What’s in a bow?

The ministerial (ordained) priest, conformed, by ordination, into the threefold dignity of Christ – Priest, Prophet and King – now acts in the place of Christ. When the priest stands at the Altar, when he utters those words: ‘This is My Body…This is My Blood…Do this in memory of ME.’ It is as it were that he, and us with him, travel through time, and Calvary is made present on the altar. Not just Calvary, but we are in the upper room of the Last Supper. It is in fact not Fr.  who speaks those words of consecration, nor raises his hand to bless, nor his voice to preach, but Christ Himself. ‘In the ecclesial service of the ordained minister, it is Christ himself who is present to his Church as Head of his Body, Shepherd of his flock, high priest of the redemptive sacrifice… Now the minister, by reason of the … consecration which he has received, is truly made like to the high priest and possesses the authority to act in the power and place of the person of Christ himself…’ (CCC #1548) The priest is not an actor is some celestial melodrama, when he stands at the Altar, when he offers THE sacrifice, heaven touches earth. It is as if time is suspended and we are kneeling before the one whom was crucified. Crucified, but risen and now in glory, hence we have trouble recognising HIM.

So, the priest acts in the place of Christ the Head of the Body – In persona Christi Capita. He is the visible manifestation of the presence of Christ to HIS Church. We bow to him, not to burnish his frail and fragile ego, but rather because of WHO and what he represents. We are not bowing to the man we are bowing to the office. We are not bowing to Fr. … but the mystery of Christ living and working through him. For that reason, we look past his frailties, we look past what we know of him as a sinful man, and we see only Christ. We see the grace and power of GOD flowing through him despite his weakness and unworthiness. Indeed, the Church teaches the grace of the sacrament is still conferred, despite the minister.

Bowing to the priest during liturgy isn’t flattery, it is not exaltation, placing him on a pedestal. It is a bodily expression of deep truths. It says: ‘I recognise the sacredness of your office; I recognise Christ at work in and through you.’ It is an act of humility before Christ in the person of HIS priest. We bow because, despite our human frailty, we recognise Christ.

So what’s in a bow? A deep understanding that there are things here that I cannot see, that I don’t fully understand. But I know that GOD is here and that is enough for me.