A simple but impressive ceremony occurs during the Good Friday liturgy. After the people have gathered, the priest and ministers prostrate themselves in silence before the altar. It is an awesome expression of humility before the Lord. The priest and ministers lying or kneeling before the altar look like dead men. But then they stand to show that they have been raised from the death of sin to newness of life in Christ. This ancient ritual is now expressed in a less dramatic way during the penitential rite of the Mass. Before God and each other we acknowledge our sinfulness and our need for God's mercy. In a sense we prostrate before the Lord. It is our way of fulfilling the instruction of Jesus, “When you are invited to a wedding party, go and sit in the lowest place.” Jesus’ instruction is in accord with the wisdom we hear from the Book of Sirach: “Conduct your affairs with humility. Humble yourself the more, the greater you are, and will find favor with God.'' And find favor with God we have. Through his son's offering of himself on the cross, the Father has raised us up to new life. When we have humbled ourselves during the penitential rite - after we have spiritually prostrated ourselves or taken the lowest place - Christ says to us, “Come up higher,” Then we can take our place with the dignity Christ has conferred upon us. We can participate fully in the sacrifice which is the great wedding banquet of the Lamb of God and so happy indeed are we, lowly though we are in ourselves, that through the Eucharist we will be led to a high place in heaven where we will enjoy the great wedding banquet of the Lamb of God.