| St. Joseph Catholic Church

Entering the Church, Holy Water, Genuflection, & Bowing - 4

Entering Church
It’s the first thing we do when we enter a Catholic Church. Almost instinctually, our right hand reaches for the Holy Water font. When we dip our fingers into the Holy Water at the door and make the Sign of the Cross we remember our Baptism and bless ourselves. Baptism is our entry into the Church, God’s Holy People. Likewise, it is fitting that we commemorate this when we enter the physical church building by using Holy Water. Taking the time to recall what baptismal water is about releases the power of the sign. We are cleansed. We are healed. We are refreshed. And we are joined with all those sealed together by Baptism.

The narthex is the entrance section of a church. This room represents the transition between the outside world and the church. This is a place of hospitable gathering both before and after Mass. Notice how many things in the narthex help connect our faith to going out into the world such as bulletins, civil flags, devotional areas, a Vocation Awareness area, etc. A unique feature of our narthex is the relic of St. Andrew Kim, the first Korean Catholic priest and companion of St. Paul Chong Hasang. It is believed that this is the last relic of St. Andrew Kim to leave Korea. Usually, relics are placed within the altar, but our community asked for special permission from the bishop to have it placed in a devotional area so that the faithful could approach closely and pray.

The term "nave" comes from the Latin word for ship, suggesting the church was the arc of salvation. As we enter the nave, the main body of the church, we notice that the Blessed Sacrament is present in the tabernacle indicated by the red candle called a Sanctuary Lamp. Entering the pew, we genuflect to the Blessed Sacrament reserved in the tabernacle (or bow if we’re unable to genuflect) as a sign of reverence to the Real Presence of Jesus. It is customary to kneel and pray as we assume our place in the pew. We take time to quiet ourselves, become more aware of God’s loving presence, pray some favorite prayers or pray spontaneously from the heart, and consider any prayer intentions that we may have for the Mass. As we sit down, we may wish to use the missalette to look over the Mass readings and prayers to help ourselves prepare.

Genuflection and Bowing
“…at the name of Jesus every knee should bend, of those in heaven and on the earth and under the earth…” (Phil 2:10). Because God has greatly exalted Jesus Christ, we as Catholic Christians use our bodies in prayerful postures to demonstrate our awareness. We bow, genuflect (the right knee touches the ground) and, rarely, prostrate as a sign of homage. One of the earliest demonstrations of this is mentioned in Matt 2:11 with the visitation of the Magi. The evolution of liturgical actions signifying adoration extends backwards to our Jewish roots. Bowing is actually a form of prostration, a posture of reverence and subjugation to the One before us. The profound bow (from the waist) changes our position from equal or dominant to servant. During liturgy we bow toward the altar because this is the place of Eucharistic action. The rubrics (instructions for Mass) indicate a bow for all during the Creed at the words professing our belief in the Incarnation. We also bow before receiving Holy Communion as an expression of reverence to the Real Presence of Jesus in the Eucharist.

Genuflection was originally used as a gesture to give honor to royalty or a high dignitary. In the early Church this became an action to demonstrate momentary adoration. We use it most when we turn toward the tabernacle as we enter the church or our pews. Once Mass begins, we discontinue genuflecting to the Tabernacle because the primary action of Christ is at the altar and this becomes our focus. The priest has a rubrical genuflection following the elevation of the host and the chalice. He genuflects a third time before the acclamation “Behold, the Lamb of God…” We also frequently genuflect when celebrating Exhibition of the Blessed Sacrament and Eucharistic Adoration.

You may notice a simple bow of the head from ministers when we hear the name of Jesus, Mary the Mother of God, or the saint of the day. This devotional slight bow is a conscious gesture of respect and veneration.

Ways To Prepare for Mass - 3

Almost everything that we do requires some preparation. We make lists for the grocery store. Students do homework before returning to school. Gifts are purchased before weddings and showers. We tend to diet and exercise before our family and high school reunions. Some of our preparation is habitual and some deliberately thought out.

Preparing for our weekly celebration at Mass is no different. Some of us have childhood patterns to build upon. Mom and Dad insisted that we dress in our “Sunday clothes” and attention was given to the timing of a meal so that the appropriate period of fasting was observed. Some think that such details are superficial and that God doesn’t care what we are dressed in or whether we have maintained an hour of fasting before communion. However, it is we who need to observe practices such as these so that we mentally and, in our actions, delineate a change of routine that sharpens our awareness of God. We define our relationship with visible practices that are consciously chosen.

However, preparing for Sunday Mass is more than laying out our clothes the night before or delaying breakfast until after we return. We can do much more to ready ourselves for a deeper connection to Christ in the liturgy. One of the best ways is to make a practice of reading the Scriptures for the following Sunday early in the week. Spend time with them in prayer and reflection perhaps even discussion at the family meals. While there are many materials available to guide such a study, simply reading and becoming familiar with the text can prepare one to truly listen to the proclamation of the Word and to hear the message of the homily.

Start small. Resolve to read the Gospel at least one time during the week. The readings are listed in the bulletin.

The Vestments Worn at Mass & Liturgical Colors - 2

The Vestments:
Have you ever wondered why the priest wears all those unusual clothing articles called “vestments?” The development of liturgical garb has a wonderful history beginning in the 1^st century when the Church Fathers said that everyone should come dressed “clean and bright” and not in the everyday garment. The idea was that the effort put into preparation for worship indicated the attitude of readiness and eagerness to participate in this expression of faith and community. Priestly vestments that we see in today’s rites are a actually a historical remnant of the street dress of our Roman ancestors. When the Germanic tribes introduced trousers, daily wear changed but for celebrations (like liturgy) the traditional clothing was worn. Vestments are not costumes or uniforms, but ritual wear.

First, the Alb, the long white under robe-- think of Jesus at the Transfiguration, those dressed in white in the Book of Revelation, and other biblical references--it is a strong symbol of purity, of being washed clean. The assembly maintains this symbolic garment in the moment of entry into community with the baptismal robe and at the commemoration of departure to the community in heaven with the funeral pall.

The cincture is the “rope” that is tied over the alb. Its practical function is to shorten if necessary, but it symbolizes chastity.

The amice is worn less frequently, but was a square of linen with ties worn around the neck to cover any portion of the everyday clothing that could not be covered by the alb. Thus, one is completely “clothed in white.”

The stole is the long piece of fabric worn around the neck or over the shoulder and is an indication of the level of ordination and a sign of office. For Mass, the color corresponds to the liturgical season or memorial. There are several historical hypotheses about its origin, but the deacon’s stole might have been a towel. Just as a waiter sometimes carries a towel when serving, this would remind the deacon of his servant role in the preparation of the gifts.

Last of the ordinary priestly garments is the chasuble. This is the outer robe also of the liturgical color and is loose without sleeves. The priest takes the “yoke of Christ upon his shoulders.” Originally, the dalmatic was a sign of the senatorial class and eventually it became a papal garment with the privilege of wearing it extended only to papal deacons. Now this distinctive, sleeved outer garment, again in the liturgical color, is reserved to deacons alone.

Liturgical Colors:
The Church designates certain colors for particular liturgical seasons and feasts that manifest themselves in the vestments as well as in banners, ambo covers, altar adornments, and other environmental art. As is frequently the case, there are historical antecedents from which later practices have developed. For example, in the post-Easter Church white was the color of the people of the Resurrection and was worn by the whole community as a sign of faith and baptism. The Council of Trent standardized the colors that are still used today.

White, the sign of Resurrection, is used for the feasts of the Lord, Mary, non-martyred saints, and several other specific occasions.

Red symbolic of blood and fire is for Passion/Palm Sunday, Good Friday, Pentecost, and feasts of the apostles and martyrs.

Green is used during ordinary time and may be interpreted as a sign of growth in the life of the Church throughout the year.

Purple connotes a share in the kingship of Christ (from the Roman royal color) while recognizing that this was achieved through suffering and death caused by sin.

Rose can be used twice a year, once on Gaudete Sunday, the 3^rd Sunday of Advent, and again on Laudate Sunday, the 4^th Sunday of Lent. Rose is meant to symbolize the joyful anticipation of the feast that approaches (Gaudete Sunday anticipates Christmas and Laudate Sunday anticipates Easter).

Black is an optional color for Masses for the dead, though it is used rarely in the United States.

Liturgical Catechesis Begins - 1

Sometimes what we are most familiar with we know least about. Liturgy from the Greek leitourgia meaning a voluntary public work refers to the public prayers of the Church and includes the rite we call Mass as well as all the sacraments and the Liturgy of the Hours. Through the use of words, signs and symbols we express our belief in God’s invisible truth and God is present in our midst.

Over the next year we will examine our public worship, most especially the prayer we know as the Mass. Each week there will be a Liturgical Catechesis section in the bulletin explaining a part of the Mass. The priests will also say something about that part of the Mass when we come together on Sunday. Other Sundays, we’ll invite parishioners to share or witness to their experience of Jesus in the Eucharist. Our hope is that during this Year of the Eucharist, we shall all have a deeper understanding of our prayer as community and the desire for full, conscious, and active participation in the Mass.

Entering Church

Genuflection and Bowing