Is it really mandatory not to kneel after Communion?

[Alma]

Ever since the flu pandemic last April, in the city where I live it became mandatory to receive Communion on the hand, because of health regulations: they said when people receive it on the tongue it is easier that someone with flu may inadvertently lick the Minister’s fingers, and pass the virus to the next Host he picks with moist fingers and therefore to the person who consumes that Host.
Unfortunately this has favored that many persons receive the Holy Eucharist showing lack of respect: they only extend one hand or try to pick the Host from the Minister.

Wishing to counteract that attitude and to show my deep devotion and respect for this most Sacred Sacrament, I’ve been kneeling to receive Communion, while I extended both hands, one on top of the other, so that the Minister placed the Host on the palm of my left hand, and I consumed it with my right hand.
And after Communion I went back to my pew and also knelt, in silent adoration.

Well, different persons have told me that it is very wrong to kneel after Communion because you make the Lord -you just received- kneel too!!

They said Liturgical norms expressly prohibit it.
They said one should sit after Communion.

Will someone out there be kind enough as to enlight me on this subject?
Is there such a Liturgical Norm, and if so, where?

Thank you!

:tiphat:

Alma

 

[SunnaB16]

And after Communion I went back to my pew and also knelt, in silent adoration.

Well, different persons have told me that it is very wrong to kneel after Communion because you make the Lord -you just received- kneel too!!

They said Liturgical norms expressly prohibit it.
They said one should sit after Communion.

The people who told you that are either horribly misinformed or lying, or overactive leg pullers. What you do after receiving the Host is what every physically capable person should do. Dont let anyone convince you otherwise. Receiving our Lord on the hand, but kneeling is commendable, as well, seeing you couldnt receive on the tongue.

Sounds like yet another attempt to abolish reverence.
Any liturgical norms would say the exact opposite, but ive no idea of how to go about finding them. Anyway, i know what Pope Benedicts reply to that claim would be.

Hang in there!

 

[Aramis]

Or they are members of one of the Eastern Catholic Churches…

In the Roman Church, kneeling after communion is the norm. In the Eastern Churches, Standing is the norm for sundays and certain holy days, and from Easter until pentecost, per the ancient canons. (I forget if it’s 1st or second ecumenical council.) Some of the ECCs kneel after communion at daily liturgies; others do not.

From Easter to Pentecost, Eastern Catholics are forbidden to kneel, even in private prayer.

Roman praxis is not the Whole of the Catholic Church, even if it is the majority.

 

[Phemie]

In the Roman Church, kneeling after communion is the norm.

Actually, per GIRM 43, the norm is standing but we are free to also sit or kneel, as we wish. That has been confirmed by Rome after many people inquired.

 

[puzzleannie]

Well, different persons have told me that it is very wrong to kneel after Communion because you make the Lord -you just received- kneel too!!

Alma

Is this person your pastor, or one with responsibility from the pastor for instructing the faithful in your parish on posture at Mass? NO? I didn’t think so. Respectfully remind them they have no authority to make such a pronouncement and put burdens on other people. No the norm in this country leaves posture after communion up to you, unless your pastor or bishop has directed otherwise.

None of this has anything to do with reception of communion in the hand which in this country is also an option for anyone. If there is lack of respect or knowledge on the proper way to receive in your parish, a better way to address it is to ask the pastor to instruct people from the pulpit. Since this is not the Eastern forum we assume OP is not asking about their practice. I only visit a few cities in Mexico but from what I see practice is the same there as in the US, except that people are generally more reverent.

However obedience to one’s own pastor and bishop trumps advice from well meaning lay people, and one’s own personal preference.

 

[japhy]

I’ve been kneeling to receive Communion, while I extended both hands, one on top of the other, so that the Minister placed the Host on the palm of my left hand, and I consumed it with my right hand. And after Communion I went back to my pew and also knelt, in silent adoration.

Sounds wonderfully reverent.

Well, different persons have told me that it is very wrong to kneel after Communion because you make the Lord -you just received- kneel too!!

So what? The Lord Jesus Christ did kneel while He was on this earth, and now I am sure He delights in kneeling in us, just as He continues to suffer in us. (cf. Col. 1:24)

They said Liturgical norms expressly prohibit it. They said one should sit after Communion.

Wrong on both counts. It is not wrong to kneel after receiving Communion in the Roman Rite; the liturgical norms do not expressly prohibit it. The Congregation at the Vatican which deals with liturgical norms has been clear about this:
Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments
5 June 2003
Prot. n. 855/03/L

Dubium: In many places, the faithful are accustomed to kneeling or sitting in personal prayer upon returning to their places after individually received Holy Communion during Mass. Is it the intention of the Missale Romanum, editio typica tertia, to forbid this practice?

Responsum: Negative, et ad mentem. [No, and for this reason.] The mens is that that the prescription of the Institutio Generalis Missalis Romani, no. 43, is intended, on one hand, to ensure within broad limits a certain uniformity of posture within the congregation for the various parts of the celebration of the Holy Mass, and on the other, to not regulate posture rigidly in such a way that those who wish to kneel or sit would no longer be free.
In other words, the posture of a person after he has received Communion is up to him: he may stand, sit, or kneel.

 

[michaeldaniels]

I don’t know what the official teachings of the Church are, but I always kneel following Communion until the vessels are cleaned/purified and the Tabernacle is shut…just feels right that while Our Lord is present on The Altar and/or the Tabernacle is open, I remain kneeling saying a prayer of Thanksgiving for having received Him.

 

[Phemie]

I don’t know what the official teachings of the Church are, but I always kneel following Communion until the vessels are cleaned/purified and the Tabernacle is shut…just feels right that while Our Lord is present on The Altar and/or the Tabernacle is open, I remain kneeling saying a prayer of Thanksgiving for having received Him.

That is your prerogative. Just don’t consider me less reverent for opting to remain standing and singing the Communion hymn.

 

[Jennifer_J]

Actually, per GIRM 43, the norm is standing but we are free to also sit or kneel, as we wish. That has been confirmed by Rome after many people inquired.

I’ve reread 43 several times now and this is what it says after communion:

<<The faithful should stand from the beginning of the Entrance chant, or while the priest approaches the altar, until the end of the Collect; for the Alleluia chant before the Gospel; while the Gospel itself is proclaimed; during the Profession of Faith and the Prayer of the Faithful; from the invitation, Orate, fratres (Pray, brethren), before the prayer over the offerings until the end of Mass, except at the places indicated below.>>

<<They should, however, sit while the readings before the Gospel and the responsorial Psalm are proclaimed and for the homily and while the Preparation of the Gifts at the Offertory is taking place; and, as circumstances allow, they may sit or kneel while the period of sacred silence after Communion is observed.>>

So where does it say that standing is the norm, because I don’t see it?

 

[japhy]

The faithful should stand … from the invitation, Orate, fratres (Pray, brethren), before the prayer over the offerings until the end of Mass, except at the places indicated below.

… [A]s circumstances allow, they may sit or kneel while the period of sacred silence after Communion is observed.

This is referring to the period of time after the Communion procession has ended and before the Post-Communion prayer. There is ordinarily a Communion chant being sung during the Communion procession, so that is not the period of “sacred silence” referred to. Thus, during the Communion procession, in which people are already standing, the posture of standing can be retained by those who have already received.

But the Church does not wish to be rigid about the posture here: one can stand, sit, or kneel after having received Communion, silence or no.

 

[Cristiano]

That is your prerogative. Just don’t consider me less reverent for opting to remain standing and singing the Communion hymn.

The problem is that there should not be a communion hymn but a sacred time of silence after communion. With this statement are not implying that you are less reverent, just that the priest should not allow for music during and immediately after the distribution of Communion.

 

[Cristiano]

…There is ordinarily a Communion chant being sung during the Communion procession, so that is not the period of “sacred silence” referred to. Thus, during the Communion procession, in which people are already standing, the posture of standing can be retained by those who have already received…

The problem is that there is no communion procession, it is simply a line. The singing of hymns for the people in line interferes with the period of sacred silence for the people that have received.

 

[michaeldaniels]

Never did, nor do I want to…I was simply letting the OP know what I do and why…of course anyone is welcome to sit, stand, or kneel…I choose to kneel, thats all. I don’t recommend the 4th option which I see a lot of people do and I must admit I have been guilty of doing it myself in the past…and that is leaving the Church immediately after receiving Communion…remember, Judas was the first one to leave the Last Supper…granted there are circumstances that require people to leave immediately after communion such as work, or a sick relative, etc…but to do it, just because you don’t feel like staying is in poor taste.

That is your prerogative. Just don’t consider me less reverent for opting to remain standing and singing the Communion hymn.

 

[michaeldaniels]

That is one thing I really enjoy when I go to a TLM, is that complete silence, comfort, and solitude you feel when you return to your pew after Communion…it is an environment conducive to prayer

The problem is that there should not be a communion hymn but a sacred time of silence after communion. With this statement are not implying that you are less reverent, just that the priest should not allow for music during and immediately after the distribution of Communion.

 

[EasterJoy]

The problem is that there is no communion procession, it is simply a line. The singing of hymns for the people in line interferes with the period of sacred silence for the people that have received.

As it turns out, the line is a procession. We receive together, as one, so that a certain uniformity of posture is intended.

Having said that, it is also intended that freedom of posture still be allowed those who have individually received Holy Communion. It is not a liturgical abuse to sit or kneel at while everyone else remains standing. It is OK to pray sitting during the sacred silence instead of kneeling, too.

The quote below is taken from adoremus.org/Kneeling-CDW-response03.html:. (Their chosen emphasis was lost in the cut-n-paste; the boldface is mine.)

Cardinal Francis George, of Chicago, chairman of the Bishops’ Committee of the Liturgy, submitted a dubium (question) to the Congregration for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments on May 26, 2003, concerning the long-standing practices of individuals kneeling upon returning to their places after having received Holy Communion. Cardinal Francis Arinze, Prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments responded on June 5, 2003, (Prot.n. 855/03/L).

The July 2003 Newsletter of the Bishops Committee on the Liturgy (BCL) noted the "controversy … over the proper posture of the faithful at Mass after receiving Holy Communion.

“In several dioceses people have been instructed that they must stand until the last person has received Communion, despite the long-standing custom that people knelt during the distribution of Communion”.

“Numerous inquiries” received by the BCL led Cardinal Francis George, chairman of the BCL, to submit a dubium (doubt, question) to the Holy See’s Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments (CDW) on May 26, 2003:

Dubium: In many places, the faithful are accustomed to kneeling or sitting in personal prayer upon returning to their places after having individually received Holy Communion during Mass. Is it the intention of the Missale Romanum, editio typica tertia, to forbid this practice?

Cardinal Francis Arinze, Prefect of the CDW, responded to the question on June 5, 2003 (Prot. N. 855/03/L):

Responsum: Negative, et ad mensum [No, for this reason]. The mens [reasoning] is that the prescription of the Institutio Generalis Missalis Romani, no. 43, is intended, on the one hand, to ensure within broad limits a certain uniformity of posture within the congregation for the various parts of the celebration of Holy Mass, and on the other, to not regulate posture rigidly in such a way that those who wish to kneel or sit would no longer be free.

The BCL Newsletter continues: “In the implementation of the General Instruction of the Roman Missal, therefore, posture should not be regulated so rigidly as to forbid individual communicants from kneeling or sitting when returning from having received Holy Communion”

 

[benedictgal]

Ever since the flu pandemic last April, in the city where I live it became mandatory to receive Communion on the hand, because of health regulations: they said when people receive it on the tongue it is easier that someone with flu may inadvertently lick the Minister’s fingers, and pass the virus to the next Host he picks with moist fingers and therefore to the person who consumes that Host.
Unfortunately this has favored that many persons receive the Holy Eucharist showing lack of respect: they only extend one hand or try to pick the Host from the Minister.

Wishing to counteract that attitude and to show my deep devotion and respect for this most Sacred Sacrament, I’ve been kneeling to receive Communion, while I extended both hands, one on top of the other, so that the Minister placed the Host on the palm of my left hand, and I consumed it with my right hand.
And after Communion I went back to my pew and also knelt, in silent adoration.

Well, different persons have told me that it is very wrong to kneel after Communion because you make the Lord -you just received- kneel too!!

They said Liturgical norms expressly prohibit it.
They said one should sit after Communion.

Will someone out there be kind enough as to enlight me on this subject?
Is there such a Liturgical Norm, and if so, where?

Thank you!

:tiphat:

Alma

What you post here actually has two different concerns. There is an issue regarding mandating a particular method of receiving Holy Communion. Actually, the CDWDS, in July 2009, reiterated that no one could be refused COTT due to the H1N1 scare. A layman from the United Kingdom reported this matter to the CDWDS. The Congregation stated that a person had the right to receive COTT. It quoted what is already in the liturgical norms (GIRM and Redemptionis Sacramentum). Here is what RS states:

[92.] Although **each of the faithful always has the right to receive Holy Communion on the tongue, **at his choice,178 if any communicant should wish to receive the Sacrament in the hand, in areas where the Bishops’ Conference with the recognitio of the Apostolic See has given permission, the sacred host is to be administered to him or her. However, special care should be taken to ensure that the host is consumed by the communicant in the presence of the minister, so that no one goes away carrying the Eucharistic species in his hand. If there is a risk of profanation, then Holy Communion should not be given in the hand to thefaithful.179

There is actually a thread in this forum with the text of the actual letter that the CDWDS sent in repsonse to the issue. In fact, the CDWDS is having to send letters to many dioceses informing them that they cannot suspend COTT.

I have to take my dog to have her stitches removed. But, when I get back home, I will try and hunt down that letter and post the text of it here.

 

[Alma]

Thank you all very much!!! :tiphat:
Your responses have been really enlightening!!
I will show them to the people who told me I should never kneel after Communion and I will gladly resume kneeling starting tomorrow!!
:bowdown2:

Alma

PS:Benedictgal: I wish your dog is better and the removal of stitches didn’t hurt too much.

 

[benedictgal]

Thank you, Alma. My dog is doing muh better. We both took a nap after the vet’s visit and I just woke up.

Here is the link to the letter:

4.bp.blogspot.com/_kweFJm8yGGQ/Sw60x4VU22I/AAAAAAAADCM/1VgEgwyGiek/s1600/CommLetter7-24-09.jpg

Since it is a jpeg, I think it will show up here:

(Please Note: This uploaded content is no longer available.)

At least, I hope it will show up here. If not, you can alway click on the link and make the image better.

 

[SunnaB16]

That is one thing I really enjoy when I go to a TLM, is that complete silence, comfort, and solitude you feel when you return to your pew after Communion…it is an environment conducive to prayer

Yep!
And everyone there feels the same. Otherwise, they`d be elsewhere.

Speaking from experience of only this country (Australia), i`ve NEVER seen anyone standing after Communion…
Some nationalities stand during the Consecration…

 

[Phemie]

That is one thing I really enjoy when I go to a TLM, is that complete silence, comfort, and solitude you feel when you return to your pew after Communion…it is an environment conducive to prayer

I haven’t attended an Extraordinary Form Mass in decades (none available anywhere near me) but my memory of Masses before Vatican II includes a hymn during Communion during High Mass.