Posture Matters
These days, football is being defined more by the actions taking place before the game begins. Players continue to kneel or sit in silent protest rather than stand while the United States national anthem is being sung. These changes in posture on the playing field began last season when (then) San Francisco 49ers quarterback, Colin Kaepernick, sat on the bench during the anthem to protest what he believed to be injustices toward African Americans and other minorities. Then, he and teammate Eric Reid began taking a knee during the anthem. Since then, many players in various sports have joined the protests, ignoring criticisms by President Trump, who called for these players to be fired.
No matter where you stand in this debate, there is one thing on which we can all agree—posture speaks volumes. Posture mediates meaning, something the architects of our liturgical rituals figured out long before the game of football as we now know it came to be.
Every posture we take during the Mass expresses meaning. We stand during the opening song as a sign of joy--that we are one body ready to pray. Standing has long been considered a sign of resurrection, so we stand again during the Alleluia to signify that we are ready to receive the hope proclaimed in the Gospel. We also stand during the reception of Holy Communion as a sign that we are united as we approach the table of the Lord.
We kneel during the Eucharistic Prayer as a sign of reverence, however this is a relatively new posture and it is not universal. Many churches in Europe and in other parts of the world maintain the long-established tradition of standing during the Eucharistic Prayer. Kneeling has traditionally been considered a sign of penance. That is why we kneel during penitential services, and during rituals such as the scrutiny rites that express the cry for God’s healing power.
In the Mass, we sit to learn—to allow God’s word to teach us. In other settings such as meditation or contemplation, we sit--often with palms open--to pray. It’s a more passive posture than standing or kneeling, which is why it is often used by nonviolent protestors around the world.
Whether we are sitting, kneeling or standing, posture helps enhance our prayer. Let us pray for the grace to realize the reverence, the joy, the hope and the unity these postures convey.