Dear Parish Families,
Last week my article addressed our school community about interior participation during Mass. I would like to mention a few of the external actions or signs that are part of the Mass. The obvious Catholic calisthenics of up-down-kneel keeps us on your toes; but what are some of the other things that we do and what meaning is attached to the action?
Let’s start when we enter the Church and dip our hands into the Baptismal font and make the Sign of the Cross. Why do we do this? There are three reasons:
As we enter the Church we are taught to genuflect. In reverence to the altar, which represents Jesus Christ, we genuflect. We actually practice this putting the right knee all the way to the floor and let it rest there for a moment.
During the Penitential Act, at the words “through my fault, through my fault, through my most grievous fault’ there is the gesture of striking the chest. This is a sign of repentance, of humility. It is an actual low, not an elegant gesture. Fr. Cassian Folsom, founder of the Monks Of Norcea says, “To strike the breast is to beat against the gates of our inner world in order to shatter them.”
There is much more that we could address. We are making gains in getting our students to be become active participants at Mass. The more opportunities the children have to participate in Mass with family, the more comfortable they feel with the process. Again, as I mentioned last week, thank you for your help! It takes all of us working together to mentor children!
Your partner in learning and faith,
Mrs. Pahl, Principal