Therefore liturgical services pertain to the whole body of the Church. In 1970, following the council's directives, Pope Paul VI made sweeping and detailed changes to the Mass. Everything about the people was given importance, even their posture. It both expresses and fosters the inner spirit and purpose of those who take part in it. He called for all participants, not just the priest, to bow during the recital of the Creed.
Catholics are accustomed to assuming a variety of positions in eucharistic liturgies.
Each position is intended to signify a different spiritual attitude. Sitting conveys learning, standing symbolizes readiness to serve, and kneeling indicates adoration. Moreover, as Paul VI noted, our posture goes further than expressing an inner spirit. It helps to foster the inner feelings behind the expression. Gestures that were once universal may lose their significance to people who no longer understand their implications or who come from a culture in which the gesture is not used.