Receiving While Kneeling- A Question, Not A Debate

[InPersonaChriste]

I prefer kneeling.
Most espiecially because the pope has asked us to kneel and recieve on the tongue. I do love my pope

[havok579257]

[quote name='Aloysius' timestamp='1325715648' post='2362968']
the new translation of the General Instruction of the Roman Missal makes it clear that kneeling is actually a legitimate option.

this is the outdated translation, which used to indicate that there was something wrong with kneeling and that pastors should correct people who chose to kneel even though they shouldn't deny them communion: GIRM 160:
"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."

that translation is no more. this is the current translation:
"The norm established for the Dioceses of the United States of America is that Holy Communion is to be received standing, [b]unless an individual member of the faithful wishes to receive Communion while kneeling[/b]"

I recommend printing out both versions so that if any priest or bishop ever tries to tell you that you are not supposed to kneel, you can kindly point them to the change in wording and say that you were under the impression that the General Instruction now perfectly allows it as a legitimate option even if the norm is standing.
[/quote]

i see its allowed and the priest said he still gives communion to those who kneel but the bishops have said the norm is to stand. so in effect, if i am kneeling, i am ignoring my bishops request. this is why i will go back to standing to receive after i had gone to kneeling not to long ago.

[BarbTherese]

Our Archbishop sent out instructions to the parishes we are to bow immediately before receiving standing up. I'm happy to obey. When cupping my hands to receive from Father it reminds me of a beggar's bowl. I pause before the crucifix behind the altar to receive personally The Lord's Body and have a little aspiration I pray. Then I ensure I am not going to knock anyone over or cut anyone off by glancing behind me before moving on to the Cup of The Lord's Blood. Thngs seem to run smoothly in our parish and also at the Masses in the Cathedral with a larger congregation.

Edited January 5, 2012 by BarbaraTherese

[faithcecelia]

[quote name='nunsense' timestamp='1325721151' post='2363002']
true reverence is in the heart, not the knees. [/quote]

This has to be one of the best quotes on here ever.

[BarbTherese]

[quote]
[u][b]nunsense, on 05 January 2012 - 05:52 AM, said[/b][/u]:

He told me that true reverence is in the heart, not the knees.
[/quote]

[EmilyAnn]

[quote name='BarbaraTherese' timestamp='1325755233' post='2363200']
Our Archbishop sent out instructions to the parishes we are to bow immediately before receiving standing up. I'm happy to obey. When cupping my hands to receive from Father it reminds me of a beggar's bowl. I pause before the crucifix behind the altar to receive personally The Lord's Body and have a little aspiration I pray. Then I ensure I am not going to knock anyone over or cut anyone off by glancing behind me before moving on to the Cup of The Lord's Blood. Thngs seem to run smoothly in our parish and also at the Masses in the Cathedral with a larger congregation.
[/quote]

I was always taught to bow before receiving standing. It's second nature to me now. In my parish there are some others who do but most don't. Personally I feel if you're not going to kneel, you should bow. But that's just me.

[Aloysius]

[quote name='havok579257' timestamp='1325746903' post='2363194']
i see its allowed and the priest said he still gives communion to those who kneel but the bishops have said the norm is to stand. so in effect, if i am kneeling, i am ignoring my bishops request. this is why i will go back to standing to receive after i had gone to kneeling not to long ago.
[/quote]
read the new version again: the norm is to stand UNLESS an individual wishes to kneel. it's a norm, but it's not a requirement.

all that said, most times that I go to a Novus Ordo, I receive standing on the basis of not creating a spectacle. I've thought about changing that and might start kneeling one day, because there is nothing wrong with it. you are not defying any Church law or norm by doing that; by deviating from the norm, you are not being disobedient, because the GIRM says that it is the norm UNLESS you wish to kneel instead, in which case you are perfectly free to do so and should NOT be corrected as if it was something disobedient that you have done.

as regards people who say it could cause people to stumble... well, I've always thought that was ridiculous. if you step up and go down on your knees, there is no reason the person behind you should run into you unless they were running behind you or something. I have seen plenty of people kneel in a communion line when everyone else was doing "the norm", and I've never seen anyone get tripped over. I think that particular fear is all in your head.

Edited January 5, 2012 by Aloysius

[homeschoolmom]

[quote name='Aloysius' timestamp='1325764431' post='2363217']

as regards people who say it could cause people to stumble... well, I've always thought that was ridiculous. if you step up and go down on your knees, there is no reason the person behind you should run into you unless they were running behind you or something. I have seen plenty of people kneel in a communion line when everyone else was doing "the norm", and I've never seen anyone get tripped over. I think that particular fear is all in your head.
[/quote]

I could see a situation where the person in front is kneeling, and the person just behind is bowing. As the person rises from kneeling and the second person rises and moves forward from bowing, that could cause a collision, but I don't know that that situation would happen enough to make it that kneelers shouldn't kneel... but it could happen.

I was raised Methodist, and we always had an altar rail and knelt during communion.

[Aloysius]

it just seems like people can watch where they're going though... that just seems like it'd be a freak accident, one in a million shot.

[homeschoolmom]

[quote name='Aloysius' timestamp='1325767782' post='2363222']
it just seems like people can watch where they're going though... that just seems like it'd be a freak accident, one in a million shot.
[/quote]
Well, it's hard to watch where you're going when you're bowing. If you don't expect the person in front of you to kneel, then what you anticipate to happen when your vision is compromised doesn't happen... Regardless, as I said, I don't think that should mean people shouldn't kneel.

[Archaeology cat]

[quote name='Aloysius' timestamp='1325764431' post='2363217']

read the new version again: the norm is to stand UNLESS an individual wishes to kneel. it's a norm, but it's not a requirement.

all that said, most times that I go to a Novus Ordo, I receive standing on the basis of not creating a spectacle. I've thought about changing that and might start kneeling one day, because there is nothing wrong with it. you are not defying any Church law or norm by doing that; by deviating from the norm, you are not being disobedient, because the GIRM says that it is the norm UNLESS you wish to kneel instead, in which case you are perfectly free to do so and should NOT be corrected as if it was something disobedient that you have done.

as regards people who say it could cause people to stumble... well, I've always thought that was ridiculous. if you step up and go down on your knees, there is no reason the person behind you should run into you unless they were running behind you or something. I have seen plenty of people kneel in a communion line when everyone else was doing "the norm", and I've never seen anyone get tripped over. I think that particular fear is all in your head.
[/quote]I always kneel. In my old parish, I tended to be the only one kneeling. At our new parish, there are a couple others who kneel. People tend to stay far enough back that there are no mishaps.

[Groo the Wanderer]

I have seen the Sacred Host dropped 3x in the last 2 weeks because of people fumbling to receive in the hand.

Kneel, stand....your choice, but receive on the tongue if at all possible.

[Aloysius]

it's nice that it is now able to be acknowledged as our choice. five years ago the standard line, that at the time I myself probably would've agreed to, was that communion shouldn't be denied to kneelers but that they were being disobedient to the rubrics, few and far between were the people who argued that standing as a norm was descriptive rather than proscriptive. thankfully this has been corrected and we can all acknowledge that no one who kneels to receive the Lord of the Universe in a Roman Church is being disobedient in any way. I think I really am going to stop caring about what people think and kneel when I'm at the novus ordo... though I usually go to the Extraordinary Form or Byzantine Divine Liturgy so it won't come up for a while...

[havok579257]

[quote name='Aloysius' timestamp='1325764431' post='2363217']
read the new version again: the norm is to stand UNLESS an individual wishes to kneel. it's a norm, but it's not a requirement.

all that said, most times that I go to a Novus Ordo, I receive standing on the basis of not creating a spectacle. I've thought about changing that and might start kneeling one day, because there is nothing wrong with it. you are not defying any Church law or norm by doing that; by deviating from the norm, you are not being disobedient, because the GIRM says that it is the norm UNLESS you wish to kneel instead, in which case you are perfectly free to do so and should NOT be corrected as if it was something disobedient that you have done.

as regards people who say it could cause people to stumble... well, I've always thought that was ridiculous. if you step up and go down on your knees, there is no reason the person behind you should run into you unless they were running behind you or something. I have seen plenty of people kneel in a communion line when everyone else was doing "the norm", and I've never seen anyone get tripped over. I think that particular fear is all in your head.
[/quote]

the people tripping over each other when kneeling never happened to me when i kneeled. i would just wait a few steps back from the person in front of me receiving communion. then when it was my turn i would go forward a few steps and kneel. i never had anyone trip over me.

my thing now is i don't want to go against what the bishops want us to do. that's my thing.

[Aloysius]

but the bishops are not commanding anything as far as I can see. when it is said that standing is the norm, that doesn't mean standing is mandated. as the GIRM says: standing is the norm unless an individual member of the faithful wishes to kneel. that indicates to me that the norm is not mandated.

in the past it has been remarked that it may be descriptive rather than proscriptive to talk about standing as the norm. standing is the norm because that's what most people do, if tomorrow everyone changed their minds, then suddenly kneeling would be the norm.

if you would like to kneel, I suggest taking the printed copy of the new GIRM to your priest and pointing it out to him saying "it would seem to me that I am not required to stand, but that I have a valid option to kneel if I so wish. What do you think?" and see what he says.

again, as the current rules stand, it is not in any way disobedient to kneel for communion.