What is a rule of prayer, and how should it be kept?
A rule of prayer (kanōn) is the measure of daily prayer that each Christian undertakes, ordinarily with the counsel and blessing of a spiritual father. It follows the ancient practice of God’s people, who prayed at fixed hours: “Evening and morning and at noon I utter my complaint and moan, and he will hear my voice” (Psa 55:17 [54 LXX]); “Seven times a day I praise thee” (Psa 119:164 [118 LXX]); and the Apostles went up to the Temple “at the hour of prayer, the ninth hour” (Act 3:1). The Didache already instructs Christians to pray the Lord’s Prayer three times a day (Didache, 8).
A rule commonly includes the morning and evening prayers of the prayer book, readings from the Psalter and the New Testament, prayers for the living and the departed by name, and the Jesus Prayer, often prayed a set number of times with a prayer rope (see the Study: The Battle of Prayer). Many Orthodox homes have a prayer corner, facing east where possible, with icons and a lamp, where the family gathers for prayer.
The rule should be modest and steady rather than ambitious and irregular, for a small rule faithfully kept is better than a great rule abandoned. In times of illness or unusual labor it may be shortened, with a blessing, but it should never be abandoned altogether (see the Study: The Battle of Prayer). Nor is the rule the whole of prayer: its purpose is to lead us toward the Apostle’s command, “pray without ceasing” (1Th 5:17), so that the remembrance of God may accompany every action of the day.
