🙏PROSTRATIONS: Their Purpose & Symbolism☦️

Summary

The video discusses the spiritual significance of prostrations and bows in Christian practice, particularly within Orthodox Christianity. Saints like St. Theos of Philadelphia and modern figures like St. Paisios and Elder Ephraim of Arizona emphasize that prostrations symbolize human sinfulness, humility, repentance, and the quest for God's grace. The act of rising after a prostration represents a commitment to leading a virtuous life. By physically demonstrating worship and humility through prostrations, believers invite divine grace and express their devotion to God, contrasting with the prideful nature of demons who refuse to bow.

Takeaways

• 🙏 Prostrations symbolize the acknowledgment of sin and the need for repentance.
• 🕊️ Getting back up after a prostration signifies a commitment to repentance and living a virtuous life.
• 💬 Saints encourage accompanying prostrations with the Jesus Prayer for greater spiritual benefit.
• ✨ Prostrations are a means of receiving God's grace, especially when combined with prayer.
• 🧎 Prostrations demonstrate humility, love, and respect for God, much like a servant before a king.
• 🔥 Prostrations help in humbling both the body and the soul, fostering spiritual growth.
• 🌞 Prostrations are likened to positioning oneself to receive the grace of God, much like sunbathing to absorb sunlight.
• 😇 Elder Ephraim of Arizona emphasizes that prostrations are an act of worship, which the devil refuses to do.
• 💼 Prostrations can be seen as spiritual deposits that accumulate in God's 'bank,' aiding in one's judgment.
• 👑 The act of prostration is a concrete expression of worship and devotion to God, contrasting the pride of demons who refuse to bow.

Q & A

What is the purpose of performing prostrations according to St. Theos of Philadelphia?

St. Theos of Philadelphia explains that prostrations symbolize man's fall into sin and express the confession of our sinfulness. By getting down on the ground, a person admits they are a sinner, and by getting back up, they signify repentance and a promise to lead a life of virtue.

How should the Jesus Prayer be incorporated into prostrations?

Each prostration should be accompanied by a noetic invocation of Christ, specifically the Jesus Prayer. As you perform a prostration, you should say, 'Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me,' expressing both physical and spiritual humility before God.

What are the benefits of performing prostrations according to the script?

Prostrations express our sinfulness and desire for repentance, help us receive the grace of God, make us more humble, show our love and respect for God, and act as tangible demonstrations of our worship and obedience to God.

How does St. Pidos of Kso Calivia describe the significance of prostrations?

St. Pidos of Kso Calivia explains that prostrations display our love, respect, devotion, and worship of Christ in tangible ways. By humbling ourselves through prostrations, we make room for the grace of God, which brings penitence, joy, serenity, peace, and calmness.

Why does Elder Ephraim of Arizona emphasize the importance of prostrations?

Elder Ephraim of Arizona highlights that prostrations are a form of worship that the devil refuses to do due to pride. By performing prostrations, we show that we worship God, and these acts are spiritually significant, being rewarded by God and assisting us during judgment.

How do prostrations help in receiving the grace of God?

Prostrations help in receiving the grace of God by humbling both the body and soul, creating a state of openness and receptivity to God's grace. When accompanied by the Jesus Prayer, they allow us to gain the grace of the God of souls and bodies.

What analogy does Father Michael Shandor use to explain the role of good works like prostrations?

Father Michael Shandor compares good works, including prostrations, to preparing oneself to receive a suntan. Just as one must position themselves under the sun to get a tan, good works position us to receive the grace of God, which is not forced upon us but given in synergy with our actions.

Why is humility an important aspect of performing prostrations?

Humility is crucial in performing prostrations because it helps to humble the body and, in turn, the soul. This humility allows us to acknowledge our sinfulness, demonstrate our submission to God, and become more receptive to His grace.

How do prostrations act as a form of worship and sacrifice?

Prostrations are a form of worship and sacrifice because they involve a physical act of lowering oneself before God, symbolizing our respect, devotion, and allegiance to Him. This act of sacrifice is a tangible way to express our love for Christ.

What spiritual benefits are associated with extra prostrations?

Performing extra prostrations is considered an ascetical effort that will be rewarded by God. These prostrations contribute to our spiritual bank, helping us during the time of judgment by showing our dedication and humility before God.

Outlines

00:00

🙏 The Spiritual Significance of Prostrations

The first paragraph delves into the importance of prostrations in Christian spiritual practice. It explains that prostrations symbolize man's fall into sin and serve as a confession of our sinfulness. Saint Theos of Philadelphia emphasizes that the act of lowering oneself to the ground reflects acknowledgment of sin, while rising signifies repentance and a commitment to lead a virtuous life. The paragraph also discusses how prostrations, when combined with the Jesus Prayer, help in acquiring God's grace, which is a fundamental aspect of Christian life.

05:01

🙇‍♂️ Humility and Devotion Through Prostrations

This paragraph discusses how prostrations foster humility and express devotion to God. It compares the sacrifices made by parents for their children to the sacrifices Christians make through prostrations, showing love and respect for God. The act of prostrating helps humble the body and soul, making room for God's grace. The analogy of sunbathing is used to illustrate how good works, like prostrations, position believers to receive God's grace. The paragraph also touches on the concept of synergy between human effort and divine grace in the Christian life.

10:01

😇 Worship and Spiritual Rewards of Prostrations

The final paragraph highlights the role of prostrations as an act of worship and their spiritual significance. Elder Ephraim of Arizona explains that prostrations are a form of worship that the devil refuses to perform due to pride. Christians, by contrast, demonstrate their humility and devotion to God through prostrations. The paragraph concludes by emphasizing that these acts accumulate spiritual rewards in 'God's Bank' and will help believers during judgment, contributing to their worthiness to enter the kingdom of God.

Keywords

💡Prostrations

Prostrations are physical gestures in which a person bows down, touching their forehead to the ground, symbolizing humility and repentance. In the video, prostrations represent both an acknowledgment of one's sinfulness and a vow to strive towards repentance and virtue. The act is seen as a way to receive the grace of God, as it demonstrates a tangible expression of worship and obedience.

💡Grace of God

The Grace of God refers to the divine assistance given to humans for their regeneration and sanctification. In the context of the video, performing prostrations is a means of acquiring this grace, as the act of humbling oneself before God opens the heart to receive His divine presence and favor. The grace received through prostrations brings about spiritual benefits like penitence, peace, and spiritual growth.

💡Humility

Humility in the video is emphasized as a core virtue that is both demonstrated and cultivated through the act of prostrations. By physically lowering oneself, the believer symbolically acknowledges their own lowliness before God, which is essential for receiving His grace. Humility also contrasts with the pride of demons, who refuse to bow before God.

💡Repentance

Repentance is the act of feeling remorse for sins and committing to change one's ways. In the video, the act of rising after a prostration symbolizes the believer's commitment to repentance and their promise to lead a more virtuous life. It’s a physical and spiritual renewal, marking the decision to improve and grow closer to God after acknowledging one’s sins.

💡Jesus Prayer

The Jesus Prayer is a short, formulaic prayer often recited in the Eastern Orthodox tradition, typically saying, 'Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me.' In the video, it is recommended to accompany each prostration with this prayer, as it enhances the spiritual efficacy of the act, reinforcing the connection between the body’s movement and the soul’s plea for divine mercy.

💡Worship

Worship in the video is depicted as the act of showing reverence and adoration for God, particularly through physical acts like prostrations. Worship is not just a spiritual attitude but also involves concrete, physical expressions that signify the believer's devotion, respect, and allegiance to God. Prostrations are highlighted as a significant form of worship, contrasting with the refusal of demons to bow before God.

💡Confession of Sinfulness

Confession of Sinfulness refers to the acknowledgment of one's sins before God. In the video, the act of prostrating is a form of confessing sinfulness, as it symbolizes the believer's recognition of their fallen state. By bowing down, they admit their need for God's mercy and forgiveness, which is a crucial step in the process of repentance.

💡Spiritual Growth

Spiritual Growth is the process of developing and deepening one’s relationship with God through practices like repentance, humility, and worship. In the video, prostrations are portrayed as a means of fostering spiritual growth, as they help the believer humble themselves, seek God's grace, and commit to leading a more virtuous life.

💡Synergy with God's Grace

Synergy with God's Grace refers to the cooperation between human free will and divine assistance. The video emphasizes that while God's grace is freely given, it requires the believer's active participation through good works, like prostrations, to fully receive it. This concept underscores the idea that spiritual growth is a collaborative process between God and the believer.

💡Sacrifice

Sacrifice in the context of the video is the act of offering something valuable to God as a demonstration of love and devotion. Prostrations are described as a form of sacrifice, where the believer offers their physical effort and humility to God. This act of sacrifice, like a parent sacrificing sleep for their child, shows the depth of the believer's love and commitment to their relationship with God.

Highlights

Prostrations symbolize man's fall into sin and express the confession of our sinfulness.

Getting up after a prostration signifies repentance and the promise to lead a life of virtue.

Each prostration should be accompanied by a noetic invocation of Christ, such as the Jesus prayer.

Prostrations are a way to receive the grace of God, especially when done with prayer.

St. Paisios describes prostrations as a tangible expression of love, respect, and devotion to Christ.

Prostrations help humble the body, which in turn humbles the soul.

Doing prostrations shows our love for Christ and our willingness to make sacrifices for Him.

Prostrations are an expression of our loyalty and allegiance to Jesus Christ, the King of Kings.

Prostrations make room in our hearts for the grace of God to enter.

Good works, such as prostrations, position us to receive the grace of God.

Elder Ephraim of Arizona emphasizes that prostrations are a form of worship that the devil does not perform.

Prostrations are a tangible act of worship, contrasting with the pride of demons who refuse to humble themselves.

Prostrations are deposited into 'God's Bank' as spiritual rewards that will aid us during judgment.

The reward of prostrations is the grace of God, which has eternal significance.

Prostrations will be used in our defense during judgment and can help us enter the kingdom of God.

Transcripts

[Music]

let us begin with talking about

prostrations right prostrations and

Bows the Greek

term for this would be metas right metas

prostrations and

Bows so what do the Saints tell us about

prostrations and Bows what

do what do prostrations mean what's the

purpose what's the benefit what are we

expressing through our prostrations well

St Theos of Philadelphia tells us this

do not neglect

frustrations it provides an image of

man's fall into sin and expresses the

confession of our sinfulness so in other

words when you get down on the ground

and touch your forehead to the ground

you're by doing that action you are

expressing that you're a

sinner and you are admitting the fact

that you're a sinner and that you sin

and that and and that's very much

important because many times we don't

acknowledge our sinfulness we don't

acknowledge our passions right we don't

examine ourselves on a daily basis and

this is kind of problematic in the

spiritual life but we should be

examining ourselves and we should be

repenting of our sins right so it

expresses our how we fall into sin that

we're Sinners we're sinful and all the

rest but by getting up on the other hand

he continues signifies repentance and

the promise to lead a life of virtue so

when you get back up from doing the

prostration that uh motion of getting

back up shows us that you're basically

promising you're making a vow to God

that you're going to try again you're

going to try to repent you're going to

try to be more obedient going to try to

practice the virtues more so this is

what we're doing when we are making Pro

choices we are expressing that we are

sinners but that we are trying again

we're trying to grow closer to Christ

we're going to fight harder next time

when we're faced with the

Temptation Let each he continues Let

each prostration be accompanied by a

noetic invocation of Christ meaning when

you do a prostration you should say the

Jesus prayer accompanied by each

prostration so you get down and say Lord

Jesus Christ have mercy I me get back up

get go back down lord Jesus Christ have

mercy I me get back up so that by

falling down before the Lord in Soul and

body you may gain the grace of the god

of Souls and bodies so here's another

thing about frustrations and you're can

see this in some of the other Saints

we're going to look at in just a second

is that frustrations the point of doing

frustrations is not not just is to

express our obedience and our sinfulness

and our desire to be in communion with

God but it's also when we are doing

prostrations this is our way of actually

receiving the grace of God when you do

prostrations you receive the grace of

God you acquire God's grace when you do

prostrations especially when you

accompany them with the Jesus prayer

there's Grace and all that and this is

in great part of what it means to be

Christian is to be constantly seeking

the grace of God so this is another

reason for why we do frustrations the

Great Value as you can see the great

value of frustrations right another

Saint one of our modern day uh era St

pidos of kso calivia in Athens the

person of Faith he writes this in his

book wounded by love a beautiful

beautiful book you uh will hardly get

through those pages without shedding at

least one tear it's a phenomenal book

highly recommend wounded by love it's

called by St pitos he says the person of

Faith displays his love respect devotion

and worship of Christ in tangible ways

that's why we make

prostrations by the

prostrations by our prostrations let me

get rid of this little all right by our

prostrations we show we are humble

servants of God and we acknowledge our

loneliness with

prostrations we the Christian is humbled

and this helps for the grace of God to

come upon him when Grace comes it works

directly on the soul and brings

penitence Joy Serenity peace and

calmness then the heart is set on fire

the fire of love makes sacrifices thus

prostrations are a sacrifice an offering

of love and worship for God how

beautiful and how plain and simple he

speaks so many benefits there to why we

do PR we show our humility when we do

pations we also show that we are sinners

right we humble ourselves before God

when we do our

perss um doing prostrations themselves

helps to actually make us more

humble right we're humbling the body and

when we humble the body the soul is also

humbled

and when we do prostrations we're

showing that we love God right if you

love someone don't you make sacrifices

for them a father and a mother who have

a baby right they wake up at 2 3 in the

morning to feed their child don't they

right they make the sacrifice of their

sleep of their comfort of their rest to

go and make a sacrifice that sacrifice

is one of done out of love it's done out

of love for the child so when we do

prostrations we are showing our love for

Christ and we also show our respect

right God is our Master God is our King

God is our Lord and we are his servants

and we show just like an Earthly King

and an Earthly Soldier right the Soldier

shows his respect to the King by bowing

down right think of the knights right

and the king the knights bow down before

the king to show their respect right and

their loyalty to the to the king well

how much more when should we show our

respect our devotion and our loyalty our

allegiance to the King of Kings Jesus

Christ and this is how what we are

showing expressing by our

prostrations and another thing is that

just like St theolo says when you do

your prostrations you are receiving the

grace of God actually you're making room

within your heart for the grace of God

to come there's this beautiful analogy I

want to show my since I'm talking now

more so allow me to show my uh face here

so

um Father Michael shamor in his book

know the faith wonderful book highly

recommend know the faith he says um he

says he's talking about the uh the role

of good works in the Christian Life and

he says um basically the question posed

to him is are good works necessary for

salvation and the way he expresses or

explains the orox perspective on this is

that he uses the analogy of a sun of the

Sun so he says if you want to go get a

sun tan right you have to go you know

put on

your um your uh bathing suit right walk

outside open the door unlock the door

open the door step outside bring the

chair out side lay out in the in the on

the chair right and and lay out there

for the sun to penetrate your body so

that you can get a Sunan well basically

good works right good works such as

prostrations are basically our way of

putting ourselves in the position to

receive the capital s o n the Son of God

the grace of God right the Rays the

energies of God's grace

so prostrations again are another way of

us to put ourselves in a position to

receive the grace of God because God's

grace is not forced on us is not

pressured on us right God works in

Synergy and cooperation together with

our cooperation with our will with our

obedience and our um our Synergy our

cooperation with him right so it's a

it's um both God and man working

together right and we have a whole

lecture on that if you want to go see in

the playlist of Orthodox spiritual life

2024 on my YouTube channel you can go

check that out uh I think it was class

three or four uh titled something around

the lines of synergy with God's grace so

you can check that M more out uh we

actually look at the um actual uh text

from Father Michael shandor so enough

from me let's move on from another Saint

Elder a friend of Arizona what does he

say why do we do

prostrations he says what are

prostrations they are the worship of God

we worship God by doing prostrations we

worship God something that our enemy the

devil does not do the devil does not bow

down his head he does not kneel he does

not worship God by bowing down or

kneeling before god everyone who

worships God is an enemy of the devil

and hence is simultaneously a person of

God this is why prostrations have great

significance if we do extra prostrations

this is an aesthetical effort and will

be rewarded by God the few prostrations

we do are slowly deposited into God's

Bank in Heaven above he's SP he's

speaking you know uh spiritually not

literally God doesn't have a literal

Bank uh and he says we will discover

then when we make our way upper we will

discover that they have become become a

large sum this will help us when we give

an account during the frightful moment

we are

judged so again he says that another way

of understanding perses why we do PS is

that we show that we are worshiping God

right we show that we worship God that

he is our Lord and God and savior

through tangible means as St pido says

in concrete physical actions with her

body and this is what we're doing is

that we're showing we are worshiping God

through frustrations

and um and what's interesting is that

the demons do not bow down right they

don't bow down to God right they are

very prideful and fool of themselves and

they refuse to Humble themselves by

making prostrations and worshiping God

and so we should not be like the demons

and refuse to worship God by doing proes

but the opposite we should do

prostrations to show our worship of God

and another thing is this ver this l he

uses of being rewarded by God he's

talking about the grace of God that is

our reward our reward is communion with

God Oneness with God Union with God

right to acquire the grace of God to

have the grace of God in us and this

will have eternal significance in the

next life is that um these are good

deeds and these will be used in our

defense during our judgment and will

help us to make us more uh likely to be

worthy of the kingdom of God to enter

into the kingdom of God uh through that

so that is why another reason why we do

prostrations okay

[Music]