Just learning Byzantine liturgy, and last night attended vespers and presanctified liturgy.
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My question is that during prayers when you could have made a prostration on the floor (I saw one man do this), some people looked like they were maybe reaching down to touch the floor then blessing themselves? …
I would add more context to the answer to your question. Variations will be found in all things in the East. That being said we do not kneel in the East, we rather prostrate and we do not prostrate on Sundays at all. I have not read this not heard it but I suspect the reverence (signing oneself with the Cross and a bow or bow reaching for/touching the floor) is a kind of modification of that prostration since the prostrations are not permitted on Sundays, or a pious posture for those who are physically unable to prostrate outside of Sundays. Prostrations are a part of weekday services and most certainly involved in services during Great Lent, other than Sundays, every Sunday being a little Pascha.
As for the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts, I’m really surprised only one person prostrated, unless everyone else was physically unable to do so. The clergy I assume got down on the floor and prostrated. I usually worship in a Russian Church, my own Russian ECC or a Russian Orthodox Church (ROCOR and OCA) and Lent is filled with prostrations. The Prayer of Saint Ephrem features prominently in our services of Great Lent, prayed each time divided into three parts, with a prostration after each part. At the Greek Orthodox Cathedral where I am for some of these services those few of us in attendance tend to stand in the aisles not the pews so we can easily prostrate. The Russian temples have no pews. During the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts when the Presanctified Gifts are brought out through the deacons’ door and processed through the temple, as during the Great Entrance, all prostrate, and unlike DL, are silent.
During the non liturgical services of Great Canon & Compline this week for those who have begun Great Lent, those of us old calendar will have this next week, we also have the Prayer of Saint Ephrem with its prostrations.
The Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts is traditionally an evening service, although many places will have one weekly Presanctified Liturgy as a morning service and one as an evening service, I assume as an oikonomia ). An excellent book on Vespers and Presanctified Liturgy is
Evening worship in the Orthodox Church by Nicholas Uspensky. Most of this is
available on googlebooks. The section on Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts begins on page 111 there. That may be more than what you are interested in but I include it because I’ve found it a helpful book as regards evening services, even though I fail to remember most of what I’ve read :sad_yes: , and I wish someone had recommended it to me sooner.
P.S. Great Compline services are very rich. If you able to get there one or more nights this week I encourage you to go.
