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Joined: Oct 2017
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Sam64 Offline OP
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Hello All,

I am writing to see if anyone here owns copies of the "Let us Pray to the Lord" volumes I and/or II from Eastern Christian Publications. I'd like to get a full sense of what is contained within the books before I order them.

I was recently able to purchase a copy of the much sought-after "Byzantine Daily Worship" from Alleluia Press, but was disappointed with what was contained therein. The translations of the liturgy seemed outdated and the section pertaining to the Divine Office was very confusing. Also, I was expecting (maybe stupidly on my part) that it would contain more short prayers for various different occasions (i.e. morning prayers, evening prayers, prayers before meals, etc.), but it didn't. I spent $70 on the book and it will probably sit on my bookshelf unopened until the end of time.

Anyway, any information you guys or gals can offer about the "Let us Pray to the Lord" series would be helpful. I'm new to Eastern Catholicism and am looking for good worship/prayer resources. I think these books might have what I need, I just want a little assurance before I fork over my cash.

Thanks!

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JLF Offline
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Sam64, I have been traveling for a month all over Europe and just now saw your question about our two books. I am still away from the office, but early next week I'll try to post the Table of Contents here of "Let us Pray to the Lord" Vol I and II for you to review. I think you will find what you are looking for.

Jack Figel, Publisher, ECPubs

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I would appreciate that table of contents as well, and info on what translation/s is/are used, especially for the psalms, as I am considering picking up a copy of Vol 1 for the Divine Office.

Many thanks!

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Me too !

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Sorry for the delay, here's the Table of Contents:

Preface
Introduction
Guide to Matins and Vespers
Office of Daily Prayer
Morning Prayers
Daily Matins
Sunday and Festal Matins
Third Hour
Sixth Hour
Ninth Hour
Hours for Bright Week
Meal Prayers
Daily Vespers
Sunday and Festal Vespers Evening Prayers
Prayers Before Retiring
Propers for Daily Prayer For Monday
For Tuesday
For Wednesday
For Thursday (Tones 1, 3, 5, 7) For Thursday (Tones 2, 4, 6, 8) For Friday
For Saturday
For Sunday
Sunday Resurrection Gospels
The Octoechos
Additional Prayers
Office of Paraclisis
Akathist to the Theotokos
Prayers Before Communion Prayers After Communion
Prayers for Various Needs
The Jesus Prayer
We Praise You, O God

I believe we utilize the Grail psalms. Here's an example of Psalm 50 from Morning Prayer:

Have mercy on me, God, in your kindness.
In your compassion blot out my offense.
O wash me more and more from my guilt
and cleanse me from my sin.
My offenses truly I know them;
my sin is always before me.
Against you, you alone, have I sinned;
what is evil in your sight I have done.
That you may be justified when you give sentence
and be without reproach when you judge,
O see, in guilt I was born,
a sinner was I conceived.

Hope this helps. Please note that the services have been somewhat simplified for personal daily usage, so litanies, etc. are in the appendix since those are more correctly used only in church with a priest leading the service.

Jack

Last edited by JLF; 12/15/17 12:43 PM.
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Thank you!

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I'm glad there's a discussion on my favourite prayer book. Let me explain why it is.

Coming from a Latin rite familiarity with the Divine Office/ Liturgy of the Hours, I've always assumed it is possible to read the Office privately, but it doesn't apply to the Eastern rites. First, the Eastern Rite offices, as liturgy should be, are public prayer. Furthermore, in Orthodox Vespers and Matins (Orthros) particularly, as liturgies should be, are not about praying texts, but performing liturgical offices. Personal prayers using the texts of the Orthodox Byzantine prayers would be an exercise of a spiritual discipline, in following a personal prayer rule. And in the Byzantine tradition, the simplicity of the Third, Sixth, Ninth hours lend themselves easily as an anthology of prayers for a personal prayer rule. Personally, my liturgical sensibility would also consider private recitation of the Liturgy of the Hours also a kind of a personal spiritual discipline.

That said, as a Latin rite Catholic, I want to pray the 'real thing' of Lauds and Vespers as hinges of the day. 'Let us Pray to the Lord' allows for this, because unlike the other Byzantine prayer books, it includes these two 'hinges' during the sunset and sunrise.

That said, Let us Pray to the Lord is a pared down version of the Byzantine Office. What you will not find are the 'propers' for celebrating the feast days, the seasons and the saints (the Menaion). Though they provide a very good selection of the Sunday hymns from the Octoechos. Neither does it include the full psalter. So you might find yourself somewhat short-changed, feeling you are not getting the whole deal. But I think this editorial decision is wise and I will explain why.

There are slightly fuller versions which provide these seasonal, festal and memorial material. The material for New Skete is excellent, but they cover several volumes of book. The Melkite Eparchy's Horologion and the St. Josaphat Eparchy's Divine Office provide fuller selections of these material in single volumes. But in practice, praying these texts take a long time and you will find yourself trying to abbreviate to actually sustain a manageable discipline of prayer.

"Let us Pray to the Lord" abbreviates these prayer texts in very liturgical sound way. And if you want to augment this short prayer book with these additional material for free, you can sign up here: http://ecpubs.com/product-category/subscription_electronic/ for these texts to be electronically distributed by email. Jack seems to be running this ministry on his own — I don't know how he manages it — so it will be decent to subscribe for this service with the monthly stipend of $5 option.

I have a question for Jack: are there any parish or monastic communities using "Let us Pray to the Lord"? It is a well-thought revision of the Byzantine Divine Office but Eastern rites folks are so resistant to liturgical changes!


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