Prayer & the Rule
Everything in Orthros is arranged to get you to prayer in two taps, and then to get out of the way.
Orthodox Christians pray each morning and evening from a rule of prayer, a short set of prayers kept at home, often before an icon corner. Through the day many say the Jesus Prayer, often with a prayer rope. The prayers below are the ones most people begin with, and the measure of a rule is set with one’s priest.
The rule is received, not designed
Orthros begins with a question no prayer app asks: do you have a rule from your priest? If you do, the app writes it down and keeps it, and never suggests you outgrow it. If you don’t yet, a modest starter rule stands in, with a printable page to bring to your priest when you are ready.
GIVEN WITH A BLESSING
A rule kept this way is marked as blessed, and the app holds it as given. It will not nudge you to pray more, or shame you for praying less.
A rule fits best when it is given, not chosen.
THE PRAYER BOOK
The received texts, each with its source shown.
Morning & Evening Prayers
The prayers the Church says at the rising and the setting of the sun, the frame of an Orthodox day.
Preparation for Holy Communion
The canon and the prayers before, and the thanksgiving after, kept together, ready when you are.
The Psalter
All hundred and fifty psalms and the hundred-and-fifty-first, in twenty kathismata, prayed, not studied.
In Every Need
Sickness, grief, travel, the moment you are in, the Church has prayed through it before you.
Akathists, Canons & the Hours
The longer offices, for when the heart has room, carried offline, always to hand.
Those I Pray For
The diptychs, the living and the departed, remembered by name, kept in your private prayer data.
The komboskini
Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me.
Thirty-three knots, or a hundred, or three hundred, the Jesus Prayer in Greek, Slavonic, Romanian, Arabic, or English. One soft pulse per knot, and the screen keeps still. Set a prayer intention if you wish; when the time has passed, the rope only says: stay as long as you like.
ONE PULSE PER KNOT · NO COUNTER, EVER
A lamp that keeps no grudges
Your vigil lamp is lit when you pray. Miss a day? You simply relight it. Nothing piles up while you are away, and there is no streak to break. A lamp is not a scoreboard.
- The journalOne line after prayer, “What stayed with you?”, locked behind Face ID if you wish.
- For confessionA private page that prepares. It does not absolve. Bring it to your priest; afterward, let what was spoken go.
- Father’s counselWhat your priest asked of you, kept sealed on your device. Live it gently, and bring it back next time.
NO ACCOUNT REQUIRED, EVER
All of it stays on your device and your own iCloud. Orthros has no servers to send it to.
Ways to pray
- Morning PrayersThe day begun with God, a few words at rising that set the whole day toward Him.
- Evening PrayersThe day laid down, a brief reckoning, and the placing of sleep, and life, in God's hands.
- The Jesus Prayer“Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner”, the whole Gospel in one breath.
- The KomboskiniA knotted cord of wool, the Jesus Prayer given a rhythm the hand can keep.
- Preparing for CommunionThe Cup approached with fear and love, prayer, fasting, and a cleansed heart.
- Prayers for Every NeedSickness, grief, travel, the moment you are in, the Church has prayed through it before you.
- The PsalterThe Church's first prayer book, the Psalms, prayed, not merely studied.
- The Trisagion“Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal, have mercy on us”, the words the Church begins with.
- Orthros (Matins)The Church's prayer at daybreak, the longest of the daily services.
- The AkathistA hymn of praise sung standing, first to the Mother of God, now to Christ and to the saints.
- HesychasmThe Church's tradition of stillness in prayer, the mind gathered into the heart and turned to God.
- The ParaklesisA service of supplication for the living, sung most of all in the two weeks before the Dormition.
- Prayer for the departedThe Church does not stop praying for those who have died; love goes on in prayer.
- The PhilokaliaThe Fathers' writings on prayer and watchfulness, gathered into one book for those who pray.
- The icon cornerA small church in the home, where the family turns to God each morning and evening.
Questions about the prayer rule
What is an Orthodox prayer rule?
A regular pattern of prayer. It is ideally received with guidance from a priest and kept with humility rather than measured as a score. Many Orthodox Christians keep a rule of morning and evening prayer at home, often before an icon corner.
How do I start a prayer rule?
Begin by asking your priest: the measure of a rule is set with your priest, not by an app. If you do not have a rule yet, Orthros offers a modest morning and evening starter. It is a beginning, not a substitute for pastoral guidance.
Can I keep the rule my priest gave me in Orthros?
Yes. Open Pray, then Manage in Rule & Reminders, and use the rule options to record the prayers and order your priest gave you. The purpose is faithful transcription, not designing the most impressive routine.
Can I pray the rule in Greek?
In a session, Prayer Language offers English, Greek, or Greek (Phonetic) where a reviewed version exists. A prayer without that alternative remains in English.
Is the prayer rule free in Orthros?
Yes. The daily prayer rule, morning and evening, and the Hours, with the priest-given rule flow, are free in Orthros. Orthros is in public beta on iPhone, iPad and Mac.
What if I miss a day?
There is no streak to repair. Begin again with today's prayer.
The term is defined in Orthodox Terms Explained, and every step is in the Prayer Rules and Sessions help article.
The prayers in this app are the porch;
the church is the house.
Orthros keeps you company between services, but prayer comes home at the Liturgy, among the people of God.
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