Lenten worship serves to create in us a proper "atmosphere" or "climate" into which one enters. This state of mind, soul and spirit is necessary if Lent is to be more than the halfhearted keeping of a few formal obligations: abstention from certain foods, dancing and perhaps movies. We need to remember that the purpose of Lent is to "soften our heart so that it may open itself to the realities of the spirit, and to experience the hidden 'thirst and hunger' for communion with God."

The aim of Lent as expressed in the various liturgical services is to make us see, feel. and experience what Fr. Schmeman calls the "BRIGHT SADNESS". Even one who has a limited knowledge of worship, upon attending a lenten service will experience this feeling. The subdued light, the somber vestments, the content of the readings, the prostrations and even the tonality, that is the unique "sound" of the hymns, reflect this "bright sadness".

Once we truly immerse ourselves in the lenten worship experience, we will notice a "mysterious transformation" The normal state of anxiety, the daily cares and worries, the many noises which compete for our attention will recede in the background. As they disappear we begin to feel a certain inner peace and contentment. This feeling comes from our soul having touched "another world", the world of the spirit wherein God's holy presence is found.

The many lengthy services serve to bring us into this state of hesychia (inner quiet).They set the stage for our entry into the world of the spirit. Without a period of "quieting down",it is impossible to pass from our normal state of mind which is characterized by "fuss, rush and care" into this new state.

Right on the mark are Fr. Schmemann's remarks on our lenten worship.

"Sad brightness": the sadness of my exile, of the waste I have made of my life; the brightness of God's presence and forgiveness, the joy of the recovered desire for God, the peace of the recovered home. Such is the climate of lenten worship; such is its first and general impact on my soul"

"Turn not away Your face from your servant, for I am afflicted: Hear me speedily. Attend to my soul and deliver it!

Prostrations are one of the distinctive characteristics of the lenten worship. What is a prostration or metanoia as it is known in Greek? There are two, the small and great. By great metanoia is meant falling to ones knees and throwing the weight forward to the two hands, touching the ground with the forehead. The small metanoia has the worshiper bow from the waist, touching the ground with the fingers. Normally every prostration is preceded by making the sign of the Cross. What is the purpose or value of this practice?

In our lenten struggle for spiritual recovery the church does not separate the soul from the body. The whole person has fallen away from God; and the whole person is to be renewed and restored. The "catastrophe of sin lies precisely in the victory of the flesh—the animal, the irrational, the lust in us— over the spiritual ...." But the body is in itself glorious and holy . The body being under the savage attack of sin must be restored through repentance to its real function . Prostrations then is the participation of the body in repentance and signifies humility, adoration and obedience.