(The following homily was given by Arlington Bishop Paul S. Loverde on Nov. 10, 2002 at the Cathedral of St. Thomas More in Arlington, Virginia.)
In our Scripture readings we are reminded that one day the Lord Jesus will return to judge the living and the dead. Are we ready? Are we truly ready to meet Jesus Christ face-to-face? It is a question upon which we should reflect often so that our lives can become more authentically Christian. Yet, do we not meet Jesus Christ “face-to-face,” so to speak, in every liturgy celebrated by the Church? Do we not hear the words of Jesus in our Gospel readings, and have them explained by the priest who has been ordained to stand in His person? Does Jesus not come body, blood, soul and divinity through the words of the ordained priest during the Eucharistic Prayer? Indeed, we do not need to wait for the Second Coming in order to come into direct contact with Jesus Christ. He is with us in His Word and His Sacraments and, in a unique way, in the Eucharist.
Today, I would like to continue a four-week period of catechesis that was begun last week throughout the diocese on the New Roman Missal and the revised General Instruction of the Roman Missal. This morning, I invite us to consider the worshipping assembly at Mass, especially focusing on how our postures and gestures relate to the whole of the liturgy.
The Second Vatican Council undertook a reform of the Church's liturgy, and in its Constitution on the Liturgy, the Council Fathers wrote: “Mother Church earnestly desires that all the faithful should be led to that full, conscious, and active participation in liturgical celebrations which is demanded by the very nature of the liturgy, and to which the Christian people, 'a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a redeemed people' (I Pet 2:9, 4-5) have a right and obligation by reason of their baptism” (Sacrosanctum Concilium, 14). Therefore, “Full, conscious and active participation in [the] liturgical” celebration is what each of us is called to do when we come to the liturgy.
There are two important points here: 1) Each one of us has a part in the liturgy, whether we be ordained or non-ordained, and to exercise our ministerial or common priesthood effectively, we must understand what we are doing, consciously live out our priestly duties and actively participate in the liturgical actions. 2) These are not individual actions, this is not a private devotion. The liturgy is the public worship of the People of God offered to the Father through His Son Jesus Christ in the unity of the Holy Spirit. Our priestly actions "“ both common and ministerial "“ work in tandem to offer the perfect sacrifice of Jesus Christ to the Father. It is, therefore, necessary that the gathered community act in harmony, each carrying out his or her respective duties. If members of the community do not act in union but instead make the liturgy an expression of personal piety, then unity is turned into confusion, rhythm becomes chaos and the assembly is hindered from entering into the prayer of the liturgy, and must rather focus on what is coming next.
It is for this reason that the liturgical texts have rubrics. Rubrics are the authoritative rules and directions given to create order and harmony in the liturgy so that the People of God may enter into the prayer of the Mass. Because we are creatures of body and soul, our prayer is not confined to our minds, hearts and voices, but is expressed by our bodies as well. During Mass we assume various postures: standing, sitting, kneeling, and we are invited to make a variety of gestures. These postures and gestures that have profound meaning, and when done with reverence, can enhance our personal participation in the Mass.
Standing is a sign of respect and honor, so we stand as the celebrant, who represents Christ, enters and leaves the assembly. We stand until the end of the Opening Prayer (or Collect); for the singing of the Alleluia before the Gospel reading; while the Gospel itself is proclaimed; during the Profession of Faith and the General Intercessions; from the invitation, Pray, brethren, that our sacrifice", before the Prayer over the Gifts; from the end of the Great Amen after the Agnus Dei; for the Closing Prayer (Post-Communion) until the end of Mass. The only posture that will be really different is our standing from the invitation: “Pray brethren"”. I suspect that a hand gesture by the celebrant to stand at this time will be needed at first until we become accustomed. The reason for this addition is the principle that we stand at the Opening Prayer and at the Closing Prayer, so we should do the same at the Prayer Over the Gifts.
The posture of kneeling signifies penance and the awareness of our sins, homage and reverence to Our Lord, and adoration of the One God. It is for this reason that the bishops of the United States have prescribed the posture of kneeling for the entire Eucharistic Prayer: that is, from the end of the Sanctus until after the Amen of the Eucharistic Prayer, except when prevented on occasion by reasons of health, lack of space, the large number of people present, or some other good reason. Those who do not kneel ought to make a profound bow when the priest genuflects after each consecration. The faithful also kneel after the Agnus Dei unless the Diocesan Bishop determines otherwise (GIRM 43, USA Adaptations). In this diocese, we will kneel.
