“…there was a sinful woman in the city who learned that he was at table…”
In the Gospel we read, “A Pharisee invited Jesus to dine with him, and he entered the Pharisee’s house and reclined at table.” Jesus invites us to dine with Him at every Mass. The communion antiphon for the 11th Sunday in Ordinary Time, taken from Psalm 27 reads, “One thing have I asked of the Lord, this will I seek after: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life.” We seek to dwell in the house of the Lord, and thus we come to Mass.
It is at Mass that Our Lord desires and comes to dwell in us through the Eucharist. Thus, those who seek to dwell in the house of the Lord and come to the house (the Church) say at Mass, “Lord I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof, but only say the word, and my soul shall be healed.”[1] It is Jesus Christ, in the Blessed Sacrament that enables us to “dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life” (Psalm 27). This is why the priest prays, “May the Body of our Lord Jesus Christ preserve my soul unto life everlasting. Amen.”[2]
This lesson is Part 1 of 2.
What are the postures at Mass and what do they signify? The liturgical postures include standing, sitting, bowing, kneeling and prostration. “These postures convey the various relationships that we have with God. Some convey reverence, while others convey repentance, submission, supplication, or adoration.”[3] Standing, kneeling and sitting are the most common gestures.
Gestures or postures during the Mass are disciplines of the Church. Disciplines are “any of the laws and directions set down by Church authority for the guidance of the faithful.”[4] Gestures or postures during the Mass vary from time to time, and even from rite to rite, and even within a rite from one form to another. For example in the Latin or Roman Rite there are two forms, the Ordinary and the Extraordinary, and each form has different gestures or postures. Within the Catholic Church there are different rites, for example the Latin or Roman Rite, and the Byzantine Rite, and each rite has different gestures or postures.
Search: Dogma, Doctrine, Discipline
Disciplines of the Church can and do change. The doctrines and dogmas of the Church never change. How we receive the Eucharist may change, but the teaching of the Real Presence— Jesus present in Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity —will never change. We pray what we believe (‘Lex orandi, lex credendi’). That being said, the disciplines of the Church point toward and even help us with what we believe — the doctrines of the Church.
What do the three primary postures of the Latin / Roman rite tell us about what we believe?
Standing
A posture for various parts of the Eucharistic liturgy and the Divine Office. Since different countries have different customs, the episcopal conferences have given corresponding directives to the people. From time immemorial, however, standing has been customary during the reading of the Gospel and the recitation or singing of the Creed, the Preface, and Sanctus.[5]
Standing is a sign of respect and honor, so we stand as the celebrant who represents Christ enters and leaves the assembly. This posture, from the earliest days of the Church, has been understood as the stance of those who are risen with Christ and seek the things that are above. When we stand for prayer we assume our full stature before God, not in pride, but in humble gratitude for the marvelous thing God has done in creating and redeeming each one of us. By Baptism we have been given a share in the life of God, and the posture of standing is an acknowledgment of this wonderful gift. We stand for the Gospel, the pinnacle of revelation, the words and deeds of the Lord, and the bishops of the United States have chosen standing as the posture to be observed in this country for the reception of Communion, the sacrament which unites us in the most profound way possible with Christ who, now gloriously risen from the dead, is the cause of our salvation.[6]
Kneeling
Resting on bent knees as a mark of reverence. The New Order [Ordinary Form of the Latin / Roman Rite] of the Mass prescribes that the faithful kneel at least during the Consecration.[7]
The posture of kneeling signified penance in the early Church: the awareness of sin casts us to the ground! So thoroughly was kneeling identified with penance that the early Christians were forbidden to kneel on Sundays and during the Easter Season when the prevailing spirit of the liturgy was that of joy and thanksgiving. In the Middle Ages kneeling came to signify the homage of a vassal to his lord, and more recently this posture has come to signify adoration. It is for this reason that the bishops of this country [America] have chosen the posture of kneeling for the entire Eucharistic Prayer.[8]
Sitting
The posture prescribed liturgically for certain parts of the Mass. The faithful are to be seated during the First Reading, the Responsorial Psalm, and the Second Reading; during the Homily; during the Offertory (optional); and during the period of Silence After Communion. In other liturgical functions sitting is also part of the ceremony, e.g., during the reading or singing of the psalms in the Divine Office.[9]
“Sitting is the posture of listening and meditation, so the congregation sits for the pre-Gospel readings and may also sit for the period of meditation following Communion.”[10]
ACTIVITY – The Gestures and Postures at Mass[11]
While there are other postures which occur during the Mass, in this lesson we will confine our discussion to the principle ones of standing, kneeling, and sitting. Make a list of all gestures and explain what each one teaches us about what we believe. Some examples: Genuflection, Sign of the Cross, bow of the head, striking of the breast, bow at the waist or profound bow, prostration, kisses, orans (lifting up of hands), making a cross on the forehead, lips, and chest, etc.
Other gestures we sometimes see at Mass are made with our hands in prayer (prayer hands), the holding of hands, the shaking of hands and the clapping of hands. Some gestures are particular to the priest, some to the servers, and some to the congregation.
What do gestures say about what we believe?
How do we know if a gesture is permitted by Church discipline? The liturgical standard for both clergy and congregation is to not “add” any word, gesture or posture unless directed to do so. These directives are found in the Roman Missal, and they are more specific for the clergy. For the person in the pew, once again, we should act only in accordance with Church directives, since we possess neither the authority nor the permission to “add” any posture or gesture to the liturgy.
For example, the directive for the sign of peace says, “And all offer one another a sign, in keeping with the local customs, that expresses peace, communion, and charity. The Priest gives the sign of peace to a Deacon or minister.”[12] In America, a handshake is the local custom that expresses peace, communion, and charity. Therefore we may give a handshake as a sign of peace. Prior to the Our Father, the directive states: “He [Priest] extends his hands and, together with the people, continues…” Here we find an example in which there is no directive to hold hands, and yet people have chosen to add this gesture to the Mass.
The clapping of hands is not a designated gesture of the Mass. When clapping of hands does take place it is at the request of the priest or deacon. For example, after the celebration of the Rite of Baptism, a priest or deacon may say, “Let us welcome the newest member of the Catholic Church”, followed by the clergy offering applause and then welcoming the congregation to applaud.
We find the orans (lifting up of hands) gesture is a directive given to the Priest. The Priest is in persona Christi, “…for Christians, arms extended also have a Christological meaning. They remind us of the extended arms of Christ on the Cross.”[13] For those in the pew, the congregation as well as the ministers in the sanctuary, we see the gesture of praying with hands joined. “This comes from the world of feudalism. The recipient of a feudal estate, on taking tenure, placed his joined hands in those of his lord – a wonderful symbolic act. I lay my hands in yours to enclose mine. This is an expression of trust as well as of fidelity.”[14] The priest is in the place of the Christ, Our Lord the source, while we are in the place of the recipient, completely trusting in the Grace we are given.