I have a follow up question regarding my first Mass that I forgot to mention. There was a lot of kneeling at times at the Mass. I sat on the back row and knelt at the times I saw everyone else doing it even though I didn’t understand all of it. I prayed to God at those times for myself, my family, and those sitting around me in the sanctuary for God to be with them and guide their lives and be with them in their struggles.
I had knee surgery a few years ago and all of the kneeling kind of tweaked my knee and I am a little sore today – a knee strain, I think. I should be fine in another day or so, I think. It’s similar to how I feel when I overdue it walking or twist it on a divot in my yard while mowing the grass.
Question:
Is it required to kneel ay Mass?
I was wondering for those people who might have had surgery, the elderly, etc. I saw a couple of elderly folks just sitting there, so I suspect it is ok but wanted to be sure.
On a side note. I saw a little boy (maybe 3 or 4 years old) try to copy the form of his parents when they knelt upon arriving in the aisle by their pew. The little boy squatted like a little frog by bending both knees and almost touching the floor with his behind. He was very cute. I could tell his heart was in the right place although he didn’t have the form quite down yet.
If there are good reasons not to kneel at the specified times, then we are exempted. Good reasons are ones of health, so if you have had surgery and your knees are painful, or if you are elderly or for whatever reason have difficulty kneeling or standing, you may remain seated for the entire Mass.
When entering a church, we cross ourselves with Holy Water, and when entering a pew, we genuflect (kneel on one knee and rise again) towards the Tabernacle. The Tabernacle is where the reserved Hosts (the consecrated Body of Christ) are kept. You may have noticed the little red light next to the Tabernacle. This indicates that Jesus is present in the Tabernacle and we genuflect towards Him as a sign of reverence.
As others have already said, we are not required to receive the Eucharist at every Mass, nor do we have to receive under both forms because Jesus is fully present, Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity in both forms. The most minute fragment of Host, the smallest drop of Blood, are fully Jesus, Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity.
We are only required to receive once a year, just as we are required to receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation (Confession) at least once a year. There are conditions to receiving the Eucharist. The biggie is that we must be in a state of grace, meaning we have no unconfessed mortal sins on our conscience. Venial sins are forgiven during the Penitential Rite at the beginning of Mass. If we receive the Eucharist while in a state of mortal sin, we eat and drink condemnation of our souls. Instead of receiving Life Eternal, we will receive Death Eternal, so it is vitally important to examine our consciences and not receive if we have any doubts about the state of our souls.
This coming Sunday (June 22) is the Feast of the Body and Blood of Christ (aka Corpus Christi). Here are a few stanzas from the Sequence which is read before the Gospel. These are from the Long Form which is rarely used these days because, well, it is long.
*This faith to Christian men is given –
Bread is made flesh by words from heaven:
Into his blood the wine is turned:
What though it baffles nature’s powers
Of sense and sight? this faith of ours
Proves more than nature e’re discerned.
Concealed beneath the two-fold sign,
Meet symbols of the gifts divine,
There lie the mysteries adored:
The living body is our food;
Our drink the ever-precious blood;
In each, one undivided Lord.
Not he that eateth it divides
The sacred food, which whole abides
Unbroken still, nor knows decay;
Be one, or be a thousand fed,
They eat alike that living bread
Which, still received, ne’er wastes away.
The good, the guilty share therein,
With sure increase of grace or sin,
The ghostly life, or ghostly death:
Death to the guilty; to the good
Immortal life. See how one food
Man’s joy or woe accomplisheth.*
