Bowing head at the name of Jesus

[cothrige]

I have what I think is a fairly simple question. I understand that during Mass we are to bow our head at the name of our Lord, His Mother, and the saint of the day, but what about when we are kneeling? Is it the traditional practice to refrain from this bow of the head at these times, or should one do it then as well? Are there any times when such a bow, for laypeople in the pews, should be dispensed with?

Many thanks in advance.

 

[yinekka]

This is my personal opinion.

I don’t think that such things such as bowing the head at the name of Jesus should be regarded as a box to be ticked and if we forget to do it we are in big trouble. We should show these pieties out of love.

If you are standing and you bow, good - if you are kneeling and you bow - good. As far as I know the requirement to bow is not a discipline and so you would not need to be dispensed from it. If you don’t bow you will be missing an opportunity to show respect but as far as I am aware no venial sin is involved.

 

[PiousTemplar]

This is my personal opinion.

I don’t think that such things such as bowing the head at the name of Jesus should be regarded as a box to be ticked and if we forget to do it we are in big trouble. We should show these pieties out of love.

If you are standing and you bow, good - if you are kneeling and you bow - good. As far as I know the requirement to bow is not a discipline and so you would not need to be dispensed from it. If you don’t bow you will be missing an opportunity to show respect but as far as I am aware no venial sin is involved.

Sorry, off topic, but I really like your signature!

 

[Peggy_in_Burien]

45 years ago, in my Catholic grade school, we were taught to bow our heads at the name of Jesus. I continue to do this during my Hail Marys, when I am saying other prayers with the Lord’s Name in them, and also while singing in the choir. I find myself doing it when I hear others saying the Name of Jesus.

To us it was a sign of respect for the Greatest of all Names.

 

[mom2em]

It is a practice I am trying to get myself accustomed to. Don’t know if it is a required practice or anything of those matters. I just know that I’d read about it, and it seemed like a very good and holy practice that I should like to try and take on myself.

If you do not mind, I might just subscribe to this thread. See what else I might learn. Thank you.

 

[cothrige]

This is my personal opinion.

I don’t think that such things such as bowing the head at the name of Jesus should be regarded as a box to be ticked and if we forget to do it we are in big trouble. We should show these pieties out of love.

If you are standing and you bow, good - if you are kneeling and you bow - good. As far as I know the requirement to bow is not a discipline and so you would not need to be dispensed from it. If you don’t bow you will be missing an opportunity to show respect but as far as I am aware no venial sin is involved.

I agree that such gestures as these should not be done in a legalistic way. However, I do like to do things in the most correct and proper manner, especially as a parent modelling and teaching my children. Reverence for God in such things as bowing and genuflecting is, in my opinion, very important and insofar as possible we should do it correctly. When I taught my children how and when to genuflect I was quite insistent that they do so correctly, including using only the right leg. I see people use the wrong leg very regularly, but I am unwavering in insisting my children do it otherwise. I also insist they use their right hand for the sign of the cross and that they move in the correct direction. Such details could be seen as legalism, but for me they reflect care in doing things well and showing the correct dedication to careful attention in things that are holy. None of them are a matter of ticking a box, but merely reverence due to God. I honestly don’t know whether bowing or not at the right time is a sin or not, or whether even failing to genuflect is for that matter. But, I would never consider walking into a church without immediately looking for the Blessed Sacrament so that I can avoid even a possibility of irreverence, regardless of whether it is sinful or not. And just as genuflecting in the right way, at the right times, is important to me, so is bowing my head at hearing the Holy Name.

 

[Peggy_in_Burien]

As far as the left knee or left hand being “wrong,” please allow for exceptions. I have very bad, unstable knees, so when I genuflect, I must use a hand to steady myself against a pew. If I can be to the left of a pew, and use my right hand, then I can use my right knee. However, if I find myself on the right end of a pew, I must use my left hand and left knee. I think the custom of using the right knee is because most folks are right-handed, and in ancient times genuflecting was used as a sign of submission in many circumstances, including Roman soldiers when they were saluting high officers (in addition to striking their breasts with the right hand).

Also, my husband, who could only use his left arm, made the Sign of the Cross with his left hand just as reverently as any of us would do with our right hand.

Ultimately, while I agree that things should be done the “proper” way, I do believe that God is more pleased with a person’s attitude and reverence than just with which hand or knee is used.

 

[cothrige]

As far as the left knee or left hand being “wrong,” please allow for exceptions. I have very bad, unstable knees, so when I genuflect, I must use a hand to steady myself against a pew. If I can be to the left of a pew, and use my right hand, then I can use my right knee. However, if I find myself on the right end of a pew, I must use my left hand and left knee. I think the custom of using the right knee is because most folks are right-handed, and in ancient times genuflecting was used as a sign of submission in many circumstances, including Roman soldiers when they were saluting high officers (in addition to striking their breasts with the right hand).

Also, my husband, who could only use his left arm, made the Sign of the Cross with his left hand just as reverently as any of us would do with our right hand.

Ultimately, while I agree that things should be done the “proper” way, I do believe that God is more pleased with a person’s attitude and reverence than just with which hand or knee is used.

Absolutely, though, as you said, things “should” be done the proper way. Personally, I try not to make judgments about individual people and what they do, rather considering trends and general concepts and how they affect my family and the Church. For instance, perhaps 10% of the people in our parish, of any age, genuflect at any time. Are they all injured? I doubt it, and I think this reflects a trend away from Catholic reverence and identity, and that affects all of us. My son is an altar server and has been taught not to genuflect when entering the sanctuary, but rather to bow to the altar. Do they clarify that this only applies during the Mass? No, and as such the people in the parish are slowly being taught to bow to the altar in churches and not to genuflect to the tabernacle. This leads to indifference to the Sacramental presence of our Lord, and therefore more and more we see conversations in churches before and after Mass, to the point where it is virtually impossible to pray. As St. Paul might have said: Haven’t these people houses to talk in?

Please don’t get me wrong. These people are probably ignorant, and may not be sinning in anything they do. I pray they aren’t. But, it doesn’t make a wrong a right in any way. It doesn’t negate the dangerous precedent of indifference and languid expressions of reverence.

As for genuflexion on the wrong leg, the interesting thing is I don’t think I have ever seen anyone but young people do this. I naturally assume they haven’t been taught better, and that prompts one to wonder why? Can a parent, I ask, truly care about showing reverence and not teach it correctly? It is just as the situation above. Can people really believe that the Sacrament is the Body and Blood of our Lord and pay no attention to it at all when entering and leaving a church? Do they sin? I haven’t a clue, and cannot really worry about it. What is a real problem, though, is trying to be attentive in a time when attention itself is seen an evil. But, as a parent and a Catholic I feel compelled to try to do things well and right to the best of my ability, and to do that I first have to know how. Those kids who genuflect on the wrong leg need somebody who cares to show them the right way before they can do it. I insist my children do things right, genuflecting on the correct leg, using the correct hand in making the sign of the cross, in keeping silent before the Sacrament, and so on. That isn’t mere legalism, but care. There is no such thing as careless reverence, and God, as you note, is surely pleased with an attitude of reverence.

 

[Peggy_in_Burien]

Absolutely, though, as you said, things “should” be done the proper way. Personally, I try not to make judgments about individual people and what they do, rather considering trends and general concepts and how they affect my family and the Church. For instance, perhaps 10% of the people in our parish, of any age, genuflect at any time. Are they all injured? I doubt it, and I think this reflects a trend away from Catholic reverence and identity, and that affects all of us. My son is an altar server and has been taught not to genuflect when entering the sanctuary, but rather to bow to the altar. Do they clarify that this only applies during the Mass? No, and as such the people in the parish are slowly being taught to bow to the altar in churches and not to genuflect to the tabernacle. This leads to indifference to the Sacramental presence of our Lord, and therefore more and more we see conversations in churches before and after Mass, to the point where it is virtually impossible to pray. As St. Paul might have said: Haven’t these people houses to talk in?

Please don’t get me wrong. These people are probably ignorant, and may not be sinning in anything they do. I pray they aren’t. But, it doesn’t make a wrong a right in any way. It doesn’t negate the dangerous precedent of indifference and languid expressions of reverence.

As for genuflexion on the wrong leg, the interesting thing is I don’t think I have ever seen anyone but young people do this. I naturally assume they haven’t been taught better, and that prompts one to wonder why? Can a parent, I ask, truly care about showing reverence and not teach it correctly? It is just as the situation above. Can people really believe that the Sacrament is the Body and Blood of our Lord and pay no attention to it at all when entering and leaving a church? Do they sin? I haven’t a clue, and cannot really worry about it. What is a real problem, though, is trying to be attentive in a time when attention itself is seen an evil. But, as a parent and a Catholic I feel compelled to try to do things well and right to the best of my ability, and to do that I first have to know how. Those kids who genuflect on the wrong leg need somebody who cares to show them the right way before they can do it. I insist my children do things right, genuflecting on the correct leg, using the correct hand in making the sign of the cross, in keeping silent before the Sacrament, and so on. That isn’t mere legalism, but care. There is no such thing as careless reverence, and God, as you note, is surely pleased with an attitude of reverence.

Well, we are two, prehaps three, generations into poor catechisis. All the reverent things, such as genuflecting, that I was taught as a child in the 1950s and 1960s all went out of style, so to speak, in the 1970s. I was thoroughly appalled by the lack of reverence my children were taught in Catholic schools in the 1980s and 1990s, and so homeschooled my youngest, so at least he would know what was correct. My older kids were also taught by me what was right, and I have been blessed with grandkids who are being taught the correct way to show reverence, even if it seems quaint to those around them.

You and I are on the same page!

 

[cothrige]

Well, we are two, prehaps three, generations into poor catechisis. All the reverent things, such as genuflecting, that I was taught as a child in the 1950s and 1960s all went out of style, so to speak, in the 1970s. I was thoroughly appalled by the lack of reverence my children were taught in Catholic schools in the 1980s and 1990s, and so homeschooled my youngest, so at least he would know what was correct. My older kids were also taught by me what was right, and I have been blessed with grandkids who are being taught the correct way to show reverence, even if it seems quaint to those around them.

You and I are on the same page!

I fear you are absolutely correct about things going out of style. I look around me in church, and at Catholic events, and I am simply appalled by the lack of reverence and devotion. It actually makes me feel queasy sometimes. And like you, I home-schooled for the same reason. Sad the state of things these days.

 

[DebChris]

45 years ago, in my Catholic grade school, we were taught to bow our heads at the name of Jesus. I continue to do this during my Hail Marys, when I am saying other prayers with the Lord’s Name in them, and also while singing in the choir. I find myself doing it when I hear others saying the Name of Jesus.

To us it was a sign of respect for the Greatest of all Names.

I too was taught to bow my head at the name of Jesus. It is a custom I maintain. I do not bow to any other name.

As far as the left knee or left hand being “wrong,” please allow for exceptions. I have very bad, unstable knees, so when I genuflect, I must use a hand to steady myself against a pew. If I can be to the left of a pew, and use my right hand, then I can use my right knee. However, if I find myself on the right end of a pew, I must use my left hand and left knee. I think the custom of using the right knee is because most folks are right-handed, and in ancient times genuflecting was used as a sign of submission in many circumstances, including Roman soldiers when they were saluting high officers (in addition to striking their breasts with the right hand).

Also, my husband, who could only use his left arm, made the Sign of the Cross with his left hand just as reverently as any of us would do with our right hand.

Ultimately, while I agree that things should be done the “proper” way, I do believe that God is more pleased with a person’s attitude and reverence than just with which hand or knee is used.

There are times when due to injury a person may not be able to kneel or genuflect. I would not think of genuflecting with any other knee than the right knee. Instead I bow, a gesture that can be as reverent as a genuflection.
I attend Mass in a parish that is more active than any parish to which I have belonged in the past. I do not see anybody in the congregation genuflect upon entry into the pews. According to custom, I bow. Like many in the congregation, I may even remove my shoes. During lector training, I was even told that my bow was too deep. All are expected to bow from the waist at 45 degrees to maintain uniformity with one another.
When it comes to approaching the altar, there is a pastoral concern that is involved that encourages bowing over genuflecting. For older persons, or those who have sustained knee injuries in the past, rising can cause difficulty. Bowing eliminates that awkwardness that occurs when a person loses his/her balance upon rising after genuflecting. There are no pews to use as an aid.
Stateside, when I do genuflect I also use the pew for support.
Sidetracking to the custom of handshaking as an analogy. It is proper to shake hands with the right hand. If the right hand is broken or otherwise disabled, it then becomes acceptable to shake hands with the left hand. The able bodied person is expected to accommodate the injured person.

 

[Elzee]

Our bishop has requested we bow our heads at the name of Jesus and Mary, but only if we speak it (for example, during the Creed). However, when the priest says “Jesus” or “Mary” during Mass, he bows his head, but we do not.

 

[ConstantineTG]

Why just the name of Jesus? I was never taught this so I don’t know. But when I started attending the Byzantine Rite we do the sign of the cross every time God is mentioned, so its not just Jesus but also the Father and the Holy Spirit.

 

[ndeparis88]

45 years ago, in my Catholic grade school, we were taught to bow our heads at the name of Jesus. I continue to do this during my Hail Marys, when I am saying other prayers with the Lord’s Name in them, and also while singing in the choir. I find myself doing it when I hear others saying the Name of Jesus.

To us it was a sign of respect for the Greatest of all Names.

It was the same for me. We never really were told we were suppose to do it at all cost. It was just showing a sign of respect for the greatest name. I still continue to bow when the priest holds up the body and blood, in between when he says “do this in memory”. this may be going on a tangent but I think respect is a high virtue, and I do not mind showing the proper amount of respect for things. It’s the reason for the bowing. I just want to show my respect and appreciation.

 

[markomalley]

I have what I think is a fairly simple question. I understand that during Mass we are to bow our head at the name of our Lord, His Mother, and the saint of the day, but what about when we are kneeling? Is it the traditional practice to refrain from this bow of the head at these times, or should one do it then as well? Are there any times when such a bow, for laypeople in the pews, should be dispensed with?

Many thanks in advance.

The General Instruction of the Roman Missal states:

1. A bow signifies reverence and honor shown to the persons themselves or to the signs that represent them. There are two kinds of bows: a bow of the head and a bow of the body.

1. 
   *] **A bow of the head is made when the three Divine Persons are named together and at the names of Jesus, of the Blessed Virgin Mary, and of the Saint in whose honor Mass is being celebrated. **
   *] A bow of the body, that is to say a profound bow, is made to the altar; during the prayers Munda cor meum (Almighty God, cleanse my heart) and In spiritu humilitatis (Lord God, we ask you to receive); in the Creed at the words Et incarnatus est (by the power of the Holy Spirit . . . and became man); in the Roman Canon at the words Supplices te rogamus (Almighty God, we pray that your angel). The same kind of bow is made by the deacon when he asks for a blessing before the proclamation of the Gospel. In addition, the priest bows slightly as he speaks the words of the Lord at the consecration.
   

    This means that when *you* name the three Divine Persons together, say the name of Jesus or Mary, or say the name of the saint in whose honor the Mass is being celebrated, you bow your head. Not when somebody else (e.g., the celebrant) says those names (it is *his* responsibility to do so when *he* says those names).

   The GIRM provides authoritative norms that must be followed in the Liturgy of the Mass. (And, for comparison, the GILH provides the authoritative norms for the Liturgy of the Hours)

 

[Cardinal_Ochoa]

Ummm… no. It says “A bow of the head is made when the three Divine Persons **are named **together and at the names of Jesus, of the Blessed Virgin Mary, and of the Saint in whose honor Mass is being celebrated.” It doesn’t say by who. It says “are named.” Deacon and Subdeacon, as well as any other priests and seminarians sitting in choir, take their birettas off at the name of Jesus, Mary, and the Saint of the day, not just the priest.

 

[Basilios]

At the mention of the Trinity, the name of Jesus, the BVM and the saint of the day. If you are a Religious usually also your founders name (i.e. Redemptorists take their biretta/skullcap off at the name of St Alphonsus). Do it inside and outside of Mass. It got drilled into me as a Novice so now it’s second nature to do it and I am thankful

 

[johnthebaptist1]

We should always bow our heads in revence when we say the name Jesus ,but Ihave notice that many don,t,were has our respected for God gone.God, send they Holy Spirit to heal those that don,tshow revencewhile in church .Amen

 

[CarolNoel]

I was taught to do this when I was very little and I still do it.

 

[porthos11]

This means that when you name the three Divine Persons together, say the name of Jesus or Mary, or say the name of the saint in whose honor the Mass is being celebrated, you bow your head. Not when somebody else (e.g., the celebrant) says those names (it is his responsibility to do so when he says those names).

The GIRM provides authoritative norms that must be followed in the Liturgy of the Mass. (And, for comparison, the GILH provides the authoritative norms for the Liturgy of the Hours)

There is nothing in the text that limits the gesture to only the speaker. And in the absence of more clarifying texts, one looks to the past to see what was done then.

The custom of the Church is for the priest, deacon, and subdeacon to remove their birettas and bow as the choir mentions the Holy Name. If there is a preaching priest or deacon (not one vested serving at the altar) and the three sacred ministers are seated and listening, if the preacher also mentions the Divine Name, the three sacred ministers remove their birettas and bow as well. The other servers in the sanctuary bow their heads at the same time.