The Spirituality of Stillness: Genuflection, Prayer and Preparation

Julie South [00:00:05]:
Welcome to your Catholic Corner. I'm your show host, Julie south. Your Catholic Corner helps Catholic spiritually prepare for each Sunday's mass starting midweek each week your can listen to your catholic corner@yourcatholiccorner.com today we're uncovering the biblical gems hidden in the books of Genesis, Romans, and a little bit more from Mark's gospel in catholic speak. We're in the second week of Lent in year b. Today we will kick off with a new listener question of the week this week. This time today it is. The question is, why do Catholics kneel and cross themselves before they take a seat in church? Really good question. We'll get to that.

Julie South [00:01:00]:
Remember, please also that when two or more are gathered in Jesus'name like we are here right now with you and me, he Jesus is here with us. After today's question of the week, we will pray together from the three Bible passages and the I'll share the metaphors and reflections that I got out of those three passages. Today we are reading from Genesis, chapter 22, Romans chapter eight and mark, chapter nine. But before that, a quick word about your catholic corner, just in case this is your first time here. Regardless of where you are on your spiritual journey, whether you've only just heard of that man called Jesus, you're new to Catholicism or you're a cradle Catholic, my prayer is that your catholic corner will help bring God's word to life in your heart through insights, reflections and practical applications that help deepen your relationship with God. Every Thursday we'll start preparing for mass by uncovering the richness hidden in each Sunday's Bible readings, from Old Testament prophecies to gospel parables. I invite you to join me and the parishioners of the Cathedral of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Hamilton, New Zealand, sponsors of your catholic corner so that together we can hear God's word and echo Samuel, speak, Lord, your servant is listening. Now let's get back to today's show.

Julie South [00:02:38]:
Why do Catholics kneel and cross themselves before they take a seat in church? Great question. If you're not Catholic and you've ever followed a Catholic into church at a wedding or a funeral, you could end up being taken by surprise when they suddenly stop in front of you and go down on one knee. If your not ready, you could end up tripping over them. I've had that happen to me back in the day. What they're doing is called genuflecting. The word genuflect comes from the latin terms genu, which means knee and fletere which means to bend. This term joined the english language back in the early 17th century. So they're genuflecting.

Julie South [00:03:31]:
When us Catholics go into church, we kneel down. We genuflect mostly on one knee and make the sign of the cross before taking our seat in the pews. We do this to show respect to God, as well as to get our minds and our hearts ready for prayer. When we make the sign of the cross, we usually do it with our right hand. We touch our forehead, your chests, and our shoulders. So we're making the cross, and we do this to remind ourselves that Jesus died on the cross for us. At the same time as we're crossing ourselves, we're also saying the words either out loud or in our heads and our hearts. And it's a bit like a mini prayer.

Julie South [00:04:17]:
What we're doing is we're saying to ourselves, in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, amen. We do this because kneeling or bending on one knee all the way down to the ground shows humility before God, who's present with us in the church. Genuflecting has been done for centuries and connects today's Catholics with all those who have gone before us. The church building itself is seen as a holy place where God meets us. That's why kneeling and doing the sign of the cross, Father, Son, Holy Spirit, amen, is our way of displaying and showing our respect and our reverence at the same time. For many, genuflecting and making the sign of the cross also helps with our own personal prayer. And it's our way of getting closer to God by focusing and quieting, by closing out all the worldly matters that we left at the door before we entered and before we walked into the church. So, in short, kneeling and signing the cross is our way of showing our respect and our reverence to God, to Jesus, to the Holy Spirit, mentally and physically.

Julie South [00:05:42]:
It gives us the transition into worship, if you like, from the busy outside world to the quiet. Hopefully the quiet inside the church. It links us with history, to all those who have gone before us, especially Jesus, who made the ultimate sacrifice for each of us. Of course, if you're listening to this and you're not catholic, it doesn't mean that you can't genuflect, too. When you enter the sacred space of church before you actually take your seat, you can still do it yourself. And if it helps you connect to Jesus more fully, then please give it a go. You might be surprised at how such a really simple gesture and the fact that you're slowing down to kneel will help you tune into what God might be wanting you to hear as you sit in the pews with him in his house. Please keep these questions coming because I love answering them.

Julie South [00:06:45]:
They stretch me to do the research, and at the same time, they help me get a little bit closer to God as well. So thank you to the listener for that question. This weekend. This coming Sunday, the second Sunday of Lent, we're reading from Genesis, chapter 22, verses one and two, nine through 1315 through 18. We're also reading from the Book of Romans, chapter eight, verses 31 through 34, and Mark's Gospel, chapter nine, verses two through ten. Quite a lot of verses in all of that. Now, what's today's connecting theme? We have some pretty famous, some pretty well known passages being read this Sunday, possibly even ones that nonchristians have heard of. For example, in the Gospel reading we have the phrase, this is my son, my beloved.

Julie South [00:07:55]:
I'd heard of that long before I ever thought of exploring Christianity as a way of life for me. Now let's have a top level look at what we have in these three passages. They share the themes of faith, sacrifice, obedience, and God's total love. In Genesis, the first reading, we hear how Abraham showed his complete faith and obedience in God by being willing to sacrifice his beloved son Isaac simply because God commanded him to do that. Although this passage can be both confusing and heartbreaking, in a way it highlights Abraham's trust, total trust that God would still keep his promises to him. As we hear, in the end, God does spare Isaac and provides a ram instead. We have the metaphor that points ahead to Jesus sacrificing himself for us. Then in the passage from Romans, the second reading, it focuses on God the Father's deep, absolute love.

Julie South [00:09:07]:
It's always deep and absolute, shown by sacrificing his son Jesus for humanity's sake, for our salvation. It shows that nothing can separate us believers from God's love and that God works for all things for our good. Jesus is the ultimate sacrifice, God's son constantly interceding, constantly stepping in for us before God the Father. And then in the third Bible reading, the passage from Mark, the gospel according to Mark, we hear the transfiguration story where Jesus quickly, fleetingly reveals his divine nature and glory to those three disciples who are with him. To Peter, James, and John, he shines brightly while speaking to Moses and Elijah. This glimpse of Jesus's divinity and the promise of eternal life for believers, it inspires awe, hope, and faith. So listen up as we pray these three passages together in a minute. Today let's open our hearts and our minds to have faith, to be obedient, to truly embrace Christ's, Jesus's, ultimate sacrifice, and to rely on God's goodness and splendor in our own lives.

Julie South [00:10:35]:
The splendor of God in your life and in mine. Let's pray. A reading from the book of Genesis. God put Abraham to the test. Abraham. Abraham, he called. Here I am, he replied. Take your son, God said, your only child, Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah.

Julie South [00:11:22]:
There you shall offer him as a burnt offering on a mountain. I will point out to you. When they arrived at the place God had pointed out to him, Abraham built an altar there and arranged the wood. Then he bound his son Isaac and put him on the altar. On top of the wood. Abraham stretched out his hand and seized the knife to kill his son. But the angel of the Lord called to him from heaven. Abraham.

Julie South [00:11:53]:
Abraham, he said, I am here. He replied, do not raise your hand against the boy. The angel said, do not harm him, for now I know you fear God. You have not refused me your son, your only son. Then, looking up, Abraham saw a ram caught by its horns in a bush. Abraham took the ram and offered it as a burnt offering in place of his son. The angel of the Lord called Abraham a second time from heaven. I swear by my own self, it is the Lord who speaks.

Julie South [00:12:30]:
Because you have done this, because you have not refused me your son, your only son, I will shower blessings on your. I will make your descendants as many as the stars of heaven and the grains of sand on the seashore. Your descendants shall gain possession of the gates of their enemies. All the nations of the earth shall bless themselves by your descendants as a reward for your obedience. A reading from the book of Romans. With God on our side, who can be against us? Since God did not spare his own son, but gave him up to benefit us all, as we may be certain after such a gift, that he will not refuse anything he can give. Could anyone accuse those that God has chosen? When God acquits, could anyone condemn? Could Christ Jesus? No. He not only died for us, he rose from the dead.

Julie South [00:13:45]:
And there, at God's right hand, he stands and pleads for us. A reading from the gospel according to Mark. Jesus took with him Peter and James and John and led them up a high mountain where they could be alone by themselves. There, in their presence, he was transfigured. His clothes became dazzlingly white, whiter than any earthly bleacher could make them. Elijah appeared to them with Moses, and they were talking with Jesus. Then Peter spoke to Jesus. Rabbi, he said, it is wonderful for us to be here, so let us make three tents.

Julie South [00:14:38]:
One for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah. He did not know what to say. They were so frightened. And a cloud came covering them in shadow. And there came a voice from the cloud. This is my son, the beloved. Listen to him. Then suddenly, when they looked around, they saw no one with them anymore, but only Jesus.

Julie South [00:15:04]:
As they came down from the mountain, he warned them to tell no one what they had seen until after the son of man had risen from the dead. They observed the warning faithfully, though among themselves they discussed what rising from the dead could mean. What was God saying to your? Remember that each of us hear God differently depending on what's going on in our lives at the time. What God is saying to me might not be what God is saying to you now. I'm not sure about you, but one of the things that I always struggle with is Jesus dying for me way back then, before I was even born. Why would he do that? This Sunday, just gone. While I was at mass, I came a bit closer to getting that. I think this is one of the mysteries of faith, right? I've heard, I've spoken with, chatted with other christians who also, to one degree or another, struggle with Christ, dying for them way back then, too.

Julie South [00:16:32]:
What came to me this Sunday, just gone, is that Jesus did it for the team. He took it for the team. He made the ultimate sacrifice, his life for the team that we refer to today as humanity. The metaphors weaving their way through the passages that we've just prayed together. Strengthen that. Strengthen that. Jesus took it for us, died for us. Let's have a look at those metaphors and how we can maybe apply them in our lives today, thousands of years later from Genesis, Abraham being willing to sacrifice his beloved and only son, Isaac, is like God the Father, sacrificing Jesus, his only son for us.

Julie South [00:17:23]:
This means then that we can fully trust and appreciate the ultimate sacrifice of Jesus dying for us. The ram God provided instead of Isaac, sort of hints at Jesus dying in our place on the cross. We can be thankful that Jesus took our punishment. And then we have God promising Abraham more descendants than stars and sand. How that conveys huge, endless, immeasurable, infinite blessings. We too can have those we are reminded to completely rely and trust on and in God. And then from Romans, saying God did not spare his own son is a hugely powerful statement that shows Christ's sacrifice was beyond measure, beyond power, beyond meaning. It's one of those mysteries.

Julie South [00:18:26]:
Therefore, we owe it to be forever grateful and praise God for what he did for us. And then finally in Mark Jesus shining brightly, however fleetingly, however briefly, reveals his divine greatness and glory, we should revere and worship Jesus for who he is. Which ties us in also with that beautiful question today that was centered around listener question that was centered around why us? Catholic genuflect. Although that wasn't what the word was, right, it was why do we kneel and sign the cross when we go into before we take a seat? That genuflecting, it's one thing that we can do whenever we go into a church. We can show our respect and go down on one knee, do that brief prayer in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen. What about you? What was God saying to you? What metaphors rung out in your heart as your were listening today? I hope you found all this interesting and helpful, insightful. I hope that this podcast helps you prepare and maybe even understand, just a teeny, tiny, incy wincy dinky little bit better, the wonderful word of God and the catholic faith.

Julie South [00:20:10]:
Thank you for spending the last half an hour or so of your life with God and me. I pray that each of us, of God especially, and then my little bit of history and context has been able to make the difference that God wishes for you today in your life. Thank you for getting this far. Can I ask you please to do me a huge favor? If you enjoyed today's show, can you please help me spread God's word about your catholic corner? It's really easy to do. All you have to do is tell three of your friends and family about this podcast so that they hopefully can benefit as well. Just invite them to visit yourcatholiccorner.com and that's where they can subscribe and follow the show. From there, it's absolutely free. It doesn't cost anything.

Julie South [00:21:10]:
Wherever you are, I pray that God's glass of love overflows in your heart and your life, and that when you're ready, you're able to accept God's invitation to you to join him to share in Holy Communion this week at your local parish. And finally, I'd like to say thank you to the parishioners of the Cathedral of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Hamilton, New Zealand, who helped bring this podcast to you today. This is Julie south signing off until next week. Peace be with you. God bless.