Lex orandi, lex credendi (the law of prayer is the law of belief).
How we pray is indicative of our faith and is often a witness to others. Saint Maximilian Kolbe’s words are along these same principles when he said, “When you kneel before an altar, do it in such a way that others may be able to recognize that you know before Whom you kneel.”
All the rubrics of the Traditional Latin Mass illustrate our profound faith and belief in Jesus Christ – true God and true man – and in His Real Presence in the Blessed Sacrament. Far from being mere outward expressions that have no interior purpose – as was done by the Pharisees in the time of Our Lord – the Church’s rubrics prescribe how the priest and the faithful should honor Our Lord Who is truly present before us at the altar during the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.
Honoring the Holy Name
Catholics should accustom themselves to bow their heads at the Holy Name of Jesus. The practice of bowing the head at the mention of the Holy Name in the liturgy was formally written into the law of the Church at the Second Council of Lyons in 1274 AD:
“Those who assemble in church should extol with an act of special reverence that Name which is above every Name, than which no other under Heaven has been given to people, in which believers must be saved, the Name, that is, of Jesus Christ, Who will save His people from their sins. Each should fulfil in himself that which is written for all, that at the Name of Jesus every knee should bow; whenever that glorious Name is recalled, especially during the sacred Mysteries of the Mass, everyone should bow the knees of his heart, which he can do even by a bow of his head.”
Additionally, the bow of the head is also to be made at the mention of the Holy Name of Mary, as well as the name of the saint in whose honor the Mass is being offered.[1] And additionally, when the Holy Trinity is mentioned by name (Father, Son, and Holy Ghost), a bow of the head is also required. Therefore, we should bow our heads during the Gloria Patri prayer – whether during Mass, while praying the Rosary, or at the end of the Psalms in the Divine Office. And we should teach our family members to do likewise.[2]
One additional way we can honor Our Lord and His Holy Name is to perform the five bows of the head which the priest makes during the Gloria at Mass.
The Five Head Bows During the Gloria
The priest is to bow his head five times during the Gloria in excelsis Deo.[3] Those times are at the following words:
- Adoramus te
- Gratias agimus tibi
- Jesu Christe (both times)
- Súscipe deprecatiónem nostrum
Why does the priest bow his head at these words?
From our basic catechism, as well as various illustrations in Missals and on holy cards, we should be familiar with the four basic ends of man’s worship of God. Man offers sacrifice to God for the purpose of:
[1] Adoration – Acknowledging the greatness and perfections of God; He who is the source of all that exists.
[2] Thanksgiving – Thanking God for all that He does. Every good thing which one experiences or possesses is a result of God’s goodness. Even those things which we perceive as sufferings or evils, God only permits for a greater good.
[3] Petition – Imploring God for every good needed, both materially and spiritual, for oneself and for others.
[4] Atonement – Man offends God by his sins; hence, he is obliged to express contrition, beg forgiveness, and make reparation for his sins.
The bow of the head during the Gloria serves to emphasize these four ends.
The Holy Sacrifice of the Mass Dogmatically, Liturgically and Ascetically Explained by Father Nikolaus Gihrin, published in 1908,[4] provides a step-by-step understanding of the spirituality of the Holy Mass. On the Gloria, he writes:
“While the priest recites the Gloria, he stands erect at the middle of the altar with hands joined: only a few simple ceremonies are prescribed to emphasize and to give stress to certain particular words of the text. At the words Gloria in excelsis, the priest, without raising his eyes at the time, extends and elevates his hands to the shoulders, thus giving vent to his eagerness, enthusiasm and longing to praise and to magnify God. At Deo he again joins his hands and bows his head profoundly toward the Crucifix on the altar (or towards the Blessed Sacrament when exposed); for ‘holy and terrible is the name of God’ (sanctum et terribile nomen ejus – Ps. 110:9).
“This profound inclination of the head is several times repeated, to express the interior acts of adoration (adoramus te), of gratitude (gratias agimus tibi), of petition (suscipe depracationem nostrum), or reverence (Jesu Christe), and to give expression to the acts of homage not merely in words, but also by the body in bowing the head. At the last words of the Gloria the celebrant signs himself with the sign of the Cross, – principally to close the sublime hymn in a suitable and worthy manner. But as the sign of the Cross is of itself a symbolical representation of the Trinity, it may also be referred to the glory of the Holy Trinity expressed in the concluding words of the hymn; the acknowledgment of the three Divine Persons is often, although not always, accompanied with the sign of the Cross.”
Thus, we see the bow of the priest’s head is prescribed to show in action the interior dispositions of adoration, gratitude, petition, and reverence. The actions of the priest help remind the priest – and ideally the faithful as well – of these sentiments which should remain at the forefront throughout Holy Mass.
As a result, I bow my head at the same times as the priest to both express my connection with him at the altar and also to further inculcate in my own soul these sentiments. For this reason, I encourage everyone to begin noticing and joining in these slight head bows. Little by little, our actions at Mass and throughout our life (e.g., making the Sign of the Cross when walking past churches which house Our Lord’s Real Presence in the Eucharist, saying grace before and after meals, fasting throughout the liturgical year, etc.) will help spread the Faith to others.
Lex orandi, lex credendi (the law of prayer is the law of belief). If we do not live out our life with action, we are not living a Catholic life.
[1] The saint is often mentioned in the Collect and the Post-Communion prayer in the Mass Propers of their feast. Thus, you will notice that the priest and servers often bow during this prayer. The laity are encourage to do the same. Granted, this takes significant attention and intentional concentration, but it is a small and beautiful way to ‘actively participate’ in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.
[2] See “Blessed Be the Name of God: Ways to Live Out the 2nd Commandment” for more information.
[3] The prayer is:
Glory be to God on high, and on earth peace to men of good will. We praise Thee; we bless Thee; we adore Thee; we glorify Thee. We give Thee thanks for Thy great glory, O Lord God, heavenly King, God the Father almighty, O Lord Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son. O Lord God, Lamb of God, Son of the Father, Who takest away the sins of the world, have mercy on us. Who takest away the sins of the world, receive our prayer. Who sittest at the right hand of the Father, have mercy on us. For Thou alone art holy; Thou alone art the Lord; Thou alone art most high, O Jesus Christ, together with the Holy Ghost, ✠ in the glory of God the Father. Amen.
Glória in excélsis Deo, et in terra pax homínibus bonæ voluntátis. Laudámus te, benedícimus te, adorámus te, glorificámus te. Grátias ágimus tibi propter magnam glóriam tuam. Dómine Deus, rex cæléstis, Deus Pater omnípotens. Dómine Fili Unigénite, Iesu Christe. Dómine Deus, Agnus Dei, Fílius Patris. Qui tollis peccáta mundi, miserére nobis. Qui tollis peccáta mundi, súscipe deprecatiónem nostram. Qui sedes ad déxteram Patris, miserére nobis. Quóniam tu solus sanctus, Tu solus Dóminus, Tu solus altíssimus, Iesu Christe, cum Sancto Spíritu, ✠ in glória Dei Patris. Amen.
[4] The book can be read freely online at https://www.google.com/books/edition/The_Holy_Sacrifice_of_the_Mass/uSJPuNzdo14C?hl