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CS937

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After reading the book Earthen Vessels by Gabriel Bunge, I've been thinking of setting one up in my own home. The author mentions some specifics that he considers nonnegotiable, such as having the prayer corner face east and a specific layout for the icons. Do any of you have a prayer corner? If so, what icons/ statues do you have on them? I'm looking for additional inspiration as I try to create my own prayer corner :)

Thanks!

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Ash Wednesday

Our house is pretty small and has a weird English layout, so choice of direction to face isn't an option. I just have a little window area with an icon and some candles in my home office. I really enjoy seeing other people's own prayer corners though. 

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I have a kneeler facing a wall and a crucifix on the wall above the kneeler. I’ve just got a copy of the psalms, a prayer book and a rosary on there. No idea what direction it’s facing, but hopefully whichever one that will keep me out of hell.

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Prayers go UP, not north, south, east, or west. And personally, I don't like icons. If the author really is as strict as you say about these IMO meaningless details, then it sounds like his approach is based more on magic than on prayer.  

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73CFD9DB-F4BC-42A5-98B8-B950F8F61179.thumb.jpeg.5c9d96382f304a398f0452e1fa01400e.jpeg

Here’s my prayer room. It used to be the phatmass sound booth back when we recorded music. 

It does face East, mostly by chance. :)

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40 minutes ago, dUSt said:

73CFD9DB-F4BC-42A5-98B8-B950F8F61179.thumb.jpeg.5c9d96382f304a398f0452e1fa01400e.jpeg

Here’s my prayer room. It used to be the phatmass sound booth back when we recorded music. 

It does face East, mostly by chance. :)

Come on man you took that photo at church. Stop fronting.

16 hours ago, Luigi said:

Prayers go UP, not north, south, east, or west. And personally, I don't like icons. If the author really is as strict as you say about these IMO meaningless details, then it sounds like his approach is based more on magic than on prayer.  

Does "East" even mean literal east or "towards Rome" anyway? Like if you live in Iran you'd actually want to be facing west, no?

I had heard that if you pray facing Rome, your prayers get a papal boost before proceeding up to heaven. So there could be some benefit to it, actually.

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I've also wondered about "Does "east" even mean literal "east" or "toward Rome" anyway?" I never thought it meant toward Rome; I always thought it meant toward Jerusalem, or at least Israel. But as you say, if people live east of Rome (or Jerusalem, or Israel), then they'd want to face west, right?  And if people live north of the equator, shouldn't they also face somewhat south? I don't really think God expects us to keep compasses in our prayer corners. But in either case, it's Western-centric and needs to be canceled. 

Edited by Luigi
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truthfinder

There’s been some very good discussion of praying towards the east within Latin Mass scholarship but which is also reflected in current practice and Christian culture. Ideally, altars in churches should be truly facing east: ie, ad orientem. Coming from the biblical metaphor that Christ, like the sun, will rise in the east. (Were not like muslims praying towards a specific place). However, actual east can be difficult, so the concept of liturgical east exists: whatever way the altar is actually located is liturgical east and the rest of the cardinal directions (relevant for which way the gospel is said etc) are based on that. 
Christian graves have been identified by their east-west orientation, sometimes even with heads turned towards the east. 
 

So I think the admonishment that a prayer corner needs to face east is a bit unrooted in actual practice: we pray with the expectation of Christ’s return. 

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Ash Wednesday
2 hours ago, dUSt said:

73CFD9DB-F4BC-42A5-98B8-B950F8F61179.thumb.jpeg.5c9d96382f304a398f0452e1fa01400e.jpeg

Here’s my prayer room. It used to be the phatmass sound booth back when we recorded music. 

It does face East, mostly by chance. :)

PRAYER CORNER GOALS

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21 minutes ago, truthfinder said:

There’s been some very good discussion of praying towards the east within Latin Mass scholarship but which is also reflected in current practice and Christian culture. Ideally, altars in churches should be truly facing east: ie, ad orientem. Coming from the biblical metaphor that Christ, like the sun, will rise in the east. (Were not like muslims praying towards a specific place). However, actual east can be difficult, so the concept of liturgical east exists: whatever way the altar is actually located is liturgical east and the rest of the cardinal directions (relevant for which way the gospel is said etc) are based on that. 
Christian graves have been identified by their east-west orientation, sometimes even with heads turned towards the east. 
 

So I think the admonishment that a prayer corner needs to face east is a bit unrooted in actual practice: we pray with the expectation of Christ’s return. 

Wait a second. Something I did not already know. How is that even possible?

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3 hours ago, truthfinder said:

There’s been some very good discussion of praying towards the east within Latin Mass scholarship but which is also reflected in current practice and Christian culture. Ideally, altars in churches should be truly facing east: ie, ad orientem. Coming from the biblical metaphor that Christ, like the sun, will rise in the east. (Were not like muslims praying towards a specific place). However, actual east can be difficult, so the concept of liturgical east exists: whatever way the altar is actually located is liturgical east and the rest of the cardinal directions (relevant for which way the gospel is said etc) are based on that. 
Christian graves have been identified by their east-west orientation, sometimes even with heads turned towards the east. 
 

So I think the admonishment that a prayer corner needs to face east is a bit unrooted in actual practice: we pray with the expectation of Christ’s return. 

Thank you. I've never heard any of this before (except ad orientem). It may be "within Latin Mass scholarship" and "reflected in current practice and Christian culture," but I've never heard a word about it my whole life. I doubt that knowing it will change anything for me, but it's good information.

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On 7/22/2021 at 3:38 PM, dUSt said:

73CFD9DB-F4BC-42A5-98B8-B950F8F61179.thumb.jpeg.5c9d96382f304a398f0452e1fa01400e.jpeg

Here’s my prayer room. It used to be the phatmass sound booth back when we recorded music. 

It does face East, mostly by chance. :)

That's stunning!! I'm so jealous haha :) 

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