Altar Rail Puts Communicants on Right Track

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Altar Rail Puts Communicants on Right Track

Priests and parishioners explain the value of kneeling when receiving Communion.
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In many parishes, a once-standard sanctuary staple is making a comeback: the altar rail.
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Auxiliary Bishop Athanasius Schneider of Astana, Kazakhstan, spoke about receiving the Holy Eucharist at Mass.

In part, he said, “Kneel down. Adore your Lord. It is logical. [T]he angels in heaven … prostrate in front of the Lamb. But we have the Lamb of God in the Host. They prostrate themselves. We’re not. Why not?”
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Is there something intrinsically more “adoring” when kneeling versus bowing/genuflecting and then receiving the Eucharist?

Does the attitude and reverence of the heart change depending on whether we kneel or bow/stand?

Archangel Gabriel said, “I am Gabriel, the one standing before God.”

And angels are always adoring, so is it not possible to adore God even if one doesn’t receive while kneeling?

I don’t mean to be disrespectful…but if God is displeased with different physical forms of reverence, how does the Church allow it at the highest official teaching authority?

Personally I think there should be unity, but does standing and receiving offend God?
 
Surprisingly, my parish church, wich was built long after Vatican, and since been remodeled, has never been without an altar rail. However, we do not kneel for communion.
 
NuclearReceptor said:
Is there something intrinsically more “adoring” when kneeling versus bowing/genuflecting and then receiving the Eucharist?

Does the attitude and reverence of the heart change depending on whether we kneel or bow/stand?

Archangel Gabriel said, “I am Gabriel, the one standing before God.”

And angels are always adoring, so is it not possible to adore God even if one doesn’t receive while kneeling?

I don’t mean to be disrespectful…but if God is displeased with different physical forms of reverence, how does the Church allow it at the highest official teaching authority?

Personally I think there should be unity, but does standing and receiving offend God?
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Rituals subconsciously reinforce concepts/teachings/ideas, etc.

By kneeling, you are being reminded that the real presence is real. It also is a physical sign of what we believe.

It’s not so much for the people who do believe in the real presence, but for those who don’t.

If I’m making sense

God Bless
 
Mine was built in '65 and has one… the altar servers use it to receive, but thats it
 
Bring altar rails back! Too many people think of the Eucharist as a wafer, when it is the body of our beloved Lord. I think an altar rail comeback would help people see- “hey this really is my God in front of me!”
 
phil19034 said:
By kneeling, you are being reminded that the real presence is real. It also is a physical sign of what we believe.

It’s not so much for the people who do believe in the real presence, but for those who don’t.
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This is what I was trying to say as well in my post above. Makes sense to me.
 
I have no problem with standing to receive as this is the ancient discipline in the East.

My issue comes with unnecessary usage of EMHC (if they are supposed to be EXTRAOrdinary, why are they an Ordinary fixture at every single Mass?) and also with people wantonly receiving Communion without prior Confession.

I am in favor of bringing back altar rails in the Roman Rite, however.
 
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At a Catholic high school in my Diocese, the school’s completely physically fine deacon sat while the presiding pastor and an EMHC distributed…
 
Maximilian75 said:
presiding pastor and an EMHC distributed…
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That’s become the normal.

Either the Church needs to come out and say EMHC are actually Ordinary Ministers of Communion, or this problem needs to be rectified.

I would like to see Rome legislate something like “unless the communicant-Ordinary Minister (ordained clergy) ratio exceeds 50:1, EMHC are not to be used.”
 
It’s only the tip of the iceberg in regards to liturgy in the high schools of my diocese…
 
Our parish recently started using the altar rails for Communion again. I love it. It gives you an extra few moments for prayer or contemplation before receiving Communion, and it feels more reverent than standing in a line.

As an added bonus, it is also efficient–it goes as least as quickly as does a regular Communion line, yet never feels rushed. 😊
 
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“Crack the whip”? O, brother.

What’s next Liturgical Gestapo?

Reverence and recognition of Christ are the issues. And they begin long before Mass.
 
I don’tthink standing and receiving offends God. Priests come out to and give mass under a tree if they have to. I remember a priest used to go out to the rural areas and give mass from the back of a pick up truck . People knelt if they could and others didn’t. I don’t think God was looking at their knees. I think he was looking at their Hearts
 
Let’s remember that some just physically can’t kneel. Bad backs bad knees etc. does that mean they are showing disrespect to God? I think too many of us are looking around to see what other people are doing in mass.
 
I am wondering how they work when receiving under both species. I am wondering if that may be the reason they are not common.
 
dallas_r said:
Bring altar rails back! Too many people think of the Eucharist as a wafer, when it is the body of our beloved Lord. I think an altar rail comeback would help people see- “hey this really is my God in front of me!”
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I don’t think an altar rail can make the people better informed about doctrine.
 
The problem in these discussions is that modern people think it’s a sign of reverence. When they were brought into Churches, they were not brought in for that purpose. It was to keep the people AWAY from the sanctuary.
This is my aversion.
It’s fine, but with a bad knee, it would be a disaster for me.
I think it’s more pleasing to God to have your heart correctly disposed. I prefer to educate people in that respect.
 
And you can’t really know if there was another issue with the deacon, i.e. he had a cold or some other ailment which was not visible to the general observer.

The need for EMHC’s is at the discretion of the celebrant, as given by his Bishop

Jim
 
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