Humbled and Exalted

A friend was ordained Saturday. Before the ceremony, candidates prostrate themselves before the altar to demonstrate humility and unworthiness of the calling. I'm sure there's a lot more significance and symbolism than that, but this image of prostration always gets me.


I've been to a number of these ceremonies, both for the diaconate and the priesthood, even a consecration of a bishop, but I've never seen (or at least my faulty memory cannot recall seeing) the newly made priest stand beside the bishop and mimic his every move, sharing the consecrating of the elements for holy communion. I thought it was pretty cool.

Another innovation was that he returned to the altar after the service was over to bless his own family and congregants who wished it. I thought that was powerful, too.