Lavabo
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The lavabo is one gesture of the mass which lifts up the close connection between Reconciliation and Eucharist. The priest washes his hands before beginning the Eucharistic Prayer and says the words, "Lord, wash away my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin." You can help your child to notice the lavabo gesture from time to time at mass. What does this gesture mean? Is it greater than cleaning fingertips?
It is interesting that the lavabo, though it can be done by the priest alone, is quite often a gesture which employs the help of an altar server (acolyte). When another person helps the priest to perform this prayer, it can remind us of the communal aspect of reconciliation with God. While we are sometimes tempted to think that we can accomplish communion with God directly, one-on-one, this simple gesture may remind us that communion between oneself and God often benefits from, or even requires, the help of another human being or of a community.
The sacrament of Reconciliation, like all our sacraments, is communal. When studying the steps of the sacrament, our children learn that, "When we become aware of our sins, we confide them to God through the priest." (This is the step called "Confession.") Confession is to be conversation with God, but we do so through conversation with the priest, who represents the communal aspect of the sacrament.
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Gestures
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Gestures are motions which convey meaning, such as holding an index finger to one's lips to ask for silence. The earliest humans likely communicated far more through gestures than through spoken words. Even we today can travel to a foreign country and make ourselves understood through motions. For young children, the gestures of the mass offer a language more powerful than words to explore the mysteries of our faith and the meaning of our liturgy.
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