How do you pray?

Back when I was taking the public tram in Melbourne, Australia, I only memorized one landmark: St Patrick’s Cathedral in Gisborne St. with its magnificent Gothic-designed towers and spires. The moment I see it from my window, I’d pull the cord to signal the conductor to stop at the next corner, and I’d make the sign of the cross before alighting from the tram.

Unknown to me, another commuter was watching me. We obviously followed the same commuting hour that we always ended up taking the same tram every day. She smiled as she sat next to me, “You are a Catholic, aren’t you?” When I nodded, she clapped and cheered, “I knew it! Only a Catholic would make the sign of the cross outside the church.” I laughed at her remark but laughed harder when she added, “And you must be a Filipina because only those coming from the Philippines would do that at every church they pass or see.” 

“Indeed,” I remarked. “How did you know this?” 

She gave me a thumbs-up sign and winked, “My daughter-in-law is a Filipina and she’s a darling.”

This anecdote came flashing back when I read the book Signs of Life by Scott Hahn and his quotation from Fr. Romano Guardini, who said, “Every part of the body is an expressive instrument of the soul.” He said that the soul reveals itself in the body’s every line, contour, and movement. It expresses itself when we pray whether private or liturgical, by words, by gestures and by the way we comport ourselves.

Prostration: No matter how high my wall is, the cross of Jesus is still higher.

If we were invited to a private audience with Pope Benedict XVI or a formal dinner with Nelson Mandela, it’s very unlikely that we would slouch or fidget and make all sorts of unbecoming gestures. We would sit straight, keep our hands clasped together and make an effort to smile demurely without showing our full set of teeth. I would also avoid chewing anything bigger than a piece of butterscotch brownie. That’s because we want our posture to communicate respect for the offices of our holy father and this fine statesman.

 Similarly, when we pray in church or privately, there are several postures of prayer — standing, kneeling, bowing, prostration — and each one has its own meaning. In church, I guess it cannot be helped that we tend to choose our favorite posture dictated by whatever is comfortable. There was this tall, gangly man who slouched so low that his feet — like a stretched rubber band — wiggled and peek-a-booed up in front. He only straightened up when an old woman with a cane poked his toes.

I was not aware of the significance of each of these postures that the church uses for appropriate times until I read the book and I’d like to share them with you:

 • Prostration — this is when you lay face down upon the floor with body and arms folded or fully outstretched. The church uses this on solemn occasions like in the opening services on Good Friday and in the ordination of a priest or a bishop. For a new priest, it indicates his inadequacy for the task to which he has been called; in the case of the bishop, it signifies the “church’s ‘shock’ at the fact that by our sins, he shares in the responsibility for the death of Christ.” I’ve seen this being practiced in the novitiate when nuns take their solemn vows.

 Privately, we can prostrate ourselves in prayer. The gesture is an expression of the “helplessness we feel in our own attempt to imitate Jesus.“ I’ve never used this posture before but the author gave an example of the time when he met with all kinds of resistance despite all his best effort to get ahead. It got me thinking that there are indeed circumstances in life when we feel like we’ve reached a wall that is “too high to vault and too strong to topple” and no matter how we try, this wall seems to only get higher. That’s when we say that we have reached the end of the rope.

Kneeling: The prayer posture of mothers, rulers, lepers and Jesus himself

By prostrating, we are surrendering all our hurts and frustrations to Jesus. Who knows? We may gain a little push from heaven, a divine insight that could vanish the obstacle and get us to the other side of the wall if not crush the wall altogether. The author Scott Hahn described it very well: “When you find that you’ve just hit the wall, at high speed — and you’ve left your crash helmet at home,” take action and prostrate yourself in prayer.

• Kneeling — the prayer posture of mothers, rulers, lepers and Jesus himself. It is the side of worship in rest and quietness. I find that it is the ideal posture to keep my head bowed so others don’t distract me in church. What’s more, I can concentrate on carrying a private conversation with God. Make an effort also to fix your gaze at the altar and not to turn your head around to minimize disruptions. Kneeling or bowing low expresses the recognition of our humility before the Almighty Lord.

• Standing — this gives expression to the prayers of our heart. Fr. Romano Guardini also said that standing is the other side of reverence toward God. It is the side of vigilance and action. It is the respect of the servant in attendance, of the soldier on duty. When the good news of the gospel is proclaimed, we stand up — in full alert and attention.

“Bridegroom and bride stand when they bind themselves at the altar to be faithful to their marriage vows.” The posture of standing expresses the filial liberty given by the risen Christ, who has freed us from slavery to sin.

For military soldiers, standing is a gesture of alertness and obedience. An interesting point I read is that if a high-ranking officer doesn’t stand erect with his back fully arched, it can be taken as a sign of weakness and may demoralize the troops. It also signifies disrespect.

 • Sitting — this is the most restive of all positions but it, too, has its merits. Sitting is an open, receptive position. We are able to listen and take in the word of God. Sitting expresses the openhearted receptiveness of Mary who sat at the feet of Jesus to hear his word.

 No matter what posture we take in prayer, we are sending a spiritual message: Prostration — no matter how high my wall is, your cross Jesus is still higher; kneeling — oh God, thy sea is so great and my boat is so small; sitting — speak to me, Lord, this time I will listen; standing — thank you for the wisdom and strength you give me.

Postures summarize the spiritual attitude of our hearts, which we should keep in mind throughout the day in all that we think and do. Let them keep us on guard and emphasize the need for us not to be tempted to bend our knees before the man-made idols of wealth, fame, and power. They will all turn to dust.

God alone suffices.