Who Can Help Me?

[Chiquitunga]

[quote name='Totus Tuus' post='1180258' date='Jan 30 2007, 10:36 AM']
Margaret Clare,

You may already know, but the universal "norm" for receiving Holy Communion [i]is[/i] kneeling. No person has the authority to tell you not to receive Him kneeling, even if there is no communion rail. I understand if this is not something you are comfortable with, but I know it is often a misconception that we are not [i]allowed[/i] to do this ~ We are!


[/quote] Thanks, Lauren! I didn't know that at all. I love receiving Holy Communion on my knees. I wouldn't mind doing this in an ordinary church. I guess I might feel somewhat uncomfortable, because I wouldn't want people to think I am trying to be holier than them or something. But I think if enough people start doing this, than others will see that you can, and join you. Thanks again!

But even if only one person starts doing this, then others may join too. But even if they don't, it is very good to know this is the norm, and no one can tell you you can't do this.

[franciscanheart]

[quote name='Totus Tuus' post='1180258' date='Jan 30 2007, 10:36 AM']
Margaret Clare,

You may already know, but the universal "norm" for receiving Holy Communion [i]is[/i] kneeling. No person has the authority to tell you not to receive Him kneeling, even if there is no communion rail. I understand if this is not something you are comfortable with, but I know it is often a misconception that we are not [i]allowed[/i] to do this ~ We are!


[/quote]
Lauren,

I know that a couple of years ago our pastor (or maybe it was one of the deacons) read us a letter from the bishop. In the letter it said that the faithful were being asked to stand for reception of the Eucharist, as to be unified. The letter said something along the lines of: It would be good for us as a community to practice the same posture.

It was weird and no one really liked that idea very much. And in so many words our pastor said that he would not refuse Communion to someone who decided to kneel. He said that it was up to us but that he was required to read that letter to us. And he did. And the majority of people still kneel for communion at the rail - though few receive on the tongue.

Wondering if you know anything about this. I wanted to say it was a letter from the American Bishops but maybe it was just my diocese.

[shortnun]

[quote name='hugheyforlife' post='1180754' date='Jan 30 2007, 07:01 PM']
Lauren,

I know that a couple of years ago our pastor (or maybe it was one of the deacons) read us a letter from the bishop. In the letter it said that the faithful were being asked to stand for reception of the Eucharist, as to be unified. The letter said something along the lines of: It would be good for us as a community to practice the same posture.

It was weird and no one really liked that idea very much. And in so many words our pastor said that he would not refuse Communion to someone who decided to kneel. He said that it was up to us but that he was required to read that letter to us. And he did. And the majority of people still kneel for communion at the rail - though few receive on the tongue.

Wondering if you know anything about this. I wanted to say it was a letter from the American Bishops but maybe it was just my diocese. [/quote]

Hughey, the US Bishops do desire that the faithful are united in posture during the entire Eucharistic celebration.
[quote]
Movements and Posture

42. The gestures and posture of the priest, the deacon, and the ministers, as well as those of the people, ought to contribute to making the entire celebration resplendent with beauty and noble simplicity, so that the true and full meaning of the different parts of the celebration is evident and that the participation of all is fostered.52 Therefore, attention should be paid to what is determined by this General Instruction and the traditional practice of the Roman Rite and to what serves the common spiritual good of the People of God, rather than private inclination or arbitrary choice.

A common posture, to be observed by all participants, is a sign of the unity of the members of the Christian community gathered for the Sacred Liturgy: it both expresses and fosters the intention and spiritual attitude of the participants.
[b]
[url="http://www.usccb.org/liturgy/current/chapter2.shtml#sect2"]SOURCE [/url][/b][/quote]


The normative posture for reception of communion in the United States follows with this (emphasis added):

[quote]160. The priest then takes the paten or ciborium and goes to the communicants, who, as a rule, approach in a procession.

The faithful are not permitted to take the consecrated bread or the sacred chalice by themselves and, still less, to hand them from one to another. [b]The norm for reception of Holy Communion in the dioceses of the United States is standing. Communicants should not be denied Holy Communion because they kneel. Rather, such instances should be addressed pastorally, by providing the faithful with proper catechesis on the reasons for this norm.[/b]

When receiving Holy Communion, the communicant bows his or her head before the Sacrament as a gesture of reverence and receives the Body of the Lord from the minister. The consecrated host may be received either on the tongue or in the hand, at the discretion of each communicant. When Holy Communion is received under both kinds, the sign of reverence is also made before receiving the Precious Blood.

161. If Communion is given only under the species of bread, the priest raises the host slightly and shows it to each, saying, Corpus Christi (The Body of Christ). [b]The communicant replies, Amen, and receives the Sacrament either on the tongue or, where this is allowed and if the communicant so chooses, in the hand.[/b] As soon as the communicant receives the host, he or she consumes it entirely.

[b][url="http://www.usccb.org/liturgy/current/chapter4.shtml#sect3"]SOURCE[/url][/b][/quote]

And, [b][url="http://www.cuf.org/Faithfacts/details_view.asp?ffID=253"]an additional link[/url] [/b]that people might find useful.

Edited January 31, 2007 by shortnun

[Totus Tuus]

Hughey and Shortnun:

While I do not intend to undermine the USCCB, it must be considered that Rome has spoken on this subject, and she has the greater authority. This is Rome's response to the question of kneeling for Holy Communion.

[quote] Another fundamental right of the faithful, as noted in canon 213, is "the right to receive assistance by the sacred Pastors from the spiritual goods of the Church, especially the word of God and the Sacraments". In view of the law that "sacred" ministers may not deny the sacraments to those who opportunely ask for them, are properly disposed and are not prohibited by law from receiving them" (canon 843 §1), there should be no such refusal to any Catholic who presents himself for Holy Communion at Mass, except in cases presenting a danger of grave scandal to other believers arising out of the person's unrepented public sin or obstinate heresy or schism, publicly professed or declared. [b]Even where the Congregation has approved of legislation denoting standing as the posture for Holy Communion, in accordance with the adaptations permitted to the Conferences of Bishops by the Institution Generalis Missalis Romani n. 160, paragraph 2, it has done so with the stipulation that communicants who choose to kneel are not to be denied Holy Communion on these grounds.[/b][/quote]

The full letter from the Congregation for the Discipline of the Sacraments is as follows:

[quote] Congregation de Cultu Divino et Disciplina Sacramentorum
Prot. n. 1322/02/L
Rome, 1 July 2002

Dear Sir,

This Congregation for Divine Worship gratefully acknowledges receipt of your letter, regarding an announced policy of denial of Holy Communion to those who kneel to receive it at a certain church.

It is troubling that you seem to express some reservations about both the propriety and the usefulness of addressing the Holy See regarding this matter. Canon 212 §2 of the Code of Canon Law states that "Christ's faithful are totally free to make known their needs, especially their spiritual ones, and their desire: to the Pastor of the Church". The canon then continues in 3: "According to their own knowledge competence and position, they have the right, and indeed sometimes the duty, to present to the sacred Pastor; their opinions regarding those things that pertain to the good of the Church".... Accordingly, in consideration of the nature of the problem and the relative likelihood that it might or might not be resolved on the local level, every member of the faithful has the right of recourse to the Roman Pontiff either personally or by means of the Dicasteries or Tribunals of the Roman Curia.

Another fundamental right of the faithful, as noted in canon 213, is "the right to receive assistance by the sacred Pastors from the spiritual goods of the Church, especially the word of God and the Sacraments". In view of the law that "sacred" ministers may not deny the sacraments to those who opportunely ask for them, are properly disposed and are not prohibited by law from receiving them" (canon 843 §1), there should be no such refusal to any Catholic who presents himself for Holy Communion at Mass, except in cases presenting a danger of grave scandal to other believers arising out of the person's unrepented public sin or obstinate heresy or schism, publicly professed or declared. Even where the Congregation has approved of legislation denoting standing as the posture for Holy Communion, in accordance with the adaptations permitted to the Conferences of Bishops by the Institution Generalis Missalis Romani n. 160, paragraph 2, it has done so with the stipulation that communicants who choose to kneel are not to be denied Holy Communion on these grounds.

Please be assured that the Congregation takes this matter very seriously, and is making the necessary contacts in its regard. At the same time, this Dicastery continues to be ready to be of assistance if you should need to contact it again in the future.

Thanking you for your interest, and with every prayerful good wish, I am

Sincerely yours in Christ,

Monsignor Mario Marini
Undersecretary [/quote]

The above was written in response to the following letter:

[quote]Congregation de Cultu Divino et Disciplina Sacramentorum
Prot. n. 1322/02/L
Rome, 1 July 2002

Your Excellency,

This Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments has recently received reports of members of the faithful in your Diocese being refused Holy Communion unless while standing to receive, as opposed to kneeling. The reports state that such a policy has been announced to parishioners. There were possible indications that such a phenomenon might be somewhat more widespread in the Diocese, but the Congregation is unable to verify whether such is the case. This Dicastery is confident that Your Excellency will be in a position to make a more reliable determination of the matter, and these complaints in any event provide an occasion for the Congregation to communicate the manner in which it habitually addresses this matter, with a request that you make this position known to any priests who may be in need of being thus informed.

The Congregation in fact is concerned at the number of similar complaints that it has received in recent months from various places, and considers any refusal of Holy Communion to a member of the faithful on the basis of his or her kneeling posture to be a grave violation of one of the most basic rights of the Christian faithful, namely that of being assisted by their Pastors by means of the Sacraments (Codex Iuris Canonici, canon 213). In view of the law that "sacred ministers may not deny the sacraments to those who opportunely ask for them, are properly disposed and are not prohibited by law from receiving them" (canon 843 §1), there should be no such refusal to any Catholic who presents himself for Holy Communion at Mass, except in cases presenting a danger of grave scandal to other believers arising out of the person's unrepented public sin or obstinate heresy or schism, publicly professed or declared. Even where the Congregation has approved of legislation denoting standing as the posture for Holy Communion, in accordance with the adaptations permitted to the Conferences of Bishops by the Institution Generalis Missalis Romani n. 160, paragraph 2, it has done so with the stipulation that communicants who choose to kneel are not to be denied Holy Communion on these grounds.

In fact, as His Eminence, Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger has recently emphasized, the practice of kneeling for Holy Communion has in its favor a centuries-old tradition, and it is a particularly expressive sign of adoration, completely appropriate in light of the true, real and substantial presence of Our Lord Jesus Christ under the consecrated species.

Given the importance of this matter, the Congregation would request that Your Excellency inquire specifically whether this priest in fact has a regular practice of refusing Holy Communion to any member of the faithful in the circumstances described above and - if the complaint is verified - that you also firmly instruct him and any other priests who may have had such a practice to refrain from acting thus in the future. Priests should understand that the Congregation will regard future complaints of this nature with great seriousness, and if they are verified, it intends to seek disciplinary action consonant with the gravity of the pastoral abuse.

Thanking Your Excellency for your attention to this matter and relying on your kind collaboration in its regard,

Sincerely yours in Christ,

Jorge A. Cardinal Medina Estévez
Prefect
+Francesco Pio Tamburrino
Archbishop Secretary[/quote]

[size=4][b]These are two sources:

[url="http://www.tldm.org/News5/Vatican_kneeling.htm"]http://www.tldm.org/News5/Vatican_kneeling.htm[/url]

[url="http://www.adoremus.org/Notitiae-kneeling.html"]http://www.adoremus.org/Notitiae-kneeling.html[/url][/size][/b]


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

[b][i][color="blue"]"...The expression used by Saint Luke to describe the kneeling of Christians (theis ta gonata) is unknown in classical Greek. We are dealing here with a specifically Christian word. With that remark, our reflections turn full circle to where they began. It may well be that kneeling is alien to modern culture -- insofar as it is a culture, for this culture has turned away from the faith and no longer knows the one before whom kneeling is the right, indeed the intrinsically necessary gesture. The man who learns to believe learns also to kneel, and a faith or a liturgy no longer familiar with kneeling would be sick at the core. Where it has been lost, kneeling must be rediscovered, so that, in our prayer, we remain in fellowship with the apostles and martyrs, in fellowship with the whole cosmos, indeed in union with Jesus Christ Himself."[/b][/i][/color]
- Our Holy Father Pope Benedict XVI (when he was a Cardinal) in his book [u]The Spirit of the Liturgy[/u] (source: [url="http://209.85.165.104/search?q=cache:BP0HJBc6CJoJ:www.losangelesmission.com/ed/articles/2004/0404kk.htm+%22kneel%22+%2B+%22pope%22+%2B+%22at+the+core%22&hl=en&gl=us&ct=clnk&cd=2&client=firefox-a"]http://209.85.165.104/search?q=cache:BP0HJ...lient=firefox-a[/url])

God bless!

Lauren

[Totus Tuus]

Good morning! I've been surfing the Internet a little since I woke up and found this awesome article from the EWTN document library ^_^

[size=3]The full article is here: [url="http://www.ewtn.com/library/LITURGY/STANKNEL.TXT"]http://www.ewtn.com/library/LITURGY/STANKNEL.TXT[/url][/size]
-It's a [i]really[/i] good read, even though it focuses primarily on kneeling during the [i]Consecration[/i], and not as much on kneeling for the reception of Holy Communion

Anyway, here is a part that is pertinent to our discussion:

Statement in church bulletin:
[quote][i]"Moreover it is a communal prayer, a prayer of the community even if it is proclaimed
by the presider. As a communal prayer it calls for all to take the same bodily posture.
At the heart of the sacrament of unity (which the eucharist is) we would not want to be
doing different things." [/i][/quote]


Father Fessio’s answer:
[quote]Precisely. But [b]our unity is not merely with those around us in the congregation at any
particular Mass. The "community" of which we are a part is the entire Church
celebrating a common rite.[/b] The "sacrament of unity" unites us with the whole Church,
not just our fellow parishioners. This is why the "regulation of the sacred liturgy
depends solely on the authority of the Church, that is, on the Apostolic See and, as laws
may determine, on the bishop" (Vatican II, <Constitution on the Liturgy>, pare. 22, #1)
so that "no other person, even if he be a priest, may add, remove, or change anything in
the liturgy on his own authority" (Ibid., pare 22, §2).

The canon of the Mass is a "communal prayer" in that the people are to join their hearts
to the prayer of the priest, which he offers as both the representative of Christ and in
unity with the community— that is, the whole Church, past, present and future. This
prayer is [b]not simply the prayer of any particular assembly of people.[/b][/quote]


Lauren

P.S.: I forgot to mention "Emphasis mine" in the previous post (I don't want to misrepresent the original documents). Emphasis is mine in this post as well

P.P.S.: I have heard a lot of mention of people being uncomfortable doing something that the rest of the parish is not doing. This is kind of what that is addressing, in addition to adding to my previous post.

Edited January 31, 2007 by Totus Tuus