الاجبية القبطية

The application of the Coptic Agbia Book of the Seven daily and night prayers.

Agpeya is primarily used by the Coptic Orthodox Church. It contains seven prayers that are said throughout the day. The prayer hours have been arranged chronologically, and each idea is a part of the life of Christ on earth. Each hour consists of an introduction that begins with:

1- The Lord’s Prayer “Our Father, who art in heaven...

2- Prayer of thanksgiving.

3- The fiftieth psalm.

4- The Triple Prelude, reciting a group of psalms.

5- An excerpt from one of the Gospels.

6- Cutting off supplications.

7- “Kyrialison” means “Lord have mercy” is said 41 times (this number represents the 39 lashes that Christ received before the crucifixion, in addition to one for the spear in His side, and the last for the thorns that were placed on His head).

8- Some other short prayers (Quds, Quds, Quds, Quds, God - an additional piece before Kyriallison in the prayer of sleep).

9- End of every hour.

10- The prayer “Have mercy on me, O God.”

11- Closing with the Lord’s Prayer.

+ early prayer

An early prayer that coincides with six o'clock in the morning, and it is said after waking up, or after the midnight praise of the previous day. And this prayer is designed to be prayed at the appearance of the true light, that is, the Lord Christ. It speaks of the infinity of God, His incarnation, and His resurrection from the dead. It means giving thanks to God for raising us from a slumber, praying that he will shine upon us, enlighten our lives, and give us the power of his resurrection.

+ Three o'clock prayer

The third hour prayer is performed at nine o'clock in the morning, and this prayer means by reminding us of three main events: the trial of the Lord Jesus through Pontius Pilate, the ascension of the Lord Christ to the heavens, and the solutions of the Holy Spirit who purifies our hearts and renews our lives.

+ Six o'clock prayer

The sixth hour prayer is performed at twelve o'clock in the afternoon (and it is prayed with the third hour prayer before each Divine Liturgy in the raising of incense). This hour reminds us of the crucifixion of Christ and His sufferings, asking that through His holy sufferings He saves our minds from lusts, transforms our thoughts to remember His commandments, and makes us light to the world and salt to the earth.

+ Prayer at nine o'clock

The nine o'clock prayer, which corresponds to three o'clock in the afternoon, is also prayed during the days of fasting in the liturgy, and this prayer reminds us of Christ's salvation death bodily on the cross, and his acceptance of the repentance of the right-hand thief. And we ask him to kill our carnal lusts, to make us partakers of his glory, and to accept our prayers when we say with the thief: "Lord, remember me when you come into your kingdom." (Luke 23:42)

+ Vespers

Vespers (or the eleventh hour prayer), and its time is at six in the afternoon (before nightfall). And the evening prayer, or the eleventh hour, talks about the removal of the body of Christ from the cross. At the end of the day we give thanks for God’s providence, and confess our sins (Luke 15), so that we may be called among the wage earners who came at the eleventh hour (Matthew 20:1-16).

+ sleep prayer

The bedtime prayer is performed at nine o'clock in the evening (and it is prayed at nightfall, and it is recited along with the Vespers prayer before the Liturgies of Great Lent and the fast of Jonah the Prophet). In it we remember the burial of Christ, the mortal world and the final judgment, we are alert to the imminent coming of God and we stand before Him, we ask forgiveness for our sins, and protection during the night.

+ Midnight prayer

The midnight prayer is prayed before midnight, and it talks about the second coming of our Lord and Savior, the Lord Christ, and that prayer is divided into three services, such as the prayer of the Lord Christ in the Garden of Gethsemane (Matthew 1:25-13).

+ Curtain prayer

The curtain prayer is a special prayer for the priests, the monastic fathers, and the venerable priests of the bishops. It is the prayer of the evening hour, which is called the hour of the veil of darkness or the curtain of darkness (a curtain by breaking the seine). Its time is the beginning of the darkness of the night, and it is specific to the monastic fathers.