Questions & Answers

Prostration

Faith Q&A › Metropolitan Youssef › Prayer, Fasting and Worship › Prostration

The question

What is the proper way of doing metonia and why do we do it before a bishop?

The answer

The proper way to prostrate (do metonia) is to kneel down and kiss the ground (if you are in the church since the ground of the church is holy) as a sign of reverence before the altar or the bishop. The altar is the dwelling of the Lord and the bishop is the Lord's representative on earth. In prayers, we prostrate as a sign of humility before the Lord as we ask Him to have mercy on us.

Answered by His Eminence Metropolitan Youssef (opens in a new tab)

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Questions answered by His Eminence Metropolitan Youssef (opens in a new tab) of the Coptic Orthodox Diocese of the Southern United States. Question 930 on the Diocese’s Q&A site. Questions and answers © Coptic Orthodox Diocese of the Southern United States. All rights reserved.