It is known that from Easter to Trinity prostrations are not committed, but if we see a person on his knees, praying with tears, is it possible to reprimand him? What do you think?
First of all, I will answer your kind words that you would like to see me here more often. I think that the management of the Soyuz TV channel adheres to wise advice holy king Solomon. In his book, the Proverbs of Solomon, it is written: “Do not enter your neighbor’s house often, lest he become bored with you and hate you,” that is, appear infrequently. But there are other words from the wise Solomon: “... and do not go away for a long time, lest they forget you.”
Regarding your question - indeed, according to the church liturgical Rules, compiled by people who themselves believed in God, had a living faith and love for God, there are regulations. Therefore, on the great and twelve holidays (and, first of all, from Easter to Pentecost), prostrations to the ground, which are performed in the context of worship, are canceled. These are the bows that were performed in Lent, when the priest comes to the pulpit during Great Compline and says: “Most Holy Lady Theotokos, pray for us sinners,” and subsequent bows, when all those praying bow together with the priest. Just like at the prayer of St. Ephraim the Syrian: the priest comes out, proclaims - and all those praying bow in the same way.
What is prostration? This, as it is written in the Typikon, is prostration to the ground, this is a manifestation of special love, special reverence for God. And yet, the Church Charter not only does not prohibit, but even prescribes on great holidays (both on Easter and from Easter to Trinity) at the Divine Liturgy to bow to the ground during the transubstantiation of the Holy Gifts, when after the Creed the Eucharistic canon is performed and sung special chants. At this moment, on the holy throne, bread and wine, by the grace of the Holy Spirit, are transformed into the true Body and true Blood of the Lord Jesus Christ - and all those praying kneel down and bow their foreheads to the ground. Also, while the priest is pronouncing the words “Holy to Holies,” when the priest comes out of the altar with the Chalice and says: “Come with the fear of God and faith,” the worshipers who want to receive communion bow to the ground.
One of the elderly confessors and charter leaders of the Kiev Pechersk Lavra very wisely answered a similar question: “If the Living Christ appears before you on Easter, what will you do? Will you fall prostrate at His feet or will you simply bow politely from the waist and say: “Forgive me, Lord, I can’t do it any other way, the regulations don’t allow it”?”
I’ll give another example: during deacon and priestly ordination, when the protege is led around the throne, he bows to the ruling bishop to the ground. This happens both on Easter and in the period from Easter to Pentecost, therefore, in order to know the Church Rules, one must have spiritual education and living faith, that is, have a Christian upbringing and education. Therefore, I would not advise making comments to anyone, because when we make a comment, we must first understand what motivates us. After all, it often happens that we are driven simply by personal hostility towards a person or by prejudice. A simple analogy: for example, if neighbors live above you, for whom you have no sympathy, good, kind feelings, then absolutely everything about them irritates you: knocking, noise, footsteps, children’s crying, and children’s laughter... Because there is already prejudice towards them. It’s the same thing, if we have a prejudice towards someone and we see that this person has knelt down, we are ready to tear him to pieces; if he stands on his feet - it’s also bad, if he crosses himself - it’s bad, if he entered the temple - it’s bad, if he leaves - it’s also bad. That is, we need to understand what motivates us.
I know of a case when one elderly gentleman pestered women that they incorrectly wrote “fertile” in notes about pregnant women, and he said that they shouldn’t write like that, it’s wrong and uncanonical. Many of these young mothers have already given birth safely, baptized their children, and went to church, but are forced to go to another church so as not to meet this elderly gentleman, who has such jealousy, and maybe some kind of complex - who knows, only the Lord knows, what motivates him, but personal hostility is always seen. Therefore, I would advise you, when we are standing in church, it is better to take care of yourself, look at the icons and in your heart during the service read the Jesus Prayer or “God, be merciful to me a sinner.”
priest Dimitri Bezhenar
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 there is 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 concern for 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 bridle and bit so that they obey you.”
After all, our body is often just like a horse and a senseless mule, which needs to 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 its fatness.”
We see that the holy prophet and king David, to the point of exhaustion, bowed to the ground in order to be cleansed of sins and fast with a fast that was 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 the Holy Scriptures the prophets and the Savior called people who are proud and turn away from God stiff-necked (translated from Church Slavonic language- 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. 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 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: “The Lord knelt down during His prayer - and you should not neglect kneeling if you have enough strength to perform them. By worshiping to the face of the earth, according to the explanation of the fathers, our fall is depicted, and by rising 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 do 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 some short prayer to yourself, for example, the Jesus prayer or “Lord have mercy.” You can also turn to the Blessed Virgin Mary and the saints.
During Lent, according to the 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 verse reading by the priest of the prayer of St. Ephraim the Syrian, in some other places of 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 prohibited by the holy apostles, as well as by the 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.
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 the future life.
Priest Andrey Chizhenko
Bows during prayer they are an external expression of the feelings of a repentant person. Bows help the worshiper to tune in to prayer; they awaken the spirit of repentance, humility, spiritual contrition, self-reproach and submission to the will of God as good and perfect.
There are bows earthly when the worshiper kneels and touches his head to the ground, and waist, bend down 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 they generally do not know such “kneeling” as they are now practiced in most cases among us, but only bows, great and small, or in other words, bows to the ground and waist. Prostration is not kneeling with your head raised up, but “falling on your face” with your head touching the ground. Such bows to the ground are completely abolished by the canonical rules of our Holy Orthodox Church on Sundays, the Lord's holidays, in the period between the Nativity of Christ and the Epiphany and from Easter to Pentecost, and when entering the temple and applying to shrines, they are also canceled 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 forefeasts and are replaced by belt ones.
Prostrations to the ground during the Divine Liturgy, when they are allowed according to the rules, are required: 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 “Our Father”, during the appearance of the Holy . Gifts with the exclamation “Come with the fear of God and faith” and during the second appearance of the Holy Gifts before taking them to the altar with the exclamation “Always, now and ever and unto ages of ages.”
There is also a custom (which is not accepted by everyone) to prostrate at the beginning of the Eucharistic canon - immediately after the exclamation “We thank the Lord” and at the exclamation “Holy of Holies.”
Any other bows, and even more so kneeling during the Divine Liturgy, which is uncharacteristic of the spirit of Holy Orthodoxy, is an arbitrariness that has no basis in the tradition and sacred institutions of our holy Church.”
The church service is performed with many great and small bows. Bows should be performed with inner reverence and outer decorum, slowly and without haste, and, if you are in church, at the same time as other worshipers. Before bowing, you need to sign yourself with the sign of the cross, and then bow.
Prostrations in the temple should be performed when when it is indicated by the Church Charter. Arbitrary and untimely bows in church expose our spiritual inexperience, disturb those praying near us and serve our vanity. And on the contrary, the bows we make according to the rules wisely established by the Church give wings to our prayer.
Saint Philaret, Metropolitan of Moscow, about this he says:
“If, while standing in church, you bow when the Church Charter commands it, then you try to restrain yourself from bowing when the charter does not require it, so as not to attract the attention of those praying, or you hold back sighs that are ready to burst from your heart, or tears , ready to pour out from your eyes - in such a disposition, and among the numerous congregation, 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 require bowing to the ground on Sundays, on the days of the great twelve feasts, from the Nativity of Christ to Epiphany, from Easter to Pentecost.
Archbishop Averky (Taushev) writes that Christians should observe the Rules of the Holy Church:
“Unfortunately, in our time, few people really know about the church rules regarding kneeling, and also about the fact that on Sundays (as well as on the days of the Lord’s great feasts and throughout Pentecost - from the feast of Easter to the day Holy Trinity) - genuflections are cancelled. This abolition of genuflection speaks of a whole series church canonical rules."
So 20th rule of the First Ecumenical Council reads:
“Since there are some who kneel on the day of the Lord (i.e., the Resurrection), and on the days of Pentecost, so that in all dioceses everything will be the same, it pleases the Holy Council, and standing up they offer prayers to God.”
The Sixth Ecumenical Council in its 90th canon found it necessary to once again resolutely confirm this prohibition of kneeling on Sundays, and justified this prohibition by the fact that this is required by the “honor of the resurrection of Christ”, that is, that bowing, as an expression of the feeling of repentant grief, is incompatible with the festive celebration in honor of such joyful event like the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ from the dead. Here is the rule:
“From the God-bearing Fathers it was canonically handed down to us, do not bow your knees on Sundays, for the sake of the honor of the Resurrection of Christ. Therefore, let us not remain in the dark about how to observe this; we clearly show the faithful that on Saturday, after the evening entrance of the clergy into the altar, according to the accepted custom, no one kneels until next Sunday evening, in which, upon entering the time of light, we bow our knees and thus send up prayers to the Lord. For accepting Saturday night as the forerunner of the Resurrection of our Savior, from here we spiritually begin songs, and bring the holiday out of darkness into light, so that from now on we celebrate the Resurrection all night and day.”
This rule is especially characterized by the expression: “Let us not be ignorant.” Obviously, our holy God-bearing Fathers did not consider the issue of bending or not bending the knees on Sunday to be unimportant or unimportant, as many now, unfortunately, believe, ignoring this rule: they considered it necessary to make a special canonical rule to indicate exactly from what moment of the service bowing is unacceptable knees and from which it is resolved again. According to this rule, genuflections are abolished from the so-called “evening entrance” at Vespers on Saturday until the evening entrance at Vespers on Sunday. That is why it is not surprising that at Vespers on the first day of the Holy Trinity, although it always occurs on Sunday, three prayers of St. Basil the Great are read with kneeling. These prayers are read just after the evening entrance at Vespers, which is quite in accordance with the requirement of the above-stated 90th rule of the VI Ecumenical Council.
Saint Peter, Archbishop of Alexandria and the martyr who suffered for Christ in 311 (the rules of which 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 rule, explaining why Christians fast on Wednesday and heels, says:
“We celebrate Sunday as a day of joy, for the sake of the Risen One: on this day we did not even bend the knee.”
Great universal teacher and Saint Basil, Archbishop of Caesarea of Cappadocia, who lived in the 4th century, whose 92 rules 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 on 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 deeply edifying explanation of this ancient church custom in full:
“We pray together while standing on Saturdays (that is, on Sundays), but we don’t all know the reason for this. For not only, as we have been resurrected with Christ and must seek what is above, by standing during prayer on the day of resurrection, we remind ourselves of the grace given to us, but because we do this, as if this day seems to be some kind of image of the hoped-for age. Why, like the beginning of days, Moses called him not first, but one. And there was, he says, evening, and there was morning, one day (Gen. 1:5): as if one and the same day revolved many times. And so the one, which is collectively and osmoy, means this essentially one and true eighth day, which the Psalmist mentions in some writings of the psalms, marks the future state of this age, the day of the unceasing, non-evening, unsuccessive, endless, this and ageless age . So, the Church thoroughly teaches its pupils to perform the prayers that occur on this day while standing, so that, with the frequent reminder of endless life, we do not neglect the instructions for this repose. But all of Pentecost is a reminder of the Resurrection expected in the next century. For the one and first day, being multiplied sevenfold, constitutes the seven weeks of holy Pentecost. Pentecost, beginning with the first day of the week, ends with it. Turning fifty times through similar intermediate days, in this likeness it 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 straight position body during prayer, a clear reminder, as if moving our thoughts from the present to the future. With every kneeling and rising, we show by action both how we fell to the earth through sin, and how we were again called up to heaven through the love of the One who created us. But I don’t have enough time to talk about the unwritten Sacraments of the Church.”
When applied to the Holy Gospel, Cross, honest relics and icons you should approach in the proper order, slowly and without crowding, make two bows before kissing and one after kissing the shrine, bows should be made throughout the day - earthly or deep waist, touching the ground with your hand. When kissing the icons of the Savior, we kiss the foot, and when depicting half-length, we kiss the hand, or robe, to the icons Mother of God and saints - a hand or robe; to the icon of the Image of the Savior Not Made by Hands and to the icon of the Beheading of St. John the Baptist - we kiss the hair.
An icon may depict several sacred persons, but when there is a gathering of worshipers, the icon is supposed to be kissed once, so as not to delay others and thereby disturb the order 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”, or: “Without number of sinners, Lord, have mercy on me.”
In front of the icon Holy Mother of God You can say the following prayer: "Most Holy Mother of God, save us". A prayer is read before the Honest Life-Giving Cross of Christ “We worship Your Cross, Master, and we glorify Your Holy Resurrection” followed by a bow.
Man is a spiritual-physical creation. The position of the body in prayer affects the soul, helping to tune in to the right mood. Without labor it is impossible to achieve the Kingdom of God, to be cleansed of passions and sins. Prostration is a body that promotes humility, patience and contrition of the inner man before the Creator. Our Lord Jesus Christ himself prayed on his knees, and we certainly cannot neglect such a useful spiritual exercise. It is important to know how to bow to the ground correctly, according to the canons of the Church.
Prostrations to the ground are not permitted by the Church:
- in the period from the Resurrection of Christ to the Day of the Holy Trinity;
- from the Nativity of Christ to Epiphany (Holy Days);
- on the days of the twelve feasts;
- Sundays. But there are exceptions when prostration is blessed at the liturgy on Sunday: after the priest’s phrase “Transferred by Thy Holy Spirit” and at the moment of taking the Chalice with the Holy Mysteries of Christ from the altar to the people with the words “Come with the Fear of God and faith”;
- the day of communion until the evening service.
During all other periods, prostrations are made, but it is not possible to list these cases due to their multitude. It is important to adhere simple rule: During the service, watch the priests and repeat after them. Lenten services are especially replete with genuflections. When the special bell rings, you need to kneel down.
At home, you can bow to the ground during prayer on any day, except for periods when it is not blessed by the Church. The main thing is to observe moderation and not overdo it. The quality of bows is more important than their quantity. Also in Orthodox practice it is unacceptable to pray while kneeling for a long time; this is practiced in the Catholic Church.
Saint Ignatius (Brianchaninov) wrote about prostrations to the ground: “The Lord fell to his knees during His prayer - and you should not neglect kneeling if you have enough strength to perform them. By worshiping to the face of the earth, according to the explanation of the fathers, our fall is depicted, and by uprising from the earth is our redemption."
Earthly work must be done slowly, with attention and concentration. Stand up straight, reverently cross yourself, kneel down with your palms in front, and touch your forehead to the floor. Then stand up straight from your knees and repeat if necessary. It is customary to bow with short prayer, for example with Jesus, “have mercy” or in your own words. You can also send a word to the Queen of Heaven or the Saints.
It is important to understand that prostration is not an end in itself, but a tool for finding lost communion with God and the beneficial gifts of the Holy Spirit. Therefore, the answer to the question “How to bow to the ground?” will consist in the correct repentant disposition of the heart, filled with the Fear of God, faith, and hope for the ineffable mercy of the Lord towards us sinners.
Rules of the Ecumenical Councils It is forbidden to bow to the ground on Sundays, from Maundy Thursday to Pentecost, during the Christmastide period and on great holidays.
The ban on bowing to the ground on Sunday arose within the framework of a completely different ritual practice than is accepted now, and therefore it is not applicable to the current situation. In the early Church there were fewer litanies and they united, so to speak, our modern several litanies and some of the litanies were read in a kneeling state. During the period of Pentecost and on Sundays, kneeling at litanies was abolished. The deacon who exclaims at Pentecost Vespers: "Packs and packs BELOW THE KNEE", simply calls to begin reading the litanies again, as happens throughout the year. That is, these deacon exclamations at this Vespers are older than the famous kneeling prayers. And this ancient rule does not apply to other kneelings. In church and personal practice, kneeling prayers before Pentecost and on Sundays are prohibited, but this rule does not apply to bowing during services, prostrations before the Holy Gifts, when clergy also bow.
The question of whether to prostrate in a church on Sunday or not should be decided in peace and in accordance with the tradition of a particular church.
The bulk of errors stem from the inability to correctly read the instructions of the Charter or from its free interpretation.
The most common mistake is the widely accepted opinion that:
You are not supposed to bow to the ground in the temple:
On Sundays, on holy days (from Christmas to Epiphany), from Easter to Pentecost, on the twelve feasts. Prostrations in these cases stop from the evening entrance to the holiday until Vouchsafe, Lord... at Vespers on the very day of the holiday or its giving.
Also on days Holy Week after reading last time prayers Lord and Master of my belly prostrations stop until Pentecost
In fact, the Charter never didn't prohibit bows to the ground.
All these instructions of the Charter require detailed consideration.
These decrees are supplemented by the 10th rule of St. Nikephoros the Confessor, Patriarch of Constantinople: “On Sundays and during the entire Pentecost, no bows should be made, but you can only bend your knees, kissing St. icons" (Rules of the Orthodox Church, M., 2001, vol. II, p. 579). As we see, the holy fathers distinguish between kneeling (prayer on the knees) and bowing as a symbolic action without prayer (before the Holy Gifts, altar, icons, holy relics). The above rule of St. Nikephoros refers to one-time bows (without prayer), and the decrees of the First and Sixth Ecumenical Councils speak of praying on one’s knees. Consequently, the rules do not abolish bowing on all holidays, but only long prayer on one’s knees.
Most often they rely on the expression of the Rule of the 20th First Ecumenical Council, which reads: For some are the ones who kneel on the Day of the Lord; and on the days of Pentecost; then, so that in all dioceses everything is equally observed, it pleases the Holy Council, so that prayers are offered to God worthily. Canon VI of the Council of Constantinople 90 also speaks of not bending the knee from Saturday upon entry to Sunday upon entry for vespers. But paying attention to the words, those who kneel, for some reason, skip the words and offer prayers to God while standing. However, this is important because genuflection is not called prostration, but prolonged prayer on the knees. During the time of the Councils, this was, for example, a special litany. IN weekdays its severity, deliberateness, significance was manifested not only in the threefold repetition of Lord, have mercy!, but also in the propitiatory, repentant position of the body, namely: kneeling. Such prayer really reduced the festivity of the day.
Pointing to the expression of the Lenten Triodion (Great Wednesday evening) And abiye, the bows that take place in the church are completely practiced. In cells, even before Great Heel, they forget that according to the terminology of the book compiled in the East - the Lenten Triodion, the Church does not mean a temple, but a meeting of the entire community for prayer (in a cathedral church). Cell, on the other hand, does not mean a separate room in Russian monasteries, occupied by one person, but a small group of monks, headed by an elder or simply an older brother appointed by the monastery’s hierarchy. So here we are talking about cancellation organized bows led by a priest (in a temple) or an elder (in a cell).
Neither the Triodion nor the Typikon mention any more about Bowing. However, everyone agrees that only prostrations are performed in front of the Shroud. Consequently, the above rule does not apply to prostrations in general, but relates only to a certain group of them (organized).
Three more indirect points can be cited.
First.According to the testimony of the old inhabitants of the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra, the elders in the Lavra said: And if the Lord Jesus Christ appears to us on the Brightest Day of Easter, will we fall at his feet or, making a bow from the waist, will we say: Forgive me, Lord, but the Charter does not allow more?
Second.The Old Believers are, of course, in schism, and therefore deprived of Grace. However, in matters of compliance with ritual norms and rules, they have no equal. In the Old Believer Canon of Easter, according to the confusion of the 9th canto, the Great Bow is laid down, which implies a bow to the ground.
Third.During the ordination that occurred during the period of Pentecost, the protege, after each circle around the Throne, bows to the ground to the Bishop ordaining him. No comments needed.
Thus, a one-time prostration expressing extreme reverence and an enthusiastic or repentant state of soul cannot be prohibited by anyone, anything, ever. Once again I would like to emphasize that the requirements of the Charter must be treated very carefully and judiciously.
In addition, we can add that penance prostrations (bows assigned by the clergy to the offender or the confessor for correction) are placed even in Svetloye Christ's Resurrection- Easter.
All this was written not in order to force everyone to prostrate on Sundays, but in order to moderate the ardor of those who preach the opinion that those who prostrate during the above-mentioned periods commit the sin of almost blasphemy. (Archimandrite Spiridon (Written), charter director of the Holy Trinity Ionian Monastery of Kyiv).
We will also indicate the authoritative opinion of St. Mikhail Zheltov (member of the Inter-Council Presence of the Russian Orthodox Church, head of the Department of Liturgical Theology of St. Tikhon’s Orthodox Church humanitarian university(PSTGU), leading editor of Divine Services and Liturgics of the Central Scientific Center " Orthodox Encyclopedia» Associate Professor of the Moscow Theological Academy, member of the Synodal Biblical Theological Commission), indicating that this ban applied to kneeling litany, an echo of which are the current kneeling prayers at Trinity Vespers. On whether this prohibition should apply to bowing at the entrance to the altar and bowing at the liturgy, opinions are divided. For example, the confessor Archimandrite Spiridon (Lukich) in the “Indications and Notes on the Guide to the Liturgy” by Archimandrite (later Archbishop) Theodosius (Pogorsky), rector of the Saratov Theological Seminary in the article “Proskomedia” writes about the pre-revolutionary practice of the Ionin Monastery in Kyiv, where these bows were not canceled. Archimandrite Spiridon (+ 1991) had an excellent memory, liturgical texts, chants - he remembered everything and was one of the rare experts Orthodox worship- all his life, priests and bishops from all over the country turned to him in difficult and controversial cases; he was a one-of-a-kind expert on Lavra traditions and services during the restoration of the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra. In the current church charter, he found inaccuracies that had crept in almost since the time of Patriarch Nikon.
The Canonical Rule of Patriarch Nicephorus states that bowing to the ground to holy icons is not canceled on Sundays. The holy myrrh-bearing women, having met the risen Christ (on Resurrection Day, and not yet Easter), joyfully “took hold of His feet and worshiped Him” (Matthew 28:9). When a vision of the Heavenly Jerusalem was revealed to the seer John the Theologian, he saw how “twenty-four elders fall down before Him who sits on the throne, and worship Him who lives forever and ever” (Rev. 4:10), it would seem that in Paradise, why is there an eternal sabbath? ? The prophet Ezekiel fell on his face when he saw the glory of the Lord (2:1). Saul, on the road to Damascus, when a light from heaven shone around him, fell to the ground in trembling and horror (Acts 9:3-6). Etc.
Anyway prostrations are also performed on great holidays(this only outwardly contradicts the rule of the Council) before the Cross of the Lord on the holiday Exaltations, V Week of the Cross and on holiday Origin of the Honest Trees of the Holy Cross, and also in front of the Shroud to the Great Friday And Saturday.
The fact is that the most important, most intimate moment of the Liturgy - the Eucharist - has somehow “become impoverished” for many. Many people understand this Sacrament very superficially, while others do not understand it at all. During the Old Testament, people understood perfectly well that it was impossible for a mere mortal man to see God, impossible to approach Him, for the holiness of God would immediately incinerate an unclean person. And this is indeed so, but in order for this not to happen, the Lord prays to the “earthly man” and people are given the opportunity to see and hear the Lord: “He who has seen Me has seen the Father.” Having risen and sat down at the right hand of the Father, He did not deprive us of this opportunity, leaving us with the mystery of Communion, where we have the possibility of the impossible, where Holiness comes into contact with human uncleanness without incinerating the person himself. This is the incomprehensible, hidden SECRET through which we become involved in the Divine Essence. Divine power enters us, cleansing and transforming human weakness.
Here is how Hieromartyr Seraphim (Zvezdinsky), who suffered during the years of Soviet power, speaks about this moment:
Thus, during the singing of “We sing to Thee” at the Eucharistic canon (as a guide for parishioners - approximately during the singing of “And we pray to Thee our God”) a terrible moment occurs Translation of the Holy Gifts. “According to the teachings of the Church, from this moment on the Holy Throne it is no longer bread and wine that reclines, but the Most Pure One Body of Christ and the Most Pure Blood of Christ, and the priest prostrates himself in front of this Shrine. With what trepidation, with what reverence we should stand at this moment before the face of God Himself!<…>This moment of the Divine Liturgy is the basis of all life in the world, it is the axis of the wheel of life.<…>This moment is terrible: the whole being of a person, all his feelings, thoughts, his whole being must prostrate himself before this manifestation of the philanthropy and mercy of the Redeemer.” Let us note that St. righteous Alexy Mechev even prostrated himself before the Throne on Easter.
How is this Holy Mystery experienced in our churches? In different ways: someone really experiences the innermost, or at least tries, understanding the seriousness of what is happening, at this moment the entire human essence prostrates itself in awe, and if we do not use such an opportunity as kneeling, remembering the misunderstood tradition of not praying on our knees, will we be justified?
There may be priests who categorically prohibit genuflection, like certain lawyers and Pharisees (they also misunderstood the statutes of the Old Testament), but, of course, there is no point in stirring up the conflict. Such people should be pitied and forgiven, but it is still not worth citing and imitating this. It is necessary to seek contact and mutual understanding. Still, wonderful words were spoken by Bl. Augustine: “In the main thing there is unity, in the controversial there is freedom, in everything there is love.”
And now a simple thought about those who strain out a mosquito by swallowing an elephant. We know that Church canons have different importance, which can be easily traced by the penalties that are imposed on those who fail to comply with them. So the rules about kneeling have NO penalties AT ALL for those who do not comply with them! But there are rules that require the excommunication of those who will not strictly observe them, see: RULES OF THE HOLY APOSTLES, RULE 8:
“If a bishop or presbyter, or a deacon, or anyone from the sacred list, when making an offering, does not take communion, let him give a reason, and if he is blessed, let him be excused. If he doesn’t present it, let it be excommunicated from church communion, as having caused harm to the people and bringing suspicion upon the one who made the offering, as if he had done it incorrectly.” RULE 9: “All the faithful who enter the church and listen to the Scriptures, but do not remain in prayer and Holy Communion to the end, as they cause disorder in the church, excommunicate befits from church communion. RULES OF THE CATHEDRAL OF ANTIOCHE, RULE 2: “All who enter the church and hear scriptures, but, due to some deviation from order, those who do not participate in prayer with the people, or who turn away from the communion of the Holy Eucharist, let them be excommunicated Until then, as they confess, they will show the fruits of repentance, and will ask for forgiveness, and thus will be able to receive it.” Rules of the Sixth Ecumenical Council (Trullo), RULE 80: “If anyone, a bishop or a presbyter, or a deacon, or anyone of the clergy, or a layman, does not have any urgent need or obstacle, by which he would be permanently removed from his church , but while staying in the city, on three Sunday days over the course of three weeks does not come to a church meeting, then the cleric will be erupted from the clergy, and let the layman deleted from communication."
Therefore, if anyone wants people not to bow on Sundays and Holidays, they are wrong, but they are even more wrong when they do not receive Communion during the Liturgies, and even more so they are wrong in demanding unimportant things in the face of what is absolutely important.
