Why do we pray towards the East?

1. The Glory of the Lord Came from the East: The star of the nativity appeared in the East. “Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, saying, ‘Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him.’” (Matthew 2:1-2) 2. Paradise was in the East: “The Lord God planted a garden eastward in Eden, and there He put the man whom He had formed.” (Genesis 2:8) 3. The Coming of the Son of Man from the East: “For as the lightning comes from the east and flashes to the west, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be.” (Matthew 24:27) 4. The Second Coming from the East: “Then I saw another angel ascending from the east, having the seal of the living God. And he cried with a loud voice to the four angels to whom it was granted to harm the earth and the sea, saying, ‘Do not harm the earth, the sea, or the trees till we have sealed the servants of our God on their foreheads.’” (Revelation 7:2-3) 5. Beginning Prayer Facing the East: “They lift up their voices, they sing for the majesty of the Lord, they shall cry aloud from the sea. Therefore glorify the Lord in the dawning light, the name of the Lord God of Israel in the coastlands of the sea.” (Isaiah 24:14-15) The Orientation Towards the East There is no doubt that prayer can be offered in any place, for God fills the universe and is present wherever we turn. However, the apostolic churches have traditionally oriented their prayers towards the east for several reasons: First: For the Sake of Order Our God is a God of order, not confusion. When feeding the multitudes, Jesus instructed the people to sit in groups of fifty, demonstrating the importance of order. It is more organized for all worshippers to face the same direction during prayer, rather than in different directions. Moreover, prayers that are heard and answered are those offered with unity of mind and without dispute, as the Apostle Paul states: “I desire therefore that the men pray everywhere, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting.” (1 Timothy 2:8) Second: To Look Towards the Paradise from Which We Were Expelled Since it is necessary to agree on a direction to face during prayer, the Church chose the east, to symbolically look towards the paradise from which humanity was expelled. By doing so, we express our longing for God to restore us to our original state. St. Ephrem said, “The Jews faced Jerusalem in their prayers, for it was their holy city, but our holy place is paradise, our ancient home, and since it was in the east, we have been commanded to make it our direction in prayer.” Third: Because the Star of Christ Appeared in the East When Christ, our Savior, was born, His star appeared in the east, guiding the wise men to worship Him. Fourth: Christ Gathered His Disciples on the Mount of Olives, Which is in the East After His resurrection, Christ gathered His disciples on the Mount of Olives, east of Jerusalem, as the prophet Zechariah mentioned: “And in that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, which faces Jerusalem on the east.” (Zechariah 14:4) Just as Christ ascended from the east, He will also return from the east. By facing east, we await His return, as the angels said, “This same Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will so come in like manner as you saw Him go into heaven.” (Acts 1:11) Fifth: St. Athanasius the Apostolic Explained That Jesus Faced West on the Cross St. Athanasius the Apostolic mentioned that one of the reasons for praying towards the east is that when Jesus was crucified, His face was towards the west. Therefore, we look towards the east in prayer, focusing on the crucified Christ. For this reason, the image of Christ in churches is often placed facing west, as He did. Sixth: To Distinguish Ourselves from the Jews, Who Pray Facing West We face the east in prayer to distinguish ourselves from the Jews, who pray facing the west. Seventh: The Apostolic Tradition Calls for Praying Towards the East The Apostolic Canons, written by the apostles before they went out to preach, state: “Their prayers should be towards the east, as it is written that the Lord, when He comes from heaven at the end of days, will come like lightning that flashes from the east to the west.” (First Canon, Paper 4) The history of the Church Fathers supports the tradition of praying towards the east. It is mentioned that Father Arsenius used to stand outside his cell on Sunday night with the sun behind him, raising his hands in prayer until it rose in front of him, and then he would sit down.