None ( ), or the
Ninth Hour, is a fixed time of prayer of the
Divine Office of almost all the traditional Christian liturgies. It consists mainly of
psalms and is said around 3 p.m. Its name comes from
Latin and refers to the ninth hour of the day after dawn.
This hour is now described more generally as the "midafternoon prayer" and may be said whenever convenient during the day, or omitted entirely. However, bishops and priests are still expected to recite the full sequence of hours, as closely as possible to the traditional time of day.
== Eastern Christian Office ==<!-- This section is linked from
Canonical hours -->
In the
Eastern Orthodox and
Greek Catholic Churches the office of the Ninth Hour is normally read by a single
Reader and has very little variation in it. Three fixed psalms are read at the Third Hour: Psalms 83, 84, and 85 (
LXX). The only variable portions for most of the year are the
Troparia (either one or two) and
Kontakion of the Day. The service ends with the
Prayer of the Ninth Hour by Saint
Basil the Great.
During
Great Lent a number of changes in the office take place. On Monday through Thursday, after the three fixed psalms, the Reader says a
kathisma from the
Psalter. The Troparion of the Day is replaced by special Lenten hymns that are chanted with prostrations. Then a portion of the
Ladder of Divine Ascent may be read. The Kontakion of the Day is replaced by special Lenten troparia....
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