Luisella Scrosati is one of the finest Catholic journalists in Italy at this time. She often writes articles of considerable interest on liturgical topics. With the permission ofLa Nuova Bussola Quotidiana, we offer NLM readers the following translation of her article series on the topic of spiritual, architectural, and liturgical orientation, beginning today with “L’orientamento della preghiera”, originally published in Italian on November 9 of this year. No religious man, whether pagan, Jewish, or Christian, neglected the posture of the body in prayer, and especially in the presentation of offerings to the deity. In particular, three aspects appear especially well documented in writings and visual representations: standing posture, raised and open hands, and eyes turned toward the sky—characteristics that were common to both the faithful who presented offerings and prayers and the priest who sacrificed them to the deity. These bodily attitudes express a clear aspect: prayer and the …