Forgotten Signs of Reverence

I suppose advancing age could well be the most likely cause, but sometimes I find myself wondering what happened to many of the Catholic customs and traditions I grew up with. But this reflection is driven by more than simple nostalgia; rather it's a sadness that something good has been lost and future generations of Catholics will be poorer for it. I also believe that the practice of many of these customs and traditions were moments of grace, times when we as Catholics opened ourselves up to God's movement in our lives. Let me give you a few examples of some signs of reverence that seem to have been forgotten by many Catholics...

Bowing one's head at the name of Jesus. I still do this. Indeed, I'm unable to do otherwise. My parents and the good Dominican Sisters at St. Augustine School in Larchmont, NY trained me too well. When I was a child virtually every Catholic followed this practice, but today it seems that very few have retained it. It's absence is especially evident when I am preaching and can observe the entire congregation. When the name of Jesus is pronounced I notice only a few gray heads bow while the vast majority remain unmoved. The practice is not, as some would have us believe, just another meaningless tradition that was left in the dust of the pre-Vatican II Church. Not at all. Indeed, this tradition has a Scriptural basis and is as old as St. Paul's Letter to the Philippians:

Because of this, God greatly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bend, of those in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. [Phil 2:9-11]

Additionally, this custom of bowing the head at the mention of Jesus' Name was formally written into law at the Second Council of Lyons, A.D. 1274, convened by Pope Gregory X: 

"Those who assemble in church should extol with an act of special reverence that Name which is above every Name, than which no other under Heaven has been given to people, in which believers must be saved, the Name, that is, of Jesus Christ, Who will save His people from their sins. Each should fulfill in himself that which is written for all, that at the Name of Jesus every knee should bow; whenever that glorious Name is recalled, especially during the sacred Mysteries of the Mass, everyone should bow the knees of his heart, which he can do even by a bow of his head."

As I mentioned above, it can be a moment of grace. It can also be a moment of evangelization whereby we show the world that the name of God is indeed sacred. Here's an interesting comment about this practice: Proclaiming Jesus is Lord.

This leads me to another question: What ever happened to the Holy Name Society, the Dominican sponsored confraternity that promoted reverence for the holy names of God and Jesus Christ? Back when I was growing up almost every parish had one, and what a blessing it was. I know the society still exists, but there seem to be few parishes with active chapters. Maybe I'll look into starting one at our parish.

Genuflecting before the Blessed Sacrament. If you're old enough you will remember how everyone genuflected to the Tabernacle because within it was the Eucharist, the Blessed Sacrament. Perhaps for many it had become (and still remains) one of those automatic "Catholic" things that one did entering and leaving one's pew. Perhaps many gave little thought to what they were doing and why they were doing it. But that's no reason to drop the custom. 

Let me acknowledge that many Catholics still practice this reverent custom, but let me also say that many don't. And it was, at one time, universally practiced. When I was a child the only people who didn't genuflect were those who were physically incapable of doing so.

Indeed, the gradual disappearance of this custom only highlights how many nominal Catholics have abandoned belief in the Real Presence of Jesus Christ in the Eucharist. (As one Protestant friend told me, "If I believed what you say you believe about Jesus being present in your Eucharist, I'd spend my life there kneeling in front of Him.") And for those who think this custom, too, is just another leftover from those pre-Vatican II days, let me remind you that the fathers of the Second Vatican Council called the Eucharist "the source and summit of the Christian life." When you meditate on these words, and allow yourself to understand and accept their full meaning, the need to pay reverence to the Blessed Sacrament is inescapable.

Yes, genuflecting before the Tabernacle is a wonderful reminder that we are in the presence of God, and provides an opportunity to give thanks for this wonderful gift of the Eucharist, the remarkable gift of God's continued and very real presence in our lives.

Dressing Up for God. My previous parish, located in a resort town on Cape Cod, attracted several thousand summer visitors each weekend. And while many dressed appropriately, the attire of many others was appalling. 

Whenever I mentioned this among the clergy, some priests and deacons would always say, "Well, you should be happy they're attending Mass, regardless of how they're dressed." Now this argument never impressed me. Attending Mass, in itself, means little if it is done only to fulfill some sort of cultural collective habit. In other words, I fear that too many Catholics go to Mass on Sunday -- or more usually to a Saturday Vigil Mass -- simply because they have always done so. It's a cultural thing, something they do, perhaps even a hedging of their bets so to speak, a kind of superficial form of Pascal's wager. And so they see no need to alter their behavior to conform to and reflect the reality of what is actually occurring at Mass. If they truly understood and believed what is happening before them on the altar, they would approach that altar with every sign of respect.

These same people, who come to Mass wearing flip-flops and shorts and tank tops or worse, would never dress that way for a friend's wedding or a relative's funeral because it would be a sign of disrespect. They dress to the nines when attending Christmas parties or dinner on a cruise ship, but can't even cover their bellies when they come to taste the Lord at His table. 

Once again, it seems to be just another symptom of a lack of belief in the Real Presence. Or perhaps they simply have come to believe that dressing to meet Almighty God at Mass is somehow passé and no longer applies in today's less formal society.

But dressing for Mass is simply a matter of showing proper respect, not only for God, but for each other. It's not, and should never be, a matter of showing off one's finery. Dressing with that intention would be sinful. It's less a matter of wearing fine clothes than it is of not wearing obviously inappropriate clothing. After all, many people don't have fine clothes. And some others must attend Mass immediately after or before work, often hard work that demands clothing that is anything but fine. Such circumstances should never keep a person from the Sacraments. But these are relatively rare exceptions. In most circumstances people should come to Mass wearing modest, clean clothing that mirrors the respect they have in their hearts.

I could go on and mention that other sign of disrespect, the all-too-common practice of leaving Mass immediately after receiving the Eucharist and not bothering to stay for the final blessing. And there are dozens of other wonderful Catholic customs and traditions that have lost much of their popularity over the years, but these will do for now. Actually, if you have any you'd like to pass along, use the comment feature and share them with others. 

And speaking of comments, I have been forced to moderate all comments as a result of my little foray into NCAA football. A few commenters used highly inappropriate language. And I've also been receiving some rather odd comments in Chinese, which I assume are some form of spam. In addition to these, the only comments I reject are those that really don't address the subject or are obvious promotional ploys.