The Catholic Register

1. 24-04-2008 20:53

More on kneeling and genuflecting

For several weeks now the Catholic Register’s opinion page has carried articles about the significance of ‘kneeling’ during the various parts of the Mass.. As a Catholic convert (1986) I am still confused about some of the postures and gestures used by laity and clergy alike during Mass.
In particular I would like an explanation of the proper gestures to be considered when the undistributed hosts are returned to the tabernacle. Is it not improper to return hosts to that ‘sacred’ area in the first place? Should not all the hosts be consumed by the members of congregation? I believe Jesus gives us his all, or his life, if you will. Returning hosts to the tabernacle (I have heard some refer to it as the ‘kitchen’) suggest that maybe he doesn’t. This ritual implies (to me at least) that God is being put in a box until he/she is needed again”! Furthermore, should the ritual not reflect that the body of Christ is now in the collective body of those who received communion? If the latter is true should we not honour each other rather than a piously kneeling/genuflecting to a man-made object? We are after all called to become like the One we adore.
As for the history behind kneeling, here’s what some experts in the field have said: Kneeling to pray was originally associated with penitence, and in the early church it was actually forbidden in the Easter season. It became the general practice in the Middle Ages, and is associated with an increasing emphasis on penitence and sinfulness in public worship. It is a posture wide adopted in private prayer.

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BertM

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