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Hearts of Prayer: Sacred Liturgy |
More Than Words: External
Signs of Faith by the Celebrant
The Significance of Genuflections and Other Gestures
Rev. Nicola Bux
Rome, Jan. 21, 2010
(Zenit.org)
Faith in the presence of the Lord, and in particular in his
Eucharistic presence, is expressed in an exemplary manner by the
priest when he genuflects with profound reverence during the Holy
Mass or before the Eucharist.
In the post-conciliar liturgy, these acts of devotion have been
reduced to a minimum in the name of sobriety. The result is that
genuflections have become a rarity, or a superficial gesture. We
have become stingy with our gestures of reverence before the Lord,
even though we often praise Jews and Muslims for their fervor and
manner way of praying.
More than words, a genuflection manifests the humility of the
priest, who knows he is only a minister, and his dignity, as he is
able to render the Lord present in the sacrament. However, there are
other signs of devotion.
When the priest extends his hands in prayer he is indicating the
supplication of the poor and humble one. The General Instruction of
the Roman Missal (GRIM) establishes that the priest, "when he
celebrates the Eucharist, therefore, he must serve God and the
people with dignity and humility, and by his bearing and by the way
he says the divine words he must convey to the faithful the living
presence of Christ" (No. 93). An attitude of humility is consonant
with Christ himself, meek and humble of heart. He must increase and
I must decrease.
In proceeding to the altar, the priest must be humble, not
ostentatious, without indulging in looking to the right and to the
left, as if he were seeking applause. Instead, he must look at
Jesus; Christ crucified is present in the tabernacle, before whom he
must bow. The same is done before the sacred images displayed in the
apse behind or on the sides of the altar, the Virgin, the titular
saint, the other saints.
The reverent kiss of the altar follows and eventually the incense,
the sign of the cross and the sober greeting of the faithful.
Following the greeting is the penitential act, to be carried out
profoundly with the eyes lowered. In the extraordinary form, the the
faithful kneel, imitating the publican pleasing to the Lord.
The celebrant must not raise his voice and should maintain a clear
tone for the homily, but be submissive and suppliant in prayer,
solemn if sung. "In texts that are to be spoken in a loud and clear
voice, whether by the priest or the deacon, or by the lector, or by
all, the tone of voice should correspond to the genre of the text
itself, that is, depending upon whether it is a reading, a prayer, a
commentary, an acclamation, or a sung text; the tone should also be
suited to the form of celebration and to the solemnity of the
gathering" (GRIM, No. 38).
He will touch the holy gifts with wonder, and will purify the sacred
vessels with calm and attention, in keeping with the appeal of so
many saints and priests before him. He will bow his head over the
bread and the chalice in pronouncing the consecrating words of
Christ and in the invocation of the Holy Spirit (epiclesi). He will
raise them separately, fixing his gaze on them in adoration and then
lowering them in meditation. He will kneel twice in solemn
adoration. He will continue with recollection and a prayerful tone
the anaphora to the doxology, raising the holy gifts in offer to the
Father.
Then, he will recite the Our Father with his hands raised, without
having anything else in his hands, because that is proper to the
rite of peace. The priest will not leave the Sacrament on the altar
to give the sign of peace outside the presbytery, instead he will
break the Host in a solemn and visible way, then he will genuflect
before the Eucharist and pray in silence. He will ask again to be
delivered from every indignity not to eat and drink to his own
condemnation and to be protected for eternal life by the holy Body
and precious Blood of Christ. Then he will present the Host to the
faithful for communion, praying "Dominum non sum dignus," and bowing
he will commune first, and thus will be an example to the faithful.
After communion, silence for thanksgiving can be done standing,
better than sitting, as a sign of respect, or kneeling, if it is
possible, as John Paul II did to the end when he celebrated in his
private chapel, with his head bowed and his hands joined. He asked
that the gift received be for him a remedy for eternal life, as in
the formula that accompanies the purification of the sacred vessels;
many faithful do so and are an example.
Should not the paten or cup and the chalice (vessels that are sacred
because of what they contain) be "laudably" covered (GRIM 118; cf.
183) in sign of respect -- and also for reasons of hygiene -- as the
Eastern Churches do? The priest, after the final greeting and
blessing, going up to the altar to kiss it, will again raise his
eyes to the crucifix and will bow and genuflect before the
tabernacle. Then he will return to the sacristy, recollected,
without dissipating with looks and words the grace of the mystery
celebrated.
In this way the faithful will be helped to understand the holy signs
of the liturgy, which is something serious, in which everything has
a meaning for the encounter with the present mystery of God.
* * *
Father Nicola Bux is professor of Eastern Liturgy in Bari and
consultor of the Congregations for the Doctrine of the Faith, for
Saints' Causes, for Divine Worship and the Sacraments, as well as of
the Office for the Liturgical Celebrations of the Supreme Pontiff.
This page is the work of the Servants of the Pierced Hearts of Jesus and
Mary