How to bow to the ground correctly in Orthodoxy? When prostrations are made in the temple during a service

Man is a being of dual nature: spiritual and physical. Therefore, the Holy Church gives man saving means, both for his soul and for his body.

Soul and body are bound into one until death. Therefore, the grace-filled means of the Church are aimed at healing and correction of both soul and body. An example of this is the Sacraments. Many of them have a material substance that is sanctified by the Holy Spirit in the rites of the Sacrament and has a beneficial effect on a person. In the Sacrament of Baptism it is water. In the Sacrament of Confirmation - myrrh. In the Sacrament of Communion - the Body and Blood of Christ under the guise of water, wine and bread. And even in the Sacrament of Confession, we must materially (verbally) speak out our sins before the priest.

Let us also remember the dogma of the General Resurrection. After all, each of us will rise bodily and appear united with the soul at the Judgment of God.

Therefore, the Church has always shown special care for the human body, considering it the temple of the Living God. And a person who does not pay attention to all those means that are proposed in Orthodoxy for the healing and correction of not only the soul, but also the body, is deeply mistaken. After all, it is in the body that the germs of passions often nest, and if you close your eyes to them and do not fight them, over time they will grow from baby snakes into dragons and begin to eat the soul.

Here it is useful to recall the verses of the psalms...

31:9:
“Do not be like a horse, like a foolish mule, whose jaws must be bridled with a bridle and bit so that they obey you.”
After all, our body is often just like a horse and a senseless mule, which must be bridled with the bridle of prayer, the Sacraments, bows, and fasting, so that in its earthly passionate race it does not fly into the abyss.

“My knees have grown weak from fasting, and my body has lost fat.”

We see what the holy prophet and king David did to the point of exhaustion prostrations in order to be cleansed of sins and fast with a fast that is pleasant and pleasing to God.

Our Lord Jesus Christ also prayed on his knees: “And He Himself went away from them about a stone’s throw, and kneeled down and prayed...” (Luke 22:41).
And if God did this, then should we refuse to bow to the ground?

Moreover, quite often in Holy Scripture the prophets and the Savior called people who were proud and turned away from God stiff-necked (translated from Church Slavonic - with stiff necks, unable to worship God).

Quite often you notice this in the temple. A believer, a churchgoer, comes: he bought a candle, crossed himself, bowed before the holy icons, and reverently took the blessing from the priest. A person of little faith enters the temple: he is ashamed not only to cross himself, but even to bend his head slightly towards the icon or crucifix. Because I’m not used to bowing my “I” before anyone, even God. This is what stiff-neckedness is all about.

Therefore, dear brothers and sisters, we will hasten to bow to the ground. They are a manifestation of our humility and contrition of heart before the Lord God. They are a sacrifice pleasing and pleasing to God.

The prodigal son, covered in sores, rags and scabs, returns home to his father and falls on his knees before him with the words: “Father! I have sinned against heaven and before you and am no longer worthy to be called your son.” This is what prostration is. Destruction of personal Tower of Babel, awareness of one’s own sin and the fact that one cannot rise without the Lord. And, of course, our Heavenly Father will hasten to meet us in order to restore us and accept us into his love. Only for this you need to put aside your “ego”, conceit and vanity and understand that without God it is impossible to take a step correctly. As long as you are filled with yourself and not with the Lord, you will be unhappy. But as soon as you understand that you are on the edge of an abyss filled with sins and passions, and that you don’t have the strength to rise on your own, that another minute means death, then your feet will bow before the Almighty and you will beg Him not to leave you.
This is what prostration is. Ideally, this is the prayer of the publican, the prayer of the prodigal son. Pride prevents you from bowing to the ground. Only a humble person can do it.

Saint Ignatius (Brianchaninov) wrote about prostrations to the ground: “The Lord knelt down during His prayer - and you should not neglect kneeling if you have enough strength to perform them. By worship to the face of the earth, according to the explanation of the fathers, our fall is depicted, and by uprising from the earth our redemption ... "

You also need to understand that you cannot reduce the number of prostrations to some kind of mechanical gymnastic exercise and not strive to perform the immoderate feat of kneeling. Less is better, but better quality. Let us remember that prostration is not an end in itself. He is a means for acquiring lost communion with God and the grace-filled gifts of the Holy Spirit. Prostration is a prayer of repentance that cannot be offered carelessly, inattentively or in a hurry. Stand up, cross yourself correctly and slowly. Get on your knees, place your palms on the floor in front of you and touch your forehead to the floor, then get up from your knees and straighten up to your full height. This will be a real prostration. While performing it, you need to read something to yourself a short prayer, for example, Jesus or “Lord have mercy.” You can also turn to the Blessed Virgin Mary and the saints.

During Lent, according to established tradition, three prostrations are made after entering the temple in front of Golgotha: that is, they made two prostrations, kissed the Crucifix and made another one. The same is true when leaving the temple. During the evening service or Liturgy, prostrations to the ground are also appropriate. At Matins, for example, when singing “The Most Honest Cherub and the Most Glorious Without Comparison Seraphim...” after the eighth song of the canon. At the Liturgy - after singing “We sing to you, we bless you...”, since at this time the culmination of the service takes place in the altar - the transubstantiation of the Holy Gifts. You can also kneel down while the priest comes out with the Chalice with the words “With the fear of God” to give communion to the people. During Great Lent, kneeling is also done at the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts in certain places, indicated by the ringing of a bell, during the priest's verse reading of the prayer of St. Ephraim the Syrian, and in some other places of the services of the Holy Pentecost.

Prostrations are not made on Sundays, on the twelve feasts, on Christmastide (from the Nativity of Christ to the Baptism of the Lord), from Easter to Pentecost. This is forbidden by the holy apostles, as well as I and VI Ecumenical Councils, since on these holy days the reconciliation of God with man takes place, when man is no longer a slave, but a son.

During the rest of the time, dear brothers and sisters, let us not be lazy in bowing to the ground, voluntarily plunging ourselves by bowing and falling into the abyss of repentance, in which the merciful God will certainly extend His fatherly right hand to us and resurrect and raise us sinners with ineffable love for this And future life.

Priest Andrey Chizhenko

Records found: 50

Hello, less than a year ago I sinned, for which I greatly repent. I went to church and confessed, the priest accepted my confession and absolved me of my sins. Afterwards, I myself made prostrations in the morning and evening with prayer for 40 days. But time passes, and I still haven’t forgiven myself. Can I be forgiven and forget my actions? What do i do?

Natasha

Hello, Natasha. Do not look for peace and oblivion, it is impossible. You can only get relief and strength for later life. Judge for yourself - sin damages our very nature, like a bodily wound that leaves a mark, a scar, and sometimes like the loss of an arm, a leg, an eye. It is naive to expect that new hand will grow back. Christianity gives us crutches and prosthetics instead of lost limbs, and the hope of regaining them again, if not in this life, then at least in eternity. Keep a small penitential rule, so that it is not visible to anyone, but always reminds you not of the sin itself, but of the severity of its consequences. This rule will teach you humility. While the desire to get rid of remorse at any cost is aimed at acquiring a completely different property that is not useful to us. God help you.

Priest Alexander Beloslyudov

Hello. It turned out that I took Communion, and then after the service I wanted to stay and help in the Temple of God. My help was in cleaning the candlesticks and washing the floors. I did it with pleasure. But later I learned that on this day you cannot even bow to the Lord, spit out saliva, or wash in the shower or take a bath... Not like washing the floors! I was somewhat upset and would like to know whether all this really cannot be done after Communion? Or is this all prejudice? Thank you for your reply. God bless you.

r.b. Tatiana

Hello Tatiana! The Day of Communion is a special day for the Christian soul, when it is united with Christ in a special, mysterious way. Just as to receive the most honored guests, we clean and put in order the entire house, and leave all ordinary affairs, so the day of Communion should be celebrated as a great holiday, devoting it, as far as possible, to solitude, prayer, concentration and spiritual reading. Do not be embarrassed that you helped in the church on this day: it was still a good deed, but from now on, try to spend the day of communion in silence and silence. As for the custom of not bowing to the ground after Communion and not kissing the hands of the priest, failure to observe it is not a sin. Schema-abbot Parthenius points out: “We should also mention here the exaggerated caution among some after Communion. They not only try not to spit the whole day after communion, which, of course, is commendable, but also consider waste food, if it has been in the mouth, as sacred, and therefore they even try to swallow what is inedible, and what cannot be swallowed (fish bones, etc.) They try to burn it on fire. We do not find such extreme severity anywhere in the Church Charter. You only need to drink it after communion and, after rinsing your mouth with the drink, swallow so that no small grain remains in your mouth - and that’s all! The “superstructures” invented on this issue have absolutely no echo in the Church Charter.”

Priest Vladimir Shlykov

Christ is Risen! Tell me, please, during the period from Easter to Trinity, no prostrations are made, and when you read prayers, after reading the kathisma in the Psalter, there is a prayer by Ephraim the Syrian, how to read it during this period?

Love

Love, Truly Risen! Prayer to St. We read Ephraim the Syrian only during the period of Great Lent, and now there is no need to read it. Prostrations to the ground are not made from Easter to the Holy Trinity. Usually we don’t bow to the ground in church, but at home, so as not to embarrass anyone; if you wish, you can bow to the ground after reading the kathismas as much as you want.

Hieromonk Victorin (Aseev)

Is it necessary to bow to the ground when taking out the Chalice for Communion on Sundays and holidays during Easter week?

Svetlana

Svetlana, there are bows to the ground not only of repentance, but also of gratitude. Before the Chalice we bow to the ground, even if we do not receive communion. At Easter, bowing to the ground is not done until the Feast of the Holy Trinity, but before the Chalice one can make a grateful bow to the ground. Although there has been a tradition of not bowing to the ground at all on Easter days, even before the Holy Gifts. I think you don’t need to distinguish yourself especially, since you can mislead others. If you really want to, make a mental prostration, the Lord will still see you.

Hieromonk Victorin (Aseev)

Christ is Risen! Tell me, please, from what date can I bow to the ground?

Vlad

Vlad, He is Truly Risen! On the Feast of the Holy Trinity, three large prayers are read on your knees. From this moment bows to the ground begin. But I want to tell you that you can still bow to the ground at home if your soul asks, there’s nothing wrong with that.

Hieromonk Victorin (Aseev)

Hello Father Victorin! Thank you very much for your answer. I also want to ask you about the Psalter. When should one bow to the ground when reading the Psalter? Are they performed when reading prayers after “Glory”? Please explain everything to me in more detail. Thank you very much. God bless you.

Valentina

Valentina, prostrations are not performed when reading the Psalter. They can be done after finishing the reading of all the kathismas for that day, i.e., for example, today you read one or two kathismas, and at the end of the entire reading, you can bow to the ground as much as you want, as much as you can. It is best to determine your own measure for each day, not too much, but not too little, so that you can do the same number of bows every day. I think you can assign yourself 5-10 bows every day, but you don’t need more.

Hieromonk Victorin (Aseev)

Hello! 1. Say in the morning and evening rule How many bows should be given, and after each prayer, or after certain ones? 2. Is it possible to read the Psalter and drink holy water with prosphora at home on days of female uncleanness, or is this not allowed?

Photinia

Photinia, bows can be done at home as much as you want, but practice shows that it is better to do no more than 10 per day to begin with. It's better to do a little, but regularly. In the morning, do no more than 10, and in the evening, at night, 3 bows are enough. During female uncleanness, you can pray and read the Psalter, but you don’t need to drink Holy water and eat prosphora - this is a sacred thing, and you need to treat it reverently.

Hieromonk Victorin (Aseev)

Good afternoon, priests, please tell me, during the liturgy, when are prostrations done? The holy gifts are brought out twice, the first time they are shown and taken away, and the second time for communion. I watched the parishioners and still didn’t understand anything. As I understand it, if I take communion myself, then I make a prostration, and if not, then a bow?

Natalia

Natalya, it’s good to bow to the ground, but they must be timely. The first time the Chalice is taken out is at the Liturgy during the Great Entrance - no prostration is made, but a bow can be made from the waist. The second time, the cup is brought out, already consecrated, before communion, and Christ Himself is present in the cup, and of course, it is necessary to bow to the ground before Christ Himself, even if we do not receive communion.

Hieromonk Victorin (Aseev)

You are completely right, thank you very much, this is exactly what I needed to hear. I've got one more question. I heard that you can’t bow on Sunday and Saturday evenings. Is it so? And why? Thank you in advance.

The word “beat” means 100-600 bows, we don’t say that now, and rarely do anyone do them in such quantities now. Imagine that you will make so many bows every day, as Christians did before us - I think in this case, Saturday and Sunday will seem like real days off to you! Such a charter was connected precisely with this. Weekdays are days of repentance, days of labor, and Sunday and Saturday are days of holidays, when indulgences are given both physically and spiritually, therefore bows will be canceled on these days. But since we do not follow these rules, it is not a sin to make a dozen prostrations at home, even on holidays and Sundays. In addition, there are bows of repentance, and there are bows of gratitude. If you wish, you can make no more than a dozen bows as an expression of gratitude.

Hieromonk Victorin (Aseev)

Hello. I have a question. I want to get married, does it have to be the priest to whom I confessed? And one more question. I have terrible sin, I went to confession for the first time, I told it in tears, excitedly, I was very receptive, and the priest really put pressure on me with my action. I understand that he is right. But after confession, he imposed a penance on me: to read a prayer and do prostrations for a month, I have not been able to do it for 3 months now, my work does not allow me to do prostrations every day, even at night, since this is the schedule. What to do? And yet, after confession, I couldn’t come to my senses for a long time, for a long time I was depressed. I'm afraid to go again, although I have to do it after doing penance. I'm afraid of this emotional decline. I'm waiting for answers to questions. Thank you in advance.

Anna

No, Anna, any priest can marry you. And as for penance, you need to meet again with that priest and ask for its mitigation; you really have difficult circumstances.

Hegumen Nikon (Golovko)

Hello! Please tell me, at the Liturgy, when the priest tells the catechumens to bow their heads and pray, what should the baptized do at that moment? Is it necessary to bow your head (of course, you want to do this, but it seems that it is proposed to be done by the catechumen)? And I don’t understand, when should one bow to the ground? They say that they are not made on Sundays and are not made after Lent. In a word, I am confused, because in the church who kneels during the Eucharistic canon, who stands upright, who bows to the ground at the words “Holy of Holies,” who doesn’t... Tell me how to do the right thing? With best regards!

Andrey

During the litany of the catechumens, the baptized do not need to bow their heads. During the period from Easter to Trinity and on Sundays, it is really not necessary to bow to the ground; they are replaced by bows.

Deacon Ilia Kokin

Hello, father. If you can, please clarify this question. Is communion of the Holy Mysteries of Christ a reward or is it medicine and help for a Christian? For me, even the morning and evening rules are incredibly hard work, not to mention the most difficult preparation for Communion, it can be very difficult to pray with attention, and if this does not work out, irritation, indignation, grumbling sets in and the whole prayer goes down the drain, so I have to leave it so that it is not desecrated. I understand that prayer is important and that it is the root of everything, but I can’t pray, and this causes great frustration. But my conscience does not allow me to read the text coldly and detachedly, and it is clear that this will not be a prayer. As a result, it turns out that prayer is like drill or hard labor, and if you still overcome this, then Communion is like a reward. But perhaps, after all, this is not a reward, but on the contrary, the Body and Blood of Christ are given to us to help us overcome difficulties, but then there is a contradiction, in order to receive this saving help, a person must do hard work without any help, so that only then receive it when the labor has already been overcome. What then comes first, work for the sake of Communion or Communion for the sake of help in work? Tell me how to think about this, what comes to your heart on this issue? Save me, God!

Alexei

Dear Alexey, you are lost in three pines because you have the wrong concept of the sacrament, for it is not a medicine or a reward. The root of this word is “part,” and we are all members of the church as separate parts of one whole, that is, the Body of Christ, and He is the head of the Church. Thus, through the communion of the Holy Mysteries of Christ we are united with God and with the entire fullness of the Church. The most important thing is that Communion is the basis of our future life and therefore cannot be considered as medicine or reward. In ancient times, people were mostly illiterate and did not have books, but, nevertheless, they prepared for communion by performing simple prayers and bows. Tell your confessor about your problem and determine with him your prayer rule that is within your power.

Priest Alexander Babushkin

Good evening. God bless you. 1. A year in church, I confess, take communion. There is a desire and need for a spiritual father, how to find (choose) him? 2. My son has been very ill since childhood, in the group. He is 21 years old, how can I teach him about faith? You can't drive with a stick, can you? 3. Why don't they pay 10 in churches? 4. The attitude of Orthodoxy towards biometric passports? 5. My father completely lost his memory after a stroke. How can I help as much as possible? 6. In addition to confession, how can you and how correctly pray for sin for those killed in the womb? Very grateful.

Nikolai.

Nikolay, about choice spiritual father It has been written repeatedly and even at length on our website, just be curious. The main point is that you need to feel a response and understanding from that priest, as well as his gift of consolation towards yourself.
In relation to your son, you can drive him with a stick. You are the father, use your authority, superiority, willpower and conviction. You can behave more firmly with your son.
The third question concerns tithing, as I understand it? Well, why, there are people even now, and there are many of them, who give a tenth of their income to the temple.
Biometric passports and other electronic means of accounting, according to the church’s understanding of the problem, in themselves do not carry any mystical content. But they bring us closer to total control, which plays into the hands of any world dictator, and, naturally, the dictator of dictators - the Antichrist.
Regarding the fifth question, you need to contact doctors; as far as I know, in modern medicine there are effective techniques memory restoration, but they require constant study and exercise.
And for sins, including those mentioned by you, you must, first of all, repent. However, nothing prevents you from taking upon yourself, with the blessing of the priest, some small feat - prayers or bows, or fasting - in memory of these sins, as penance, so that they are never forgotten.

Hegumen Nikon (Golovko)

I live in the world. I pray the rosary. And as I abstain, the demon of fornication overcomes me. What prayers should I read against this demon?

Sergius

Hello, Sergiy! To pray the rosary, you need the blessing of a priest. If you have one, then bow to the ground during prayer. And also in the fight against this passion it is necessary to confess. Here is one of the prayers against fornication (the prayer of Macarius of Optina): “O Mother of the Lord, my Creator, You are the root of virginity and the unfading flower of purity. O Mother of God! Help me, who is weak with carnal passion and is painful, for one is Yours and with You is Yours I have the Son and God to intercede. Amen."
God help you!

Priest Vladimir Shlykov

Over the weekend I went to Verkhoturye, to the St. Nicholas Monastery, where I received communion. And then we stopped at the Holy Intercession Monastery, where we venerated the wonderful icon of the Mother of God “Tenderness” and the relics of Cosmas of Verkhoturye. And only then I remembered that after communion you cannot bow to the ground. What should I do?

Hope

Hello, Nadezhda! I advise you to bring repentance to confession.

Priest Vladimir Shlykov

Hello, I’m 13 years old, I’ve been repenting very strongly before the icon for about 2 years, or maybe less, the fact is that I have VERY VERY VERY bad thoughts, you can’t even imagine, and all the time these thoughts come, I run to the icon and kiss it, and touch it with my hand, and pray that the Lord will forgive me for everything because I say this about Him and others (in my head, in my mind) and call everyone names, and so on for 5 minutes -10, I even do this at school, but not in front of an icon, but just looking at the ceiling or looking forward, and some have already begun to suspect me of this. Please help, even when I go to the bus stop, I pray 3 times, I can’t take it anymore, I’m tired, I even wanted to give up Christianity so as not to cause harm to anyone, but I’m afraid the Lord will get angry and take away my parents and family, help , what should I do? Thank you in advance.

Details Created: 09/14/2015 11:34

Prayer gestures. At what time should a parishioner make the sign of the cross (that is, be baptized), and at what time should he bow? This is what we are talking about today.

Most good advice which can be given to a person who is completely unfamiliar with the Rules of worship and the rules of behavior during worship is to watch how the priest and deacon behave. They cross themselves and bow – and so should the parishioners. They kneel - and the congregation needs to kneel. Even one observation of what and how the clergy do will, in a short time, allow one to assimilate the culture of behavior during worship and answer many questions. It’s strange, but even experienced parishioners sometimes don’t know how to behave correctly during worship. This suggests that parishioners do not look and do not think about what what and how clergy do. I mean, what and how do in the service. Because in life, parishioners watch their priests very closely - what car he drives, how his wife and children are dressed, and much more.

And we should be careful about what and how The priest does not do this in his worldly life - only God is the judge of every person, but during divine services, because here the priest is not ordinary person, but a servant of God.

However, we digress.

Let's talk about our topic: prayerful behavior during worship.

Bows

There are three types of bows:

1. Simple bowing of the head;

2. Waist bow: we bow at the waist. If we follow strict rules, then during a bow we must lean forward so much that our fingers touch the floor.

3. Prostration: We kneel and bow our heads to the ground. Then we get up.

In accordance with the rules of the Church Charter, during worship, all three types of bows are used in appropriate cases. At what time - which ones, we will now tell you:

Bowing your head

A brief bow of the head is never accompanied by the sign of the cross; we simply bow our heads or slightly bow our body:

A. According to the priest Peace to all; The blessing of the Lord is upon you, through grace and love for mankind....; The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the Father and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all.

B. To the words of church hymns: let's fall down, let's bow.

V. Whenever a priest blesses not with the Cross, but with his hand. When the priest blesses with the Cross (for example, after the Liturgy, on vacation, or at other moments, you should cross yourself and then make a bow from the waist)

G. Whenever a priest (or bishop) blesses with candles.

D. Every time you get censed. By censing, the deacon (or priest) expresses respect to the person as the image of God. In response, we bow to the deacon (or priest). The exception is on the night of Holy Easter. Then the priest censes with the Cross in his hand and greets everyone with a cry Christ is Risen. Here you need to first cross yourself and then bow.

Prolonged bowing of the head

When the deacon cries: Bow your heads to the Lord And Let us bow our heads to the Lord. At these words, you should bow your head and stand there the entire time the prayer is being read.

E. We bow our heads during the Great Entrance, when the procession of clergy stops at the pulpit.

AND. While reading the Holy Gospel.

Bow from the waist

We always make the sign of the cross before bowing from the waist!

Having made the sign of the cross, we bow in bow:

A. After each petition of the deacon's litany, while the choir sings Lord have mercy or Give it, Lord.

B. After each exclamation of the priest, with which he completes the litany.

V. Always when singing in chorus: Glory to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.

G. For each: Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal, have mercy on us(during the Liturgy).

D. After singing Most honorable Cherub.

E. When reading akathists - on each kontakion and ikos; when reading the canons at the evening service - before each troparion.

AND. Before and after the reading of the Gospel, while the choir is singing: Glory to Thee, Lord, Glory to Thee.

Z. Before the singing starts Creed(at the Liturgy).

AND. Before you start reading Apostle(at the Liturgy).

TO. Whenever the priest blesses with the Cross (for example, after the Liturgy, at dismissal, during the singing of the Many Years, and on other occasions).

L. Whenever they bless the Chalice, the Cross, the Holy Gospel and the Icon.

M. At the beginning of the singing of the prayer Our Father.

N. When passing by the royal gates inside the temple, we must also cross ourselves and bow.

Prostrations

Prostrations are cancelled:

A. From Easter to the Feast of the Holy Trinity;

B. From the Feast of the Nativity of Christ to the Feast of Epiphany (on Christmastide);

G. On the days of the twelve (twelve great) holidays;

D. On Sundays. However, here it is important to clarify the following: although since ancient times Sunday has enjoyed special respect, nevertheless, some Christians, due to their reverent attitude towards the shrine of the Body and Blood of Christ, wanted to bow to the ground in front of the shrine on these days. Thus, the custom of allowing two prostrations to the ground even on Sunday became established:

1) after the words of the priest: Transformed by Your Holy Spirit;

2) and then, when the Cup with the Body and Blood of Christ is brought out to all believers with the words: Approach with the fear of God and faith.

It is at these two moments that bowing to the ground, even on Sunday, is blessed. At other moments, it is not blessed (except for bowing before the Cross and the Shroud, if they are located in the middle of the temple).

The first of the moments - the end of the consecration of the Holy Gifts - is not easy to track if the royal doors are closed and through them you cannot see how the clergy bow to the ground. In this case, you can bow to the ground when the priest exclaims: Holy of holies.

If the day is not Sunday, then one more must be added to these two prostrations during the Liturgy. This bow is done when the Chalice last time appear to believers. And this happens after Communion. When everyone has received communion, the priest brings the Chalice into the altar, reverently immerses particles taken from the prosphora into it, and quietly reads the prescribed prayers. After this, the priest turns with the Chalice to the believers and proclaims: Always, now and ever, and forever and ever! At this time, it is also necessary to bow to the ground. If the day is Sunday, then you need to sign yourself with the sign of the cross and make a bow from the waist.

E. Prostrations to the ground are also canceled until the evening for the person who has received communion. But with the beginning of the evening service, a new liturgical day begins, so starting in the evening, even a communicant can bow to the ground.

We talked about when prostrations are canceled. What can we say about when, on the contrary, they are placed?

It is impossible to list all the cases where prostrations are required; there are many of them. What is important is this: whenever worshipers are called to prostrate, this bow is done by the clergy themselves. There are many such cases during Lent. Watch the priests - and you won’t be mistaken.

Kneeling

I’ll say right away that in Orthodox tradition It is not customary to pray on your knees. Other priests don’t know this either. You look, sometimes the Eucharistic canon begins - and everyone in the altar kneels and remains in that position. Friends: praying on your knees is a custom of the Catholic Church. In Orthodoxy they kneel for a short time:

A. During the transfer of the shrine.

B. They listen to kneeling prayers once a year on Trinity Day;

V. They kneel during prayer (for example, after a prayer service), when the deacon (or priest) calls for it: On bended knee, let's pray.

G. You can kneel when a particularly revered shrine is carried past, for example Miracle-working icon, power.

But people don’t just kneel in church and, moreover, they don’t remain in that position for a long time.

We sign ourselves with the sign of the cross, but do not bow

A. During the reading, six psalms. It is read during Matins, which can be served in the morning or in the evening. Also, the Six Psalms are always performed during all-night vigil, that is, on Saturday evenings and on the eve of public holidays.

The Six Psalms consists of six psalms. In the middle, after three psalms, the reader proclaims:

Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia, glory to You, O God.

Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia, glory to You, O God.

Lord, have mercy, Lord, have mercy, Lord, have mercy.

Glory to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen.

The Six Psalms are performed in deep silence and reverence. These six selected psalms They talk about humanity’s expectation of the Messiah – the Savior. Silence here denotes the state in which the ancient humanity on the eve of the Coming of Christ: concentrated expectation of deliverance from sin.

B. When singing starts Creed;

G. At the beginning of the reading of the Apostle, the Gospel (at the Liturgy, at the All-Night Vigil);

D. At the beginning of the reading of the proverbs (at the all-night vigil before a major holiday)

E. When the priest pronounces the words By the power of the Honest and Life-Giving Cross(these words appear in some prayers).

Man is a spiritual and physical being at the same time, therefore both spirit and body participate in prayer.

Body prayer is the postures and movements that accompany the reading of the text of the prayer:

• prayer pose
• kneeling
• raising hands
• bows
• sign of the cross

In Orthodoxy there is a charter on how to do it correctly and at what moments.

The Importance of Participating the Body in Prayer

For the correctness of prayer the position in which one prays is important. Not because God will punish for inaccuracy, but because body position affects the state of mind, determines the emotional mood.

A relaxed posture leads to mental relaxation and absent-mindedness. Prayer without the participation of the body is incomplete and not intense enough. A body that is at rest distracts from prayer and provokes a desire to stretch and move around.

Work in prayer

Prayer does not happen without labor for the body. By forcing the body to make efforts (standing, bowing, kneeling), a Christian curbs his flesh and does not give freedom to passions.

The Holy Fathers considered difficult prayer, which tires the body, the first step to true prayer.

Without bodily fatigue it is impossible to ascend to God!

Orthodox prayer accompanied by the sign of the cross and bows.

The prone position is practiced only once a year - during the reading of prayers at Vespers.

How to read prayers at home - standing or sitting?

In the Russian Orthodox Church, prayers both in church and at home it is customary to read while standing. If it is difficult to stand (for example, if you are very tired or ill), then prayer while sitting is allowed. Even if you are lying at home and cannot get out of bed and sit down, this is not an obstacle to prayer

The main condition for performing prayer is reverence and concentration.

Prayer while standing

During prayer, you need to remember that you are standing before God. There is no place for frivolity in this situation. You need to stand in prayer

• directly,
• reverently
• without shifting from foot to foot,
• without making fussy movements.

During worship in the temple, you are allowed to sit at some points. This is possible while reading kathismas (excerpts from the Psalter) and proverbs (excerpts from Old Testament) at the evening service.

It is not customary to sit during the Liturgy, but an exception is made for people who physically cannot stand for a long time.

However, at the service everyone needs to stand on time

• Gospel readings
• in the interval between the singing of the Creed and the Lord's Prayer
• during the priest’s cries of “Blessed is the kingdom...”

Prayer on your knees at home

Kneeling prayer is performed at home, according to the special zeal of the believer. She expresses special humility and respect.

You can pray on your knees at home at any time,

except Sunday and the period from Easter to Pentecost.

You cannot kneel on the day after Holy Communion either.

The person who has partaken is sanctified; he must not make signs of repentance and thereby humiliate the Holy Gifts he has received.

Kneeling at the liturgy in Orthodoxy

In an Orthodox church prolonged kneeling during worship services are performed only

• on the feast of Pentecost,
• at Great Vespers, which is served immediately after the Liturgy.

At this time, the priest reads several long prayers and himself, along with all the people, kneels.

At other times, prostrations may be performed at church services.

There is no genuflection at the Liturgy. IN Orthodox churches in Belarus, Ukraine and Lithuania under the influence catholic church A local tradition of kneeling prayers arose. In essence, these are prostrations to the ground, for which believers kneel.

Bowing during prayer. What does prostration and bow to the waist mean in Orthodoxy?

During prayers, it is customary to bow to the ground and bow from the waist. This sign of reverence for God.

Usually the bow is made after the sign of the cross when pronouncing especially significant ones, important words prayers.

The prayer book always indicates when to bow.

How to bow to the ground correctly?

Prostration is a bow during which the believer kneels, touches the floor with his forehead and immediately rises.

In the Orthodox Church, prostrations should be made by kissing shrines (icons, relics, sacred relics):

• two prostrations before applying and
• one prostration after application.

Some days church cancels prostrations, since they do not correspond to the meaning of the revered event. In these cases, prostrations are replaced by belt ones.

These are Sundays and polyeleos days, and bowing to the ground is especially strictly prohibited during the period from Easter to the Day of the Holy Spirit (Monday after Pentecost).

During the Sunday Liturgy in Orthodoxy, prostrations to the ground, according to the rule of Basil the Great, should not be made. Sometimes this rule is broken, and at the cry of the choir “One is Holy, One is Lord Jesus Christ...” one bow is made.

How to properly bow from the waist?

A bow from the waist is bow to the waist when a believer strives reach your hand to the floor without bending your knees.

• Usually done right away after the sign of the cross
• Bow from the waist must be done before entering the temple.

Prayer gestures

The main prayer gesture in Orthodoxy, as in all Christianity, is sign of the cross.

Besides him, in church service priests use blessing gesture.

About the sign of the cross in Orthodoxy: power, meaning and essence

Since apostolic times, it has been customary in the Church to sign oneself with the sign of the cross, or, as they also say, be baptized.

The sign of the cross is reminder of the Cross on which he was crucified. By placing such a symbolic cross on ourselves, we invoke the grace of the Holy Spirit.

The Church teaches that the sign of the cross protects a Christian, because the power of the Cross of Christ conquers all evil.

How to make the sign of the cross?

The sign of the cross is performed slowly and always with the right hand.

At first fold their fingers:

• thumb, index and middle fingers put together
• the ring and little fingers remain bent.

Folded this way fingers need to touch

• first forehead, sanctifying your thoughts,
• then the belly - for the sanctification of the heart and feelings,
• then the right shoulder
• and, finally, the left shoulder - for the sanctification of bodily health and actions.

After that should be followed by a bow of the head or bow.

You cannot bow before completing the sign of the cross.

Finger formations: two-fingered and three-fingered in Orthodoxy

For the sign of the cross V modern Orthodoxy triplicate is used.

For this gesture

• thumb, index and middle fingers right hand put together
• The little and ring fingers are pressed against the palm.

Folded three fingers symbolize the Holy Trinity- , ring and little fingers remind of the dual nature of our Lord Jesus Christ - divine and human.

In ancient times, they used two fingers: the sign of the cross was made with the index and middle fingers extended, while the thumb, ring and little fingers were folded together.

The index and middle fingers symbolized the two natures of Christ, the thumb, ring and little fingers - the three Persons of the Holy Trinity.

After the reforms of Patriarch Nikon, three fingers began to be used in Orthodoxy. Because of this, an Old Believer split occurred. Only in the 19th century did the Church again allow baptism with two fingers and the use of other elements of the old rite, and some Old Believers were able to reunite with the Church. Their communities are called Edinoverie.

Nominal finger addition

There is another prayer gesture - the making of names.

It used by a priest to bless the faithful during and outside of service.

Nominal finger addition means the initials of the Lord's name our Jesus Christ ICXC:

• index finger extended
• the middle one is slightly bent, forming the letter C,
• big and ring fingers crossed with the letter X,
• The little finger is also bent in the shape of the letter C.

An attempt to understand the meaning of temple worship for most believers ends with the assimilation of a symbolic and figurative interpretation of the service. Unfortunately, it is this that, being the least meaningful, turned out to be the most popular and widespread in the Orthodox community.

The assimilation of such a perception of worship finally confirms many in the mysterical nature of the Christian service. This actually leads to a universal passive-contemplative attitude both to worship and to the life of the Church in general.

One can be endlessly surprised that people who know by heart the sequence of the all-night vigil and the liturgy (there are many such people) often do not understand the content and meaning of what is happening in the altar. But no one ever explained this to them!

What kind of common service, what kind of conciliarity can we talk about if the people of God are not able to participate in what is happening? If participation is only superficial and formal? If the believer never hears the main semantic and prayerful part of the service at all in his life (!), since the main thing is expressed in the so-called “secret” prayers? Can there be a perception of service other than the mystical?

Of course, to yourself, otherwise muttering will begin in the temple. For this purpose, there is a primate (bishop or priest) in the Church, who vocalizes the common prayer. But for now he is “silent”, and the people even more so. The priest performs the function of language in a single body.

Modern church bows

In theory, this cannot happen for the tongue to say one thing, the heart to feel another, and the head to have no idea what it was thinking. But as we see in the church, everything is possible. It is interesting for me to ask a question to experienced parishioners (experienced, I note): when the deacon proclaims, “Let us pray to the Lord for the honest gifts brought and consecrated,” what are you praying for at that moment? After all, they still cross themselves and bow. The answers are not encouraging.

We do not have (almost no) a single-minded, let me say intelligent, liturgy. What treasure is hidden there, but it is here, on the surface, and few people are interested in it. All attention is concentrated on the external side of the liturgy, which in itself says virtually nothing about the essence of the Eucharist.

If the priests shared this treasure with people, then everything would be much better. but what to do if the priest himself does not see this treasure or perceives himself as a shaman or priest, for only they can be initiated into “mysterious and inaccessible” prayers. In relation to the Liturgy, we have a passive-contemplative attitude

Saint Theophan said well:
Quote: The Lord and the Holy Spirit, who filled the apostles on the day of Pentecost, brought the truth to earth - and it walks on the earth. Its guides are the mouths of the priests of God. Whoever among them closes his mouth blocks the path to the truth that asks for the souls of believers.

That is why the souls of believers languish without receiving the truth, and the priests themselves should feel languor from the truth, which, not receiving an outcome, torments them. Relieve yourself, priest of God, from this burden, release streams of Divine words for your own joy and for the revival of the souls entrusted to you. When you see that you yourself do not have the truth, take it: it is in the holy scriptures; and, being filled with it, forward it to your spiritual children: just do not be silent.

Preach, for this is what you are called to do. End of quote. Bishop Feofan. Thoughts for every day of the year according to church readings from the word of God, Publication of the Moscow Patriarchate, Moscow, 1991, p. 139.

Yes, that’s exactly how it’s printed in the Book of Hours. However, it is still worth noting that these instructions are not some kind of dogma, but are purely advisory in nature. These rules have changed throughout the history of the Church. In particular, they do not correspond to the regulations on bowing that existed in Rus' 300-400 years ago.

Prostration in Orthodoxy

Prostration in Orthodoxy

Our great saints Sergius of Radonezh, Joseph of Volotsk, St. Philip and others adhered to other, more ancient rules about bowing. The current rules on bowing are of more recent origin, arose during the synodal period, when the Russian Church in the ritual aspect was subject to strong Western influence.

In particular, this includes the abolition of prostrations on Sundays and holidays; this abolition did not exist in the Ancient Church. And kneeling, which often occurs in our churches, is already a pure borrowing from Catholicism; in Orthodoxy, only bows to the ground and the “prostrate” position were accepted, but not standing with a straightened body.

The local council of the Russian Orthodox Church in 1971 lifted all bans on the ancient rituals that the Old Believers, including our fellow believers, had preserved. Now in the Church there is a very good tendency to study their experience and return to a number of ancient forms - for example, in icon painting (canonical icon), in singing (znamenny chant), etc.

I think that is why it is interesting to study their regulations on bowing, preserved from the times of Holy Rus', which reflects a deeply pious attitude towards worship. I think everyone will be interested in reading this charter, here are excerpts from it:

First of all, it is necessary to say that all bows, waist and ground, are performed by those praying together, according to the instructions of the Church Charter, and not whenever anyone pleases. Bows must be done earnestly and decorously, without excessive fussiness or deliberate slowdown in movements.

If, according to the Charter, the bow is made with the sign of the cross, one must first cross himself, so that it is noticeable for the body of the person praying, and not only for his clothes, and then bow, to the belt or to the ground, according to the specific moment of the service.

Prostrations rely on a handicraft, a deliberately sewn rug to keep hands clean. When bowing to the ground, you should first put the hand-rest in front of you, then cross yourself and bow: place the outstretched palms of both hands on the hand-rest, both side by side, while simultaneously bending your knees and tilting your head to the ground so much that your forehead touches the hands on the hand-rest.

Prostrations at the Liturgy

Prostrations at the Liturgy

You should not spread your elbows and knees to the sides or make any knocking noise when bowing. We note in passing that in ancient Orthodox Church There was no custom of praying on one’s knees, and there is no such custom in the Old Believers. This custom came to the New Believers from the Catholic West..

It cannot be called good, for the Lord Jesus Christ, before His voluntary suffering for the human race, showed us in the Garden of Gethsemane an image of prayer: “I fell on my face, praying” (Gospel of Matthew, part 108).

The warriors, “swearing” i.e. mocking the Lord during His Passion, they committed a reproach by “bowing down on the knee before Him” (Gospel of Matthew, 112). It is clearly visible which of the Gospel examples corresponds to the Orthodox custom, and which to the Catholic one.
Now we present in full the Charter on bowing, according to patristic church tradition.

During the prayer to the Holy Spirit “Heavenly King,” when it is read (or sung) at the beginning of any sequence, without bowing, we are protected by the sign of the cross, and at Lent at the end of it, bow to the ground, with the sign of the cross.

On the Trisagion: “Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal, have mercy on us” (three times), three bows. Only when this prayer is sung at the end of the Great Doxology at the All-Night Vigil, as well as at the Liturgy before the reading of the Apostle, (or when in other cases according to the Rule it is sung), there are no bows.

During the Lord’s Prayer “Our Father”, bow from the waist at the end of it, when it is sung at the Liturgy and before lunch; in all other cases there is no bow.

On “Come, let us bow,” three bows. And besides this, when in the psalms, stichera and troparions there are the words: “I bow”, “I adore”, “we bow”, “we adore”, “we bow”, “worshipping”, “worshipping” and “worshipping”, they always bow at the waist . On “Hallelujah”, when it occurs in “glory” after any psalm, like this: “Hallelujah, Hallelujah, glory to Thee, O God,” three times, three bows to the waist, except for “Hallelujah” among the “exa-psalms” which occurs without bows.

At the prayers “Grant, Lord, that this evening we may be preserved without sin” at Vespers and “Glory to God in the highest” (in the beginning) at Vespers and at Matins, there are three bows from the waist.

Bows on Sundays

Bows on Sundays

When a priest or deacon pronounces a special litany, on one of the petitions ending with the words “recem all,” three bows are made from the waist (at the beginning, singing “Lord, have mercy,” 12 times; in other cases, sometimes 40 and 50 times); when the service is performed without a priest, instead of a special litany, “Lord, have mercy” is sung forty times, and also instead of “diligent prayers” for the lithium (entry into the vestibule for the All-Night Vigil, Sunday and some other services), the same prayer is sung 40, 30, and 50 times. In all these cases, three bows are preserved, also at the beginning of the singing “Lord, have mercy.”

Before the prayer of dismissal, at Vespers and Matins, and at the Prayer Service, starting with “The most honorable cherub,” and at the Liturgy and Obednik, with “It is worthy,” “Glory,” “and now,” “Lord have mercy,” twice, “Lord bless,” always four bows, at Vespers, Matins and Prayer service all from the waist, and at Liturgy and Obednik the first bow is always to the ground.

To “The Most Honest Cherub,” when this prayer occurs in the middle of any study (for example, when praying for dinner), there is always a bow from the waist.
At the beginning of the Midnight Office, during the prayer “Glory to Thee, our God, Glory to Thee for everyone’s sake,” they are protected by the sign of the cross without bowing once; and in the prayer that follows this, “God, cleanse me, a sinner,” three bows to the waist.

After the first and last celebration of the holiday, during the festive Matins (usually performed in the evening), the bow is always to the ground.

There is a special order for kissing the icon of the holiday after the magnification, the Gospel at Sunday Matins and the Holy Cross on the feasts of the cross.