Sit, Stand, Kneel, Repeat: Why the Different Postures at Mass?

   It's sometimes said that going to Mass is like an aerobic workout: "One and two and three and four, now lie prostrate on the floor. Sit and stand and kneel and rest; bow at incarnatus est." Most of us probably haven't thought about it too much, simply taking it as a given that the liturgy has its ups and downs. (Ba-duh-bum!) But occasionally something will draw our attention to it: perhaps we attend a funeral in which the celebrant instructs the congregation to remain seated throughout the service. We feel an awkward tug as we resist our habits to change our posture at the appropriate times. It raises the question: why do we do it in the first place? What do the different postures in the Mass mean?

   Rather than reinventing the wheel, we'll point you to an excellent resource at the US Conference of Catholic Bishops website called Praying with Body, Mind, and Voice, which can be found here. To quote some of the key passages:

STANDING Standing is a sign of respect and honor, so we stand as the celebrant who represents Christ enters and leaves the assembly. From the earliest days of the Church, this posture has been understood as the stance of those who have risen with Christ and seek the things that are above. When we stand for prayer, we assume our full stature before God, not in pride but in humble gratitude for the marvelous things God has done in creating and redeeming each one of us. By Baptism we have been given a share in the life of God, and the posture of standing is an acknowledgment of this wonderful gift. We stand for the proclamation of the Gospel, which recounts the words and deeds of the Lord. The bishops of the United States have chosen standing as the posture to be observed for the reception of Communion.

KNEELING In the early Church, kneeling signified penance. So thoroughly was kneeling identified with penance that the early Christians were forbidden to kneel on Sundays and during the Easter season, when the prevailing spirit of the Liturgy was one of joy and thanksgiving. In the Middle Ages kneeling came to signify homage, and more recently this posture has come to signify adoration, especially before the presence of Christ in the Eucharist. It is for this reason that the bishops of this country have chosen the posture of kneeling for the entire Eucharistic Prayer. 

SITTING Sitting is the posture of listening and meditation, so the congregation sits for the pre-Gospel readings and the homily and may also sit for the period of meditation following Communion. All should strive to assume a seated posture during the Mass that is attentive rather than merely at rest.

   It also gives an accounting of the deeper meaning behind processions, bowing, genuflecting, and other liturgical actions. Do check it out!

   If you want a full accounting of the different moves we make, you can find it here.