UNITY IN POSTURE AS A SIGN OF THE ASSEMBLY'S UNITY IN FAITH

POSTURE AND GESTURE OF REVERENCE FOR HOLY COMMUNION
WHEN SHOULD WE BOW AND WHEN SHOULD WE GENUFLECT AT MASS?

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A QUIZ:

1.          In everyday life, what happens when:

The hometown crowd reacts as its quarterback completes a touchdown pass? A gathering of immigrants salutes the flag of its adopted nation? A family toasts a marriage or the birth of a child?

At these moments, most would agree that folks leap to their feet and stand united as one body in celebration, joy, pride and thanksgiving: Wow! That's amazing! We are grateful, privileged, blessed.

2.            During Mass, what happens when:

The Cantor intones, Glory to God in the highest? The Presider says.  We join.   .   . in proclaiming your glory as we sing? The Assembly sings the Great Amen?

At each of these moments—hopefully—all of us in the Assembly leap to our feet and stand united as one body in celebration, pride, thanksgiving and joy. Wow! God is amazing! We are grateful, privileged, blessed to be God's people.

There is an important connection between these secular and sacred examples: Human beings express their unity of belief, emotion and purpose through unity of posture and gesture. Processing, singing, standing, kneeling, raising one's arms, bowing, embracing, making a throne for Christ, eating and drinking — these are postures, gestures and actions which signify our unity and embody the community's celebration of the Mass.

Bodily gestures and actions have been used over the centuries to honor individuals and objects in religious as well as secular settings and are still common in various contexts. For example, in many cultures including the United States, it is customary for people to stand when a dignitary enters a room, and for soldiers to salute a military officer. Both gestures are understood as signs of respect.

The newly revised General Instruction of the Roman Missal (GIRM) presents norms for the actions and postures used at Mass to express our reverence, respect, and adoration.

POSTURES OF REVERENCE

Standing

In the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, the faithful are to STAND immediately after the Great Amen and REMAIN STANDING, unless prevented by infirmity, until the last person has received the Eucharist.

Standing for Holy Communion, an ancient practice in the Eastern and Western Church, was restored in the liturgical reforms of Vatican II. Just as we stand in reverence and joy to receive the Word of God proclaimed in the Gospel, so we stand in reverence and joy to receive the Lord's Body and Blood in Holy Communion.

The revised General Instruction permits the bishops of each country to choose the posture appropriate for the reception of communion. The bishops of the United States have chosen to retain the ancient custom of standing as our posture for receiving Holy Communion. It is not in accord with the General Instruction to genuflect or kneel. (GIRM 160).

Bow of the Body (Head and Shoulders)

The GIRM (298) reminds us of the ancient tradition of seeing the altar as representing Christ, the Living Stone (cf 1 Peter 2:4). Because of this association, a bow of the body is prescribed as the normal gesture made toward the altar, as if toward Christ himself.

In particular, all the ministers bow toward the altar when they arrive at the sanctuary at the beginning of Mass, and also at the end of Mass, before leaving the sanctuary.  The priest or deacon also bows during other moments during the Mass, for example, when preparing to proclaim the Gospel.  

A bow of the head and shoulders is also made by the entire Assembly during the Creed at the words "by the power of the Holy Spirit . . . became man." 

Gesture of Prayer - Orans Posture

The orans posture (standing with hands outstretched, not linked) is appropriate for all at the Lord's Prayer through 'for the kingdom . . . '" (Gather Faithfully Together, 184). In recent years, many of the faithful in the United States adopted an informal practice of joining hands during the Lord's Prayer. To maintain our oneness of gesture with the universal Church, the U.S. bishops have determined that the faithful are to use the orans posture during the Lord's Prayer.

Reverential Bow of the Head

A bow of the head is prescribed when the persons of the Trinity are named together (as at the sign of the cross), at the name of Jesus, of his mother, and of the saint honored in the liturgy that day. In addition, in the United States, the bishops have added a simple bow of the head for the faithful as a sign of reverence before receiving the Sacred Body and again before receiving the Precious Blood. This bow should not delay the distribution of Holy Communion.

As we come forward, we bow just our head, then lift our head to gaze on the Lord under the appearance of Eucharistic bread. The Minister of Communion says, "The Body of Christ," and we respond with our strong "Amen." We then process to the sacred Cup where we repeat our gesture and response.

Receiving the Body of Christ - Hand or Tongue

While we receive Jesus whole and entire in just the Host, we are also privileged to receive the Precious Blood. Our sharing in "both Eucharistic species reflects more fully the sacred realities that the Liturgy signifies" (U.S. Norms 11).

The revised GIRM retains the choice of the communicant to receive the Eucharist in the hand or on the tongue. Both tongue and hands are created by God; neither is a holier or more worthy way to receive the Body of Christ.

Receiving communion in the hand, the communicant places one palm on top of the other, creating a throne for Christ. The communicant receives the Host, steps to the side, places the Host in his/her mouth and consumes it. It is not lawful to hold the Host in one's hand and wait to consume it until returning to the pew. It is also not lawful for the communicant to dip the consecrated Host into the Precious Blood.

Those who choose to receive the Host on the tongue should open the mouth and fully extend the tongue, so that the minister is able to place the Host without touching the tongue and/or mouth with his/her hand. 

Receiving the Precious Blood

The communicant bows his/her head, says, Amen , takes the Cup, drinks from it, and returns it to the minister who wipes the outside and inside of the rim of the cup with a purificator and turns the cup a quarter turn to prepare for the next communicant.

Genuflection

The genuflection, seen as a sign of adoration, is reserved for the Eucharist as well as for the cross between its solemn veneration on Good Friday and the beginning of the Easter Vigil. During Mass, the priest celebrant genuflects during the institution narrative of the Eucharistic Prayer after he has shown the consecrated host to the Assembly as well as after showing the chalice, and then after the exchange of peace right before he shows both species to the Assembly when he invites them to Communion. 

If the tabernacle is not in a separate Eucharistic chapel of reservation, but is located in the sanctuary, the priest and other ministers do not genuflect to the tabernacle during Mass.  Outside the celebration of Mass, it is appropriate to genuflect whenever passing in front of the tabernacle. 

SUMMARY - LITURGICAL POSTURES AND GESTURES 

The Psalmist exhorts us to "bow down in worship" (Ps 95:6) and St. Paul reminds us that "every knee should bend" at the name of Jesus (Phil 2:10). Genuflecting toward the tabernacle and bowing toward the altar are physical gestures that bring home to us that our religion is incarnational, and that since Christ became "like us in all things but sin," all aspects of our humanity should be involved in praising God. "A common posture, to be observed by all participants, is a sign of the unity of the members of the Christian community gathered for the sacred liturgy; it both expresses and fosters the intention and spiritual attitude of the participants" (GIRM, 41).

Adapted from GIRM Bulletin 10E    Office for Worship, Archdiocese of Los Angeles  Ó 2002, Archdiocese of Santa Fe, NM.  Used with permission

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