January 2023

When visitors come to a Catholic Mass for the first time, they are typically struck by the number of times the Catholic participants change their posture (sit, stand, sit, stand, kneel, stand, kneel, stand, etc.). They are sometimes confused by our various gestures (bowing, signing ourselves, shaking hands as a sign of peace, and processing to the altar). Sometimes they jokingly refer to all this as “Catholic calisthenics.”

These postures and gestures are not merely empty external practices. They carry profound Christian spiritual meaning when we do them consciously with understanding and faith. They show outwardly what we believe inwardly. Our common bodily postures, to be observed by all those taking part, express the unity of the members of the Christian community that is gathered for the sacred liturgy (GIRM, no. 42).

Pope Francis discusses the importance of symbolic action and symbolic understanding in his recent encyclical, Desiderio desideravi (nos. 44-47). The human person has both a soul and a body, in an intimate union of the interior with the exterior. God created the entire physical world around us as something good. God chose to take flesh in a real human body and to bring us salvation through that body. In his earthly ministry, Jesus used physical gestures and symbols to share his saving truth and healing love.

Throughout history, God has chosen to encounter us with symbols. This happens in scripture, in our faith practices at home, and in the sacramental life of the church. When we immerse ourselves in the words and gestures of the liturgy, the signs and symbols express profound spiritual realities, and they help us collectively to open our hearts more fruitfully to God’s grace.

In the Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy of the Second Vatican Council, it teaches about the importance of understanding the meaning of our signs and symbols: “It is therefore of the highest importance that the faithful should easily understand the sacramental signs, and should frequent with great eagerness those sacraments which were instituted to nourish the Christian life” (Sacrosanctum Concilium, no. 59).

In the spirit of the Eucharistic Revival which we are currently promoting throughout the United States, I offer here a brief presentation of the meaning of the postures and gestures in the Catholic Mass.

Standing

Standing together is a sign of our respect for God as we direct our prayer to him. It is also a posture of alertness to hear the words of the Risen Lord speaking to us directly in the proclamation of the Gospel. While we sit during the proclamation of the other scripture passages, we stand for the Gospel, because we are being addressed by the words of Jesus Christ himself.

Sitting

This is a posture of peaceful rest together in the presence of God as we receive God’s word in scripture and listen to the preaching offered by the priest or deacon. This posture fosters our thoughtful reflection on God’s message to us.

Kneeling and bowing

The custom of kneeling and bowing is inspired in part by the following words of St. Paul in his letter to the Philippians: “Therefore, God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Phil 2:9-11). When we kneel and bow in unison, it reminds us that we come to God as one people united in our commitment of faith.

Bowing

There are two different types of bows in the Catholic liturgy, a bow at the waist (profound bow) and a head bow. A bow of the head is made when the three Divine Persons are named together, and at the names of Jesus, of the Blessed Virgin Mary, and of the saint in whose honor the Mass is being celebrated. This is a gesture of respect for the persons being named.

A profound bow at the waist is an expression of profound reverence. We make a profound bow, toward the altar, during the Incarnatus when we are reciting the Creed (“and by the Holy Spirit was incarnate of the Virgin Mary and became man”). This posture expresses our shared acknowledgement of the central Christian belief in the Incarnation – the fact that God loved his people so much that he became a human being and dwelt among us. An interesting variation on this practice happens on the solemnities of the Annunciation and Christmas, which are both celebrations of the mystery of the Incarnation. When we profess the Creed in those Masses, we all genuflect during the Incarnatus. This gesture expresses more powerfully our great appreciation for God becoming a human being.

We also bow when we go forward to receive Holy Communion. The church asks that we express our reverence at this time with an outward symbol. In most cases, that is a bow of the head as one approaches the minister of the Eucharist to receive the Body and the Blood of Christ. It is also acceptable to genuflect or kneel at this moment.

Kneeling

Kneeling is an outward sign of an inner attitude of humility, supplication, and gratitude to God. Kneeling on both knees is an expression of reverence for Jesus Christ who is truly present in the Eucharistic species. Together, we kneel during the Eucharistic Prayer – that central point during the Mass when the bread and wine are transformed into the Body and Blood of Christ. After we have proclaimed the Sanctus (“holy, holy, holy”), the faithful kneel and remain kneeling until after the Great Amen, except when prevented by ill health or for reasons of lack of space, or the large number of people present, or for another reasonable cause. On those occasions when the congregation is not able to kneel, we all stand during the Eucharistic Prayer. When the congregation is kneeling, and an individual is not capable of kneeling, that person may sit. However, those who are standing during the Eucharistic Prayer should make a profound bow when the priest genuflects after the consecration.

Genuflection

Genuflection is a momentary kneeling to the floor on the right knee, with the body erect. We genuflect toward the Tabernacle containing the Blessed Sacrament before entering our pew at the beginning of Mass and upon leaving our pew at the conclusion of the Mass. If there is no Tabernacle in the sanctuary, or it is not visible, we bow profoundly, from the waist, toward the altar, before entering the pew. The general distinction is that we genuflect to Christ himself, but we bow toward a symbol of Christ (the altar).

Sign of the Cross

Making the Sign of the Cross is an ancient Christian gesture that dates back at least to the second century. It is an expression of our belief in the Holy Trinity. According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, the Holy Trinity is “the most fundamental and essential of all the truths of the faith” (CCC, no. 234). In light of this fact, it is only proper that this gesture would be one of the most frequent external manifestations of our faith. The Sign of the Cross also reminds us that, by his holy cross, Jesus Christ has redeemed the world. Individually and collectively, it expresses a firm commitment to live according to Christ’s standards as we invoke his protection upon ourselves. Making the Sign of the Cross is also a sign that we belong to Christ. It is a mark of Christian discipleship. Jesus says in Luke 9:23, “If anyone wishes to come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.”

Upon entering a Catholic church, we make the Sign of the Cross with holy water as a reminder of the grace bestowed on us by our own baptism. This is also a gesture of purification as we enter the sacred space of the house of God. In those liturgies when we do the rite of sprinkling, we make the Sign of the Cross when the priest or deacon sprinkles holy water in our direction. At the conclusion of the Mass, we make the Sign of the Cross during the final blessing, as the priest invokes the Holy Trinity.

There is another distinct and specific way we sign ourselves in the Mass – just before the proclamation of the Gospel by the deacon or priest. When he says, “A reading from the Holy Gospel according to Matthew,” and we respond, “Glory to you, Lord,” we use our thumb to make a small sign of the cross on our forehead (asking God to help us understand his word), on our lips (that we might speak his word), and on our heart (where we will store his word and ponder it). As we make this gesture, it is appropriate to pray silently something like this: “May the words of the Holy Gospel remain always on my mind, on my lips, and in my heart.”

Striking our breast

In the Penitential Act in the introductory rite of the Mass, in unison we strike our breast at the “mea culpa” (“through my fault”) in the Confiteor prayer. By this gesture, we ask God’s forgiveness for our sins, asking him to cleanse our hearts before we listen to his Word and before we receive him in the Eucharist. We acknowledge that we, as individuals, are always in need of conversion, and that we, as a community, are always in need of reconciliation.

The Lord’s Prayer

We all stand as one people of God for the Lord’s Prayer, because standing is a posture of respect when addressing God in prayer. No particular hand position is prescribed in the Roman Missal for an assembly gesture during the Lord's Prayer. While it is acceptable for individuals or families to hold hands spontaneously during the Lord’s Prayer if they wish, the gesture of handholding should not be imposed as a general parish expectation. The ancient orantes posture (with hands extended upward) is an optional posture during the Lord’s Prayer, which any member of the congregation is free to do if they wish. No particular posture of the hands during the Lord’s Prayer should be imposed or made obligatory by the presider or by any other person. The choice of any individual not to hold hands during the Lord’s Prayer should be respected.

Sign of peace

Before the distribution of Holy Communion, we make a gesture of communion with one another. At the sign of peace, it is appropriate that each person, in a sober manner, offer the sign of peace to those in their near vicinity (GIRM, no. 82). This action expresses the fact that we pray for peace in one another, and we find peace in one another as brothers and sisters in Christ. It recalls the teaching of Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount: "Therefore, if you bring your gift to the altar, and there recall that your brother has anything against you, leave your gift there at the altar, go first and be reconciled with your brother, and then come and offer your gift” (Mt 5:23-24).

Walking in procession

The purpose of any procession is to remind us that we are all pilgrims, like the ancient people of Israel, on a journey together toward the promised land of Heaven. As we approach the altar in the Communion procession, we should be lovingly conscious of our brothers and sisters in Christ who accompany us on this shared pilgrimage to God.

After Communion

We kneel or sit in prayer upon returning to the pew after Communion, until the Blessed Sacrament is put in the Tabernacle. Those who have been kneeling may sit after the Blessed Sacrament is put in the Tabernacle.

Conclusion of Mass

After the Mass is concluded, one may choose to kneel for a private prayer of thanksgiving. In the words of the dismissal, we are all sent forth, commissioned to bring Christ's presence with us as we go out from the church. We make the Sign of the Cross with holy water upon leaving the church, as a reminder of our baptismal vocation to carry Christ’s Gospel into the world. We go forth as a community renewed in Christ, ready to put our faith into action by the way we live and work.