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Migueliteux

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Hello I am new to Catholic Answers,
I was wondering what is the traditional way to reverence the main icon after the Divine liturgy. I have been blessed to go to the Ruthenian monk’s liturgy in Valyermo California and to my friends Byzantine Catholic parish in AZ and I saw people bow and kiss the icons many times, but I was wondering what is the most traditional approach to this. I also noticed that some would touch the floor and then cross themselves.
Thank you,
Migueliteux
 
Migueliteux said:
Hello I am new to Catholic Answers,
I was wondering what is the traditional way to reverence the main icon after the Divine liturgy. I have been blessed to go to the Ruthenian monk’s liturgy in Valyermo California and to my friends Byzantine Catholic parish in AZ and I saw people bow and kiss the icons many times, but I was wondering what is the most traditional approach to this. I also noticed that some would touch the floor and then cross themselves.
Thank you,
Migueliteux
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Traditional way to reverence an Icon? 😃

There really isn’t a uniform way to do that. There are many variations on how to do so. You’re talking about the main icon, the one on the stand, right? Simple. Go on up to it. Make a bow (about to your waist). As your making your bow, cross yourself. Then go kiss the icon. Generally the rule of thumb is the hand or garment. Once finished venerating the Icon, again bow and cross yourself.

There is a more elaborate way to reverence an Icon, though I cannot remember what is called at the moment. When you go perform your bow it is more profound. Bowing to the waist and crossing yourself, you take your right hand and bring it to the floor, palm up. You do this twice, venerate the icon, and do so once more before leaving the Icon.

Don’t worry about what others are thinking are how they are doing it. You’ll find that in Eastern Christianity there is, so to speak, a bit more “wiggle room” on some matters, especially concerning personal piety. 🙂
 
The more elaborate way that I have learned is that when you approach an icon, you make the sign of the cross and then bow and touch the floor with the back of your hand, then you do it again, then you make the sign of the cross and kiss the icon, then you make the sign of the cross and then bow and touch the floor with the back of your hand.

The shortened version would be just making the sign of the cross and then kissing the icon.

And traditionally it is taught that you shouldn’t make the sign of the cross as you’re bowing. You should either make the sign of the cross and then bow, or bow and after you rise back up make the sign of the cross.
 
There are only a few handful of inconographys can tell you about that.
 
ThatOneGuy92 said:
Traditional way to reverence an Icon? 😃

There really isn’t a uniform way to do that. There are many variations on how to do so. You’re talking about the main icon, the one on the stand, right? Simple. Go on up to it. Make a bow (about to your waist). As your making your bow, cross yourself. Then go kiss the icon. Generally the rule of thumb is the hand or garment. Once finished venerating the Icon, again bow and cross yourself.

There is a more elaborate way to reverence an Icon, though I cannot remember what is called at the moment. When you go perform your bow it is more profound. Bowing to the waist and crossing yourself, you take your right hand and bring it to the floor, palm up. You do this twice, venerate the icon, and do so once more before leaving the Icon.

Don’t worry about what others are thinking are how they are doing it. You’ll find that in Eastern Christianity there is, so to speak, a bit more “wiggle room” on some matters, especially concerning personal piety. 🙂
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Exactly!👍

In my case, with bad feet, nobody cares that I sit down during most of the liturgy.
 
BVM_1221 said:
Exactly!👍

In my case, with bad feet, nobody cares that I sit down during most of the liturgy.
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Personally if people are paying more attention to others than what is going on in the Liturgy- that is, worshiping God- there is a problem. But, I digress.
 
Yes, the “full way” to do it is to make the Sign of the Cross (saying the Jesus Prayer) with two deep reverences before the main icon on the tetrapod before going up to it to reverence it with a kiss.

We always kiss the edge of the garments of our Lord on the icon, imitating the woman with the issue of blood who touched the fringed hem of His robe before being healed as a result of her humble and respectful faith and trust in Him.

We do the same for icons of the Mother of God and the Saints. If it is an icon of the Face of Christ, we kiss the edge of His Beard.

Then we step back and make another reverence with the Sign of the Cross and the Jesus Prayer.

And then we can turn around and bow slightly to our right and left sides toward the congregation and say, “Forgive me a sinner, Brothers and Sisters in Christ!”

Alex
 
One thing I’ve never heard an explanation for is why we touch the ground when performing a metania, rather than just bowing. Does anyone know?
 
I have been blessed to go to the Ruthenian monk’s liturgy in Valyermo California
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Just to clarify, the fathers of Holy Resurrection Monastery are under the omophorion of the Romanian Greek Catholic Church.
 
Wesley7 said:
Iconographers who paint icons.
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Yes, iconographers are a good resource for finding out about content of the icons themselves, but they’re not the only ones who can tell you how to reverence them. 🙂
 
dcointin said:
One thing I’ve never heard an explanation for is why we touch the ground when performing a metania, rather than just bowing. Does anyone know?
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METANIA! That is the term I was looking for! For some reason the only thing I could ever think of was “metanoia”. 😃
 
ThatOneGuy92 said:
METANIA! That is the term I was looking for! For some reason the only thing I could ever think of was “metanoia”. 😃
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If you are a Lutheran, I wish that all Catholics and Orthodox would be as “Lutheran” as you! 😉

Alex
 
dcointin said:
One thing I’ve never heard an explanation for is why we touch the ground when performing a metania, rather than just bowing. Does anyone know?
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The greater traditional expression of reverence with the touch.

Per the Byzantine Ordo Celebrationis, 1944, my notes:

The reverences are sign of cross, small bow (hand not down), profound adoration (hand down), and great bow (to the ground). Small bow is the sign of the cross with slight head inclination, no hand to ground is used in general. Sign of cross without inclination of head at Gospel. The great bow (to the ground) is not used except at the presanctified/lent (per the 1944 recension).
 
Your answers are very helpful. If I can ask another related question, what is the meaning behind touching ones forehead to the icon after having kissed it?
 
Concerning the mentania, I have been taught that the bow/touch the floor before crossing oneself is an abbreviated form of a full prostration, as done for example before the Holy Cross on the Feast of the Elevation and in Great Lent. Instead of laying face down on the floor and then getting up and crossing oneself and then kissing the icon, we just touch the ground, then cross self and reverence. The abbreviated format moves things along a little faster and avoids people tripping over each other, but on solemn feasts, we don’t worry about the clock! The same full prostration is used in the Prayer of St. Simeon, to indicate our humility before God. Hope that helps. bob.c
 
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