I got in trouble for kneeling to receive Communion

[belgianwaffles9]

Take courage.
I travel on business frequently and attend daily Mass wherever I am and whenever possible. Among the experiences like yours I’ve had are:

• being given the “We don’t do that here” speech at a parish in Florida;
• having a priest at a church in Las Vegas tell me (in a voice that could be heard throughout the nave) “If you ever do that again I will not give you Communion”;

*** having a priest in California simply step aside and summon the next person in line to receive.**

I try to offer up the momentary human embarassment in reparation for my sins, but it doesn’t change anything. I know Who He is and I know who I am, so I’ll continue to receive Him kneeling.

You must have been in MY diocese…

Lucky, I am within walking distance from the most (only?) solidly orthodox church in the diocese, and my Priest told me i was more than welcome to receive kneeling, even telling me (which is why hes a hero) that he would allow me to do it even though the bishop would have him make me stand. His only (completely reasonable) request was that i receive last, so that no one would trip on me. Its better that way, almost, because more people seem to be watching then.

 

[palmas85]

No, he is a lay person, although I deeply respect him.

He obviously doesn’t respect you or your beliefs… No lay person should take it upon himself to do what he did. He was dead wrong. I don’t care if he is your employer. I would never allow my boss to dictate how I was to practice my religion, never.

I was told for years that I could not wear a scapular as sometimes it would show and being uniformed that was a no no.:tsktsk: I received repeated warnings over the years. I never took the scapular off and took the heat for it when it came down.:bigyikes: willingly.

Some things are more important than others. I could always find another job.

I can never find another faith.

Be true to your beliefs and principles:thumbsup:

 

[KingAlfred]

For the past year or so, I have been kneeling to receive Communion. I have not been told not to, although it takes some of the EMHC’s by surprise sometimes.

Anyway, this week the high-schoolers in the youth group are doing “Service Week” where we volunteer in the local community. We have College kids chaperone, as well as parent volunteers. I am one of the college chaperones.

We were at Mass today, and like usual, I knelt to receive Communion. As I was walking back to my seat, the youth minister asked to see me. He said that I was not allowed to kneel and that “we don’t do that here.” I stated that the documents say the one cannot be denied Communion because of kneeling, and he said that is not true. (By the way, GIRM 160 DOES in fact say that.) He made it seem like I was “breaking the rules.” He explained that he wasn’t criticizing me, he said that it simply was not allowed and didn’t want a scene to occur. I can somewhat understand the part about the scene.

Now, I realize that the norm is standing. But the GIRM does in fact say that I cannot be denied Communion because I am kneeling. What should I do about this?

I tend to side with the Youth Minister. No offense, but it’s suggestive of public righteousness.

 

[grandmama16]

There are several who kneel to receive Holy Communion and our priest is totally in favor of it so it’s no problem but when a visiting newby priest was there for a special occasion one lady was refused Communion by him and stayed right where she was. Our Deacon finally came over and corrected him.
I personally cannot kneel (and get back up) but I do take a small detour to the end of the pew and genuflect before receiving on the tongue. If I am sick at all I receive in the hand so as not to contaminate the priests fingers which sometimes touches my tongue. I also do not partake of His Precious Blood if I feel I’m contagious. I’m 64 and have Fibromyalgia. If the Communion rail was back I think I could do that. Our priest would love to have the rail in our brand new church, but he has said that he might be sent to the bad priests home if he did. Maybe with the Pope doing what he has done at the Youth Day, he’ll be able to do it. He’s a traditional priest who is learning the Latin Mass. He already has our altar servers using the paten under the communicants chins. I’m not sure what they do when the person is receiving in the hand. It seems that with different Bishops we see different practices and that’s a bit unsettling. I have seen our Cloistered Carmelite nuns receiving in the hand thru their little door but first kissing the Host before consumming. I’m a lay Carmelite. I asked my Spiritual adviser about it. He’s a semi cloistered Trappist (priest monk and dear friend) in that he hears confessions, says Masses for the public and they run a small store in the middle of a lot of acreage of land they own and farm or lease now, but doesn’t leave the monastery. He said that it was an act of love, so acceptable to kiss the Host. We’re going thru a very confusing time after an even more confusing time so I think that both ways of receiving our Lord can be reverent but too often I see that it is not. It seems to be automatic and casual. My kids were educated during a very wishy washy time, tho I tried to add to their lessons and I’m lucky to have 1 conservative daughter and 1 not quite as conservative but active in the faith. My oldest became mormon and was a very devout one when she died. She really needed the rules of the old church I think. Our 2 sons have rejected the faith or at least the practice of it. My husband is a questioning cradle catholic. I’m a convert of 37 years. I also wear a head covering at daily Mass and at Adoration Hours but I don’t want to be “showy” at Sunday Mass. I watched the end of a program on EWTN by Fr. Pacwa, I think, and he was explaining the customs of the times of Jesus about head coverings and hair length. He did not seem to think it was important now. It just puts me in a more reverent mood to cover my head with a light, scarf. Either way I know that I’m in the presence of the God of the Universe. I don’t think we can truly be reverent enough. The voice in the burning bush told Moses to remove his shoes as he was on Holy ground. We are too,at Mass, but I’ve not seen anyone do that. Should I try it?
In Christs’ love, M.A.

 

[Newbie2]

Methinks the “time to make a scene” is not during mass, but afterward, in private.

 

[Walking_Home]

I tend to side with the Youth Minister. No offense, but it’s suggestive of public righteousness.

---

The Church does not agree – with you and the youth minister.

 

[Sheeniac]

i have a question. i see people kneel when they recieve the Blessed Sacrament but they never drink His Precious Blood. if they chose to take His Blood, would they kneel for that?
reason i ask is kneeling to take His Body seems more attractive to me, since it seems to give more reverence, but i take both forms and didn’t know what to do when i got to His Blood.

peace be with you!

I’m an EMHC, and while I would be a little surprised, I wouldn’t hesitate to deal with someone kneeling.

 

[Sheeniac]

I tend to side with the Youth Minister. No offense, but it’s suggestive of public righteousness.

It’s possible, if one is doing it to be seen and make a political point.

However, if it is truly done in reverence, then it’s fine. As Catholics, we’re called to be charitable.

I went through the same thing when I decided that I would genuflect prior to receiving Communion. It took a lot of thinking to be comfortable to genuflect and know that I do so purely out of reverence.

 

[agapewolf]

His only (completely reasonable) request was that i receive last, so that no one would trip on me. Its better that way, almost, because more people seem to be watching then.

Yikes…

 

[mullenpm]

Hamburglar,

You said that the youth minister stopped you as you were on your way back to your pew; you still, more than likely, had the Holy Eucharist in your mouth and had not had time to make your Thanksgiving.

And he was upset with you because you knelt (as the Holy Father has insisted upon when he is distributing Holy Communion); you should be upset with him for disturbing you.

:knight2:

 

[mullenpm]

Sorry, I forgot to mention this.

I watch the Mass on EWTN every day and I would say that the majority (vast majority) of people who receive Holy Communion genuflect in the aisle before receiving.

And one man kneels to receive but he most times is at the end of the line.

But genuflecting seems to be the norm there.

 

[benedictgal]

I tend to side with the Youth Minister. No offense, but it’s suggestive of public righteousness.

Since when is it public righteousness to deny someone the right to receive Holy Communion under the universal norm? Please read what the Holy Father said in his homily for the Solemnity of Corpus Christi:

At this point we cannot forget the beginning of the “Decalogue”, the Ten Commandments, where it is written: “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. You shall have no other gods before me” (Ex 20: 2-3). Here we find the meaning of the third constitutive element of Corpus Christi: kneeling in adoration before the Lord. Adoring the God of Jesus Christ, who out of love made himself bread broken, is the most effective and radical remedy against the idolatry of the past and of the present. Kneeling before the Eucharist is a profession of freedom: those who bow to Jesus cannot and must not prostrate themselves before any earthly authority, however powerful. We Christians kneel only before God or before the Most Blessed Sacrament because we know and believe that the one true God is present in it, the God who created the world and so loved it that he gave his Only Begotten Son (cf. Jn 3: 16). We prostrate ourselves before a God who first bent over man like the Good Samaritan to assist him and restore his life, and who knelt before us to wash our dirty feet. Adoring the Body of Christ, means believing that there, in that piece of Bread, Christ is really there, and gives true sense to life, to the immense universe as to the smallest creature, to the whole of human history as to the most brief existence. Adoration is prayer that prolongs the celebration and Eucharistic communion and in which the soul continues to be nourished: it is nourished with love, truth, peace; it is nourished with hope, because the One before whom we prostrate ourselves does not judge us, does not crush us but liberates and transforms us.

It was at this particular Mass that communicants knelt before the Holy Father to receive Holy Communion.

I might also add this reference from Redemptionis Sacramentum for the OP:

[90.] “The faithful should receive Communion kneeling or standing, as the Conference of Bishops will have determined”, with its acts having received the recognitio of the Apostolic See. “However, if they receive Communion standing, it is recommended that they give due reverence before the reception of the Sacrament, as set forth in the same norms”.176

[91.] In distributing Holy Communion it is to be remembered that “sacred ministers may not deny the sacraments to those who seek them in a reasonable manner, are rightly disposed, and are not prohibited by law from receiving them”.177 Hence any baptized Catholic who is not prevented by law must be admitted to Holy Communion. Therefore, it is not licit to deny Holy Communion to any of Christ’s faithful solely on the grounds, for example, that the person wishes to receive the Eucharist kneeling or standing.

Even if he is your boss, he does not have the right to dictate to you how you are to receive Holy Communion. He is in error. If he is in error with you, I can only imagine what he is teaching the young people under his care. There are fonts of misinformation everywhere. These need to be stopped up and quick.

 

[belgianwaffles9]

Yikes…

You can say its prideful or self-righteous or whatever have you, but i’ll have none of that. It is good for everyone present to see someone receive the Lord our God with due reverence. Especially the receive-standing-in-the-hand-and-then-sit-right-down-and-keep-talking crowd.

 

[twf]

This horrifies me. As other posters have pointed out (by quoting the appropriate documents) it is your RIGHT. Do not let anyone deny you Our Lord for following the Church’s universal norm…

In my diocese a few parishes receive kneeling…a couple give the faithful the option of kneeling or standing (including the cathedral)…and the remainder (the majority sadly) receive standing alone.

 

[agapewolf]

You can say its prideful or self-righteous or whatever have you, but i’ll have none of that. It is good for everyone present to see someone receive the Lord our God with due reverence. Especially the receive-standing-in-the-hand-and-then-sit-right-down-and-keep-talking crowd.

It is self righteous if you assume that those receive in the hand standing is not giving due reverence…and you want to show yourself kneeling.

forums.catholic-questions.org/showthread.php?t=30544

 

[rjs1]

There have been many replies to hamburglar and the vast majority have supported her.

Again I would make the point that the Holy Father requires people to kneel to receive Holy Communion from him. This is what they did at the recent World Youth Day masses in Sydney.

THIS IS THE END OF THE QUESTION. No Youth Minister, priest or other self-appointed trendy nazi can overrule the Pope.

 

[JesuXPIPassio]

Now, I realize that the norm is standing. But the GIRM does in fact say that I cannot be denied Communion because I am kneeling. What should I do about this?

Give your parish a link to the GIRM on the USCCB website here nccbuscc.org/liturgy/current/GIRM.pdf and point out the passage that relates to this. Either give the link to a parish priest or to whomever is in charge of the Eucharistic Ministers to prove your case.

They shouldn’t be saying you can’t do that if in fact you can. It’s ignorance on their part and they really should know better.

Then again, if you feel it’s unecessary and cumbersome to do and that this is making a big splash out of a small dispute, perhaps you might not want to bother. But that’s your decision – whether it be pointing out their wrong or just letting this quietly pass, I’m sure your conscience will point you in the right direction on this matter .

 

[Jesus_N_Cherie]

i have a question. i see people kneel when they recieve the Blessed Sacrament but they never drink His Precious Blood. if they chose to take His Blood, would they kneel for that?
reason i ask is kneeling to take His Body seems more attractive to me, since it seems to give more reverence, but i take both forms and didn’t know what to do when i got to His Blood.

peace be with you!

I kneel for both the Body and the Blood. And I am EXTREMELY cautious when recieving the Blood of Christ. I make sure it is totally out of my hands before beginning to stand. How it would hurt me to know that I had spilled my Jesus’ Blood!
But, still, I kneel.

 

[Jesus_N_Cherie]

I should note that the youth minister is my employer.

Nebechudneezar was Daniel’s master. When it comes to matters of faith and obedience to God, an employer is trumped every time. He has no say so in your personal faith, nor does he make up the rules for Mass. If he wanted you to sing the song during Communion rather than pray after recieving Jesus in Communion, would you obey? If he told you not to go to Eucharistic Adoration during your lunch hour, would you obey? If he told you not to pray the Rosary while sitting in Church before Mass, would you obey? No. Because he has no authority over you in those matters. Neither does he have any authority over you in this one. Take courage. Pray for both the strength and the courage to be strong in the face of His opposition. You see, it wasn’t you that was under attack. It was the reverence you were showing to Jesus. Too many people in positions of authority in our parishes hate for the Lord Jesus to be adored. Without realizing it possibly, they cannot stand not to be as important as Jesus is. They cannot stand to be reminded that He is God, and that they are not. As I said, I don’t think that they realize it…so I am not suggesting you act in anything other than love with him. But stand your ground!!!

 

[Jesus_N_Cherie]

I tend to side with the Youth Minister. No offense, but it’s suggestive of public righteousness.

Once again, I hear you telling Rome that She is wrong. On what grounds this time? Because a lay person was uncomfortable with it? Please. Pantheists are uncomfortable with the whole Catholic Religion. Should we stop being Catholic to appease them?