bobjots : redux

Here’s a little something to break some of our stereotypes. Its a hymn from the Service of Great Compline (see below) ..

This is the Methimon o Theos (God is with us) chanted in Arabic by the famous Choir of St. Romanos the Melodist of the Monastery of St. George Al-Humayrah Monastery located in the Wadi al-Nasara (Valley of the Christians) in Meshtaye, Homs, Syria.

The Compline is the final prayer service of the day in the Christian tradition of canonical hours. A close corresponding practice that might be familiar to us Malaysians would be the Isyak prayers. Compline tends to be a contemplative Office that emphasizes spiritual peace. In many monasteries it is the custom to begin the “Great Silence” after Compline, during which the whole community, including guests, observe silence throughout the night until the morning service the next day.

There has been some wax and wane in the practice of fixed hours (also known as canonical hours) for prayer in the Christian community, particularly among the Protestant community. Most magisterial Protestant churches generally still maintain these hours in their liturgies but the practice is patchy at best. And most Protestants from Evangelical backgrounds would find this practice even more alien.

Even then, there has been a revival of sorts in the practice of the canonical hours. The challenge is to use them as guides for mindful, contemplative prayers and reflection rather than religiously followed rituals. The discipline of using fixed hours for prayer is, however, quite useful.

Some good resources for materials include The Book of Common Prayer, and Phyllis Tickle’s The Divine Office series of books.

Enjoy exploring.