Prayer with an earthly bow. Bows and the sign of the cross

When a person enters the temple of God, he immediately feels that he has fallen into some special majestic and at the same time very peaceful environment - heaven, which, however, is on earth. Everything here carries harmony, deep meaning and great spiritual beauty. Each church paraphernalia and utensils observes its own rank and order. The sacred service and prayer in front of the altar are performed according to strict ancient canons. All this is quite logical and understandable, but there is also something that requires careful clarification.

For example, many clergymen are often faced with the following question: bowing down - how to do it? It is impossible to answer it simply and unambiguously, but it is not so difficult if you study it carefully.

Bowing down - how to do it?

It must be said right away that bowing is a symbolic action performed since the most ancient biblical times and expressing great reverence for the Creator of everything earthly and heavenly - the Lord God. Therefore, any bows should be done very slowly and with the words of prayer. To find out for yourself how to bow to the ground correctly, you need to decide what kind of bows are in general. It turns out that there are great bows to the ground, and there are small bows in the waist. And there is also a simple bowing of the head.

When bowing to the ground, you need to fall on your knees and touch the floor with your forehead. When bowing at the waist, the head is tilted down so that the fingers touch the floor. So during the consecration of the Temple of the Lord, Daniel, when he was in captivity in Babylon, and other righteous people of the Old Testament. This custom was sanctified by Christ Himself and entered into the practice of the Holy Church of Christ.

Kneeling

Most of the kneeling is done during Lent. According to the explanation of St. Basil the Great, kneeling symbolizes the fall of a person in sin, and then an uprising - his forgiveness by the great mercy of the Lord.

And again the question arises: 40 bows to the ground - how to do it right? Bows are done at any time, except on special days, we will talk about them below. The rest of the time, you do not need to be lazy, but it is better to voluntarily plunge yourself into a bow, which means your own fall into the abyss of repentance in the hope that God will accept and bless these modest labors.

Nothing depends on the number of bows and fasting, if the heart and soul are not cleansed of bad thoughts and change for the better. And if a person sincerely repents even a little bit, then a loving Father will certainly extend His holy right hand to him.

The experience of Bishop Afanasy Sakharov

It is not always possible to find the correct answer to how to bow down to earth in Orthodoxy. But let's try to turn to the well-known zealot of the Church Rite - Confessor Afanasy (Sakharov).

First of all, let's figure out when it is impossible to bow down, and when it is possible. During the divine service, prostrations to the earth, as in principle, and in the waist, are not performed at all at will. They are made on weekdays and on fast days of repentance. On Sundays and, of course, on great holidays, according to the decree of the Holy Fathers, they are canceled.

In the period of Easter and before Trinity, as well as from Christmas to Baptism, prostration is also not due. In the 90th rule VI it is written that on Sundays one should not kneel for the honor of Christ's Resurrection. But small bows must be done at certain moments in accordance with the meaning of the prayers.

Bows and bows to the ground

So, at any service it is necessary:

Church charter

Bows at services (Vespers, Matins, All-night Vigil):

Special bowing rules

So, we are considering what is prostration. How to do it right? It is worth considering that sisters-nuns may be present at services. Many parishioners, not knowing the rules, begin to imitate them and, just like them, make obeisances. Or, conversely, they look at them and are embarrassed.

The point is that monks obey their own special charter, and parishioners must adhere to the charter of the Holy Fathers, intended for the entire Church, so that the whole meaning of the divine service is gradually revealed and cognized.

Dying

There is already a well-established tradition, when, during the censing of the rector of the church, parishioners are distracted from the service prayer, begin to move from one side to the other, riveting all their attention to the approaching priest, making noise, stand with their backs to the altar, which is unacceptable. During the censing, the parishioners should step aside and let the priest pass, after which they should quietly stand in place and return to prayer.

If the priest begins to incense people, then it is necessary to bow and return to the divine service, and not look through the eyes of the priest during all this sacred service. It may seem that this entire list is too complicated and tedious to memorize, but it can help every believer to get used to the actions of worship.

Is it possible to do earthly obeisances at the Liturgy

The Liturgy is a special service, which consists of three parts: the Proskomedia, the Liturgy of the Catechumens and the Liturgy of the Faithful. In the first two parts, obeisances are performed according to the charter of the above-described ordinary services, but we will describe the third part - the most important - in more detail. When and how are small and great obeisances performed? Let's figure out when to do prostrations at the Liturgy, and when to prostrate at the Liturgy.

The priest on the Great Procession goes to the pulpit in his hands holding the Chalice and the diskos, while the choir sings the "Cherubic Song" at this time:

A small bow during the end of the first half of the "Cherubim", at this time the priest is on the pulpit.
Stand with your head bowed during the commemoration of the priests.
Three small bows with three Hallelujahs.
A great bow throughout the day (if not on a holiday) with the exclamation of the priest "We thank the Lord."

When the Eucharistic Canon is celebrated, the Most Holy Sacrament must be observed in complete silence and the mind must be kept in mind.

A small bow is made with the exclamations "Take, eat, drink everything from Her."
A small bow in the day is performed at the end of "We sing to you" and "And we pray Yew, our God." This is a very important moment for a person who is praying.
A small bow of the day is performed after "It is worthy to eat."
Small bow at the words "And everyone, and everyone."
A small bow every day at the beginning of the nationwide prayer "Our Father".
A great bow (if not a holiday) at the exclamation of the priest "Holy to saints."
A small bow on the day of the gifts endured before the sacrament with the words "With the fear of God and faith, approach."
Bow down to the ground and fold your hands crosswise on your chest after the priest's prayer before communion. (Do not be baptized before the cup and do not bow, so as not to knock it over).
Participants do not need to bow down to the ground until evening. Bow bow for the sacraments at the appearance of the Holy Gifts with the exclamation "Always, now and forever."
The head bows when the prayer outside the ambo sounds, and the priest, finishing the liturgy, leaves the altar and stands in front of the pulpit.

Many believers are interested in the question of whether it is possible to do prostrations after the sacrament. The priests warn that it is not necessary to kneel after it is done for the sake of the shrine, which is inside the person who took the Holy Communion, and so that he does not accidentally vomit.

Conclusion

I would very much like believers to understand that bows seem to be not the main thing in the life of an Orthodox Christian, but they help to strengthen faith, to enlighten the heart, to tune in the correct spiritual mood and understanding of the whole meaning of the service, being a participant in it. By starting small, you can achieve more. It was not out of idleness that the Statutes were created. Perhaps now it has become at least a little clear what an earthly bow is. How to do it and when - is also described above quite clearly and in detail. But in order to better understand all these rules, you need to go to church more often.

Religious Reading: Prayer with an earthly bow to help our readers.

Information site about icons, prayers, Orthodox traditions.

How to bow to the ground in Orthodoxy

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In Orthodoxy, there are a large number of specific ceremonies, sacraments and rituals, the implementation of which carries a certain meaning. Among these, bows are distinguished. They carry some symbolic meaning and convey a certain message from the believer to God. There are certain rules for how to bow to the ground in Orthodoxy, as well as the appropriateness of its implementation. Knowing the intricacies of performing certain actions, we will always feel confident and avoid unpleasant situations.

What is bow, varieties

A bow is a symbolic act that is characterized by tilting the body and head, which show humility and submission before the Lord. There are several types of bows:

Great or earthly. With them, the worshiper kneels down and touches the ground with his head.
Small or waist. When performing it, only the head and body are tilted.

The custom of bowing has come to us since ancient biblical times.

There are certain cases where bows are not required. Many also confuse concepts such as bowing and the non-Orthodox practice of kneeling.

When we bow down to earth, we show our humility and reverence for the Creator of the universe. After bowing, we stand up, thereby showing that the Lord has given us everything we need to be saved.

When you can't do prostrations

You cannot do great obeisances:

in the days from Christmas to Epiphany,
on Sundays,
on the days of great holidays,
from Easter to Pentecost,
on the holiday of the Transfiguration,
it is forbidden for the communicants on the day of the first communion and subsequent ones.

There is also such a view as the great fast obeisances. These are called threefold prostrations to the earth, which are accompanied by the imposition of the Orthodox sign of the cross and the reading of the prayer of St. Ephraim the Syrian, which is divided into three verses.

How to bow down properly

The priests say that the Church Rule speaks of unhurried, timely, orderly, unhurried and earnest fulfillment. Bows and knees should be performed after each repeated petition of litany or prayer. Do not do this while reading or singing. It is also not allowed to bow with the sign of the cross.

What is the right way to bow down? Before committing, you must impose the sign of the cross on yourself. After that, kneel down and bow with your hands and head touching the floor. Before you venerate the icon or crucifix, you must cross yourself twice again, bow, venerate, and then cross again and bow.

When can you do

It has already been said about when it is not necessary to bow, but many people do not know when it is necessary to do it. Even if, out of ignorance, you bow to the ground during the holiday, this will not be considered a mistake. Many clergymen also say that it is often necessary to look also at the traditions of the temple that you are visiting. It happens that there are certain local traditions.

Bowing to the ground on Sunday causes a lot of controversy. First of all, this consists in the fact that according to the Church Charter it is forbidden to bow down to the ground on Sundays and holidays. But many liturgists say that it is always necessary to bow down before the throne, regardless of the day of the week or holiday. In addition, there is a certain practice when prostrations to the ground are replaced by waist bows.

There is such a thing as Liturgy. Even John of Kronstadt spoke about bowing to the ground during the Liturgy. He said that obeisances must be performed regardless of the time of the Liturgy. It is worth doing three bows during it:

At the entrance to the throne.
In the position of the Gifts.
Just before communion.

But again, if you do not know when to bow to the ground at the Liturgy, you can consult with the clergy or simply observe their behavior. Since it is quite difficult to comprehend all the subtleties of performing all the rituals and ceremonies, you should not hesitate to ask for help, as well as consult with knowledgeable people. This will allow you to avoid unpleasant and awkward situations in the temple.

Remember that any action should not be done out of necessity or under duress. All actions should come from a pure heart and only with good intentions. After all, our appeal to the Lord will be heard and gifted with grace only if we have pure thoughts and sincere faith.

It all depends only on you, because with what desires we come to God, we will receive in return. It is necessary not only to ask, but also to thank. Prayers of thanksgiving are best suited for this. And be very careful that the proverb “Make the fool pray, he will break his forehead” could not be applied to you.

Prayer with an earthly bow

For the sign of the cross, we fold the fingers of our right hand like this: put the first three fingers (thumb, index and middle) together with their ends exactly, and bend the last two (ring and little fingers) to the palm.

The first three fingers folded together express our faith in God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit as a consubstantial and indivisible Trinity, and two fingers bent to the palm mean that the Son of God after His incarnation, being God, became a man, that is, they mean His two natures are Divine and Human.

It is necessary to overshadow oneself with the sign of the cross without haste: put it on the forehead, on the stomach, on the right shoulder and then on the left. And only lowering the right hand, bowing in order to involuntarily prevent blasphemy, breaking the cross put on oneself.

About those who signify themselves with all fives, or bow before having finished the cross, or wave their hand in the air or across their chest, St. John Chrysostom said: "The demons rejoice at this frantic waving." On the contrary, the sign of the cross, performed correctly and slowly, with faith and reverence, frightens demons, calms sinful passions and attracts divine grace.

In the temple, you must observe the following rules regarding bows and the sign of the cross.

Be baptized no bows follows:

Optinskoe in the courtyard in St. Petersburg

About bows and the sign of the cross

Bows when praying, they are the external expression of the feelings of a repentant person. Bows help the person praying to tune in to prayer, they awaken the spirit of repentance, humility, spiritual contrition, self-reproach and obedience to the will of God, as good and perfect.

Bows are earthly when the worshiper kneels down and touches the ground with his head, and waist, bend over so that the head is at waist level.

Archbishop Averky (Taushev) writes about the types of bows:

“The Charter and primordial customs of our Eastern Orthodox Church do not know at all such 'kneeling' as they are now practiced in most cases in our country, but only bows, great and small, or otherwise - earthly and waist. Bowing to the ground is not kneeling with your head up, but “prostrating yourself” with your head touching the ground. Such obeisances to the ground are completely abolished by the canonical rules of our Holy Orthodox Church on Sundays, Lord's holidays, in the period between the Nativity of Christ and Epiphany and from the feast of Easter to Pentecost, and upon entering the temple and applying to the shrines, they are also abolished on all other holidays. when there is an all-night vigil, polyeleos, or at least one great doxology at Matins, on the days of the forefeast, and are replaced by belt ones.

Bowing to the ground during the Divine Liturgy, when they are allowed according to the ustav, are laid down: at the end of the singing "We sing to you" (at the moment of the transubstantiation of the Holy Gifts), at the end of the singing "It is worthy to eat", at the very beginning of the singing of "Our Father", during the appearance of St. Gifts with the exclamation “With the fear of God and with faith, approach” and during the second appearance of the Holy Gifts before they were carried to the altar with the exclamation “Always, now and forever, and forever and ever”.

There is also the custom (which is not accepted by everyone) to bow down to the ground at the beginning of the Eucharistic canon - immediately upon the exclamation “We thank the Lord” and upon the exclamation “Holy of Holies”.

Any other obeisances, and even more so unusual for the spirit of Holy Orthodoxy, kneeling during the Divine Liturgy is an arbitrariness that has no basis for itself in the tradition and sacred ordinances of our holy Church. "

Church service is performed with many great and small bows. Bows should be performed with inner reverence and with outer grace, slowly and without haste, and, if you are in church, at the same time as other worshipers. Before making a bow, you need to overshadow yourself with the sign of the cross, and then make a bow.

Bows in the temple should be performed then, when it is indicated by the Church Ordinance... Unauthorized and untimely obeisances in the temple expose our spiritual inexperience, hinder those who are praying near us, and serve our vanity. On the contrary, the bows we have done according to the rules wisely established by the Church, inspire our prayer.

Saint Philaret, Metropolitan of Moscow, on this occasion says:

“If standing in church, you do bows when the Church Rule orders it, then you try to restrain yourself from bowing when this is not prescribed by the Rule, so as not to attract the attention of those who are praying, or you restrain sighs that are ready to be rocked out of your heart, or tears , ready to pour out of your eyes, - in such an arrangement, and in the midst of a large gathering, you secretly stand before Your Heavenly Father, Who is in secret, fulfilling the commandment of the Savior (Matthew 6, 6) ”.

The Charter of the Church does not allow prostrations to earth on Sundays, on the days of the great Twelve Great Feasts, from the Nativity of Christ to Baptism, from Easter to Pentecost.

Archbishop Averky (Taushev) writes that Christians should observe the Rules of the Holy Church:

“Unfortunately, in our time, really few people know about the church rules regarding kneeling, as well as that on Sundays (as well as on the days of the great Lord's feasts and throughout Pentecost - from the feast of St. Easter to the day Holy Trinity) - kneeling is canceled. A whole series of canonical rules speaks of this abolition of kneeling. "

So Canon 20 of the First Ecumenical Council reads:

"There are still some who kneel down on the Lord's day (ie, the resurrection), and in the days of Pentecost, so that in all dioceses everything is the same, it will be pleasing to the Holy Council, and standing up to offer prayers to God."

Sixth Ecumenical Council in its 90th canon found it necessary to once again resolutely reaffirm this prohibition to kneel on Sundays, and he substantiated this prohibition by the fact that it is required by the “honor of the resurrection of Christ,” that is, that bows, as an expression of a feeling of repentant sorrow, are incompatible with a festive celebration in honor of such a joyful event as the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ from the dead. This is the rule:

“From the God-bearing our Father is canonically devoted to us, do not kneel on Sundays, for the honor of the Resurrection of Christ. Therefore, let us not be in the dark as to how to observe this, we will clearly show the faithful, as if on Saturday, at the evening entry of the clergy into the altar, according to the accepted custom, no one kneels until the next Sunday night, in which, upon entering the lamp time, kneeling down on our knees, in this way we offer prayers to the Lord. For on Saturday night we received the forerunner of the Resurrection of our Savior, from now on we spiritually begin songs, and we bring the holiday from darkness into the light, so that from now on we celebrate the Resurrection all night and day. "

This rule is especially characteristic of the expression: "Let us not be in ignorance." Obviously, our holy God-bearing Fathers did not consider the issue of bowing or non-bowing to the knees on Sunday to be insignificant or unimportant, as many nowadays, unfortunately, think, ignoring this rule: they considered it necessary to specify a special canonical rule to indicate exactly from what moment of worship the worship is unacceptable. knees and from which it is allowed again. According to this rule, kneeling is canceled from the so-called "evening entrance" at Vespers on Saturday and until the evening entrance at Vespers on Sunday. That is why there is nothing surprising in the fact that at Vespers on the first day of the Holy Trinity, although it always happens on Sunday, three prayers of St. Basil the Great are recited with kneeling. These prayers are recited just after the evening entrance at Vespers, which is in full accord with the requirement of the above 90th Canon of the VI Ecumenical Council.

Saint Peter, Archbishop of Alexandria and the martyr who suffered for Christ in the year 311 (whose rules are included in the generally binding church canon for all believers and are contained in the Book of Rules, along with other rules of the Holy Fathers) in his 15th canon, explaining why Christians fast on Wednesday and heels, says:

"We are spending Sunday afternoon, like a day of joy, for the sake of the Risen One: on this day we have not accepted the knee."

Great universal teacher and Saint Basil, Archbishop of Caesarea of Cappadocia, who lived in the IV century, whose rules in the number of 92 are also included in the "Book of Rules" and have always enjoyed special authority and respect, in 91st rule, borrowed from the 27th chapter of his book about the Holy Spirit, "To Amphilechius", very deeply and, one might say, exhaustively explains the entire meaning of the abolition of kneeling on the days when we celebrate the resurrection of Christ. Here is his fully instructive explanation of this ancient church custom:

“Standing prayers we do in one from Saturdays (that is, on Sunday), but we do not all know the reason for this. For it is not only, as if we have resurrected Christ and should seek the heavenly, standing during prayer, on the day of resurrection, we remind ourselves of the grace given to us, but also because we do this, as if this day seems to be in some way a long-awaited age. Why is it like the beginning of days, and Moses called him not the first, but the only one. And byst, speaks, the evening, and byst the morning, the day is one (Gen. 1, 5): as if the same day would revolve many times. And so the one, which is kupno and osmiy, means this essentially single and true eighth day, which the Psalmist also mentions in some writings of the psalms, will designate a future state for this century, an endless day, never-ending, endless, endless, this and ageless age ... So, the Church thoroughly teaches her pets to pray in standing on that day, so that, with frequent reminders of endless life, we do not neglect the parting words to this end. But all of Pentecost is also a reminder of the Resurrection expected in the age to come. For the one and first day, being sevenfold usadimented, is the seventh weeks of Holy Pentecost. Pentecost, beginning on the first day of the week, ends with it. Turning fifty times through such intermediate days, with this likeness imitates the century, as if in a circular motion, starting from the same signs, and ending with the same ones. Church statutes teach us to prefer in these days an upright position of the body during prayer, a clear reminder, as it were, transferring our thought from the present to the future. With every kneeling and standing up, we show by action both that, as if by sin we fell to the earth, and that, as if by the philanthropy of the One who created us, the packs are called to heaven. But I will not have enough time to tell about the unwritten sacraments of the Church. "

When applying to the Holy Gospel, the Cross, venerable relics and icons, one should approach in the proper order, slowly and without crowding, make two bows before kissing and one after kissing the holy object, bows should be made every day - earthly or deep waist, touching the ground with your hand. Applying to the icons of the Savior, we kiss the foot, and with the half-length image - the hand, or the robe, to the icons of the Mother of God and the saints - the hand or robe; to the icon of the Savior not made by hands and to the icon of the Beheading of St. John the Baptist - we kiss the hair.

Several sacred persons can be depicted on the icon, but with a gathering of worshipers, kissing the icon is supposed to once so as not to detain others and thus not to violate the deanery in the temple. Before the image of the Savior, you can say the Jesus Prayer to yourself: "Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner (sinner)", or: "Without the number of those who have sinned, Lord, have mercy on me."

Before the icon of the Most Holy Theotokos, you can say the following prayer: "Holy Mother of God, save us"... A prayer is read before the Honest Life-giving Cross of Christ "We worship Thy Cross, O Lord, and we glorify Thy Holy Resurrection" followed by a bow.

Optina Hermitage in St. Petersburg Russian Orthodox Church. Official site.

199034, St. Petersburg, Vasilievsky Island,

Bowing down how to do it right in Orthodoxy? When to prostrate at the liturgy? When is it forbidden to bow down? Is it possible to bow down to earth after the sacrament?

Bowing down - how to do it?

When bowing to the ground, you need to fall on your knees and touch the floor with your forehead. When bowing at the waist, the head is tilted down so that the fingers touch the floor. So Solomon prayed at the consecration of the Temple of the Lord, Daniel, when he was in captivity in Babylon, and other righteous people of the Old Testament. This custom was sanctified by Christ Himself and entered into the practice of the Holy Church of Christ.

Kneeling

The experience of Bishop Afanasy Sakharov

It is not always possible to find the correct answer to how to bow down to earth in Orthodoxy. But let's try to turn to the well-known zealot of the Church Rite - Confessor Afanasy (Sakharov).

In the period of Easter and before Trinity, as well as from Christmas to Baptism, prostration is also not due. Canon 90 of the 6th Ecumenical Council says that on Sundays one should not kneel for the honor of Christ's Resurrection. But small bows must be done at certain moments in accordance with the meaning of the prayers.

Bows and bows to the ground

So, at any service it is necessary:

Church charter

Bows at services (Vespers, Matins, All-night Vigil):

Special bowing rules

Is it possible to do earthly obeisances at the Liturgy

The priest on the Great Procession goes to the pulpit in his hands holding the Chalice and the diskos, while the choir sings the "Cherubic Song" at this time:

A small bow during the end of the first half of the "Cherubim", at this time the priest is on the pulpit.
Stand with your head bowed during the commemoration of the priests.
Three small bows with three Hallelujahs.
A great bow throughout the day (if not on a holiday) with the exclamation of the priest "We thank the Lord."

When the Eucharistic Canon is celebrated, the Most Holy Sacrament must be observed in complete silence and the mind must be kept in mind.

A small bow is made with the exclamations "Take, eat, drink everything from Her."
A small bow in the day is performed at the end of "We sing to you" and "And we pray Yew, our God." This is a very important moment for a person who is praying.
A small bow of the day is performed after "It is worthy to eat."
Small bow at the words "And everyone, and everyone."
A small bow every day at the beginning of the nationwide prayer "Our Father".
A great bow (if not a holiday) at the exclamation of the priest "Holy to saints."
A small bow on the day of the gifts endured before the sacrament with the words "With the fear of God and faith, approach."
Bow down to the ground and fold your hands crosswise on your chest after the priest's prayer before communion. (Do not be baptized before the cup and do not bow, so as not to knock it over).
Participants do not need to bow down to the ground until evening. Bow bow for the sacraments at the appearance of the Holy Gifts with the exclamation "Always, now and forever."
The head bows when the prayer outside the ambo sounds, and the priest, finishing the liturgy, leaves the altar and stands in front of the pulpit.

Many believers are interested in the question of whether it is possible to do prostrations after the sacrament. The priests warn that it is not necessary to kneel after the sacrament, this is done for the sake of the shrine, which is inside the person who took the Holy Communion, and so that he does not accidentally vomit.

Conclusion

I would very much like believers to understand that bows seem to be not the main thing in the life of an Orthodox Christian, but they help to strengthen faith, to enlighten the heart, to tune in the correct spiritual mood and understanding of the whole meaning of the service, being a participant in it. By starting small, you can achieve more. It was not out of idleness that the Holy Fathers created the Statutes. Perhaps now it has become at least a little clear what an earthly bow is. How to do it and when - is also described above quite clearly and in detail. But in order to better understand all these rules, you need to go to church more often.

Bows are earthly when the worshiper kneels down and touches the ground with his head, and waist, bend over so that the head is at waist level.

Archbishop Averky (Taushev) writes about the types of bows:

“The Charter and primordial customs of our Eastern Orthodox Church do not know at all such 'kneeling' as they are now practiced in most cases in our country, but only bows, great and small, or otherwise - earthly and waist. Bowing to the ground is not kneeling with your head up, but “prostrating yourself” with your head touching the ground. Such obeisances to the ground are completely abolished by the canonical rules of our Holy Orthodox Church on Sundays, Lord's holidays, in the period between the Nativity of Christ and Epiphany and from the feast of Easter to Pentecost, and upon entering the temple and applying to the shrines, they are also abolished on all other holidays. when there is an all-night vigil, polyeleos, or at least one great doxology at Matins, on the days of the forefeast, and are replaced by belt ones.

Bowing to the ground during the Divine Liturgy, when they are allowed according to the ustav, are laid down: at the end of the singing "We sing to you" (at the moment of the transubstantiation of the Holy Gifts), at the end of the singing "It is worthy to eat", at the very beginning of the singing of "Our Father", during the appearance of St. Gifts with the exclamation “With the fear of God and with faith, approach” and during the second appearance of the Holy Gifts before they were carried to the altar with the exclamation “Always, now and forever, and forever and ever”.

There is also a custom (which is not accepted by everyone) to bow down to the ground at the beginning of the Eucharistic canon - immediately upon the exclamation “We thank the Lord” and upon the exclamation “Holy of Holies”.

Any other obeisances, and even more so unusual for the spirit of Holy Orthodoxy, kneeling during the Divine Liturgy is an arbitrariness that has no basis for itself in the tradition and sacred ordinances of our holy Church. "

Saint Philaret, Metropolitan of Moscow, on this occasion says:

“If standing in church, you do bows when the Church Rule orders it, then you try to restrain yourself from bowing when this is not prescribed by the Rule, so as not to attract the attention of those who are praying, or you restrain sighs that are ready to be rocked out of your heart, or tears , ready to pour out of your eyes, - in such an arrangement, and among a large gathering, you secretly stand before Your Heavenly Father, Who is in secret, fulfilling the commandment of the Savior (Matthew 6, 6). "

The Charter of the Church does not allow prostrations to earth on Sundays, on the days of the great Twelve Great Feasts, from the Nativity of Christ to Baptism, from Easter to Pentecost.

Archbishop Averky (Taushev) writes that Christians should observe the Rules of the Holy Church:

“Unfortunately, in our time, really few people know about the church rules regarding kneeling, as well as that on Sundays (as well as on the days of the great Lord's feasts and throughout Pentecost - from the feast of St. Easter to the day Holy Trinity) - kneeling is canceled. A whole series of canonical rules speaks of this abolition of kneeling. "

So Canon 20 of the First Ecumenical Council reads:

"There are still some who kneel down on the Lord's day (ie, the resurrection), and in the days of Pentecost, so that in all dioceses everything is the same, it will be pleasing to the Holy Council, and standing up to offer prayers to God."

“From the God-bearing our Father is canonically devoted to us, do not kneel on Sundays, for the honor of the Resurrection of Christ. Therefore, let us not be in the dark as to how to observe this, we will clearly show the faithful, as if on Saturday, at the evening entry of the clergy into the altar, according to the accepted custom, no one kneels until the next Sunday night, in which, upon entering the lamp time, kneeling down on our knees, in this way we offer prayers to the Lord. For on Saturday night we received the forerunner of the Resurrection of our Savior, from now on we spiritually begin songs, and we bring the holiday from darkness into the light, so that from now on we celebrate the Resurrection all night and day. "

"We are spending Sunday afternoon, like a day of joy, for the sake of the Risen One: on this day we have not accepted the knee."

“Standing prayers we do in one from Saturdays (that is, on Sunday), but we do not all know the reason for this. For it is not only, as if we have resurrected Christ and should seek the heavenly, standing during prayer, on the day of resurrection, we remind ourselves of the grace given to us, but also because we do this, as if this day seems to be in some way a long-awaited age. Why is it like the beginning of days, and Moses called him not the first, but the only one. And byst, speaks, the evening, and byst the morning, the day is one (Gen. 1, 5): as if the same day would revolve many times. And so the one, which is kupno and osmiy, means this essentially single and true eighth day, which the Psalmist also mentions in some writings of the psalms, will designate a future state for this century, an endless day, never-ending, endless, endless, this and ageless age ... So, the Church thoroughly teaches her pets to pray in standing on that day, so that, with frequent reminders of endless life, we do not neglect the parting words to this end. But all of Pentecost is also a reminder of the Resurrection expected in the age to come. For the one and first day, being sevenfold usadimented, is the seventh weeks of Holy Pentecost. Pentecost, beginning on the first day of the week, ends with it. Turning fifty times through such intermediate days, with this likeness imitates the century, as if in a circular motion, starting from the same signs, and ending with the same ones. Church statutes teach us to prefer in these days an upright position of the body during prayer, a clear reminder, as it were, transferring our thought from the present to the future. With every kneeling and standing up, we show by action both that, as if by sin we fell to the earth, and that, as if by the philanthropy of the One who created us, the packs are called to heaven. But I will not have enough time to tell about the unwritten sacraments of the Church. "

When applied to the Holy Gospel, the Cross, venerable relics and icons one should approach in proper order, without haste and without crowding, put two bows before kissing and one after kissing the shrine, bows should be made every day - earthly or deep waist, touching the ground with your hand. Applying to the icons of the Savior, we kiss the foot, and with the half-length image - the hand, or the robe, to the icons of the Mother of God and the saints - the hand or robe; to the icon of the Savior not made by hands and to the icon of the Beheading of St. John the Baptist - we kiss the hair.

Man is a being of a double nature: spiritual and bodily. Therefore, the Holy Church gives a person saving means, both for his soul and for his body.

Soul and body are linked to death into a single whole. Therefore, the gracious means of the Church are aimed at healing and correcting both souls and bodies. An example of this is the Sacraments. Many of them have a material substance that is sanctified by the Holy Spirit in the rite 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 the Sacrament - 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 our sins before the priest.

Let us also recall the dogma of the Universal Resurrection. After all, each of us will rise bodily and appear in conjunction with the soul at the judgment of God.

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

Here it is not out of place 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 bridle, so that they obey you."
Indeed, often our body is just like a horse and a foolish mule, which must be bridled with a bridle of prayer, Sacraments, bows, 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 its fat."

We see that the holy prophet and King David to the point of exhaustion made prostrations to the ground in order to be cleansed from sins and fasts with a fast that is pleasing and pleasing to God.

Our Lord Jesus Christ also prayed on his knees: "And he himself departed from them to cast a stone, and kneeling down, prayed ..." (Luke 22:41).

And if God did this, then should we refuse to bow down to the ground?

Moreover, quite often in the Holy Scriptures, the prophets and the Savior called people proud and disgusted with God rigid-footed (translated from the Church Slavonic language - with stiff necks, unable to worship God).

Quite often you notice this in the temple. A believer comes to the church: he bought candles, made the sign of the cross, bowed before the holy icons, reverently took the priest's blessing. A person of little faith enters the church: he is ashamed not only to cross himself, but even to bend his head a little towards the icon or crucifix. Because I’m not used to bowing my “I” to anyone, even God. This is what the cruelty is about.

Therefore, dear brothers and sisters, let us hasten to bow down to earth. 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 bowing down is. The destruction of the personal tower of Babel, the realization of one's own sin and the fact that without the Lord one cannot rise. And, of course, our Heavenly Father will hasten to meet us in order to restore us and accept us in his love. Only for this you need to cast aside your "ego", self-conceit and vanity and understand that without God you cannot even take a step right. 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 will not have enough strength to rise on your own, that another minute and death, then your feet will bow before the Almighty and beg Him not to leave you.

This is what bowing down is. Ideally, this is the prayer of the publican, the prayer of the prodigal son. Pride prevents you from bowing to the ground. It can only be done by a humble person.

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. Worship to the face of the earth, according to the explanation of the fathers, depicts our fall, and an 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 an immoderate feat of kneeling. Better less, but better quality. Let us remember that bowing to the ground is not an end in itself. He is a means for gaining lost communion with God and the grace-filled gifts of the Holy Spirit. Bowing down is a prayer of repentance that should not be offered carelessly, inattentively, and in a hurry. Get up, cross yourself correctly and slowly. Get on your knees, put your palms in front of you and touch your forehead to the floor, then get up off your knees and straighten up to your full height. This will be a real bow to the ground. During its performance, you need to read to yourself some kind of short prayer, for example, Jesus' prayer or "Lord have mercy." You can also turn to the Most Holy Theotokos and the saints.

In Great Lent, according to the established tradition, three prostrations are made after entering the temple in front of Calvary: that is, they made two prostrations, kissed the Crucifixion and made another one. So it is when leaving the temple. During the evening service or Liturgy, prostrations to earth are also appropriate. At matins, for example, when singing "The Most Honest Cherub and the Most Glorious without Comparison Seraphim ..." after the eighth canon of the canon. At the Liturgy - after singing "We sing to you, we bless you ...", because at this time the culmination of the divine service takes place in the altar - the transubstantiation of the Holy Gifts. You can also kneel down and while the priest comes out with the Chalice with the words "With the fear of God" to commune the people. On Great Lent, kneeling is also done at the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts in certain places, indicated by the ringing of the bell, during the verse by the priest of the prayer of the Monk Ephraim the Syrian, in some other places of the services of the Holy Forty-days.

Proceedings are not made on Sundays, on the twelveth feast days, 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 by the I and VI Ecumenical Councils, since on these holy days there is a reconciliation between God and man, when a man is no longer a slave, but a son.

For the rest of the time, dear brothers and sisters, we will not be lazy to do earthly obeisances, voluntarily plunging ourselves into the abyss of repentance by bowing and falling into the abyss of repentance, in which the merciful God will certainly stretch out His fatherly right hand to us and resurrect us with unspeakable love, sinners, for this and future life.

Priest Andrey Chizhenko
Orthodox Life

Viewed (2418) times

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

Prayer of the body is the posture and movement that accompanies 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 the Body's Involvement in Prayer

For correct prayer the posture in which they pray is important... Not because God will punish for inaccuracy, but because position of the body affects the state of mind, determines the emotional state.

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

Labor in prayer

Prayer is not without labor for the body. By forcing the body to make efforts (to stand, bow, kneel), the Christian restrains his flesh and does not give freedom to passions.

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

Ascent to God is impossible without bodily fatigue!

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

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

How to read prayers at home - standing or sitting?

In the Russian Orthodox Church, prayers both in the temple and at home it is customary to read while standing... If it is difficult to stand (for example, with severe fatigue or illness), then sitting prayer 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.

Standing prayer

During prayer, you need to remember that you are standing before God. Frivolity is inappropriate in this situation. You need to stand in prayer

straight,
reverently,
without shifting from foot to foot,
without making fussy movements.

During divine services in the temple, at some times it is allowed to sit. This is possible while reading kathisma (passages from the Psalter) and paremias (passages from the Old Testament) at the evening service.

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

However, at the service everyone needs to stand during

reading the gospel
in the interval between the singing of the Creed and "Our Father"
during the exclamations of the priest "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.

On your knees at home you can pray at any time,

except Sunday and the period from Easter to Pentecost.

You cannot kneel down on the day after Holy Communion.

The person who has tasted is sanctified, he should not perform 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 the service, only

on the feast of Pentecost,
at the 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.

The rest of the time, at church services, prostrations can be performed.

No kneeling at the Liturgy In Orthodox churches in Belarus, Ukraine and Lithuania, under the influence of the Catholic Church, a local tradition arose to perform kneeling prayers. In fact, these are prostrations to the ground, for the fulfillment of which believers kneel.

Bows while praying. What does it mean to bow down to the ground in Orthodoxy?

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

Usually, a bow is performed after the sign of the cross when pronouncing especially significant, important words of the prayer.

The prayer book always indicates when to bow.

What is the right way to bow to the ground?

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

In the Orthodox Church, bows to earth must be done by applying to the shrines (icons, relics, sacred relics):

two bows to the ground before applying and
one bow to the ground after attachment.

Some days the church cancels obeisances to the ground because they do not correspond to the meaning of the revered event. In these cases, bows to the ground are replaced by belt.

These are Sundays and polyeleos, and prostrations are especially strictly prohibited between Easter and the Day of the Holy Spirit (Monday after Pentecost).

During the Sunday Liturgy in Orthodoxy, prostrations to earth, according to the rule of Basil the Great, should not be done. Sometimes this rule is violated, and with the exclamation of the chorus "One is Holy, One is Lord Jesus Christ ..." one bow is made.

What is the correct way to do a bow bow?

The waist bow is bow to the belt when the believer seeks reach the floor with your hand without bending your knees.

Usually done right away after the sign of the cross
Waist bow must be performed 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 services priests use a gesture of blessing.

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

In the Church, since apostolic times, it has been customary to sign the sign of the cross, or, as they say, be baptized.

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

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

How to make the sign of the cross?

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

First fold fingers:

the thumb, forefinger and middle finger are folded together,
the ring and little fingers remain bent.

Folded this way fingers need to touch

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

Thereafter should follow a head tilt or bow.

You can't bow before you finish the sign of the cross.

Fingers: two-fingered and three-fingered in Orthodoxy

For the sign of the cross three fingers are used in modern Orthodoxy.

For this gesture

put the thumb, index and middle fingers of the right hand together,
the little finger and the ring finger are pressed to the palm.

Folded three fingers symbolize the Holy Trinity-, the nameless and the little finger remind of the double 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 forefinger and middle finger extended, while the thumb, ring and little fingers were folded together.

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

After the reforms of Patriarch Nikon, three fingers began to be used in Orthodoxy. Because of this, the Old Believers split. It was only in the 19th century that the Church again allowed people to be baptized with two fingers and use other elements of the old rite, and some Old Believers were able to reunite with the Church. Their communities are called co-religion.

Nominative sign

There is one more prayer gesture - the word-word sign.

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

Nominative sign means the initials of the name of the Lord our Jesus Christ ICXC:

the index finger is extended,
the middle is slightly bent, forming the letter C,
thumb and ring fingers crossed with the letter X,
the little finger is also bent into a C shape.

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