👉🏾👉🏾👉🏾What Is the #Purpose of #Prostration?
(Part 3)
Beloved brothers and sisters, today we continue our meditation on the holy mystery of prostration. This act of bowing down is not a human invention, but a sacred gesture found throughout the Scriptures. Both in the Old and New Testaments, we see prophets, kings, and apostles bowing before God and His chosen servants. The Church, guided by the Holy Spirit, has preserved this tradition and ordered it with wisdom.
1. The Witness of the Old Testament
When Moses longed to know the name of his God, the Lord revealed Himself as the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob — the God who blessed Jacob through Isaac and gave him the inheritance. In this revelation, we see blessing and covenant.
Obadiah, the commander of King Ahab’s army, bowed before Elijah, saying, “My lord” (1 Kings 18:8).
The captain of fifty, sent by King Ahaziah with his soldiers, bowed down before Elijah and pleaded, “O man of God, let my life and the lives of these fifty servants of yours be precious in your sight” (2 Kings 1:13). Because he bowed and honored the prophet, his prayer was heard, and he and his men were spared from the fire of heaven.
The men of Jericho bowed before Elisha when they saw that the spirit of Elijah rested upon him (2 Kings 2:15).
The Shunammite woman bowed before Elisha in her sorrow when her child died, and again in her joy when the child was restored to life (2 Kings 4:27–37).
2. The Witness of the New Testament
The New Testament also shows us the same reverence:
The jailer at Philippi, trembling with fear, bowed down before Paul and Silas after the earthquake shook the prison and their chains fell away (Acts 16:29).
These examples show that bowing is not only fitting but also powerful, for God accepts humility and honors reverence.
3.The Three Orders of Prostration
The Holy Church teaches us that prostration is not all of one kind. There are three orders of prostration:
(a) Full Prostration — Wediq
This is to fall completely to the ground, with forehead, fingers, and knees touching the earth.
“He bowed his face to the ground” (Gen. 19:1).
“He bowed down and worshiped” (Num. 22:31; John 5:15).
“He fell at his feet and worshiped him” (Acts 10:25).
“I fell at his feet to worship him” (Rev. 19:10).
This is the most complete form of surrender and humility before God.
B) Kneeling Prostration(astebrko)
This is done by bending the knees and lowering the body. It is what St. Paul meant when he wrote: “…that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow” (Phil. 2:10).
The hymn of the Church proclaims: “Standing on our knees, by the will of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, we bow down and worship Christ who raised us up to salvation.”
(c) Bowing of the Head — (Adnon)
This is a gentler form of reverence, where the head, forehead, and neck are inclined. At the close of the Divine Liturgy the deacon prays: “Save “‘Humble yourselves before the Lord our God…’ — this is what He is saying.”
4. Times When We Do Not Bow
The Church, in her wisdom, has also set aside holy times when bowing is not practiced. These include:
On Sundays, the day of the Resurrection.
On Saturdays, the first day of the week.
On the feast of Pentecost and during its season.
On the feasts of the Lord.
On the feast of the Virgin Mary.
On the feast of Saint Michael.
After we accept Eucharist
But if these feasts fall on the Day of the Passion or on the Feast of the Cross, then prostration is performed, for those days recall the Lord’s suffering and His victory through the Cross.
Continues 👇🏾