Holy Father, Communion Only To People Kneeling And On The Tongue Only

[CatherineM]

I went to mass at the chapel at the Catholic hospital for many years just because it was so accessible, and I didn't have to worry about having kids stare at me rather than pay attention to the service. It was kind of hard to establish a church community there, but it allowed me to practice my faith during some of my darkest days.

Alpha-I agreed to testify against some neo-Nazis with a very twisted mostly Old Testament view of Christianity, and a real hate for Catholics. They sent someone to retaliate, he said I had been judged, and if I repented of the sin of betraying my race, he would spare my life. I told him that my only judge was Jesus Christ. He called me the Whore of Babylon, and a papist. I was stabbed several times, and sent head first and backwards down a marble staircase, and when that didn't finish me off, he tried strangling me. The women in my family are very hard to kill as he found out, and I didn't go down without a fight. The story is much more involved, but you can read about it in a book called Curveballs ISBN 978-1-897472-03-3. It left my body pretty broken to the point that I lost an inch and a half of height. Today, people try to give me rides, but I prefer to walk. Every step I take is gift from God. I sat long enough.

[aalpha1989]

[quote name='CatherineM' post='1587281' date='Jun 30 2008, 03:53 PM']I went to mass at the chapel at the Catholic hospital for many years just because it was so accessible, and I didn't have to worry about having kids stare at me rather than pay attention to the service. It was kind of hard to establish a church community there, but it allowed me to practice my faith during some of my darkest days.

Alpha-I agreed to testify against some neo-Nazis with a very twisted mostly Old Testament view of Christianity, and a real hate for Catholics. They sent someone to retaliate, he said I had been judged, and if I repented of the sin of betraying my race, he would spare my life. I told him that my only judge was Jesus Christ. He called me the Whore of Babylon, and a papist. I was stabbed several times, and sent head first and backwards down a marble staircase, and when that didn't finish me off, he tried strangling me. The women in my family are very hard to kill as he found out, and I didn't go down without a fight. The story is much more involved, but you can read about it in a book called Curveballs ISBN 978-1-897472-03-3. It left my body pretty broken to the point that I lost an inch and a half of height. Today, people try to give me rides, but I prefer to walk. Every step I take is gift from God. I sat long enough.[/quote]


I thank God you are still here. Prayers.

[mommas_boy]

[quote name='CatherineM' post='1587131' date='Jun 30 2008, 12:49 PM']My roommate would go around and up the steps to the open door, and ask the Deacon inside to please open the handicap door for me, and he always refused.[/quote]

That really frustrates me. I do wonder what the rationale was. Your roommate should have gone over his head and gotten him a good, stern correction from his superiors.


[quote]I'm opposed to being a sore thumb. I don't like being singled out and made an object of curiosity.[/quote]

I know how this goes. My father is a T-11 paraplegic, paralyzed from the waist down, and uses a wheelchair. He already struggled with social anxiety disorder before his accident, and now that he's in a wheelchair and has to be "accommodated", it makes it much much worse. He's always been the type to make sacrifices for other people (that's how he got in the wheelchair), and so is uncomfortable having to be helped; he'd rather do it himself.

[quote]It actually took me a long time to even accept the fact that I was disabled. When I was able to walk again, someone asked me now that I was getting my life back, what I wanted to do with the rest of my life. The first thing I said was I wanted to sing in church again. My church here doesn't use the choir loft, and they have put a chair kind of hidden for me, when I need to sit down. I'm finally learning to let people help me, and that it's okay to show vulnerability, but I obviously still have a long way to go.[/quote]

Praying for you.

[quote name='CatherineM' post='1587281' date='Jun 30 2008, 03:53 PM']Alpha-I agreed to testify against some neo-Nazis with a very twisted mostly Old Testament view of Christianity, and a real hate for Catholics. They sent someone to retaliate, he said I had been judged, and if I repented of the sin of betraying my race, he would spare my life. I told him that my only judge was Jesus Christ. He called me the Whore of Babylon, and a papist. I was stabbed several times, and sent head first and backwards down a marble staircase, and when that didn't finish me off, he tried strangling me. The women in my family are very hard to kill as he found out, and I didn't go down without a fight. The story is much more involved, but you can read about it in a book called Curveballs ISBN 978-1-897472-03-3. It left my body pretty broken to the point that I lost an inch and a half of height. Today, people try to give me rides, but I prefer to walk. Every step I take is gift from God. I sat long enough.[/quote]

That is an amazing story. I hope that in heaven you receive the crown of the martyrs -- you certainly are one. Thank you for your witness.

[Noel's angel]

[quote name='CatherineM' post='1586588' date='Jun 30 2008, 12:19 AM']I suppose I could try to kneel for the Pope, but I suspect there would be ambulances involved after mass at best, and at worst, fire/rescue and/or news cameras.[/quote]

Don't try to kneel for any human being, even the Pope. Kneeling is for Christ and He certainly wouldn't condemn you if you were unable. I'm sure the Pope wouldn't either

[johnnydigit]

[quote name='Noel's angel' post='1591392' date='Jul 4 2008, 01:36 PM']Don't try to kneel for any human being, even the Pope. Kneeling is for Christ and He certainly wouldn't condemn you if you were unable. I'm sure the Pope wouldn't either [/quote]

afaik, you're supposed to reserve the right knee for God, and use the left knee for people.

[Noel's angel]

No one should be asked to kneel to another person. Anyway, my point was that if CatherineM was going to try and kneel, don't do it for the Pope's sake. She should only do it if she believes it would increase her reverence in receiving the Eucharist.

[johnnydigit]

i kneel when i receive a blessing from a priest. i would probably kneel for the Pope or whenever etiquette dictates i do so. i kneel for Our Lady, Saints, and for the deceased as well..

[Noel's angel]

Are you kneeling for the reason of prayer (i.e. the blessing) or are you kneeling because of the person?

[Saint Therese]

Are we actually discussing the value of kneeling?
When we kneel before the Holy Father the Pope, or a priest, we kneel in reverence for his office in the Church, and for the fact that they are Christ's representatives.

Edited July 7, 2008 by Saint Therese

[Noel's angel]

My point was that if we are going to kneel to receive the Eucharist, it shouldn't be for the fact that we are receiving from the Pope, but the fact that we are receiving Christ.

Personally, I don't think kneeling for another human being, regardless of their office is necessary. When would you ordinarily kneel for a priest? You don't see a priest out doing his shopping and kneel before him, do you?