I'm a Pharisee!

[Augustine]

I happened to get into a church on Friday and a Mass was going on. As the church was packed, I was standing in the back along with other parishioners.

For some reason, at the moments to kneel, unlike others also standing, I decided to kneel, in spite of the hard and cold ground and being carrying a heavy laptop. At 1st, I thought that I was doing it out of piety. As I was kneeling, the pain of the weight was taking its toll and I stood up with difficulty. When it came the moment to kneel again, deep down I think that was doing that just to show others how pious I was. As my back and leg muscles were already stressed, waking up this time was even more difficult and, of course, I stumbled and almost fell on the ground.

That should teach me that Jesus doesn’t ask from all of us heroic displays of faith (much less pathetic displays as mine), and if He does, it’s not for our glory, but His.

 

[tru_dvotion]

I love you.

 

[asquared]

I do the same thing when I genuflect, but after throwing my knee out this morning, I think my genuflecting days are over. I explained to the kids in CCD that old ladies like me with bad knees can’t genuflect, so they should do it for us, because we can’t, and pray for us while they do it.

 

[Deacon_Tony560]

The deacons in our diocese received an indult to remain standing during the Consecration. Some could not get up, after kneeling. Bishop wanted to be uniform.

Deacon Tony

 

[RosaLydia]

Its a hard decision, especially when one is left without a seat and is standing at the back of the church.

I’ve been in this situation and I just had to kneel (odd when everyone around you is standing) because standing gave me the impression of just being a spectator instead of a participant.

Sometimes I do feel like a Pharisee concerned with apperances, but other times I am in such awe of the Eucharist that all I want to do is not only to keel but to put my face to the floor as people used to do in front of their King.

 

[beng]

Once during Christmass (or was it Easter), the Church was packed and I have to stand. When it’s time to kneel. I kneeled.

I would think that nowadays people need to SHOW their faith.

Make sign of the cross when you eat, when you pass a Catholic Church (and Orthodox Church since they have valid Eucharist).

 

[tru_dvotion]

I know exactly what RosaLydia is talking about. I fought with the same feelings. Sometimes logic wins, but other times I gave in to false modesty. These feelings are the result of popular culture invading our Church. There was a time when it would have been unheard of not to kneel, even if it meant you were kneeling on sharp rocks and not on the bare floor or a carpet. Feeling like a Pharisee when one kneels among people who remain standing (and most of them have no physical impairment to kneel) is good reversed into something sinful. When reverence is frowned upon as false piety and irreverence is held up as the right thing to do, we should know, we have popular culture dictating our actions even in Church. If Christ appeared in the flesh we would all hit the floor face down in total reverence without giving a second thought to who may observe us or what anyone would think of our action. Provided of course… we would recognize him. But that is a different topic altogether.

 

[BLB_Oregon]

What a great thread. You’re right. It is no good to go into Church and emerge having only inflated our estimation of our own holiness, secretly thinking to ourselves not how grateful we are to have received such mercy but how pleased God must be with us and how unfortunate it is that more people don’t imitate us. Yet that is our fallen human nature.

It is a good thing that God can make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear – he can even make such as us into saints. Every little devotion, every poor effort to give Him glory, no matter how tainted with our own spiritual pride and blindness, is precious to Him. He takes us as we are. Thanks and praise be to Him.