the question I had was it a part of the Mass rite for the laity to join in with the priest.
The rubrics neither require the laity to adopt this posture nor forbid the laity to adopt this posture.
Kneeling is also an ancient position but we wouldn’t expect the laity to decide to kneel at the gospel for instance
This is not a similar case. During the reading of the gospel, the rubrics require the faithful to stand.
At the same time, the Church makes some allowance for the natural development (not imposition) of pious customs.
According to the General Instruction of the Roman Missal, the faithful are to stand “before the prayer over the offerings until the end of Mass, except at the places indicated below… [A]s circumstances allow, they may sit or kneel while the period of sacred silence after Communion is observed.” And in other parts of the world, this is what Roman Rite Catholics do. In the United States, however, a custom of kneeling rather than standing after the Agnus Dei (Lamb of God) developed. At the subsequent request of the USCCB, the Holy See allowed this local modification to be made: “In the dioceses of the United States of America, {the faithful} should kneel beginning after the singing or recitation of the Sanctus until after the Amen of the Eucharistic Prayer…” In other words, what was once simply a reverent custom spontaneously adopted by the faithful became the approved local norm (it should be noted, however, that the diocesan bishop may still choose that the congregation stand instead).
Note, too, that the general norm says “[A]s circumstances allow, {the faithful} may sit or kneel while the period of sacred silence after Communion is observed.” Some people interpreted this to mean that individual members of the faithful could choose one of the options (standing, sitting, or kneeling) while others interpreted this to mean that the bishop could choose one of the options, and some bishops asked their dioceses to stand. When the Holy See was asked for clarification, Cardinal Arinze at the Congregation of Divine Worship responded that the intention was “not {to} regulate posture rigidly in such a way that those who wish to kneel or sit would no longer be free.” In other words, the individual is allowed to choose his posture during the period of silence, not required to stand even if the bishop prefers that.
What I find interesting about the above is that, when a posture is not specified by the rubrics, different locales often spontaneously develop their own customs. In some parishes or regions, nearly everyone returns to his or her place and stands, while in others nearly everyone sits. In others, nearly everyone kneels until the Eucharist is returned to the tabernacle. In another, nearly everyone kneels until the priest sits. In still others, nearly everyone kneels until the priest stands and says “Let us pray.” All of these are acceptable according to the rite’s norms, as Cardinal Arinze made clear, but what I find intriguing is the spontaneous development of local customs.
Well, what’s the harm with parishioners implementing a number of their own habits, styles of worship, etc.? Then what do we become? What form does the Mass take after that if we let the laity come up with their own forms of prayer during Mass, or gestures, etc.?
We’ve actually seen it happen. Here in the United States, what was once simply a reverent custom of kneeling after the Agnus Dei, spontaneously adopted by the faithful even though the rubrics specify standing, became the approved local norm. The Church does not always forbid this.
In fact, when a specific posture is neither required nor forbidden, the Church appears to be somewhat open to the development of pious customs, as when Cardinal Arinze responded that the intention was “not {to} regulate posture rigidly in such a way that those who wish to kneel or sit would no longer be free.”
What’s next? Dancing in the aisles, jumping jacks during the Pater Noster?
There are actually norms and rulings answering these questions. Regarding dancing, the Congregation for Divine Worship says “it cannot {in western cultures} be introduced into liturgical celebrations of any kind whatever.” The rubrics for the Our Father specify: “The congregation stands.”
Nice art by the way… Are they priests/religious with a need to perform the Orans during a Mass?
The Catholic Church does not ordain women and, no, none of them are religious. (Two of them are the same person, so I can’t help but wonder how closely you looked at the images.) In ancient Christian art, the great majority of figures adopting this posture are female.
Brigid, we can never be too careful of them either!