Manly Poses For Praying

[jaelh]

The nuns taught us to bless with holy H2O and genuflect upon entering the church. Upon entering the pew, we were taught to genuflect and cross again.

Years later an ex priest told me that the genuflection was only required if consecrated hosts were present.

Imagine that would be a security move then - consecrated hosts not consumed at communion would be returned to the... shit. the shiny thing up there behind the altar... tabernacle?

Does the ensconsement behind closed doors make a difference?

[Artemis]

Imagine that would be a security move then - consecrated hosts not consumed at communion would be returned to the... shit. the shiny thing up there behind the altar... tabernacle?

Yes, that's a tabernacle. It's used to reserve the consecrated host to be taken to the sick if needed. It's not used just as a security measure but because the Hebrew tabernacle was used to contain the 'presence of God', and because the consecrated host has, according to the Catholic doctrine of transubstatiation, become the body of Christ, it therefore follows that Christ is present in the consecrated host, and should there be any of that host left, it must be reserved in a suitably honourable way.

The unconsecrated host is just kept in the vestry, in a box with the other communion wafers.

There's also a monstrance (Latin: monstrare - to show) which is used for displaying the consecrated host at the service of benediction, or in the adoration of the blessed sacrament.

It's complicated. (cradle Catholic here . . .)

[formerlyfundie]

My husband prays like this, mostly because it is easier for him to get back up because he is really tall and was in the military so his legs and knees are beat to hell. Now that I think of it, all the men I know do the same, I always assumed it was a comfort or convenience thing.

[Elle]

I wonder if the reason for one knee wasn't to be prepared to get up quickly and fight if necessary. Kneel to show submission to a god, but one foot on the ground to stand and fight. Since men were the fighters, it was a man's pose.

Just my guess.

However it can also definitely be a for-attention pose. Tebow thinks of himself as the poster child for good Christians, but he's the one getting personal attention, enough to overshadow the sport, which sure isn't modest.

[Guest Anonymous]

As far as I'm concerned, there is no "manly or "womanly" pose for praying except maybe bowing your head. Being humble and praying before the Lord has nothing to do with physical position. But that's just me. How other people pray is, well none of my business.

[itsnikki05]

Who knows? I can see one knee if, as a pp pointed out you have a knee injury or a gut... I go on both knees. (Which in a dress can be... interesting. I wear long dresses or leggings now! LOL!) But yeah... you know... I never thought about it... but I go to Church of Christ now, and noone goes to the altar to pray. But when I went to a Baptist church, the pastor would always ask us to at the end of the sermon if we had anyone to pray for. I never thought about that. Hmm.

[CanadianHippie]

On must do everything in a manly pose... Waiting, praying, taking a piss... If at any point the manly pose should waver you become open to satan's whiles and might turn homosekshual!