Prayer and ritual: sensory resources
Experiential elements of ritual and liturgy
Liturgical celebrations involve the whole person – they involve the imagination, the heart, the mind and the body. The Church’s symbols enable the faith community to enter into the mystery of the life, death and resurrection of Jesus. The basic Christian symbols are: word, water, oil, light, bread, wine, cross, ashes, palms. These human elements draw the Christian faithful into the mystery of God. The liturgy requires that the symbols of our Christian life are to be ‘opened up’ to become authentic expressions of our faith leading to an encounter with the sacred.
The experience of mystery which liturgy offers is found in its God-consciousness and God-centredness … it requires a manner and an environment which invites contemplation … and a simple and attractive beauty in everything that is used or done … One should be able to sense something special in everything that is seen and heard, touched and smelled and tasted in liturgy (Environment and Art in Catholic Worship #12)
The various objects used in the celebration of the liturgy relate to the senses of the human person.
The ringing of bells
The ringing of bells in liturgical celebrations has two basic categories: a call to worship and bell ringing proper.
The purpose of bells for the ‘call to worship’ is to gather the faithful for services. It announces the ‘good news’ of the beginning of the worship services. Some churches today have retained this practice of ringing the bells before each Mass on Sunday and at the conclusion of funeral services. The ‘bell ringing proper’ is when several bells are rung at once. Such practices are found in large cathedrals or basilicas, either prior to or at the conclusion of liturgical services. It requires much skill to be a ‘bell-ringer’ and is often passed on through generations of families. Bells can also be rung during the liturgy. For example, during the Mass, depending on local custom, a bell may be rung before the consecration, when the priest shows the consecrated host and the chalice as a sign to the faithful. (General Instruction of the Roman Missal #150)
Olfactory Incense
The use of incense in liturgical celebrations has a long tradition. Almost all of the world religions use incense to enhance special times and places by sight and sound. It is used as a symbol of reverence and prayer as is clear from Psalm 141:2, “Let my prayer rise like incense before you.” Early Christians baulked at using incense in their worship because it was seen as part of pagan sacrifice. However, they did sometimes burn incense at Christian funerals. By the fourth century, incense gradually became part of Christian worship.
Today, incense is often used in Liturgical celebrations: at Mass – during the entrance procession, to incense the altar, to honour the Word of God at the proclamation of the gospel, to reverence the Eucharist as part of the preparation of gifts and at the elevation of the consecrated bread and wine. (See Religious use of incense.) In the Easter liturgies, incense is used to accompany the newly blessed oils at the Mass of Chrism, during the transfer of the blessed sacrament after the Mass on Holy Thursday and at the Easter Vigil over the Easter candle and the Book of the Gospels. At funerals, incense is used as a mark of respect to accompany the deceased person and as a sign of farewell. At the dedication of a church and an altar it is used to signify Christ’s sacrifice to God and the people of God are incensed, signifying that they are the ‘living temple in which each faithful member is a spiritual altar’. At communal celebrations of Morning and Evening Prayer it can be used during the praying of Psalm 141 (the classic evening Psalm) and the Canticle of Zechariah and the Canticle of Mary.
Liturgical Gestures
In all liturgical celebrations, the worshipping assembly raise their hearts, minds and voices to God, and they also express their prayer through their bodies. The liturgy calls for different postures: standing, kneeling, sitting, raising hands, bowing heads, genuflecting, bowing, exchange of peace, moving in procession. These gestures involve the whole body in prayer. Each posture that is assumed is not merely ceremonial, but has a profound meaning when done with understanding and can enhance participation in the liturgy.
Standing is a sign of respect and honour. From the earliest days of the Church, Christians stood as the stance of those who are ‘risen with Christ and seek the things that are above’. Standing for prayer assumes the Christian’s full stature before God in humble gratitude for the marvellous things God has done. In the liturgy, standing is called for during the Introductory Rites, for the proclamation of the Gospel, for the prayers of intercession, for the reception of Communion, for the blessing.
Kneeling signifies homage. In the early Church, this gesture was identified with penance, but was forbidden on Sundays and during the Easter season because the spirit of the liturgy was that of joy and thanksgiving. In later centuries (the Middle Ages) this gesture came to signify homage and adoration.
Sitting is the posture of listening and meditation. It signifies a person’s reflective attitude especially during the proclamation of the word (pre-gospel), the homily and for prayer throughout the liturgy.
Bowing signifies reverence and honour towards persons or towards objects that represent persons. There are two kinds of bow – a bow of the head and a bow of the body. A bow of the head is used for a blessing, at the name of Jesus or to the name of the Blessed Virgin Mary during a liturgy celebrated in her honour. A bow of the body is made to the altar, to the cross and may be called for by the rubrics in the various liturgical books.
Genuflecting signifies adoration. Genuflection is reserved for the Blessed Sacrament and for the Cross during the time of solemn adoration at the Good Friday liturgy.
Raising hands signifies praise and thanksgiving. The practice of extending hands in prayer is often reserved to the priest celebrant in the liturgy. However, from earliest times, Christians extended their hands in prayer, especially during the praying of the Lord’s Prayer, in the giving of blessings, e.g. the sign of the Cross which begin and conclude liturgies and at the beginning of the Gospel on the forehead, lips and heart…When we cross ourselves, let it be with a real sign of the cross. Instead of a small, cramped gesture that gives no notion of its meaning, let us make a large, unhurried sign, from forehead to breast, from shoulder to shoulder, consciously feeling how it includes the whole of us, our thoughts, our attitudes, our body and soul, every part of us all at once, how it consecrates and sanctifies us…(Romano Guardini sj Sacred Signs, 1927)
Processions signify the journey of a pilgrim people. They function during the gathering of the worshipping assembly, the carrying of the gospel book, the bringing of the gifts of bread and wine to the table, the movement to the table of the Lord and in the sending forth from the liturgy. Processions are often accompanied by music and/or singing, thus enhancing the participation of the assembly in the action.
Visual Analysis
The use of visual elements for worship dates back to the early centuries of Christianity, reminding those who viewed them of God’s faithfulness to a chosen people through many generations. The Church today encourages the development of religious art which by their nature are “oriented toward the infinite beauty of God…they are dedicated to advancing God’s praise and glory to the degree that they centre on the single aim of turning the human spirit devoutly toward God.” (Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy #122) The visual elements may take a variety of forms and must serve the life of the worshipping assembly, drawing them into the mystery of God – stained glass, statues, furnishings, vessels, colour. These visual forms support and enhance ritual and invite people to celebrate the beauty, honesty and integrity of creation and carry the faithful into the mystery of faith and redemption.