Beating the chest during Lamb of God

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Why do people “beat their chests” three times during the Lamb of God? What does it symbolize? I also notice that not many people do it…is it optional?
 
My parents do it so I do. Im only 18 but I think it might ve a Pre VCII thing.
 
It is either a penitential practice carried over from pre-Vatican II or else a transferral of the breast-beating from the Confiteor, where the language is no longer threefold and thus does not as easily accomodate the practice (it used to be "through my fault, my fault, my most grievous fault). In either case, it reminds us of our sin and need of the redemptive sacrifice of Christ.
 
It is a penitential practice. You would find this to be the norm at the Indult Masses.
 
Luke 18:13

But thetax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, `God, be merciful to me a sinner!’

The gesture goes with the sentiment: I am not worthy . . .

  1. *]
 
Luke 18:13
But thetax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, `God, be merciful to me a sinner!’

The gesture is one of humility.
 
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Patrick2340:
It is a penitential practice. You would find this to be the norm at the Indult Masses.
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Isn’t it done at the “Lord I am not worthy” rather than the Agnus Dei in the indult Mass?

A number of people still do this at the “Lord I am not worthy” even in the NO. I just thought that some people “misplaced” it to the “Agnus Dei” because of the 3 fold repetition.
 
In my current Daily Roman Missal, it still prescribes this. We do it, or OUGHT to do it, because that’s what the rubrics prescribe. In fact, the Missal has both Latin and English. The Latin still says : “mea culpa, mea culpa, mea máxima culpa.” (my fault, my fault, my most grievious fault), although the English translation is “I have sinned through my own fault …”.
 
According to the catechesis of Archbishop Chaput of Denver:
archden.org/archbishop/docs/10_30_02_liturgy.htm
The priest completes the Penitential Rite with words of absolution. Of course, this is not sacramental absolution, and it doesn’t forgive serious sin. While many Catholics make the sign of the cross in response at this point**, the correct gesture during the Confiteor is to strike our breast when we say “…through my own fault”.** By this, we further prepare ourselves to celebrate the sacred mysteries.
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Steve Girone:
Why do people “beat their chests” three times during the Lamb of God? What does it symbolize? I also notice that not many people do it…is it optional?
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because we were taught this way when we made our first communions in the 50s or earlier, and we never got the memo about them changing or dropping the gesture
 
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kmktexas:
Isn’t it done at the “Lord I am not worthy” rather than the Agnus Dei in the indult Mass?
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Both places. The TLM is a “whole body prayer experience.”
 
Steve Girone:
Why do people “beat their chests” three times during the Lamb of God? What does it symbolize? I also notice that not many people do it…is it optional?
Click to expand...
As with many of the changes after Vat II, much of the Latin was dropped, or the “new” translations were horrible.

If anyone ever has a chance to at least read the Latin & English from the TLM, you could not help but see what has been lost in the prayers (the true active participation) by switching to the NO Mass.

Instead we have a permissive “Protestant” style Sunday-go-to-meetin’ instead of the Mass of the last dozen or more centuries. You know, where the celebrant faces the people standing at a table, speaks in the venacular, has three readings, lay readers, and offers a communion service under two species while “active” music chosen by a lay committee plays on. If you think that is the Protestant service from the last 100+ years you are right. If you think that is the Catholic service from the last 40 years you are also right. Ah… being so ecumenical so we can “build” on what we have in common:banghead:
 
In the old Mass it was done at the “Domine, non sum dignus,” (Lord, I am not worthy), which was repeated three times. Now, perhaps because the ‘Lord I am not worthy’ is de-emphasized and said only once, some people have perhaps transferred the action to the Agnus Dei (Lamb of God), which IS repeated three times.
 
In the Indult Mass this is done at the Confiteor (mea culpa, mea culpa, mea maxima culpa), at the Consecration, at the Agnus Dei, and the Domine non sum dignus. Some Catholics also do this when they pray the Salve Regina at the words, “O clement, O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary”.
 
You mean you guys actually get the Confiteor?

Don’t get me wrong, I love my parish priest. . .but in the four years I’ve been here he uses always and only option three. We have never, never, never had the Confiteor.

Once or twice I’ve gone to Mass at nearby parishes and they have had the Confiteor, but not us. Not at either of the weekend Masses, not in the mission church. Guess it’s his personal preference.

Luckily I can say the Confiteor as part of the Night Prayer in the Liturgy of the Hours.
 
Tantum ergo,
You mean you guys actually get the Confiteor?
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We don’t typically during the Sunday Liturgy, however, we do during the daily Mass.

I also like that our priest also sings the Agnus Dei in Latin during the daily Mass. 🙂
 
Steve Girone:
Why do people “beat their chests” three times during the Lamb of God? What does it symbolize? I also notice that not many people do it…is it optional?
Click to expand...
Oh, just a guess, but they’re like the people who hold hands during the Our Father: they either don’t know any better, or they don’t care about the rubrics of the Mass and they just do whatever they want,

I personally like to think the best of people, so I would side with “they don’t know any better” because no one has taken the time to teach them the right way.
 
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Timidity:
… I would side with “they don’t know any better”
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I refer you to the Daily Roman Missal, Rev. James Socias, Ed., Sixth Edition, 2003, Midwest Teholigical Forum, Scepter Publishers, & Our Sunday Visitor, Huntington, Indiana, pg. 673:

Under “Penitential Rite” is states:
I confess to almighty God
and to you, my bothers and sisters,
that I have sinned through mty own fault
They strike their breast:
in my thoughts and in my words,
in what I have done,
and in what I have failed to do; …
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Perhaps we do know better. 😉
 
With respect to all I think you are confusing where the act of beating our chest occurred in the mass. Remember the alter boys rang the bells at certain places during the consecration? Even the old missile showed the “Bell Symbol” at the right time (three bells) then we said as we stroked our breast, “My Lord and my God” three times. We could not look at the host at that time. We had to bow our heads and lower our eyes as the bells rang and we stroked our chest. I was instructed to do this by my first grade nun in 1947.
 
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