DailyBread wrote:
For Catholics and many others, kneeling in supplication is a natural posture. It expresses through the body what is in the heart & mind of the faithful.
That's interesting, DB. One of the things I found different when I attended Mass (Roman Catholic rite) with my in-laws, was that they stood to pray. I had been used to kneeling to pray in the Anglican church in which I was raised. Maybe the Catholic tradition you are part of is not the Roman one? Or the tradition varies in different places?
Kneeling to pray for corporate prayer seems particularly suitable to me - it helps show the unity of the congregation in an attitude of supplication and humility. It is a tradition I miss in our current congregation, but the attitude of heart and mind is expected to be the same. Only God knows the heart.
I have bowed ... the head ... in Japan, where it is a sign of respect. And have been bowed to in return. I also have a very respectful student at school from a European background who has been raised to bob the head, bend the knee slightly, in respect towards her teachers. Makes me feel very appreciated, and humbled. None of these indicate any ore than a paying of respect. Bowing in worship is an entirely different matter, as I am sure we all recognise.
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Lord, in my zeal for love of truth, let me not forget the truth about love.” - Thomas Aquinas
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