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More on kneeling
Al Smith (“In defence of kneeling,” April 6) suggests I wrote that kneeling to God is not in the Bible. He reads more in my words than is there. My letter (“Kneeling isn’t biblical,” March 16) contends only that our Roman Catholic practice of kneeling, especially for receiving Holy Communion, does not come from the Bible with any direct historical link. Alexander Roman’s letter (“Kneeling had limits,” April 6) gives good evidence for my position as does the fact that many of the oldest cathedrals of Europe to this day do not have kneelers.
In his book, The Spirit of the Liturgy, Pope Benedict XVI in writing that “Kneeling … comes from the Bible…” (p. 185), is arguing in light of the Bible only for fittingness of kneeling. R.C. kneeling probably has its roots in the Christianizing of pagan Roman culture. Smith’s letter, as Paul Kokoski’s (“Kneel before God,” March 2), misrepresents how Pope Benedict reaffirms the relevance of kneeling. They make him talk history rather than piety.
The successors to the Apostles never read everything in the Bible as binding. In Acts 15:29, the Council of Apostles prohibited all Christians from eating blood. Even though St. Luke, the author of Acts, presents blood abstention as essential to Christian religion, the successors to the Apostles did not do so.
As to Smith’s hint that I oppose kneeling, let him come to St. Leo’s and poll my parishioners. They will testify that I never ascend to the altar to begin Mass nor take leave of it without genuflecting to the tabernacle, that I celebrate Eucharist and officiate at our weekly Benediction with the Blessed Sacrament with the proper kneeling and genuflections and that I teach the ministers of Communion and the servers to do the same.
Fr. Frank Carpinelli
Pastor, St. Leo’s parish
Professor
St. Augustine Seminary
Toronto, Ont.
One more time
The recent exegetical battle printed in The Register regarding kneeling as it relates to contemporary liturgical practice has been fascinating to read. However, some further comments and clarifications are in order.
It is indeed true that in the Greek Bible the word that is most often used to express an act of worship is proskuneo, which is defined by the Bauer/Dankar Greek-English Lexicon as: “to express in attitude or gesture one’s complete dependence on or submission to a high authority figure, (fall down and) worship, do obeisance to, prostrate oneself before, do reverence to, welcome respectfully.” The verb does not primarily refer to a bodily posture, but to an attitude of worship, submission and supplication that is expressed with the body. Some common gestures that are described in the Bible in conjunction with this verb include bodily prostrations, kissing the feet of the one who is worshipped, etc.
On the other hand, there is a verb used in the Bible, notably in the Synoptic Gospels, whose primary referent is to a bodily posture in the context of engaging in prayer and worship. This is the verb gonupeteo, which literally means to kneel down. In Matthew 17:14 the father of an epileptic son comes to Jesus and falls to his knees (gonupteo) before Jesus in supplication. The root of this verb is the noun gonu, which means “knee.” This noun is often coupled with verbs to indicate the posture of kneeling in the New Testament. St. Luke often uses this combination to describe kneeling as a posture for prayer: Jesus in Gethsemane (Lk 22:4), St. Peter while restoring Tabitha to life (Act 9:40), and St. Paul, bidding farewell to the elders of Ephesus (Act 20:36). In each case St. Luke writes that “he knelt down and prayed” (theis ta gonata proseuxato). Finally, on two separate occasions St. Paul writes: “at the name of Jesus every knee (gonu) should bend (kampto), in heaven and on earth and under the earth” (Phil 2:10). And in Romans 14:11 quoting Isaiah 45:23 Paul writes: “As I live, says the Lord, every knee (gonu) shall bow (kampto) to me, and every tongue shall give praise to God.” The universality of the last two pronouncements would certainly include worshippers in the 21st century.
Fr. Ted Nowak, OMI
Acting Dean of Studies
St. Augustine Seminary
Toronto, Ont.
Kneeling revisited
Wow, we now have holy synods quoted, as per Alexander Roman’s April 6 letter: “Kneeling was seen to be an expression of sorrow for one’s sins.” If I remember correctly, there is somewhere in the Bible a passage that says “if there is one without sin let him be the one to pick up the first stone.” I think it is a good bet to pay attention to Al Smith’s April 6 letter, where he quotes from the book The Spirit of the Liturgy in which Pope Benedict XVI strongly advises us that indeed “kneeling… comes from the Bible.”
Now my only wish is that all priests could, would and should look our Lord straight in the eyes, after they consecrate the host.
Gerry Poelwyk
Sydenham, Ont.
Editor’s note: We thank our scholarly readers for their contributions to this enlightening discussion on kneeling. With these three letters we will now bring this debate to a close.
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