Praying while facing East

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TimothyH said:
I have admired your prie dieu when you have posted pictures of it. Where did you get it?

-Tim-
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It was a gift from the prior of the abbey I’m associated with. It had been languishing in the monastery basement for many years.
 
thistle said:
That does not indicate that Christ will come from the east. It means Christ’s coming will be swift and clear as lightening.
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We can argue over interpretations but this verse is the reason why we pray facing East. The following verses also contribute to the tradition of praying towards the East:

Malachi 4:2 But to you who fear My name the Sun of Righteousness shall arise with healing in His wings, and you shall go forth leaping as little calves released from their bonds.

Isaiah 60:19 The sun shall no longer be your light by day, nor shall the rising of the moon shine on you at night, but the Lord shall be your everlasting light, and God, your glory.

Again, regardless of interpretation, they are still the reason we face East. 🙂
Neofight said:
I wouldn’t know east if it wore a name tag! And, frankly, I would think God would be delighted if I prayed standing on my head instead of kneeling! If it is important, are all the prayers made by astronauts in space not finding there way to, or found unpleasant to God? I’m just saying!
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I know that Muslim astronauts pray facing Earth. 😃
 
CruceSignati said:
Yeah, what are you talking about?
I have heard about Muslims facing the Holy City, but Catholics facing the East? Never heard of it. Do explain. :o
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“It has been the practice in the entire Church, East and West from time
immemorial. Contrary to a prevailing misconception, there is no evidence
for celebration of Mass versus populum in the first nineteen centuries
of the Church’s history, with rare exceptions.”
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“Despite all the variations in practice that have taken place far into
the second millennium, one thing has remained clear for the whole of
Christendom: praying toward the east is a tradition that goes back to
the beginning. Moreover, it is a fundamental expression of the Christian
synthesis of cosmos and history, of being rooted in the once-for-all
events of salvation history while going out to meet the Lord who is to
come again.”
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Spirit of the Liturgy by Cardinal Ratzinger
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CruceSignati said:
Yeah, what are you talking about?
I have heard about Muslims facing the Holy City, but Catholics facing the East? Never heard of it. Do explain. :o
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If you read the Church Fathers and study the early practice of the Church, you will see that praying to the East is absolutely a non-negotiable. The Fathers allow for certain variations in worship, but praying toward the East was essential and could never be varied. St Athanasius wrote that the Blessed Virgin Mary always sat facing East as she never stopped praying. We always prayed toward the East - it is Scriptural, historical and traditional. In fact only since the end of Vatican II has the Priest turned away from the East at the Liturgy in order to ‘face the people’. The rubrics for the Mass still, to this day, assume the position of the Priest to be facing the altar/East at the consecration etc, however, in spite of the fact that the rubrics and GIRM make this clear it is, more or less, universally ignored. Mass ‘facing the people’ has never been officially advocated by the Church. GIRM 299 does state that this is ‘desirable’ but the entire rest of the document assumes the opposite. I am, in fact, waiting for official clarification of this contradiction from the Liturgy Office of my Bishop’s Conference. I believe that the root is a very poor translation from the Latin.

As for only Muslims facing East - this is a practice that they took from us initially. You might also be surprised to know that their use of prayer mats and the prostrations they make upon them are also things they took from us. The Coptic Orthodox still use prayer mats and pray in exactly the same way.

I always carry a compass with me, but, weather permitting, you can always orient (east) yourself by using the sun as your guide.

Don’t be fooled by the utilitarianism and relativism of the modern age - all this ‘as long as I do it in my heart’ business. We are supposed to be living icons; body and soul in unity and harmony. The Fathers were instructed by the Apostles; the Apostles were instructed by Christ. What we have passed to us is that we should pray to the East from where Christ will come again, seated on the clouds of heaven.

If you don’t believe me, go and read the Fathers for yourself - it will change your life. If you want a few tips about where to begin etc, just let me know and I’ll oblige.

Pax.
 
thistle said:
That does not indicate that Christ will come from the east. It means Christ’s coming will be swift and clear as lightening.
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Says who? Can you reference your exegesis or is it purely your own interpretation? Which of the Fathers says this?

I can give you quotations from the Fathers supporting directly that it does indeed mean precisely what it says.
 
All discussions about praying “ad orientem” make me vaguely uncomfortable. God is omnipresent… we really don’t worship the sun that rises in the east.
 
I pray facing the altar. It would be odd if I had to face a different direction.
 
Seeing as I am still of Orthodox faith, I probably should. I don’t want any of my fellow Easterners or others to take that the wrong way; my window faces south, and I always pray facing my window out of personal preference :rolleyes: I really don’t know how to answer your poll. So, I will look at my options again, and go from there.
 
Athan said:
If you read the Church Fathers and study the early practice of the Church, you will see that praying to the East is absolutely a non-negotiable. The Fathers allow for certain variations in worship, but praying toward the East was essential and could never be varied. St Athanasius wrote that the Blessed Virgin Mary always sat facing East as she never stopped praying. We always prayed toward the East - it is Scriptural, historical and traditional. In fact only since the end of Vatican II has the Priest turned away from the East at the Liturgy in order to ‘face the people’. The rubrics for the Mass still, to this day, assume the position of the Priest to be facing the altar/East at the consecration etc, however, in spite of the fact that the rubrics and GIRM make this clear it is, more or less, universally ignored. Mass ‘facing the people’ has never been officially advocated by the Church. GIRM 299 does state that this is ‘desirable’ but the entire rest of the document assumes the opposite. I am, in fact, waiting for official clarification of this contradiction from the Liturgy Office of my Bishop’s Conference. I believe that the root is a very poor translation from the Latin.

As for only Muslims facing East - this is a practice that they took from us initially. You might also be surprised to know that their use of prayer mats and the prostrations they make upon them are also things they took from us. The Coptic Orthodox still use prayer mats and pray in exactly the same way.

I always carry a compass with me, but, weather permitting, you can always orient (east) yourself by using the sun as your guide.

Don’t be fooled by the utilitarianism and relativism of the modern age - all this ‘as long as I do it in my heart’ business. We are supposed to be living icons; body and soul in unity and harmony. The Fathers were instructed by the Apostles; the Apostles were instructed by Christ. What we have passed to us is that we should pray to the East from where Christ will come again, seated on the clouds of heaven.

If you don’t believe me, go and read the Fathers for yourself - it will change your life. If you want a few tips about where to begin etc, just let me know and I’ll oblige.

Pax.
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So what is the average Catholic to make of all this? Is it a sin NOT to pray facing geographic East? Do people need to change parishes so that they only attend churches oriented to geographic (and not “liturgical”) East? And why isn’t this being taught?
 
Tarpeian_Rock said:
So what is the average Catholic to make of all this? Is it a sin NOT to pray facing geographic East? Do people need to change parishes so that they only attend churches oriented to geographic (and not “liturgical”) East? And why isn’t this being taught?
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It is not a sin at all to pray in another direction. Facing East is a little “t” tradition. Many parishes purchase buildings that are not able to accommodate an East facing altar. We should always face the altar in Church which is liturgical East. 🙂
 
My best match doesn’t appear as a poll option (and I haven’t voted). I don’t always face east, and I don’t try to face east as often as I can. After having learned about the practice fairly recently, though, I do tend to seek out this direction from time to time, if mainly as an added means of “orientation.”

Although I’ve known for some time about churches built towards the east, I was just about completely unaware of the similar practice for private prayer until I learned more about Eastern Christianity. (A few years ago, I could’ve accurately picked the “What are you talking about?” option.) For example, icon corners at home, so I read, tend to be in on the east side of the room.

If I were told about this thread but not specifically where it was, and then I went browsing the forums instead of searching, I would’ve looked first in the Eastern Catholicism forum. Is there much of a history of specifically east-facing private prayer in the Christian West?
 
I usually pray in the direction the tabernacle is in so I’m facing the Lord in my prayer, it doesn’t matter to me which way that alter is facing but I believe on of the places I pray I pray east just because the Church was built prior to Vatican II where direction is important. (actually it faces southeast close enough) But what direction to face doesn’t matter to me, when it comes to my personal prayer two things matter to me that I am contemplating the mysteries of God and growing in friendship with Jesus Christ. If I’m siting standing kneeling laying down that doesn’t matter to me to much, if me focusing on my posture of the way I face takes away from my relationship than I see that as something to cut out my life and not worry about it. (note: I always pray in a chapel or Church so it would be strange if I was in a westward facing chapel and I prayed to the east.)
 
Zekariya said:
It is not a sin at all to pray in another direction. Facing East is a little “t” tradition. Many parishes purchase buildings that are not able to accommodate an East facing altar. We should always face the altar in Church which is liturgical East. 🙂
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I would agree with this statement.
 
There is a radio talk by Fr. John Riccardo who suggested praying while lying flat on the ground. I am thinking it was a technique used by monks trying to yield a meditative state.
 
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