When we put our petitions before God, how close are we to him
as we pray? How do we create a greater attention?
Our body:
The body is one’s physical being.
WordWeb dictionary defines it as the entire structure of a human being (Lewis, 2012). In the human self as a whole,
the body is a structure visible to us as Pope John Paul II
says thus “The body, and it alone, is capable of making visible what is
invisible, the spiritual and divine. It was created to transfer into the
visible reality of the world, the invisible mystery hidden in God from time
immemorial, and thus to be a sign of it” (Feb 20, 1980). So cool to know that
our body has a purpose in prayer and worship.
The human body is a mystery made
visible. Remember that in his image God made man. And then he created it for a
purpose. It is therefore important for us to know this role especially in our personal
prayer life and also in the liturgy.
Prayer:
And now prayer. Prayer as defined by
CCC (2697) is the life of the new heart. At every point in prayer, the one
involved brings him/herself anew before God in communion with Him. This new
self that is presented at every prayer does not involve the spiritual being
alone because the body and soul are one, they are inseparable. At such it
involves our entire being.
While praying the body is made to
participate as prayer ought to animate us at every moment and so body
disposition is meant to be observed. CCC (2702, 2703) tells us that we are body
and spirit and we experience the need to translate our feelings externally and
this renders God that perfect homage which is due. So when we pray, let the
need to express this body prayer not be denied. Remember our body is the temple
of the Holy Spirit. Therefore the need to commune with God this temple of one’s
entire being. “…You are not your own…Therefore honor God with your body” (1
Cor. 6). Using our entire being in prayer helps us to pray with greater
attentiveness (USCCB, 2010).
The Human body shares in the dignity of
“the image of God”: it is a human body precisely because it is animated by a
spiritual soul, and it is the whole human person that is intended to become, in
the body of Christ, a temple of the Spirit. (CCC 364)
When you
pray how do you dispose yourself? Why do we kneel or genuflect? Why do we fold
our palms? Do we sit or stand and pray? Why all these body postures and
gestures, do they really matter?
Body Prayer
Pease (1988) in his book ‘Body Language’ writes that one can learn how to
tell what language a person was speaking, simply by watching his gestures. In
the same manner, when praying gestures can as well tell how dispose or ready
one is to receive the graces prayed for.
Fr. Sixtus
will say ‘open your palms as you kneel while the priest intercedes and prays
for you before God’s altar’. He says this during the mass for the people. This
sign shows a good disposition and keenness to receive God’s blessings. When praying
in this way, one is saying “Here I am Lord presenting myself to you in
humility, I wish to receive your blessings, look upon me Lord your humble
servant”. In this position, a sacrifice to God is offered like the Psalmist
says “My prayer rise like incense, my hands like an evening sacrifice” (Cf.
Psalm 141:2).
The sign,
gesture or posture presented in prayer does not only show readiness but also
portray humility. Since we can’t display arrogance before our parents or
superiors, then let’s show some elements of humility before God in prayer. And
one’s body posture has a role to play in this regard. Your body’s posture, your
speech, your song, your hearing, your senses of smell and taste, and your hand
motions change how you listen to the Lord and how you respond (Harell, 2011).
During the
liturgy different postures are assumed- standing, kneeling, sitting- and one is
also invited to make a variety of gestures. These postures and gestures are not
merely ceremonial. They have profound meaning and, when done with
understanding, can enhance our participation in the liturgy so also our
personal prayer life because Pope Benedict XVI, in his book “Spirit of the
Liturgy” said: “The body has a place within the Divine worship of the Word made
flesh, and it is expressed liturgically in a certain discipline of the body, in
gestures that have developed out of the liturgy’s inner demands…”
Like the
traditional Catholic saying goes; if you need to understand the black, read the
words in red (Catholic Dictionary 2010). In other words to understand the prayers
in the Sacramentary, the rubrics of church worship is followed liturgically.
This instructions are for the proper conduct of the Mass or other liturgical
service. One of such rubric is seen in the Book of Blessings.
Bowing
We
bow with our heads to signify reverence, respect, gratitude and submission. In
the church occasions where we bow are during the creed at the words that
commemorate the Incarnation, we bow also to the crucifix, at the name of Jesus,
Mary and the Three Persons of the Trinity to give respect and reverence to God.
Having
the above in mind, when we go forward to receive Holy Communion, we make a bow
of the head as a sign of reverence prior to reception the person whom we are
about to receive; the person of our Lord Jesus Christ. Just like the Magi to
the child Jesus, “…they bowed down and worshiped Him…” (Matt. 2:11)
If
we don’t bow for God then who else do we bow to? The Devil knew the essence of
bowing when he said to Jesus “All this I will give you if you will bow down and
worship me” (Matt. 4:9). Using our head to bow shows a great sign of worship.
The Praying hands
The
Praying hand is a gesture in which the hands are clasped or folded together
before the heart. Such a prayer gesture is a symbol of obedience, submission,
sincerity and repentance. When we go forward with clasped hands to receive the
Lord in the Holy Eucharist, we are like the people in St. Paul’s letter to
Timothy; ‘In every church service I want men to pray, men who are dedicated to
God and can lift up their hands in
prayer without anger or argument.’(I Timothy 2:8)
What
happens when praying or meditating with clasped or folded hands? Such a posture
calms the mind. It is often believed Mantises are known for sitting back on
their rear appendages and holding their stout front pair of appendages together
in an attitude reminiscent of prayer: little wonder they are referred to as praying mantis. If the praying hand
gesture cannot be learned from anywhere then we could learn it from this wonder
creature - the praying mantis.
Akin (2015) advised that one can pray in
whatever posture one feels is most conducive to prayer if one is engaging in
private, non-liturgical prayer. However, when one is praying in a liturgical
celebration, such as Mass, there are rules to be followed. Such rules is that
“a minister who is a priest or deacon says the prayer of blessing with hands
outstretched; a lay minister says the prayer with hands joined" (BB, 1999).
Standing
Standing is
a sign of respect and honor, so we stand as the celebrant who represents Christ
enters and leaves the assembly (USCCB, 2010),
the person of the priest. Also, the Priest stands during the Eucharistic
Prayer as he acts in the person of Christ in what the CCC 1385 calls “so great
and so loyal a moment”. As seen in the scriptures Revelations 7:9 “…They were
from every race, tribe, nation and language, and they stood in front of the throne and of the Lamb…” and verse 15 says
“That is why they stand before God’s throne… He who sits on the throne will protect
them…” This shows that the congregation is privilege to stand before our God
who sits on the throne. ” Little wonder in the Eucharistic prayer the priest
prays to God saying “We thank you for counting us worthy to stand in your
presence and serve you.”
Also,
Hannah in 1 Samuel 1:26 stood and prayed. She said to Eli “…I am the woman you
saw standing here, praying to the LORD”
Standing up
for Jesus during the procession, proclamation of the Gospel, presentation of
gifts, intercessory prayers during the mass has been understood from the
earliest days of the Church as the posture of those who have risen with Christ
and seek the things that are above (USCCB, 2010).
It also shows how we anticipate that the Father will hear and answer the
petitions we bring with confidence before Him.
The Gentle Knees
The
knees were made for kneeling, no wonder its nature. In the early Church,
kneeling signified penance, while in the middle age and recent time this posture
signifies homage and adoration respectively. Bishop Thomas wrote that knees
symbolize both strength and humility. He also added that what we do with our
knees give evidence of what we believe in our heart and this include kneeling
down beside a bed of a dying person, genuflecting before Christ in the Blessed
Sacrament. When we do this, our knees help us to express what we believe.
According to Abba
Apollo, a desert father who lived about 1,700 years ago, the devil has no
knees; he cannot kneel; he cannot adore; he cannot pray; he can only look down
on his nose in contempt. Being unwilling to bend the knee at the name of Jesus
is the essence of evil (Cf. Is. 45:23, Rom 14:11). But when we kneel at Jesus’
name, when we bow in the service of others, and when we bend the knee in
adoration, we are following in the footstep of the Magi, we are imitating
Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta, St. Maximillian Kolbe, and all the saints
and angels in heaven. “Come, let us bow down and worship. Let us kneel before
the Lord who made us.” (Olmsted, 2015)
“Then He
went off from them about the distance of a stone’s throw and knelt down and pray.” (Luke 22:41). The
psalmist says in Psalm 95:6 “O come, let us worship and bow down: let us knee before the LORD our maker”. From 2nd
Chronicles 6:13; “…and kneeled down upon his knees before all the congregation
of Isreal…”
Also, kneeling practice is
illustrated in Daniel 6:10 “opening the windows in his upper chamber towards
Jerusalem, he knelt down three times a day, and adored, and gave thanks before
his God, as he had been accustomed to do before”. Of Christ great prayer for
His disciples and for His Church it was written that “lifting up his eyes to
heaven, he said”, etc. John 17:1; but of His Agony in the Garden of Gethsemani:
“kneeling down, he prayed” (Luke 22:41).
Although,
it is understood that some of the elderly and disabled will not be able to
kneel but those excluded from this group are expected to as kneeling assists
our whole person to be attentive to the Lord, to surrender to His will, to lift
our soul and our voices in worship.
Conclusion
Some may feel to tag this piece of writing as “secrets of
great worship”. They are secrets indeed. In every day life, we worship, we
pray. But only few of us engage in “great worship”.
As the adage goes “He who sings prays twice as well.”
Whenever I sing too, clap, dance and move my body, it should be to the glory of
God. “By its very nature song has both an individual and a communal dimension.
Thus, it is no wonder that singing together in church expresses so well the
sacramental presence of God to his people” (USCCB, Sing to the Lord, no. 2).
Remember the words of Fr. Sixtus: ‘The countenance of
somebody can be due to one’s inner disposition.’ The inner mind therefore
should be reflected outside, like we are letting the spirit flow.
Let us be disposed for God and He will in turn be disposed
for us. It is my prayer that as we make our body participate in the worship of
God in the liturgy and in our private prayers, we pray that He will make us
worship Him in truth and in spirit. Amen.
Aguri M. C.
