#12747 What Does Active Participation at Mass Mean? Kneeling and More - Tom Nash

Catholic Answers Live

Catholic Answers

Christianity, Religion & Spirituality

4.8 • 2.2K Ratings

🗓️ 4 June 2026

⏱️ 55 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

“What does active participation at Mass mean?” This question opens a discussion on the significance of engagement during the liturgy, including the practices of kneeling and standing at key moments. Other topics addressed include the meaning behind the priest’s prayer for “servants” during Mass and the implications of Eucharistic adoration as a spiritual weapon.

Join the Catholic Answers Live Club Newsletter

Invite our apologists to speak at your parish! Visit Catholicanswersspeakers.com

Questions Covered:

02:20 – Eucharistic adoration is a neglected spiritual weapon.
11:08 – What does active participation at Mass mean?
15:53 – At the Agnus Dei is see a lot of people kneel and a lot of people stand. Which are we supposed to be doing? Also toward the end of Communion, when do we stop kneeling and start sitting — after the cleaning of the vessels, or when the tabernacle is closed?
23:06 – During the Mass the priest says “we pray for your servants” and then he pauses. Who are the servants referred to here?
29:23 – The Bible talks about a “mystery gospel” and a “secret doctrine”. I don’t have the chapter and verse but believe me it’s there. Do you have any insights into what these are?
36:05 – Is there ever a scenario where a non-Catholic who is aware of the Church can be saved?
42:40 – I kneel at the Agnus Dei because I think we should kneel when the tabernacle is open. The Bible says that we kneel before God.
45:45 – My non-Catholic friend comes to Mass with me sometimes. He wants to receive communion but I tell him he can’t, that he needs to approach with his arms crossed. But he receives communion anyway. Should I stop inviting him? Have I sinned by not being forceful enough?
51:09 – I saw on YouTube that when Jesus was a child he fell from a roof, and he turned mud into birds, and other miracles. Are these true?

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	Buying or selling your home, real estate for life can connect you with a pro-life real estate agent.
0:05.2	When Real Estate for Life receives a referral fee, they donate 65% to Catholic Answers.
0:11.5	Learn more at realestateforlife.org. Hello and welcome to Catholic Answers live.
0:33.1	I'm Cy Kellett, your host, Tom Nash here with us this hour.
0:35.8	Next hour, Tim Staples.
0:37.7	And we're going to talk about the Mass this hour. You can ask, Tom, anything you want about the Catholic Mass 8883187-884.
0:45.2	Triple-8-384. Tom Nash, very fine theologian, author of a bunch of books, including the one I gave away yesterday called 20 Answers the Rosary, and a very,
0:57.0	very fine apologist. Hello, Tom Nash.
0:59.1	Hey, brother, good to be with you and everyone as we approach the celebration of the solemnity
1:04.8	of Corpus Christi, which some of our brothers and sisters in Europe are celebrating today.
1:10.3	It's traditionally in Rome, although
1:11.8	or not today the rope is going to be in Spain, celebrated on Sunday. We'll be celebrating
1:15.8	here, as we say in Canada in the States. Here in the States, we'll be celebrating the United
1:21.0	States on Sunday. But it's still... What is the Feast of Corpus Christi? Or the solemnity.
1:26.6	That just means a very high feast.
1:28.3	It is recognizing and celebrating that our Lord Jesus Christ is present body, blood, soul, and divinity
1:34.3	in the Holy Eucharist under the appearances of bread and wine.
1:38.3	And it's a civic holiday, a public holiday in many European countries still, which is, hey, it's a good reminder.
1:45.0	It's these, yeah, I'm all for holidays that help remind people, even if they're not practicing Catholics.
1:52.0	They are reminders of why we believe, what we believe, even if some people aren't believing it.
1:58.0	Yeah. Well, thank you for mentioning it, Tom. In a related vein,
2:03.2	yeah. Maybe it was published because of its proximity to the feasts or the solemnity of
	...

Transcript will be available on the free plan in 25 days. Upgrade to see the full transcript now.

Previous episode | Next episode

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Catholic Answers, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of Catholic Answers and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.