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Phemie
Guest
Oh for the love of Pete!
I was the shortest in my class and back in 1960, aged 6, I had no problem kneeling and having my tongue higher than the padded rail on a kneeler.
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Can a priest refuse to give son first communion if my son wishes to kneel?
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I was the shortest in my class and back in 1960, aged 6, I had no problem kneeling and having my tongue higher than the padded rail on a kneeler.
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Phemie
Guest
In any church I’ve attended which had altar rails, the priest on the sanctuary side of the rail was at the same level as the communicant kneeling on the nave side of the rail - and kids received their First Communion kneeling for decades and centuries without a problem. First Communicants haven’t shrunk since Vat. II.At my parish there are multiple women who kneel on the bare floor when receiving communion so I am sure the child could do that. That said, the height of a First Communicant is usually extremely low when kneeling and that could be quite inconvenient.
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oneofmany
Guest
I would not do it unless it was planned for in the first place. People would kneel down at the alter that was raised off the floor for this purpose. Now we have no kneelers and one would have to kneel on the floor making the priest bend way over. The hosts may spill.
If people want to kneel perhaps they need to ask the priest if it would be ok to supply kneelers for that purpose.
If people want to kneel perhaps they need to ask the priest if it would be ok to supply kneelers for that purpose.
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Share_love
Guest
I say if your son wishes to kneel to receive Jesus in the Eucharist, let him kneel. The priest cannot refuse to give him the Sacrament if he wishes to do that.
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Sacred_Heart_1
Guest
No it’s not wrong. It’s scripturally accurate. And all shall bend their knee to the Lord…My son will be making his fist communion soon, and wishes to receive on the tongue whilst kneeling.
When discussing this with the assistant priest tonight, he said that he would have to run this by the parish priest to see if it would be allowed. I was under the impression that receiving communion like this couldn’t be refused, or do I have that wrong?
Many thanks
O
oneofmany
Guest
I would feel sorry if it was an old priest.
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Sacred_Heart_1
Guest
Priests are humans too. The Lord says that we should live by the Whole Word of God, however, do any of us really do? All we can really do is Repent to the Lord Jesus and let Him help us through His Holy Spirit. The scripture, which is the Whole Word of God is a monumental task to digest, unless we completely deny ourselves, like the Saint’s did and do. But even they were not perfect.I would feel sorry if it was an old priest.
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Samwise1
Guest
Of course all forms are allowed: On tongue or hand, kneeling and standing.
It’s up to the communicant. And also, receiving on the tongue is the norm, the hand is the exception (but the same goes for the language of Mass: Also for Novus Ordo it’s Latin, using vernacular is the exception that also has become main custom).
I saw some comments here about why the priest should interfere with the communicant’s decision.
But here’s a different viewpoint for the priest: He is the shepherd of the total flock of the parish. That means he is considering all the people and how this could help grow all people in faith. I know the internal struggles of some priests in my own area. It’s not (always) that they want to impose their own taste to others.
The priest probably knows that if someone is receiving kneeling in a ceremony where the focus is exactly on receiving the Eucharist, this will create questions. Like other parents thinking “Am I less holy than this other parent because I let my child stand?”, “Why is this boy so hypocrite?”. While the devout catholic like in the OP will understand that for this instance, it’s better to receive standing, the parent that is unfamiliar with liturgy will not understand. And this moment often is the only moment for a priest to evangelize and to reach less practicant people. So making the “receiving Communion”-part more complex than it already is, if that could hinder these people’s access and understanding of the Eucharist, doesn’t work.
Of course, and this is a real problem I see around me, the priest SHOULD make sure the communicants still receive reverently.
It’s up to the communicant. And also, receiving on the tongue is the norm, the hand is the exception (but the same goes for the language of Mass: Also for Novus Ordo it’s Latin, using vernacular is the exception that also has become main custom).
I saw some comments here about why the priest should interfere with the communicant’s decision.
But here’s a different viewpoint for the priest: He is the shepherd of the total flock of the parish. That means he is considering all the people and how this could help grow all people in faith. I know the internal struggles of some priests in my own area. It’s not (always) that they want to impose their own taste to others.
The priest probably knows that if someone is receiving kneeling in a ceremony where the focus is exactly on receiving the Eucharist, this will create questions. Like other parents thinking “Am I less holy than this other parent because I let my child stand?”, “Why is this boy so hypocrite?”. While the devout catholic like in the OP will understand that for this instance, it’s better to receive standing, the parent that is unfamiliar with liturgy will not understand. And this moment often is the only moment for a priest to evangelize and to reach less practicant people. So making the “receiving Communion”-part more complex than it already is, if that could hinder these people’s access and understanding of the Eucharist, doesn’t work.
Of course, and this is a real problem I see around me, the priest SHOULD make sure the communicants still receive reverently.
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Brendan
Guest
This is where I would disagree, ignorance and unanswered questions should not be a reason for dissuading someone from kneeling, or standing, or receiving on the tongue or in the hand.But here’s a different viewpoint for the priest: He is the shepherd of the total flock of the parish. That means he is considering all the people and how this could help grow all people in faith. I know the internal struggles of some priests in my own area. It’s not (always) that they want to impose their own taste to others.
The priest probably knows that if someone is receiving kneeling in a ceremony where the focus is exactly on receiving the Eucharist, this will create questions. Like other parents thinking “Am I less holy than this other parent because I let my child stand?”, “Why is this boy so hypocrite?”. While the devout catholic like in the OP will understand that for this instance, it’s better to receive standing, the parent that is unfamiliar with liturgy will not understand. And this moment often is the only moment for a priest to evangelize and to reach less practicant people. So making the “receiving Communion”-part more complex than it already is, if that could hinder these people’s access and understanding of the Eucharist, doesn’t work.
Of course, and this is a real problem I see around me, the priest SHOULD make sure the communicants still receive reverently.
If someone has a level of ignorance about the liturgy, it is an opportunity the pastor should look for, as it is a ‘teaching moment’. But to let a person remain in ignorance about the liturgy, or of the options to receive, that runs counter to the role of a pastor as teacher.
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Samwise1
Guest
Knowing that you can also receive in another way, is not ignorance and goes too far for a first communion Mass.
Of course, yes, everyone should indeed have the opportunity to receive their own way, even in this celebrations even more, and there should be solutions.
I was just trying to explain that a priest has pastoral motives that we can’t see from an individual perspective.
Of course, yes, everyone should indeed have the opportunity to receive their own way, even in this celebrations even more, and there should be solutions.
I was just trying to explain that a priest has pastoral motives that we can’t see from an individual perspective.
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Brendan
Guest
This was the ignorance that I was referring to
The pastoral motive in this case would be to educate those who have such questions, not to avoid them.The priest probably knows that if someone is receiving kneeling in a ceremony where the focus is exactly on receiving the Eucharist, this will create questions. Like other parents thinking “Am I less holy than this other parent because I let my child stand?”, “Why is this boy so hypocrite?”. While the devout catholic like in the OP will understand that for this instance, it’s better to receive standing, the parent that is unfamiliar with liturgy will not understand.
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