In the Voice of Moreau: Do you ever pray on your knees at night before going to bed? Perhaps we might think that this is how children pray, but isn’t this what our Lord did in the garden on the night before he died (Luke 22:41)? The posture of kneeling is not only a longstanding spiritual tradition that expresses humility in the face of the Almighty, literally grounded in the earth (humus), but it is also an experience of self-emptying as we orient ourselves to the One who calls us to Himself. So it makes sense that Jesus accepted the Cross as his destiny on his knees! Indeed, the Cross, which leads us into the dark night of our final rest, is also anchored in the earth and is a bold act of trust and dependence on the invisible God. Beware of new age spiritualities that do not measure up to this powerful standard! Beware of the evil one who will try to make us believe that a half-hearted prayer the moment before we go to bed is sufficient! Our salvation is too important to not kneel down and imitate the one whose Cross is the way to eternal life. Ave Crux, Spes Unica!
Holy Cross Educator’s Response: The posture that one takes before the Lord is a physical sign of adoration and love. Of more importance, perhaps, is the posture of one’s heart in response to Christ crucified. As educators in the tradition of Blessed Moreau, teachers instruct and form: minds are filled, hopefully, with pertinent information for survival, and hearts are formed to guarantee that the data is used for the building up of the Body of Christ. Providing students with many opportunities for service allows the heart to kneel before the Lord at all times. Certainly, there comes a time in the life of all the Lord’s followers when physical knees can no longer bend; when being seated before the Lord is the only way to be physically present. For the old and the infirm who have devoted their lives to service, a heart that is constantly kneeling before the Lord exists because one has been both physically and spiritually kneeling from an early age. Through example and deliberate instruction parents and teachers encourage children to kneel before the Lord and travel the royal road of the Cross. Ave Crux Spes Unica!
Voice of Moreau 