Genuflection

Catholics genuflect — go briefly down on the right knee — before the Blessed Sacrament, because Christ is truly present there. It is why people dip a knee before entering a pew in a church where the tabernacle stands in the sanctuary. A profound bow, rather than a genuflection, is the reverence normally given to the altar; the Church also gives special adoration to the cross on Good Friday. During the Creed, everyone bows at the words “and by the Holy Spirit was incarnate,” and on Christmas and the Annunciation genuflects.