Signing Head, Lips & Heart at the Gospel

 

Q. Why we make sign of cross on head, lips and chest before reading the Gospel?

A. The first and simplest answer to this question comes to us from the rubrics.  The rubrics for the Mass are the instructions given to us in the Roman Missal and they tell us the structure of the Mass.  They tell us when to stand, sit, kneel, respond, etc.  They also tell us that we are to make the sign of the Cross on our forehead, lips and heart just prior to the reading of the Gospel.

But your question is probably more about the “why” we do this.  The answer is simple.  This gesture of signing ourselves with the Cross is a way of praying, “May the Lord be in my mind, on my lips and in my heart.”  It is said prior to the reading of the Gospel as a way of prayerfully inviting Christ to come to us in these ways as His sacred Word is proclaimed.  The hearing of the Gospel must change our minds, it must be proclaimed by our lips, and it must affect our heart.  By heart we especially mean our will, affections, emotions and passions.

So next time you sign yourself with the Cross before the Gospel make sure that it’s more than just an external gesture, make sure it is also a prayer and an invitation to Christ.

(Taken from Catholic Q & A)

Click on the topic for answers to Previous Five Queries

Why do we raise hands during Our Father at Mass?

Why does the Priest need Altar Servers?

Are Chain Messages Miraculous?

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Raising Hands During the “Our Father”

Q. In church we are told to raise our arms during the Our Father prayer.  I am still struggling why in mass only.  Now days some do others don’t, which is right? 

A. Yes, this is a good and very practical question that many are confused by.  It seems that in some churches everyone holds hands during the Lord’s Prayer, sometimes they raise their hands at the doxology at the end of the prayer, and in some churches no one does either. So what’s correct?

Let’s start with the value of holding hands while praying and even raising hands during prayer. From there, we can look at doing this within the Liturgy itself.

Raising hands in prayer: It’s worth noting that the priest does this all the time.  It’s part of the liturgical rite for him to raise his hands.  The raising of one’s hands in prayer is spoken of in the Psalms and is a very holy act.  There is nothing wrong with it and, in fact, there is something very holy about this external posture when it is expressing an interior intention.  And the interior intention it expresses is that of worship and openness to God. It’s a sign of abandonment to God and surrender to His holy will. So raise your hands high when you pray, especially when alone.

As for holding hands during prayer, there are certainly very appropriate times to do so. This is an external sign indicating that you are united with those with whom you are praying.  Oneness comes primarily through our joint union with God, but oneness is also expressed externally at times by the joining of hands or the raising of hands together. This is especially the case among family members and close friends.

But now to the point of the question. What about doing these practices within the Liturgy? Is this good? The problem we face with this question has to do with the importance of uniformity within the Liturgy. Liturgical prayer is prayer that is intended to unite us and it does do this on a spiritual level. But the external unity is also important. Therefore, it’s important that we strive to pray in union with what we call the rubrics of the Mass.

As for the rubrics at the time of the Lord’s Prayer, there is no instruction given to the congregation to hold hands or to lift them at that time. It’s not that it is a bad idea, it’s just that it’s not in the rubrics. Therefore, it sees best to refrain from this act if it is a distraction or imposition on others. For example, to grab a stranger’s hand next to you during the Lord’s Prayer may be good intentioned, but it is not part of the Mass rubrics so it should be avoided.

One suggestion is that if this is a local custom and is somewhat expected, feel free to just go with the direction the priest gives.  If he asks you to hold hands or to raise them then it’s fine to do so. The priest should offer some guidance on this and if he doesn’t, try to keep it discreet among family members if this is your family practice. Ideally, the universal Church will eventually offer some direction on this so that all confusion is avoided.

(Taken from Catholic Q & A)

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Why does the Priest need Altar Servers?

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Why does the priest need altar servers?

Q. Why does the priest need altar servers?

A. Simply put, altar servers make the practical aspects of the Liturgy flow more smoothly.  At least most of the time when they are well trained.

An altar server holds the book for the priest when praying from the chair.  They hold candles next to the Gospel as it is being proclaimed. They assist with incense, assist with the preparation of the altar and perform other helpful functions.

Additionally, on a personal level, serving the holy Mass is a great honor and helps young people, especially, to learn the Mass well so that they can better join in the offering.  Being present in the sanctuary, dressing in server cassocks or albs, and being attentive to the flow of the liturgy should hopefully have the effect of helping servers to grow in a deeper love and reverence for the Mass.  Also, at times and in cultures where boys act as altar servers, this helps plant the seed of a vocation in the minds and hearts of those whom God is calling to serve as priests.

With that said, symbolically the servers also represent the entire people of God, especially in the procession.  At Mass, we should all see ourselves on a spiritual journey toward Heaven. The sanctuary is the symbol of Heaven and the procession symbolizes the entire people of God journeying toward Heaven with the Cross leading the way.

At a gathering in Rome with about 9,000 altar servers, Pope Francis told the servers that serving at the altar “enables you to open yourselves to others, to journey together, to set demanding goals and to find the strength to achieve them.”  He went on to say, “The closer you are to the altar, the more you will remember to speak with Jesus in daily prayer; the more you will be nourished by the word and the body of the Lord, the better able you will be to go out to others, bringing them the gift that you have received, giving in turn with enthusiasm the joy you have received.”

If you know an altar server, make sure to thank them for their service and encourage them in their important role.

(Taken from Catholic Q & A)

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Are Chain Messages Miraculous?

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Chain Messages

Q. What about the ‘chain messages’ forwarded or sent saying pass this to 12 or 15 people or so then you will receive a miracle. If you don’t pass it on something will happen to you? How to explain? Thank you.

A. If you spend time with with email or social media you’ve most likely come across emails or posts that make promises to you if you pass it on.  For example, there may be a special prayer sent to you with the attachment at the bottom, “pass this on to twelve friends and you will receive your answer to prayer within twelve days.”

So is this legitimate?  No, it’s not.  It’s superstition.  However, with that said there is one clarification worth making.  But first let’s look at the superstitious part.

God does not make His grace and mercy contingent upon you forwarding an email to several friends.  Perhaps the prayer that is included is quite beautiful and worth praying.  But, nonetheless, the effect of that prayer is not dependent upon you following the instructions of an email.  Only Christ and His Church have the authority to attach grace to prayers.  The Church does so through indulgences.  For more information on indulgences click here: Q. Indulgences.  So if you receive one of these emails it may be best to pass on the prayer part but to remove the promise or warning.

As for the clarification mentioned above, there have been certain private revelations given to mystics that do attached certain promises to certain prayers.  Those private revelations and promises must always be evaluated by the Church.  If approved, we can trust that God is offering a special grace through those prayers.  But the key is that we seek out the guidance of our Church on all private revelations.

(Taken from Catholic Q & A)

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Should I sit or kneel after receiving holy communion

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Should I Sit or Kneel After Communion?

Q. What should one do after receiving the Holy Communion. Should one sit or kneel in prayer?

A. We take our direction on all liturgical actions from what is called the General Instruction of the Roman Missal.  #43 of that Instruction states: “… if appropriate, they may sit or kneel during the period of sacred silence after Communion.”

This, of course, does not answer your question directly.  What it means is that it is optional to sit or kneel at that time.  Therefore, it is more up to the established local custom, or the custom of the national bishop’s conference, to make the normative determination for each location.  Therefore, the best thing for you to do is to follow the custom of the local church under the direction of the priest.

With that said, it seems most desirable to kneel at that time.  Holy Communion is a sacred encounter with the Living God and, as a sign of your interior prayer, it is most desireable to enter into the most reverent posture possible.  Some religious orders even lay prostrate at that moment.

However, even though it is very legitimate to argue that kneeling is the best practice, and even though this is the most common gesture in most territories, it is good to act in uniformity with the local church and to follow the local custom so as not to draw attention to yourself and to your personal prayer.

Most importantly, at that moment you should strive to tune everything else out and enter into deep prayer with God.  If you do that, you can be assured that your Communion will be fruitful.

(Taken from Catholic Q & A)

Click on the topic for answers to Previous Five Queries

Do Unborn Babies Go To Heaven

Can I Receive Holy Communion If I Am An Addict

Do I Need To Confess To Receive Communion If I Miss Sunday Mass 

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Do Unborn Babies Go to Heaven?

Q. Do aborted babies, those lost in miscarriage and those stillborn go to Heaven?

A. This question takes on deep personal significance for those parents who have lost a child in one of these ways.  Therefore, the first thing to emphasize is that God is a God of perfect love.  His mercy is beyond what we can comprehend.  We should be at peace knowing that God is the one who meets these precious children as they depart this life even prior to having been born.

So what happens to this precious little ones?  We do not ultimately know since the answer has never been revealed to us directly through the Scripture and the Church has never definitively spoken on this issue.  However, we can offer various options based on the principles of our faith and the wisdom of the teachings of the saints. Here are various considerations:

First, we believe the grace of Baptism is necessary for salvation.  These children are not baptized.  But that should not lead us to conclude they are not in Heaven.  Though our Church has taught that Baptism is necessary for salvation, it has also taught that God can offer the grace of Baptism directly and outside the act of physical baptism.  Therefore, God can choose to offer the grace of Baptism to these children in a way that He chooses.  God binds Himself to the sacraments, but He is not bound by them.  Thus, we should not worry about the fact that these children die without the external act of Baptism.  God can easily offer this grace to them directly if He so chooses.

Second, some suggest that God knows who among the aborted babies would have chosen Him or not.  Though they never lived their lives in this world, some speculate that God’s perfect knowledge includes knowledge of how these children would have lived had they been given the opportunity.  This is only speculation but is certainly a possibility.  If this is true, then these children will be judged in accord with God’s moral law and His perfect knowledge of their free will.

Third, some suggest that God offers them salvation similarly to the way He offered it to the angels.  They are given the opportunity to make a choice when they come into the presence of God and that one choice becomes their eternal choice.  Just as the angels had to choose whether or not they would serve God in love and freedom, so it may be that these children are given the opportunity to choose or reject God at the moment of their death.  If they choose to love and serve God, they are saved.  If they choose to reject God (as a third of the angels did), they are freely choosing Hell.

Fourth, it’s not correct to simply say that all aborted, miscarried or stillborn babies automatically go to Heaven.  This denies their free choice.  We must trust that God will allow them to exercise their free choice like all of us.

Finally, we must believe with absolute certainty that God loves these most precious children far more than any one of us ever could.  His mercy and justice are perfect and they will be treated in accord with that mercy and justice.

(From Catholic Q & A)

Can I Receive Holy Communion If I Am An Addict

Do I Need To Confess To Receive Communion If I Miss Sunday Mass 

Why Do I Need To Confess To A Priest?

Should I Confess My Past Sins?

Why Confession?

Addictions: Can I Receive Communion?

Q. With a drug addiction, can I accept the Body of Christ during Mass?

A. First of all, as a general rule please know that our Lord deeply desires to set you free from any addiction you may have.  Addictions can cause much pain in one’s life.  There are many wonderful programs such as Narcotics Anonymous that have proven to be very effective so, if you haven’t already, please do look into getting help and know that freedom from addiction is possible.

Regarding your question, it’s important to know that we should only refrain from Holy Communion if we are in a state of unrepentant mortal sin.  I suggest a full reading of Chapter 1 – Who am I? from the My Catholic Morals! book for a good understanding of sin.  Look at the end of that chapter for the explanation of mortal sin.  However, the entire chapter should be helpful in understanding this topic.

The real question is this…are you in a state of mortal sin as a result of your drug addiction?  This is a hard question to answer here so the best thing to do is to meet with your parish priest and share the particulars of your situation.  He will hopefully help you make some good decisions and help you make a plan regarding Holy Communion.

However, there is one particular general principle that is important for you to understand regarding your reception of Holy Communion with a drug addiction.  An addiction is something that strips away someone’s freedom to one extent or another.  This means that, very often, when someone is addicted to something that seriously violates God’s law, the fact that it is an “addiction” often lessens one’s moral culpability for the action.  This must carefully be understood so that it’s not misinterpreted.  The “lessening of one’s culpability” certainly does not mean that the action of using drugs is morally OK.  It’s not.  It must be fought and fought hard.  It is possible to overcome a drug addiction or any other addiction.  However, when we look at whether or not someone commits a “mortal sin” when using drugs, we must consider the factor of whether or not it’s an addiction to determine if this is done in a completely free way or not.  

Let’s look at the contrast of two examples.  First, take someone with no addiction to drugs whatsoever.  Imagine that this person came across some drugs by chance and instead of throwing them out decided to keep them.  Then, one night while he was a bit bored decided to try these drugs just for the fun of it.  Say, also, that this person was a catechetical leader at church and was well versed in Catholic morality.  He knew full well that drugs were wrong but didn’t care and chose to try them anyway.  In this case, the person is most likely committing a mortal sin and should refrain from Holy Communion until he is truly sorry and confesses his free choice.

On the other hand, say there is someone who has struggled with addiction his whole life and is doing everything possible to overcome his addiction.  He has been going to Narcotics Anonymous, been going to confession and has been praying daily for grace.  One night he is very depressed and down and stumbles across some drugs that he had forgotten about in the house.  He tries to fight the urge but gives in.  Immediately afterwards he feels sorry and deep remorse.  The next morning is Sunday and he tries to go to confession but cannot get to the priest in time.  Should he go to Communion?  In this case he should.  He should make a good act of contrition, recommit himself to sobriety and promise to mention it in confession the next time he goes but, yes, he should go to Communion.  Why?  Because even though this act of using drugs was seriously contrary to God’s will, the weakened state someone is in from an addiction lessens the moral guilt before God.  In other words, though the action is gravely wrong, God sees the whole picture.  This person most likely did not commit a mortal sin even though the action was gravely wrong.  Again, try reading through Chapter 1 – Who am I? of My Catholic Morals!

Mortal sin requires three things: 1) The action is gravely contrary to God’s will, 2) the person fully knows it is wrong, 3) the person freely consents to the action of his own will.  An addiction often times undermines the third requirement of a mortal sin in that it strips away someone’s freedom.  That’s the nature of an addiction.  The goal is to gain that freedom back so that the person is strong enough to live in the dignity that God made us for.

(Taken from Catholic Q&A)

Answers to previous five queries

Do I Need To Confess To Receive Communion If I Miss Sunday Mass 

Why Do I Need To Confess To A Priest?

Should I Confess My Past Sins?

Why Confession? 

What is an Indulgence?