The Catalog of Good Deeds

As this Divine Liturgy (really Vespers with the communing of the faithful) is served only on weekdays during Great Lent, prostrations are done by the faithful at various parts of the service. This little pamphlet is designed to help you understand when prostrations are done, as well as explain a few of the interesting anomalies of this Divine Service.

- Prostrations are done when you enter the Church. Rather than just crossing yourself three times when entering you in fact cross yourself and prostrate yourself to the ground three times upon entering.

- When lighting candles and kissing the icons prostrations are done as well. Two prostrations following by the kissing of the icon, the placing of your candle, and finally a third prostration before the icon.

- When the curtain is closed (following the third Small Ektenia), all the faithful (except for the one person reading the psalms) prostrate themselves to the ground. They do not arise until the curtain has again been opened.

- After the first reading from the Old Testament the priest opens the Royal Doors and says “The Light of Christ Enlightens All!” As he blesses the faithful with the candle the faithful (including the Reader) make a prostration to the ground.

- During the singing of “Let my prayer arise…” the faithful and the singers prostrate themselves. The faithful prostrate themselves while the TRIO is singing (in some parishes the trio actually sings in the middle of the church on its knees). The trio prostrates itself while the CLERGY are singing. The people stand while the clergy are singing.

- During the two readings of the Prayer of St. Ephraim the Syrian (after “Let my prayer arise…” and after the Great Entrance) the faithful prostrate themselves as does the priest.

- During the Great Entrance the faithful prostrate themselves as the Holy Gifts are brought out of the altar. They remain prostrate until the priest says quietly “With faith and love let us draw near…”

- When the Holy Gifts are brought out of the altar for the Communion of the faithful and the priest says “With the fear of God and faith draw near!” the faithful prostrate themselves.

- After the Communion of the faithful, when the priest again brings out the Holy Gifts and says “Always, now and ever, and unto the ages of ages!” the faithful prostrate themselves.

- If the Presanctified Liturgy is served on any day but Friday the faithful do three prostrations as they exit the church (except for those who have communed). If it is Friday we cross ourselves three times as usual, without prostrations.

The question, of course, arises as to why we are doing so many prostrations at the Divine Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts. As we usually attend church services on Saturday nights and Sunday mornings when prostrations are forbidden, we feel a bit odd prostrating ourselves on the floor in the Church. However, we do prostrations on almost all days throughout the year except on Sundays. When we prostrate ourselves before the Holy Gifts we express our belief that the Holy Bread and the Holy Wine are truly the Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ. That is, we bow down before God Himself.

A few other practical tips regarding the Presanctified Liturgy:

-There is no prosphora offered at the Presanctified Liturgy. As there is no consecration of the Body and Blood of Christ at this service (the Gifts were PRESANCTIFIED at the Liturgy on Sunday), there is no prosphora offered.

- Infants who do not eat solid foods do no commune at this service according to the ancient tradition of the Church. There is a long explanation to this practice. Please see Fr. Gregory if you would like to learn more.

- The cross is not held by the priest following the service. Again, this is an ancient practice of the Church and reminds us of the penitential character of Great Lent.

- The priest commemorates the saints from both the day of the Presanctified Liturgy and the day following, since the Liturgy is actually a Vespers service and it encompasses aspects of both days.

How to make a Prostration

Frederica Mathewes-Green

To make a prostration we make the sign of the cross on ourselves, kneel, place our hands on the floor and touch our foreheads down between our hands.

One former Episcopal priest said that seeing people prostrate themselves was one of the things that made him most eager to become Orthodox. He thought, "That's how we should be before God."

How to make a Prostration

“Orthodox America”

Prostrations are less awkward and less physically taxing if made in the following manner. Keeping the feet together, bend slightly and fall "lightly" to the floor, onto the hands, positioning them at a comfortable distance in front of the knees (which touch the ground only after the hands) to allow one to spring back up to a standing position, after lightly touching the head to the floor. It takes very little practice to master this technique, which requires surprisingly little physical stamina.

Source: http://www.stvladimiraami.org/pamphlets/presanctifiedliturgytips.pdf

Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.

The last Beatitude taught us to have hunger, an unceasing desire, for higher things. In the Beatitudes, Jesus is teaching us how to climb a Divine ladder that leads us to blessedness, or Theosis. In this Beatitude we are called to become merciful.

What is mercy?

Gregory says,

The obvious meaning of the words calls men to mutual charity and sympathy, which are demanded by the capricious inequality of the circumstances of life; for all live not in the same conditions, neither as regards reputation nor physical constitution nor other assets. Life is in many ways divided up into opposites, since it may be spent as slave or as master, in riches or poverty, in fame or dishonor, in bodily infirmity or in good health–in all such things there is division. Therefore the creature in need should be made equal to the one who has a larger share, and that which goes short should be filled by what has abundance; this is the law mercy gives men in regard to the needy…

Mercy is a voluntary sorrow that joins itself to the sufferings of others.

We all have differing issues in life. Some of us are rich and some are poor. Some live in highly industrialized nations and others in rural underdeveloped nations. Some have very good health while other suffer from painful maladies. Mercy, Gregory is pointing out, has to do with placing ourselves in an equal situation with those who do not enjoy the same benefits of life that we do. This is why he says it's a “voluntary sorrow.”

We all would like to share in the good fortune of others but not generally in their misfortune. Mercy involves intensified charity where we choose to also share in the misfortunes of others. This is the height of virtue.

Think of the kind of world it would be if all developed this virtue. Gregory says,

Envy would be futile, hate would die out, remembrance of injuries would be banished along with lies, fraud, and war, all of which are the off spring of covetousness. If that hard and unfeeling attitude were removed, the evil growths would be weeded out with it completely, as with the root of wickedness. And with the departure of evils there would enter instead the whole array of good things, peace and justice with all their train of virtues… Therefore mercy, as the definition has shown, is the parent of kindness, and the pledge of charity; it is the bond of all loving disposition…

There is another meaning here as Jesus says, for they shall obtain mercy. This implies that those who are merciful will have their reward later. Gregory says this shows us a higher doctrine. Mercy is a course we must choose with faith.

He who made man in His own image endowed the nature of His handiwork with the principles of all goodness. Hence nothing good enters into us from outside, but it lies with us to have what we will, and to bring forth the good from our nature as if from some inner chamber. For from the parts we are taught about the whole, that there is no other way of obtaining one's desire except by procuring the good for oneself. Therefore the Lord says to His hearers: “The Kingdom of God is within you” (Luke 17:21); and, Everyone that asks receives; and he that seeks finds; and to him that knocks, it shall be opened. (Matt 7:8) So it depends on us and is in the power of our free will to receive what we desire, to find what we seek, and to enter where we wish to be.

Gregory laments on this teaching:

How is it possible that with this in mind we should spend our pity on the misfortunes of others? Should the soul not rather be disposed to have pity on itself if it thinks of what it once possessed, and from what state it has fallen?

His answer is as follows:

it is blessed to be concerned with one's physical health. For if a man is concerned about this, he will live in good health. Thus also is the merciful called blessed, because the fruit of mercy becomes itself the possession of the merciful;

We need to ask, when the time of judgment comes what will happen to us. Will we feel acclamation by the God of all creation?

Gregory concludes:

Therefore, brethren, let us heed the voice of the Lord, who in a few words teaches us so many things about the future life. Let us become merciful, so that through mercy we may become blessed, in Christ Jesus Our Lord to whom be glory and power for ever and ever.

Source: http://orthodoxwayoflife.blogspot.com.by/2009/09/5th-beatitude-blessed-are-merciful.html