What writing has taught us to turn to the East at prayer? We all look to the East at our prayers, but few of us know that we are seeking our own ancient country, Paradise, which God planted in Eden to the East [this obviously was written from a Western perspective]. We pray standing on the first day of the week [Sunday], but we do not all know the reason. On the day of resurrection [Sunday] [Greek ana-stasis, “standing again”] we remind ourselves of the grace given to us by standing at prayer, not only because we rose with Christ [Greek sun-ana-stantes, “stood again with”] and are bound to “seek those things which are above;” but also because the day seems to us to be in some sense an image of the age which we expect [God’s New Creation]. Of necessity, then, the Church teaches her own foster children to offer their prayers on that day standing, to the end that through continual reminder of the endless life we may not neglect to make provision for our removal thither.

Moreover, every time we fall upon our knees [in confession and prayer] and rise from off them we show by the very deed that by our sin we fell down to earth, and by the loving kindness of our Creator were called back to heaven.

—Basil the Great [Late 4th century], On the Holy Spirit 27.66

Did you know this?