The answer
They could be prayers of humbling oneself before God and confessing one's sins before Him, along with asking for mercy. For each prostration, the individual can confess a sin and accuse himself before God with the words: 'Have mercy on me, 0 God, for I have done such and such'.
They could be prayers of thanksgiving in which the person brings to mind God's mercies to him or to his loved ones, and in each prostration he can recall some of God's good gifts.
They could be prayers of petition, in which the one praying mentions something that he would like to have personally, or he wishes that God grants to the Church or to someone else. In fact prostrations can be accompanied by any such suitable kind of prayer.
CONTENTS
Introduction 1. The origin of bad thoughts 2. Envy 3. Should one give tithes to relatives? 4. My own financial needs and paying the tithes 5. Being nosey about prying into other people's business 6. Is this vow permissible or forbidden? 7. The first sin 8. Responsibility for a sin which one has not committed 9. Is social service the work of the Church or that of the State? 10. Hymns sung to popular tunes 11. How to resist thoughts 12. Loving one's enemies 13. Punishment and the age of grace. 14. What does "to the Jews I became like a Jew" mean?. 15. How to deal with problems 16. Acting quickly or taking one's time 17. In private or in public 18. Criticism and condemnation 19. Should the sacraments be sold 20. What does "I have kept you from sinning against Me" mean?
21. Sins are not equal in degree, nor in punishment 22. The view of Christianity regarding organ transplants 23. How should we pray? 24. About asking for gifts 25. The highest virtue of all 26. Following the lives of the saints 27. Whether it is necessary to know how to read and write in order to enter a religious institution.. 28. The meek will inherit the earth 29. Free time 30. Everyone who has will be given more 31. The real elements of strength 32. If your eye or hand causes you to sin 33. Simplicity 34. The attitude of Christianity towards wine. 35. God's will and permission 36. The fruits of sin 37. The spiritual life and problems 38. Being perfect - what it means and what its limits are 39. People who have confessed but whose sins have not been forgiven 40. The spirituality of the monks and laymen 151. 41. Jesus Christ and the completion of His mission 42. Thoughts of self-righteousness 43. Who am I? And why have I come here? 44. Prayers and prostrations
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Thrice-Blessed Pope Shenouda III of Blessed Memory