Made a bow. About bows and the sign of the cross

Church service performed with many great and small bows. The Holy Church requires bowing with inner reverence and outer decorum, without haste and “without becoming rigid” (that is, without freezing, for example, with a hand raised to the forehead), at the same time as all those praying in the church. Before bowing, you need to sign yourself with the sign of the cross, and then bow. With a small bow, one bends down so that the head is at waist level (waist bow), with a great bow, one must bend both knees and reach the ground with the head (prostration).

Prostrations in church should be performed when it is indicated by the Church Charter, and not out of one’s sinful self-will.“If, 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) (St. Philaret, Metropolitan of Moscow)

One should be baptized without bowing:

1.​ At the beginning of the six psalms with the words « Gloria…» three times and in the middle on "Alleluia" three times.

2.​ At the beginning of singing or reading "I believe".

3.​ On vacation « Christ, our true God...» .

4.​ At the beginning of reading the Holy Scriptures: the Gospel, the Apostle and proverbs.

One should be baptized with a bow from the waist:

1.​ When entering the temple and when leaving it - three times.

2.​ At each petition litany after singing « Lord have mercy", "Give, Lord", "To you, Lord."

3.​ With the exclamation of the clergyman, giving glory to the Holy Trinity.

4.​ When shouting « Take it, eat it...», « Drink everything from her...", "Yours from Yours...".

5.​ With words « The most honest Cherub...».

6.​ With each proclamation of words “let us bow down”, “worship”, “let us fall down”.

7.​ While reading or singing "Alleluia", "Holy God" And « Come, let's worship» and at the cry « Glory to Thee, Christ God» , before leaving - three times.

8.​ During the reading of the canon at Matins while invoking the Lord, Mother of God and saints.

9.​ At the end of singing or reading each stichera.

10.​ At the litia, after each of the first two petitions of the litany - three bows, after the other two - one each.

One should be baptized with a bow to the ground:

1.​ During the fast when entering the temple and when leaving it - three times.

2. During Lent at Matins after each chorus to the song to the Virgin Mary « My soul magnifies the Lord» after the words “We magnify you.”

3.​ At the liturgy at the beginning of the singing « It is worthy and righteous to eat...».

4.​ At the end of singing “I’ll eat for you...”

5.​ After “It’s worthy to eat...” or a worthy person.

6. When shouting "Holy of Holies."

7. When shouting « And vouchsafe us, Master...» before singing "Our Father ".

8.​ When carrying out the Holy Gifts, at the words « Come with the fear of God and faith» , and the second time - with the words « Always, now and forever...».

9.​ B Lent at Great Compline while singing « Holy Lady… » - on every verse; when singing « Virgin Mary, rejoice...» and so on. At Lenten Vespers three bows are made.

10.​ During Lent, when reading a prayer « Lord and Master of my life...».

11.​ In Lent during the final singing « Remember us, Lord, when you come to Your Kingdom» Three prostrations are required.

A bow from the waist without the sign of the cross is placed:

1.​ At the words of the priest "Peace to all ", " The blessing of the Lord is upon you...», « The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ...», « And may the mercies of the Great God be...».

2.​ At the words of the deacon "And forever and ever"(after the priest's exclamation « For art thou holy, our God» before the singing of the Trisagion).

Prostrations to the ground are not allowed:

- on Sundays, on the days from the Nativity of Christ to Epiphany, from Easter to Pentecost, on the Feast of the Transfiguration;

- at the words « Let us bow our heads to the Lord» or « Bow your heads to the Lord» all those praying bow their heads (without the sign of the cross), since at this time the priest secretly (that is, to himself), and at the litia, loudly (loudly) reads a prayer in which he prays for all those present who have bowed their heads. This prayer ends with an exclamation in which glory is given to the Holy Trinity.

Sign of the Cross – not just one of the religious rites; first of all, it is a great weapon: patericons, paterikons and lives of saints contain many examples that testify to the real spiritual power that the image of the Cross possesses.

Already the holy apostles, by the power of the sign of the cross, performed miracles. One day, the Apostle John the Theologian found a sick man lying by the road, suffering greatly from a fever, and healed him with the sign of the cross (Demetrius of Rostov, Saint. Life of the Holy Apostle and Evangelist John the Theologian. September 26).

St. Anthony the Great speaks about the power of the sign of the cross against demons: “Therefore, when demons come to you at night, want to announce the future or say: “We are angels,” do not listen to them - because they lie. If they praise your asceticism and please you, do not listen to them and do not get close to them at all; it is better to seal yourself and your house with a cross and pray. Then you will see that they will become invisible, because they are fearful and especially fear the sign of the cross of the Lord. For, having taken away their strength with the cross, the Savior put them to shame” (The Life of our Venerable Father Anthony, described by Saint Athanasius in his letter to monks staying in foreign countries, 35).

“Lavsaik” (a book written at the turn of the 4th-5th centuries, telling about the life of Egyptian ascetics) tells how Abba Dorotheos, having made the sign of the cross, drank water taken from a well, at the bottom of which there was an asp: “One day, Abba Dorotheos sent me, Palladius, at about nine o’clock to his well to fill the tub from which everyone took water. It was already lunch time. Arriving at the well, I saw an asp at the bottom of it, and in fear, without drawing water, I ran screaming: “We are lost, Abba, I saw an asp at the bottom of the well.” He smiled modestly, because he was very attentive to me, and, shaking his head, said: “If the devil decided to throw asps or other poisonous reptiles into all the wells and springs, would you not drink at all?” Then, coming from his cell, he himself filled the tub and, having made the sign of the cross over it, was the first to immediately drink the water and said: “Where the cross is, there the malice of Satan can do nothing.”.

Venerable Benedict of Nursia (480–543), for his strict life, was elected abbot in 510 cave monastery Vicovaro. Saint Benedict ruled the monastery with zeal. Soon, some people who did not like the monk decided to poison him. They mixed poison with wine and gave it to the abbot to drink during lunch. The saint made the sign of the cross over the cup, and the vessel, by the power of the Holy Cross, immediately broke, as if struck by a stone. Then the man of God knew that the cup was deadly, for it could not withstand Life-giving Cross"(Demetrius of Rostov, saint. Life of our Venerable Father Benedict. March 14).

Archpriest Vasily Shustin (1886–1968) remembers Elder Nektary of Optina: “Father tells me: “First shake out the samovar, then pour water, but often they forget to pour water and start to light the samovar, and as a result, the samovar is ruined and they are left without tea. The water is standing there, in the corner, in a copper jug; take it and pour it.” I went up to the jug, and it was very large, two buckets deep, and massive in itself. I tried to move it, no, I didn’t have the strength, then I wanted to bring the samovar to it and pour water. Father noticed my intention and repeated to me again: “Take a jug and pour water into the samovar.” - “But, father, it’s too heavy for me, I can’t move it.” Then the priest approached the jug, crossed it and said: “Take it,” and I picked it up and looked at the priest in surprise: the jug felt completely light to me, as if it weighed nothing. I poured water into the samovar and put the jug back with an expression of surprise on my face. And the priest asks me: “Well, is it a heavy jug?” - “No, father. I’m surprised: it’s very light.” - “So take the lesson that any obedience that seems difficult to us, when performed, is very easy, because it is done as obedience.” But I was directly amazed: how he destroyed the force of gravity with one sign of the cross!” (See: Shustin Vasily, archpriest. Record of John of Kronstadt and the Optina elders. M., 1991).

For the sign of the cross we fold the fingers of our right hand like this: we put the first three fingers (thumb, index and middle) together with their ends straight, and bend the last two (ring and little fingers) to the palm. The first three fingers placed together express our faith V 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, Jesus Christ, upon His incarnation, being God, became Man, that is, they mean His two natures - Divine and Human. You need to make the sign of the cross slowly: place it on your forehead, on your stomach, on your right shoulder and then on your left. Lowering right hand You can make a bow or bow to the ground. (Recognizing our sinfulness and unworthiness before God, we, as a sign of our humility, accompany our prayer with bows. They are waist-length, when we bend to the waist, and earthly, when, bowing and kneeling, we touch the ground with our heads). Making the sign of the cross, we touch our forehead with three fingers folded together - to sanctify our mind, to our stomach - to sanctify our inner feelings(heart), then to the right, then the left shoulders - to sanctify our bodily strength.

About those who signify themselves with all five, or bow before finishing the cross, or wave their hand in the air or across their chest, St. John Chrysostom said: “The demons rejoice at that 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.

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

For example, many clergy often face the following question: bow to the ground - how to do it? It is impossible to answer it simply and unambiguously, but it is not that complicated if you study it carefully.

Prostration - how to do it?

It must be said right away that bowing is a symbolic action that has been performed since the most ancient biblical times and expresses great respect 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 there are in general. It turns out that there are great ones - bows to the ground, and there are small ones - bows from the waist. And there is also a simple bow of the head.

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

Kneeling

The most most of 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 the uprising - his forgiveness by the great mercy of the Lord.

And again the question arises: 40 prostrations to the ground - how to do it correctly? Bows are made at any time except special days, we'll talk about them below. The rest of the time there is no need to be lazy, but it is better to voluntarily plunge yourself into prostration, 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 in better side. And if a person sincerely repents even a little, then the 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 prostrate in Orthodoxy. But let’s try to turn to the famous zealot of the Church Rule, confessor Athanasius (Sakharov).

First of all, let's figure out when you can't bow to the ground and when you can. During worship, prostrations to the ground, like bow bows in principle, are not done at will. They are made on weekdays and on fasting days of repentance. IN Sundays and, of course, on great holidays, according to the decree of the Holy Fathers, they are canceled.

During the period of Easter and before Trinity, as well as from Christmas and before Epiphany, bowing to the ground is also not required. In the 90th rule VI it is written that on Sundays one should not kneel for the sake of honor 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 worship service it is necessary:

Church Charter

Bows at services (vespers, matins, all-night vigil):

Special rules for bowing

So, we look at what prostration is. How to do it correctly? It is worth considering that sister nuns may be present at the services. Many parishioners, not knowing the rules, begin to imitate them and bow down just like them. Or, on the contrary, they look at them and feel embarrassed.

The whole point is that the monks obey their special charter, and the parishioners need to adhere to the charter of the Holy Fathers, intended for the entire Church, so that the whole meaning of worship is gradually revealed and learned.

Everyday

There is already an established tradition when, during censing by the rector of the church, parishioners are distracted from the liturgical prayer, begin to move from one side to the other, focusing all their attention on the approaching priest, creating noise, and stand with their backs to the altar, which is unacceptable. During censing, parishioners must step aside and let the priest pass, after which they should quietly stand in place and return to prayer.

If the priest begins to burn people with incense, then it is necessary to bow and return to the service, and not look for the priest with the eyes of the priest during this entire sacred rite. It may seem that this entire list is too complicated and tedious to remember, but it can help every believer get comfortable with the actions of worship.

Is it possible to bow to the ground during the Liturgy?

Liturgy is a special service that consists of three parts: Proskomedia, Liturgy of the Catechumens and Liturgy of the Faithful. In the first two parts, bows are performed according to the rules of the usual services described above, but we will describe the third part - the most important one - in more detail. When and how are small and great bows performed? Let's figure out when to bow to the ground at the Liturgy, and when to bow to the ground.

During the Great Procession, the priest comes out to the pulpit holding the Chalice and Paten in his hands, and the choir at this time sings the “Cherubic Song”:

• Small bow during the end of the first half of the “Cherubimskaya”, at this time the priest is on the pulpit.
• Stand with your head bowed during the commemoration of priests.
• Three small bows with three times “Hallelujah.”
• A great bow every day (if not on a holiday) with the exclamation of the priest “We thank the Lord.”

When the Eucharistic Canon is celebrated, Most Holy Sacrament You must maintain complete silence and keep your mind attentive.

• A small bow is made while shouting “Take, eat, drink from Her, all of you.”
• A small bow for the day is performed at the end of “We sing to You” and “And I pray to Tis, our God.” This is a very important moment for a praying person.
• A small bow for the day is performed after “It is worthy to eat.”
• A small bow at the words “And everyone, and everything.”
• A small bow every day at the beginning of the national prayer “Our Father.”
• A great bow (if not a celebration) when the priest shouts “Holy to Holies.”
• A small bow to the gifts of the day before communion with the words “Approach with the fear of God and faith.”
• Prostrate to the ground and fold your arms crosswise on your chest after the priest’s prayer before communion. (Do not cross yourself or bow in front of the cup, so as not to knock it over under any circumstances).
• Participants do not have to bow to the ground until the evening. A bow for the communicants at the appearance of the Holy Gifts with the exclamation “Always, now and ever.”
• The head is bowed when the prayer behind the pulpit 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 bow to the ground after communion. The priests warn that there is no need to kneel after it is done for the sake of the shrine, which is inside the person who accepted Holy Communion, and so that you don’t accidentally throw up.

Conclusion

I would really like for believers to understand that bowing is not the most important thing in life Orthodox Christian, but they help strengthen faith, enlighten the heart, set one in the right spiritual mood and understand the whole meaning of the service, being a participant in it. By starting small, you can achieve more. The Charters were not created out of idleness. Perhaps now it has become at least a little clear what prostration 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.

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

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

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

Therefore, the Church has always shown special 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 a bridle and bit so that they obey you.”
After all, our body is often just like a horse and a senseless mule, which must be bridled with the bridle of prayer, the Sacraments, bows, and fasting, so that in its earthly passionate race it does not fly into the abyss.

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

We see 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 Holy Scripture 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. Destruction of personal Tower of Babel, awareness of one’s own sin and the fact that one cannot rise without the Lord. And, of course, our Heavenly Father will hasten to meet us in order to restore us and accept us into his love. Only for this you need to put aside your “ego”, conceit and vanity and understand that without God it is impossible to take a step correctly. As long as you are filled with yourself and not with the Lord, you will be unhappy. But as soon as you understand that you are on the edge of an abyss filled with sins and passions, and that you don’t have the strength to rise on your own, that another minute means death, then your feet will bow before the Almighty and you will beg Him not to leave you.
This is what prostration is. Ideally, this is the publican's prayer, the prayer prodigal son. Pride prevents you from bowing to the ground. Only a humble person can do it.

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

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

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

Prostrations are not made on Sundays, on the twelve feasts, on Christmastide (from the Nativity of Christ to the Baptism of the Lord), from Easter to Pentecost. This is 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.

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

Priest Andrey Chizhenko

Records found: 50

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

Natasha

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

Priest Alexander Beloslyudov

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

r.b. Tatiana

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

Priest Vladimir Shlykov

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

Love

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

Hieromonk Victorin (Aseev)

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

Svetlana

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

Hieromonk Victorin (Aseev)

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

Vlad

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

Hieromonk Victorin (Aseev)

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

Valentina

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

Hieromonk Victorin (Aseev)

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

Photinia

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

Hieromonk Victorin (Aseev)

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

Natalia

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

Hieromonk Victorin (Aseev)

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

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

Hieromonk Victorin (Aseev)

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

Anna

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

Hegumen Nikon (Golovko)

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

Andrey

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

Deacon Ilia Kokin

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

Alexei

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

Priest Alexander Babushkin

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

Nikolai.

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

Hegumen Nikon (Golovko)

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

Sergius

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

Priest Vladimir Shlykov

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

Hope

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

Priest Vladimir Shlykov

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