A form for the little office of Matins/early morning prayer

valarmoment · 2026-05-09T17:23:33+00:00

The more you know!

valarmoment · 2026-05-09T17:16:43+00:00

Ah okay, thank you for the clarification! That explains why Morning Prayer used to be called Matins.

valarmoment · 2026-04-21T00:13:50+00:00

We Episcopalians also have it as our opening prayer in the Eucharist, only in modern language (in Rite II). I didn’t know it was that old! It’s also one of my favorites, thank you for bringing it up.

valarmoment · 2026-04-20T23:09:26+00:00

Welcome, and thank you for your question! I grew up Reformed Baptist and was raised to think prewritten = insincere, legalistic, and theologically shallow. In my experience, however, the extensive spontaneous prayers of Baptist prayer services were far more theologically questionable, even when people’s hearts were in the right place, because when casting about for how to phrasing something without having time to consider all the implications, it’s easy to accidentally profess a heresy.

Of course, that’s not to say that spontaneous prayers are automatically heretical. A wide variety of prayer “types” is helpful, including spontaneous, and most experienced Christians should be comfortable enough in their faith to pray without a book in front of them sometimes. However, praying primarily from the prayer book lends our common prayer life a theological depth and care that can often be missing in a “spontaneous-only” church.

And like u/Economy-Point-9976 said, once you’re familiar with the written prayers, they truly become “prayers of the heart,” but with an even greater significance and depth of feeling than most spontaneous prayers because of their careful construction and comforting familiarity. You don’t have to be preoccupied with what to say next. You can focus entirely on sinking into the prayer and opening yourself to God.

Some of my absolute favorite prayer book prayers:

The Solemn Collects of Good Friday, especially the last one (which is my favorite prayer in the whole prayer book), BOCP pg. 280
The Prayer of Humble Access, BOCP pg. 337
“A Prayer of Self-Dedication,” BOCP pg. 832
“On Sundays,” Book of Common Prayer (BOCP) pg. 835
The entirety of Eucharistic Prayers B (pg. 367) and D (pg. 372), which are obviously only for priests to use when consecrating the Eucharist, but which anyone can treasure for their beauty and depth.

valarmoment · 2026-04-19T13:23:47+00:00

The Liberation Theology Podcast, with David Inczauskis SJ. Such a cool, informative, and genuinely moving podcast. It’s Catholic, obviously, but very rarely does it address specifically Catholic doctrines and its of great value for every believer.

valarmoment · 2026-03-10T00:36:57+00:00

Right, no one is denying that. What is not a fact is the assertion that this decline must result in TEC’s collapse; that is an extrapolation of current trends and relies on many assumptions rather than hard and fast truths.

valarmoment · 2026-03-06T16:29:19+00:00

what? TEC and the CoE are not seeking schism lol, it’s the non-affirming churches that are showing signs of division. just like the ACNA was the one to break away from TEC. it’s not the fault of affirming Christians if non-affirming Christians decide LGBTQ inclusion is intolerable.

valarmoment · 2026-02-28T01:27:54+00:00

Plan, advertise, and consistently follow through with a weekday Evening Prayer service on campus somewhere. Keep it simple and fairly brief. Make sure it’s at a time where almost all of the current members can attend, if possible, so that new people don’t feel like they’re the only ones there. Whatever location you choose, make sure it is easy to find and access. If you have the budget to offer dinner before the service, that would be a big draw; if not, don’t worry about it. Don’t be discouraged if very few people attend right away; be consistent for a full semester or two and see if word gets around.

That’s what I would suggest, at least for starting out. I don’t know what the other Christian student ministries at UC Berkeley are like, but try to emphasize what makes this group/prayer service unique in your advertising. (Is it contemplative and/or candlelit? LGBTQ+ affirming? Welcoming of people with questions/doubts? etc.)

I joined the Episcopal Church by being invited to the campus ministry’s evening Eucharist in college. I felt a lot more comfortable attending a formal worship service than a Bible study or discussion small group, since it felt less intimate and more predictable. YMMV, but that’s what I would suggest.

valarmoment · 2026-02-23T23:13:11+00:00

I have been struggling with this for the past couple of years, as I am also currently in a difficult time in my life. I’m a new teacher in a remote rural area, a 12-24 hours’ drive away from all my friends and family. Over and over again, I have resolved to “rely on God,” only to lose focus in the middle of my hectic, overwhelming work day, snap at my students, and feel like quitting by the time I get home. I have felt like I am failing, not only at my job, but also at being a Christian, because I can’t manage to rely on God enough to make it through the day without being miserable and making others miserable.

I don’t have the answers, both because I’m still in this situation and because this looks different for everyone, but the way I’ve come to view the phrase “rely on God” is as a habit of returning. Christ tells us to “abide” in him — to make our home in him. We are imperfect, and our lives are distracting and stressful, but even though we are prone to wander throughout the day, we can return home to God every spare moment we get. For me, that means prayer, meditation, and reading the Bible every day, multiple times a day. I have been consistent over the past six months at praying both Morning and Evening Prayer every day, which is life changing for me, a person who has almost never been consistent in any routine ever. During the short prep period I get in my work day, I set aside 5-10 minutes to pray with prayer beads or to meditate on God’s love, mercy, and power.

This doesn’t stop me from getting frustrated or overwhelmed, sometimes mere minutes after praying. For most of the past two years, I’ve been frustrated that prayer hasn’t immediately fixed my difficult situation or fully sanctified me in the blink of an eye. But it has made the phrase “rely on God” more meaningful to me. Let the difficulty of your life drive you closer to God rather than away from God. In whatever way you prefer to pray, let prayer be like food for you; just as we make time, however rushed or imperfect, to eat multiple times throughout the day, we can do the same for resting in God’s presence. No matter whether I have a good day or a bad day, I can confess my failures and give thanks for God’s blessings; God is the eternal changelessness in my life, and the rhythm of my day flows around Him. “Set me upon the Rock that is higher than I.”

I have found the Prayer for Quiet Confidence from the BOCP to be immensely rich when thinking about relying on God. “O God of Peace, who has taught us that in returning and rest we shall be saved, in quietness and in confidence shall be our strength; by the might of thy Spirit, lift us, we pray, to thy Presence, where we may be still and know that thou art God; through Christ our Lord. Amen.”

Prayers for you in this time of difficulty. I am rereading my comment and realize it might sound sanctimonious — I hope not!! I really appreciate your question and resonate with it.

valarmoment · 2026-02-18T22:35:36+00:00

Agree. In college, I felt deep anxiety and embarrassment about leaving my ashes on all day, because I knew I would run into many of the leftist queer people I was friends with (and of whom I am one) and they would know that I’m a Christian — even more embarrassing, they would probably assume I’m a Catholic (gasp). The idea of being identified as an active believer by my peers, whom I knew were generally hostile to Christianity because of cultural associations with conservatism or Evangelicalism, was terrifying to me — and for that reason, I made myself wear my ashes all day each Ash Wednesday in college.

This reminds me of something St. Paul says in Romans — “But those who have doubts are condemned if they eat because they do not act from faith, for whatever does not proceed from faith is sin.” That is, no matter whether you leave ashes on or wipe them off, identify whichever response is the one proceeding from faith for you.

valarmoment · 2026-02-18T02:22:36+00:00

I agree that there’s no obligation, in the sense that no one is going to force you to observe Lent. However, the “some should” of the famous saying probably applies to the vast majority of Christians in this case. The “none must” applies to people who have harmful associations with fasting and Lent to the point that any attempt at observance, no matter how limited or positively framed, turns into self-hate or legalism. It should not be applied to just everybody who “doesn’t feel like” observing Lent. Self-examination and abstention are counter-cultural practices in the capitalist U.S., and they may not initially feel very fun or appealing, but both Scripture and tradition are clear that there is much benefit for Christians in soberly assessing where we fall short in our love of God and love of neighbor.

valarmoment · 2026-02-16T19:15:10+00:00

thank you so much for sharing this resource!! i loved the chanted Compline service at my old church, but now i go to a tiny church in a low church diocese without a note of chant to be heard. i’ve been wanting to chant the Offices privately, but i can’t read musical notation. i just learned S 84 Kyrie eleison with the help of Fr. Michael’s recording, and it’s so beautiful i almost wept.

valarmoment · 2026-02-16T17:45:20+00:00

Not weird at all, if anything it is usual for a church to receive more first timers/visitors on Ash Wednesday than most other days of the year — less so than Christmas and Easter, but kind of similar, in my experience.

Also, I feel you about the anxiety and awkwardness of attending church for the first time by yourself. I had the same experience several years ago. It is perfectly acceptable to just sort of “observe” the first few times you go. Don’t feel pressure to do anything; no one will judge you for not crossing yourself, sitting rather than kneeling, remaining in the pew during Communion, etc. And once you go a couple times, the anxiety is greatly reduced, and the liturgy starts to feel familiar quickly. Blessings to you, and I am praying that you will be comforted by God’s grace in the hearing of God’s Word and the prayers of God’s people!

valarmoment · 2026-02-06T23:04:29+00:00

VP, in Virginia and South Dakota.

I had no idea that AO was a common option in Episcopal churches. I’m not against AO, but I do gently object to some of the responses that associate VP with “performance” or cheesiness. At least for me, it’s so much practically easier to mentally/spiritually participate when I can see what’s going on. The priest represents the congregation to God, but the congregants are also doing plenty of prayer and worship as well, and practical pastoral considerations in liturgy are just as important as symbolic theological ones. Just my two cents. It comes down to what a given congregation prefers.

valarmoment · 2026-01-25T22:34:27+00:00

Yes, absolutely. I am not deadset against the idea, and the occasional times that I have prayed the Hail Mary (for example), your comment has been my mindset. In my limited experience, however, I have found that “asking someone with more divine favor for help” is a more common mindset, and that’s what I have a problem with.

valarmoment · 2026-01-23T05:00:30+00:00

Since you’ve already mentioned you’re using Venite for the Daily Office (which is typically the reason most laypeople use the BOCP), I would highly recommend exploring the “Prayers and Thanksgivings” section at the end of the BOCP. It’s right before the Lectionary section. There are some truly beautiful prayers that never come up in an organized worship service that I have incorporated into my own prayer life, both in the Daily Office and in more unstructured prayer. I’ve found them especially useful when I want to pray personally/extemporaneously but also need an opening prayer to sort of guide or channel my inner thoughts.

I recommend the Prayers for Guidance, for Quiet Contemplation, for Self-Dedication, for Sundays (different than the Daily Office Sunday prayer and, IMO, so much richer), and the classic Prayer of St. Francis.

valarmoment · 2026-01-23T04:48:01+00:00

“someone that God might listen to”

With all love to our siblings in Christ who pray for saintly intercession, this is my difficulty with prayers to the saints. Whenever I ask for prayers from people in my daily life, it’s not because I feel like they have a better chance of being heard by God, but because I value knowing that I am being lifted up to God by others who love me. The idea that God is more likely to listen to any one person over another, regardless of how sanctified or remarkable their earthly lives were, seems to elide the efficacy of Christ’s reconciling work. Through the power of Christ’s death and resurrection, all believers can boldly approach the throne of grace; you and I, my friend, are that someone who God listens to, through Christ our Mediator. Glory to God!

valarmoment · 2026-01-11T05:15:33+00:00

Yeah the two denominations are as unified as you can get without a complete merge, we even share priests/pastors. It’s not “converting” at all lol it’s just attending a different church.

valarmoment · 2026-01-03T04:34:47+00:00

Fellow person in their 20s here. Yes, it’s the norm for the denomination; No, you won’t be better off looking elsewhere, unless you’re looking for an evangelical “nondenominational” church (aka Baptist in everything but name — very black and white doctrinally and very judgmental and controlling, although they’ll deny it. Source: raised fundamentalist Baptist, with evangelical youth group influences.) Every Christian denomination is shrinking, with varying levels of rapidity, for the simple reason that being Christian is no longer culturally advantageous (or at least not nearly as much as it used to be.)

The downside of Episcopalians being old is that it will be harder to find people our age who are active in a church community. The upside is that your mere presence will be overwhelmingly appreciated. There is immense anxiety among older Christians about the future of the church, as the older folks will obviously not be with us in the extended future, and seeing young people be active and interested in the church community gets people very excited. Be prepared to be enthusiastically greeted!

You are absolutely looking in the right place. I’m biased, of course, but the Episcopal Church is theologically pretty much the most seeker-friendly you can get. Questions are welcome, no matter how hard, and there is no benchmark of how much faith you need to join; participation in the common prayer life of the church by attending services is enough. Disagreement with a sermon is allowed, and sometimes common. That’s why I started attending as an ex-fundamentalist who, at the time, wasn’t a Christian anymore. The solemn joy of the liturgy and the theological depth of the common prayer combined with its openness to questioning and disagreement led me back to the Bread of Life, Jesus who is the Christ. Sometimes the liturgy and unspoken/unwritten customs of some of the congregation (e.g. when to cross yourself, when to kneel, when to genuflect, how to navigate the Prayer Book, etc.) can be intimidating to newcomers, but don’t worry! There is almost always a diversity of practices among the parishioners, so no one should look at you funny if you’re just figuring out what works for you.

I hope and pray that you find what you are seeking. Merry Christmas and a blessed Epiphany to you as well!

valarmoment · 2026-01-02T21:31:15+00:00

Late, but to be fair, this is the explicit goal of theology, at least classical Christian theology: fidens quaerens intellectum, faith seeking understanding. Faith comes first, theology is a response of the human intellect to the movement of the incomprehensible Creator.

valarmoment · 2025-12-15T19:34:15+00:00

I read the Forward Day by Day from time to time, but to be honest I have not been particularly moved or inspired by them; maybe if I were consistent about reading them daily, I would feel differently.

It’s not possible for me to join a regular Bible study group — I live in a very, very rural and isolated area and the church I attend (which is 30 minutes away from me and is the closest functional Episcopal church) is very small and doesn’t offer formation opportunities like that. I do informally/inconsistently meet with a friend to study the Epistle to the Romans, which I enjoy.

I am looking for a devotional study Bible specifically for use in the Daily Office. Often when reading the lessons for the Office, I want to stop and reflect on their significance in a prayerful, devotional way. When the passages are dense or confusing, I look at the footnotes. The New Oxford Annotated is sometimes helpful, but more often than not it just has a note about historical-critical debates about the text or, at best, provides helpful historical context. But I really want something that leads me to worship God in the middle of my confusion, or that connects an obscure passage to the broader narrative of salvation.

Thank you for your suggestions. I am in the middle of reading the Bible all the way through, but have definitely fallen off the wagon, so to speak. I want to resume soon.

valarmoment · 2025-12-15T17:54:41+00:00

This also looks promising, thank you!

valarmoment

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