When in Rome (or Key West, or wherever)…

When Catholics travel, we have the delight of experiencing the Sunday Eucharist in both its universality and its diversity. The essence of the liturgy is the same everywhere, especially within a particular country; yet, each bishop has some freedom to "customize" the liturgy for his particular diocese. Sometimes the differences are fairly significant; other times they are very subtle.
       A case in point: on a recent weekend in Key West, I attended Sunday Mass at the local parish church. All was very familiar, until the priest began the Invitation to Communion ("This is the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. Happy are those who are called to his supper"). At this point, the assembly got down on their knees, and stayed there until the Communion ministers were in place for the Communion Procession. Although I had heard that some US dioceses had implemented this after the 2002 Roman Missal made it clear that a bishop could mandate this posture for his diocese, I hadn't personally experienced kneeling at this point in the liturgy since the 1970s. So I fumbled to get the kneeler down and did what everyone else in the assembly was doing: kneeling for the Invitation to Communion and the assembly's response.
       And that's the point: we must respect the fact that our universal liturgy has local adaptations. Even though our home diocese might do things differently, we are obliged to follow the customs of the diocese in which we are worshipping. We best express our universal faith when we suspend our personal preferences in favor of the unity of the assembly. Doing so reflects our notion of who we are as a Church and what our worship is all about: a sacrifice of self for the good of the community. 

The Sign of Peace

The Sign of Peace in the Roman Rite is in the Communion Rite, just after the Lord's Prayer and before the breaking of the bread. As it says in the General Instruction: "[After the Lord's Prayer, t]he Rite of Peace follows, by which the Church asks for peace and unity for herself and for the whole human family, and the faithful express to each other their ecclesial communion and mutual charity before communicating in the Sacrament.*" 
       So that's what it's about, but when it comes to providing a rubric on how to do it, there is no universal norm. All the General Instruction says is, "As for the sign of peace to be given, the manner is to be established by Conferences of Bishops in accordance with the culture and customs of the peoples. It is, however, appropriate that each person offer the sign of peace only to those who are nearest and in a sober manner.*"
       In the US, the conference of bishops has not promulgated anything formally on this. I do recall that, when the current Order of Mass was published in the late 1960s, our pastor said that for the Sign of Peace, we should shake hands with the person to our right, our left, in front of us, and behind us. I don't know if that was what his bishop told him, or if that came from another source.
       Nonetheless, with everything that has been said about the H1N1 virus, we all now know that the flu is readily transmitted from hand to hand. Therefore, many dioceses have been coming out with formal statements about how to convey the sign of peace.† We still don't have a directive from the US conference of bishops, so there is still wide latitude in terms of what is acceptable for the sign of peace. However, it wouldn't really be an effective sign of peace unless it is comfortable and meaningful to both parties in the exchange. 
       That's worth keeping in mind as we express to each other "our ecclesial communion and mutual charity" this cold and flu season.
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*GIRM, 82.
†I am currently traveling in the Boston Archdiocese, and I note that they have issued new directives on this, effective October 31, 2009 (to view those directives, click here).

Gestures of reverence in a Catholic Church

When entering a Catholic Church, it should be obvious where the tabernacle containing the reserved Blessed Sacrament is (look for a burning lamp). It is a good idea to look for that right away, because that will determine how one should behave in all parts of the church. 

When in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament 

Upon entering or leaving the place where the tabernacle is, one should genuflect toward the tabernacle. Genuflecting is done by touching the right knee to the floor briefly and then standing back up. The short prayer that is usually said silently when genuflecting is, "Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament, I adore you." 

       Also, when in the place where the tabernacle is, it is customary to be silent. The reason for this is that one of the secondary purposes for reserving the Blessed Sacrament is for the faithful to have the opportunity for prayer and adoration in proximity to the Real Presence. Many churches in Europe (especially in Italy) post large signs for the tourists to indicate that they are entering the Chapel of Reservation and they are to be quiet. 

Elsewhere in the worship space

Outside of the Chapel of Reservation, the most prominent feature in the worship space should be the altar — it should be in the center of the sanctuary. The liturgical norms of the Catholic Church specify that a profound bow (i.e., a deep bend at the waist) is the appropriate sign of reverence for the altar. A person must bow (1) when entering or leaving the sanctuary and (2) when passing in front of the altar. It is also customary to bow to the altar when entering and leaving one's pew at the beginning and end of the Mass. 

If the tabernacle is on or near the main altar

In some older churches, the tabernacle is on an altar behind the main altar or in a niche in the wall of the sanctuary. What's the appropriate reverence in this situation? The liturgical books specify that one is to genuflect when entering and leaving the pews, when entering or leaving the sanctuary, or crossing in front of the tabernacle.

       The exception is during the Mass: no one is to genuflect once Mass has begun, except for the presider who is to make three genuflections during the Liturgy of the Eucharist. Therefore, for most people, they need only genuflect when entering their pew before Mass and leaving their pew at the end of Mass. Not even the lectors who read the First or Second Reading — they are to bow to the altar as they enter and leave the sanctuary.

       Some may ask: isn't this disrespectful of the Blessed Sacrament? The answer is, "No, it is not." The reason it is not is because the celebration of the Eucharist is in progress, and if it weren't for the Eucharist (the Mass), we would have no Blessed Sacrament to begin with. The Church wants us to realize that our active celebration of the Eucharist should be the summit of our lives as Catholics, and the font from which all of our faith comes forth. Once the Eucharistic action is complete, then the Blessed Sacrament that remains is most definitely worthy of our adoration.