TOS055 Basics of Faith III: Basics of Mass Posture For audio TOS055: Basics of Faith III – Basics of Mass Posture | Listen Notes

Join Patti Brunner and Truth of the Spirit to explore Basics of Faith with the Basics to Mass Posture. Most Catholics have been standing or sitting or kneeling at Mass for all of their lives, moving in unison with all around them. If you are new to the Catholic Church, it can be a bit overwhelming. In this episode Patti Brunner will point out the various postures that flow during the Mass and share why each posture and move is important. One of the goals of the Truth of the Spirit podcasts is to remind you of the Spirit filled facets of our Christian faith, sometimes returning to the basics to allow you better access to teachings and actions of those inspired by the Holy Spirit.

No matter if you sit, stand, kneel, or lie on the floor in homage before the Lord, know this: God is present in the Eucharist, in the Word, in the priest, in the praise, and in the people. Each of these postures are meaningful as we celebrate the Mass. This moment in time is so special because it is the moment of our salvation and it is meant to be shared.

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I am Patti Brunner and you are listening to Truth of the Spirit. One of the goals of the Truth of the Spirit podcasts is to remind you of the Spirit-filled facets of our Christian faith. With the Basics of Faith series, you will have access to teachings and actions inspired by the Holy Spirit. Please join me now as Truth of the Spirit explores the Basics to Mass Postures.

One thing you always hear from non-Catholics attending Mass for the first time is a comment about all the up and down during the service. They follow along as if playing “Simon Says”. At Mass Catholics seem to be in constant motion and like a flock of birds all move in unison. Do you wonder why we change our posture so much at mass? Our movements during the mass are like orchestrated “dance” movements. They have profound meaning and, when done with understanding, enhance our worship of God.

The Mass is the “sacrament of unity” in which we are nourished from the table of God’s Word and of Christ’s Body. This unity in faith is expressed by sharing our prayers, singing, reverential silence, in sharing together of the one bread and one cup, and in our postures and movement. The Church sees in these common postures and gestures both a symbol and a means: a symbol of the unity of those who have come together to worship and a means of fostering that unity. When we stand, kneel, sit, bow and sign ourselves in common action, we given unambiguous witness that we are indeed the Body of Christ, united in heart, mind and spirit.

If we have health issues, we have permission not to always do what everyone else should be doing. However, we are not free to change these postures to suit our own individual piety, for the Church makes it clear that our unity of posture is an expression of our participation in the one Body—the one body formed of the baptized with Christ, our head.

When my youngest daughter was a toddler, she broke this rule of unity in posture by breaking free from my family in the pew and running down the main aisle to the altar. Every time I see the priest who was the Celebrant that day, he brings it up –even though it happened 30 years ago!

In addition to the postures and actions by the faithful attending Mass the Priest is also on the move at the Eucharistic Celebration. The postures and gestures done by the presiding priest are exactly followed by every Roman Catholic priest at Eucharistic Liturgies around the world.

Directions for postures and actions of the Mass ritual are called rubrics and are printed in red in the Roman Missal and some are detailed in the General Instructions to the Roman Missal. The word rubric means red. “The word liturgy comes from a Greek term meaning “public work or work done on behalf of the people.” “All the worshipers are expected to participate actively in each liturgy, for this is holy “work,” not entertainment or a spectator event. Every liturgical celebration is an action of Christ the High Priest and of his Mystical Body, which is the Church. It therefore requires the participation of the People of God in the work of God.

When you see the priest holding up both the chalice and the paten or bowl of host can you tell me what is going on during the Mass? It is the Great Amen. “At the conclusion of the Eucharistic Prayer we are privileged to respond with the most important acclamation of the Mass, the great AMEN by which we profess the action of Christ to be our action as well.” “Amen,” is a word from the Jewish tradition that expresses solemn ratification, hearty approval, total agreement: “yes. So be it. Let it be done.” We say “Amen” several times during the Mass, but the host and the chalice are raised together only this one time.

Later, after we give the sign of peace at Mass the priest takes the Host, breaks it and holds it up. While he is breaking the bread we begin saying or singing the Lamb of God, also known as the Agnus Dei. This important rubric was done by the risen Christ at Emmaus and then the disciples recognized him in their midst.

I plan to point out the liturgical postures. To help you to call these to mind I will give them in the order that you first see or do them during the Mass and share some of the other times. As we go through them, try to recall them as they occur during the mass. Some of these done only by the priest are done only one time during the mass.

When you enter a church that presents the tabernacle and a sanctuary lamp, the proper response is a genuflection facing the Tabernacle. Genuflecting shows profound respect as we bend one knee and bend down. The priests upon entering the church for mass genuflects to the altar to reverence what will take place there in just moments.

Then as the priest approaches the altar at the beginning of Mass, he stops and gives reverence to the altar by bowing. We have several opportunities to bow. If the tabernacle is not visible when we enter a Catholic church, rather than genuflecting we should bow to the altar.

We are also called to bow as the Gospel Book passes us by during the procession during the Alleluia. We thus recognize the presence of God within the words on its pages.

During the Creed, as a sign of reverence for the wondrous miracle of the Incarnation, the Church directs “that everyone present make a profound bow at the phrase “he came down from heaven, and by the Holy Spirit was incarnate of the Virgin Mary, and became man.”

If we are standing during the Eucharistic Prayer—in standing room only conditions or in a chapel that has no kneelers—we are to bow at the Consecration as the priest genuflects.

Our bishops have determined that the sign which we will give before receiving Holy Communion is to be a bow, a gesture through which we express our reverence and give honor to Christ who comes to us as our spiritual food.

Modern etiquette has forgotten one of the signs of respect that used to be common place: Standing. When I was a child and our priest visited our classroom, we always stood up and said, “Good Morning Fr. Donahue.” Gentlemen no longer stand when a lady enters a room. Generally, we do still stand for the National Anthem and Pledge of Allegiance at sporting events. We give standing ovations to show our approval and to recognize greatness.

At Mass, we come in as individuals, but as the priest enters the assembly we stand in unity as one. The priest prays during the Mass “Persona Christe”, “in the person of Christ”. Since standing is a sign of respect and honor, we stand as the celebrant 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, thus standing during Mass is a remembrance of the Resurrection. And it is a holy posture.

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.

Beginning with an ‘Alleluia!’ we stand for the Gospel, and during other common group prayers such as for the Creed, the response to the Intercessions, the Holy Holy, the Lord’s Prayer, and the Lamb of God.

We especially stand as the consecrated elements are given to the faithful in Communion. We remain standing until all have received Jesus in Holy Communion, as a sign of unity and honor.

I commented at the beginning that our movements during the mass are like orchestrated “dance” movements. This is rather noticeable in the various processions of the Mass. In fact, in some countries participants get a beat on as they process.

Besides the Presider priest or Bishop the opening procession can include other priests, deacons and altar servers carrying a crucifix and candles and sometimes special participants such as someone to be baptized and their family or someone lighting the Advent candle.

The Gospel book participates in two processions during the Mass. The unique dignity of the words of the Gospel is honored at the beginning of Mass as a deacon or lector carries the Book of Gospels, with its richly ornamented binding, in the entrance procession, holding the volume at eye level, and then leaves it upright on the altar at the beginning of Mass.” The Book remains on the altar until it’s time for the Gospel. We stand during the singing of the Alleluia, as the book of the Gospel is processed from the altar to the ambo.

At the stadium when your team hits a homerun, or makes the run for a touchdown, “the fans almost always leap to their feet and shout for joy. When the president of the United States enters the press room for a media conference, participants immediately cease conversations and rise to greet him. In the first instance, the standing posture denotes victory and jubilation. In the second, it communicates respect. A parallel exists when the assembly rises, sings the Alleluia, and remains standing for the Gospel. Our posture indicates that we rejoice over the good news of Christ’s victory for us and reverence for the sacred words about to be proclaimed.

There are two more processions to discuss. One is the procession for offertory gifts. Using representatives, we bring “ourselves, symbolized by our gifts, to the altar for offering and consecration to God… our gifts (common as they are—just bread and wine) will be transformed by the Eucharistic Prayer, and then these gifts, absorbed as it were into Christ, are offered to the Father. The real, true, and best offering occurs, therefore, after the institution narrative …” when Christ offers himself to the Father. The other is the Communion procession. “In most situations, people walk in a natural procession to the altar for Communion. This action can have various symbolic overtones. We can be like poor people waiting in line, slowly moving forward for a bag of groceries from the food pantry, or a ladle of soup in a refugee camp; we are hungry and longing to be fed. Or we can be like God’s people in the past, alert, ready, and expectant, about to share the paschal meal to continue the journey. We can also be like the Bride confidently marching down the aisle to intimate union with the Bridegroom.

Speaking of intimacy, have you noticed the posture of kissing during the Mass? While we observe the priest enter we can then see him kissing the altar. The priest kisses the altar two times, at the beginning and at the end of mass. “The church has traditionally viewed the altar as a symbol of Christ and the center of the church. After an increase in devotion to martyrs during the Middle Ages, and a desire to enlist their prayerful help, the custom developed of placing relics from certain saints in the altar itself…The kiss, therefore, is a special and solemn gesture of reverence for Christ, for his special followers enshrined in the altar and for this holy place at which the sacred mysteries will soon be celebrated.” “Following the proclamation [of the Gospel] the proclaimer kisses the book, a gesture of honor, respect, and reverence, and says quietly, “May the words of the Gospel wipe away our sins.”

I have a question for those of you around my age. What gesture was done at each mass by the priest 50 times when you were a kid but is now done less than 5 times?—The answer: the Sign of the Cross. “The priest celebrant in the Mass ritual formulated in 1570 made the sign of the cross over fifty times. … The 1970 format simplifies this procedure. The sign of the cross is required of the priest less than five times—at the beginning of the mass, over the gifts, and at the end, [over the book] (plus one other time in Eucharistic Prayer I).”

“The most common identifying gesture for Roman Catholics worldwide is the sign of the cross … The words and gesture that form the sign of the cross express our major Christian mysteries.” We believe in one God and three Persons—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The cross itself recalls Calvary, the crucifixion, the dying of Jesus for us. Before Christ could do this on our behalf, he first had to enter our world through birth at Christmas. And we never stop at crucifixion of Good Friday, but move on through Holy Saturday to Easter and the Resurrection. Consequently, and usually unconsciously, we manifest, through the spoken and acted out sign of the cross, faith in the oneness of God, the Trinity, the Incarnation, and Redemption. Both priests and congregation begin the Eucharistic Celebration with this sign of faith by touching our forehead, our breast, and each shoulder.

Another time the gesture of the cross is used but with a different rubric is immediately before the proclamation of the Gospel, and the direct words of Jesus.

The priest makes the sign of the cross first on the book that contains the Gospel reading, then on his forehead, lips, and breast. This gesture denotes our desire to grasp the words of Christ with our minds, speak them with our lips, and believe them with our hearts.” … “May the Word of the Lord be in my mind, on my lips and in my heart.” Those present make the same gesture and respond, “Glory to you, Lord.”

Our Mass posture doesn’t always call for action but rather for stillness and quiet at times. “In its introduction, the Sacramentary includes a paragraph explicitly dedicated to “Silence.” Its opening sentence reads: “Silence should be observed at the designated times as part of the celebration.”

There are at least 5 times during the mass when no one should be moving or saying anything. These are the times the rubrics call for silence.

Individually we have moments of silence before the Mass begins but publicly we have silence during:
1. The Introductory Rite, led by the priest from the Presider’s Chair, calls us to our first Liturgical Silence. It is during the Penitential Rite we use the silence to call to mind our sins.
2. After the penitential prayers and Gloria and before “Let us pray” is our second silence; “Ideally during this pause, both the priest and the people become more conscious that they are standing in God’s presence and pray in their hearts for their individualized intentions or concerns. After that significant pause, the priest gathers together, or “collects,” all those keenly felt but unspoken petitions and presents them to God. In the past this prayer was customarily termed the “Collect” precisely because of that function.”
Here’s a helpful hint: if you see the Altar server bringing up the book to the presider chair you are in the middle of the pause for silence!

3. During the Liturgy of the Word we have silence between scripture Readings and

4. After the Homily when the presider sits. This silence allows what has been said to soak in and is an opportunity for us to interiorly reflect and apply it to our lives.

5. During the Liturgy of the Eucharist our call to silence comes after Communion; [the Presider sits for this silence] if there is a song by the choir during this time then the rubric calls for the silence to occur after the “Let us pray”. Our silence allows an intimate moment with our Lord.

We find a special unity in these moments of silence. However, more than any other rubric, these rubrics for silence seem to be the most difficult to follow. If we are unaware that they are an integral part of the Mass, we might wonder if someone forgot what they are supposed to be doing. We are living in a world that takes very little time for silence. What a joy to have this Sacred Silence for a moment or two of silent reflection to allow the Lord to speak directly to our hearts.

One action that we rarely see outside of Mass is our when we take our hand and making a fist and gently hit ourselves three times in the chest.
This takes place during the Confiteor of the Introductory Rite. During the Confiteor the action of striking our breasts at the words through my own fault can strengthen awareness that my sin is my fault.

If we keep our eyes open and aware, we will see the priest and others moving around in the sanctuary during the Mass, and this signals a change in the emphasis of the Mass.
When our focus switches from the Presiders’ Chair to the Ambo we recognize that we have moved from the Introductory Rites to the Liturgy of the Word.

Lectors step up to the ambo to read from scripture specifically chosen for the day and the Cantor also stands at the ambo to sing the scripture of the Responsorial Psalm. The Ambo is a place of honor because it is where the Gospel is proclaimed. Only an ordained minister can give a homily from this place.

Later when our presider or his deacon moves from the Presiders’ Chair to the altar we enter into the Liturgy of the Eucharist.

A very comfortable posture of the Mass is sitting—especially if the pews are cushioned! During the Liturgy of the Word, we participate in the readings by sitting and listening with reverence to the readings from God’s Word.

After the Gospel we again sit to hear a living commentary on the Word, known as the homily, as part of the liturgical action. A fuller understanding and a greater effectiveness of the Word is fostered by sitting and listening to the homily.
After the Creed and petitions we again sit for the preparation of gifts.

After the gifts prepared we witness the washing of the priest’s hands. This action has an ancient tradition of purification before ministering to the Lord from the time of Moses. During this the priest prays “Lord, wash away my iniquity; cleanse me from my sin”.

What else can be washed at mass? The utensils that hold the precious Body and Blood are sometime washed after Communion during mass on week days. It is most appropriate for the priest or deacon to purify the chalice, paten, and bowl after the mass.

Just once a year on Holy Thursday the priests and deacons wash the feet of 12 representatives of the parish and the community to demonstrate the actions of Jesus at the Last Supper. It is a posture of humility. Even the Pope washes the feet of others. He, like Jesus, is a servant leader.

In the United States we kneel during the Eucharistic Prayers.
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. More recently—historically speaking—this posture has come to signify adoration. It is for this reason that the bishops in North America have received permission for the posture of kneeling for us for the entire Eucharistic Prayer. …

We kneel beginning after the singing or recitation of the “holy, holy” until after the great Amen, where, as I said earlier, we stand.
Later we kneel again after the Lamb of God as we all recite, “Lord, I am not worthy …” Other areas of the world kneel only during this humble moment of the Liturgy.

Standing instead of kneeling is allowable for the entire assembly under the pastor’s permission. Our pastor has instructed us to stand during the daily mass when held in the Word Chapel from the beginning of the Eucharistic Prayer until he sits after Communion because we have a stone floor and no kneelers and it is attended by quite a few elderly people.

Have you noticed the priest reaching his hands together above the bread and wine on the altar?
It is at this time that the priest invokes, or begs the Father to send, the Holy Spirit, the Sanctifier, so that the offerings may become the Body and Blood of Christ and that the faithful, by receiving them, may themselves become a living offering to God. This is called the Epiclesis of the Mass. It takes place shortly after Holy, Holy.

The priest lifts up his hands in prayer several times during the Mass like when instructs us to “lift up your hearts” and we reply: “We lift them up to the Lord”. All Mass attendants are instructed to offer a sign of peace to those nearby us after the Our Father before the Lamb of God. The gesture shows that we are at peace, not enmity, with others.
We do not travel around the church shaking hands because when we embrace those around us we are considered to have embraced everyone. The person next to us is symbolic of the broader community of the Church and all humankind. The members of the body of Christ are one body. This gesture of peace prepares us to receive Communion worthily. The priest is allowed to come down from the altar to offer the sign of peace only at special services such as weddings and funerals.
The gesture through which we express a prayerful greeting of peace can be a handshake, a hug or a kiss.

We also use our hands to create a throne to receive Holy Communion.
We are allowed to take Holy Communion in our hand or have it placed on our tongue. From the year 1570 to 1970 Catholics were fed the Eucharist direct to the mouth kneeling at a communion rail. In 1970 we returned to a more ancient posture.

“In the first millennium, Catholics usually received Communion in the hand and standing. St. Cyril of Jerusalem describes the fourth-century procedure in his Mystagogic Catechesis:

“When you approach, do not go stretching out your hands or having your fingers spread out, but make the left hand into a throne for the right which shall receive the King, and then cup your open hand and take the Body of Christ, reciting the Amen. Then sanctify with all care your eyes by touching the Sacred Body, and receive it.”
There is an unusual posture that is generally seen only once a year on Good Friday. This posture is when the Priest lies prostrate before the altar during the Good Friday liturgy. It is also seen during ordinations. It is a symbol of humility and surrender.

No matter if you sit, or stand, or kneel, or lay on the floor in homage before the Lord, know this: God is present in the Eucharist, in the Word, in the priest, in the praise, and in the people. Each of these postures are meaningful as we celebrate the Mass. This moment in time is so special because it is the moment of our salvation—it is a unique moment where time eternal enters our heart and we are one with God.

God desires that we should be aware, that our heart comprehends and that our life be changed.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church states that the Mass is the summit of the Catholic belief. It can be a mountain top experience. As Moses and Elijah were present with Jesus at the transfiguration, God is physically present with us during the Mass. It is a moment of infinity.
By this liturgy, this public work, we surrender to God and we are one, united in one body, mind and heart.

Our final direction of posture comes at the end of Mass. “Go!” “Go in peace to love and serve the world. The Mass is ended.” Strengthened, we shall be sent to the people, to the nations to take Christ with us.”

Some of the resources used in today’s episode are from the USCCB, The General Instructions to the Roman Missal, The Roman Missal, The Catechism of the Catholic Church, and The Mystery and Meaning of the Mass by Joseph M Champlin. [Crossroad Publishing Company, New York]. And be sure and check out the USCCB website for so much information about the Catholic Faith and the Postures of the Mass.

You’ve been listening to Truth of the Spirit. I’m Patti Brunner. And remember, there’s more! With the Holy Spirit there is always more. Be sure and check out some of our past episodes. You can check my website, PatriarchMinistries.com for written details of each episode and access to our podcast videos. Subscribe to have the next episode handy which will include more basics of our Catholic Faith and Truth of the Spirit.

References & Resources:
On Posture
http://www.usccb.org/liturgy/girm/bul3.shtml
General Instructions to the Roman Missal http://www.usccb.org/prayer-and-worship/the-mass/general-instruction-of-the-roman-missal/index.cfm
Catechism of the Catholic Church
The Mystery and Meaning of the Mass by Joseph M Champlin

Discussion Question:
1. Why does silence seem awkward during mass? How are we called to participate in the silence?
2. How do you feel when you greet and offer sign of peace during mass? How does that compare to greeting others when you first enter the gathering space before mass?
3. Share your earliest memory of attending mass.
4. Have you ever attended a mass that was not in English? Share how you participated or felt in unity.
5. If you sat in the front row, would you know when to sit, stand or kneel?

Posture (People) Liturgical Action

A. The Introductory Rites
Stand The Entrance, Song
Sign of Cross Greeting of the Altar and of the People Gathered Together
Silence [Call to mind your sins]
Strike breast The Act of Penitence [Confiteor, or other]
The Kyrie Eleison [Lord Have Mercy]
Sing The Gloria
Silence [The Collect]

B. The Liturgy of the Word
Silence [between readings]
Sit, Lector The Biblical Readings, OT or NT,
Sit, Cantor The Responsorial Psalm
Sit, Lector The Biblical Readings, NT
Stand/ Bow Alleluia, [procession of Gospel book]
[Crosses] Gospel, direct words of Jesus
Sit The Homily
Stand/Bow The Profession of Faith [Nicene or Apostles’ Creed]
Stand The Prayer of the Faithful

C. The Liturgy of the Eucharist
Sit The Preparation of the Altar, collection
Sit-Representatives
Procession The Presentation of the Gifts
Sit The Preparation of the Gifts, washing of hands
“May the Lord accept the sacrifice at your hands for the praise and glory of his name, for our good and the good of all his Church.”
Stand The Prayer over the Offerings
The Eucharistic Prayer, Preface: “we lift them up to the Lord”
“Holy, holy, holy”
Kneel Epiclesis, Consecration, Anamnesis, Memorial Acclamation, i.e. “We proclaim your death…”, Great Amen [final doxology]
Stand The Communion Rite
The Lord’s Prayer
Embrace The Rite of Peace
The Fraction [Breaking of Bread], Lamb of God (Agnus Dei)
Kneel “Lord I am not worthy”
Stand/Process Communion song
Sit/Silence Physical Union with Christ
Stand Prayer after communion, announcements, Blessing
Sign of Cross Dismissal, song
Recessional Priest leaves the assembly