the congregation of evil doers hath surrounded me; they have pierced my hands and my feet” (Ps. 21), and “Who shall ascend into the mountain of the Lord? … He that is innocent in hands and pure in heart”(Ps. 23). In this way, the reading of the kathismata onSundays portrays the Saviour’s Passion. After the reading of the kathismata, there is a Little Litany, and then the Royal Gates are opened for the the bringing out of the Gospel into the church.

… to be continued.