And so back to my original question, in light of the fact that in England a sign of reverance is pretty much nothing more than not falling over in the communion procession am I allowed to geneflect. So far I’ve heard both yes and no from people.
Thanks - and sorry to all - forgot to put quotation marks around title of that thread.
generally we have been kneeling for the fraction, so it is not necessary to genuflect because we have already made our gesture of reverence. the actual practice is to genuflect when first entering, and when leaving the church, not when action during Mass requires us to move around. the reason we genuflect at the pew rather than at the door which would actually be more proper, is to avoid tripping other people up (and so we have something to hang onto to get up if we have bad knees!)
It was the same authoritative answer that many of us here gave!
OHyes the bad knees thing is something I have been discovering over the last few years. If I don’t have anything to hang onto then I may not get up if I can even get down. I find that if I can genuflect on the step of the sanctuary without too much trouble because I am not going all the way down to the floor. Sort of in the same general area as genuflecting I hate it when the trainer at the gym yells at us galls who can’t get all the way down for a lunge or a squat. Can’t wait to see these young gals when they get in their 50’s after years of working their knees out the way they do. I was happy that when I took a personal trainer for a few months she was in her 50’s and knew all about those “problem” areas with women our age and how not to stress the knees.
LOL but there are some vocal cross overs that show up here too!
The thread you quoted won’t allow me to ask further questions, so please be patient (and kind) with me as I ask here
: When one receives Communion, we are supposed to say ‘Amen’. Should we say Amen, then Bow, then open our mouth (or raise our hands) for the host, or should we Bow, then say Amen, then open our mouth?Me three - now more so than ever when so many don’t! And I double genuflect when the Sacrament is exposed too.me too
You usually bow or genuflect when the person in front of you is receiving if not earlier. Then you approach, say ‘Amen’ (which you can do while simply bowing your head rather than the rest of your body), then receive on tongue or in hand.The thread you quoted won’t allow me to ask further questions, so please be patient (and kind) with me as I ask here
I have looked in the GIRM to find this instruction, but it doesn’t give the answer that I need.
I was raised Catholic, attended Catholic school, but like so many others, I was going through the motions. Now I want to know how, and why, I do the things that I do.
My question now:
This seems so simple, but amazingly, I can’t find it in the GIRM, and I have been in churches where so many don’t bow, don’t say Amen, and practically snatch the host from the celebrant. If i want to instruct them (the ignorant), I would like to be able to point to instruction that is clear.
If you could help me out with this, I would be ever so grateful!
Thank you… but where is that IN WRITING? See, I can tell someone this, but who am I?
but I’m sure you can understand that I wouldn’t expect that to hold much water.If something like the procedure you’ve mentioned is not described in detail in one of those documents (you might want the Roman Missal and the Sacramentary as well, they’d certainly help more than the CCC, but I doubt there’s ANYTHING that goes into that much detail) then chances are it really really REALLY doesn’t matter how it’s done.Thank you… but where is that IN WRITING? See, I can tell someone this, but who am I?
Often, when talking to others, I will tell them, ‘the instruction is in the GIRM’. But, if I pull out the GIRM, it’s not there (at least, I’m not seeing it).
I could say, ‘I read it on the internet’…
I have the GIRM, the Code of Canon Law, and the Catechism of the Catholic church with me when I’m at mass (yes, I’m that neurotic). Where do I point to when some one says, ‘who said that’s how to do it?’, or worse, ‘no one ever told me that, so I won’t do it that way’ ?
I do it just like you described, but that’s because it makes sense to me. I would like to be able to say, ‘it is written here’.
I’m lucky: I was told by someone what I should do, and that person had been well catechised. Not to mention, I was ready and willing to change my ways. I would like to spread the news.