The first prayer of the faithful is in fact the first prayer that the priest reads in the presence of nobody else but the faithful in the Nave. Thus, the priest underlines the need for self-control and spiritual purity on his part and on the part of the faithful so that together with him they celebrate the immaculate Sacraments. It is these two virtues that the priest asks God to give him and the faithful as a gift.

14 from Αθωνική Ψηφιακή Κιβωτός on Vimeo.

According to the Service books, the priest reads the prayer 'after having spread out the Eileton'. The Eileton is a cover for the Altar for use only during the Divine Liturgy. But it has now been replaced by the Antimension, a piece of illuminated cloth, on which the Eucharist is celebrated. The Antimension symbolizes the linen cloth in which Joseph wrapped Christ's body. If the Altar of the church is not yet consecrated, then the Antimension must contain relics of Saints.

The second prayer of the faithful begins emphatically with the phrase 'again and many times', which underlines the need for much more fervent praying. Now that the celebration of the Eucharist is fast approaching, the petitions of the first prayer of the faithful concerning spiritual and bodily purity are reiterated.

Η δεύτερη ευχή των πιστών ξεκινά με την επίταση «πάλι και πολλές φορές», φράση η οποία υποδηλώνει την ανάγκη να καταστεί η προσευχή εντονώτερη. Το περιεχόμενο της ευχής επαναλαμβάνει τα αιτήματα της πρώτης ευχής των πιστών για καθαρότητα ψυχών και σωμάτων, επικειμένης της τελέσεως του κεντρικού τμήματος της θείας Λειτουργίας.

An important feature of the second prayer of the faithful is the priest's phrase 'those who pray with us', which stresses the unity of the clergy and the laity during the celebration of the Divine Liturgy and reveals that those, who participate in it, have a specific spiritual purpose: enter into the Kingdom of God, through partaking of His Immaculate Sacraments.