Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
Praying you are all well, I am so thankful to greet you in the lingering glow of Holy Pentecost. The Spirit has been sent. The Trinity is fully experienced. The presence of God shall never again be removed, hidden, concealed or separated from us. Glory to God for His generosity toward us and for His love for us; those which endure forever.
Last Sunday, we enjoyed the reading of the Kneeling Prayers – those declarative celebrations of the presence of the Holy Spirit, recited at the Vespers for the Monday of the Holy Spirit. During those three, prayers, we, as is the custom, knelt in the church in awe of the presence of the Holy Spirit.
On Sunday mornings, during the Epclisis Prayers of the Divine Liturgy, the time when we, in humility and anticipation, call upon the Holy Spirit to transform our bread and wine offering into the precious Body and Blood of the Christ, we are accustomed to kneeling. This is precisely why we placed the little black kneeling pads in the book racks of the nave. This is why Greek Orthodox churches throughout this country, have kneelers on the backs of pews, so they can be dropped down and knelt upon during this time of the Divine Liturgy. This has been the generally accepted practice in our Archdiocese since the 1950’s.
My beloved in the Lord, I do not need to tell you that from an Orthodox Christian perspective of time passage, the 1950’s is as if a half hour has passed. Though this has been the practice for a couple generations here in America, it does not mean that it was a correct practice. Last month, His Eminence Metropolitan Constantine of Denver sent a directive to the priests of the Metropolis instructing us that we return to the canonical and historic practice of standing during this part of the Divine Liturgy.
Here is some historical context:
Standing during the Epiclisis was first formally discussed at the First Ecumenical Council in Nicaea – May 325 AD. With nearly 300 hierarchs and clergy present, and in the presence of Emperor Constantine, this is where it was affirmed in the beginning stages.
Canon 20 of the First Council of Nicaea
Forasmuch as there are certain persons who kneel on the Lord’s Day and in the days of Pentecost, therefore, to the intent that all things may be uniformly observed everywhere, it seems good to the holy Synod that prayer be made to God standing
To reaffirm this, it was again addressed in the 7th century by Paul III of Constantinople and in the presence of Emperor Justinian II, with around 200 hierarchs and clergy present.
Canon 90 of the Quinisext Council (Trullo, 692)
We have received it canonically from our God-bearing Fathers not to bend the knee on Sundays. Therefore, after entering the holy altar on Saturday evening, at the beginning of the Lord’s Day, we offer our prayers to God standing, until Sunday evening.
Here is some practical context:
When I look back on the innocent spiritual development of my youth, my first memories of sacred church music are while I was kneeling in the church, on Sundays. With my head buried in my arms, I would look forward to the choir soloist, our own Billy Poulos, singing the crowing apex of the hymn. I couldn’t see her. I was a little kid, so I didn’t know her. I did not need to see or know her, I attentively listened to her while offering my prayers to God, thanking him for “making Communion,” as I was instructed to do.
So, I realize that our young tradition of kneeling on Sunday mornings is baked into many of our spiritual experiences. This might be a difficult adjustment for some. It will be a barely noticeable detail for many. Regardless of our innocent indifference, or our hard-wired desire to kneel down in prayer, His Eminence has asked us (well, more like instructed us) to make this change and return to what was intended since the early 4th century.
And so that I’m clear, the kneeling pads will remain in the church. We are still encouraged to kneel in prayer during WEEKDAY LITURGIES. This entire discussion concerns Sunday Morning only.
To be honest, while this may seem like an unimportant detail, hardly worth the effort of disrupting our local traditions or confusing the Faithful, I support and applaud the efforts of His Eminence to reintroduce consistency and uniformity within the liturgical practices of our sacred Metropolis. When it comes to our salvation, there are no details that are unimportant or practices that are vague. We will get used to this together.
Lastly, please know that I am not going to interrupt the Divine Liturgy by making any real-time announcements concerning kneeling/not kneeling. I hope that our people will read this, respond accordingly, and that this transition will be made smoothly and naturally. I remain,
With Love in XC,
Fr. Anthony Savas
Protopresbyter