Kneeling is always wrong? Confused

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IneedGod

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Please advise, as someone new this confuses me.
I know that receiving in the hand is acceptable perhaps used most often. I thought COTT was also acceptable including when kneeling. We were told kneeling was WRONG, it is always wrong. ( some one could trip)
I would greatly appreciate it if you would clear this up for me.

Ty and God bless
 
False. In the United States the norm is to stand, but an individual may make the decision for himself to kneel.
 
Practically speaking a person could trip if everyone knelt down to receive but it is not wrong to kneel. When I grew up with altar rails people only knelt down to receive Holy Communion. So there is no need for confusion and may God be with you as you journey towards the Catholic Church. 🙂
 
I think the previous poster was correct in stating that standing is the norm but you can receive kneeling if you wish. I do sympathize with the clergy’s concerns about tripping, but if you’re attending Mass at the same parish your fellow parishioners will get used to you and hopefully give you enough physical space to kneel and rise again. I’ve watched the Mass on EWTN many times and I’ve never seen anyone trip over those who choose to kneel. It’s interesting to note that Pope Benedict XVI distributes Communion with a kneeler for the faithful. At a local shrine we are allowed to receive kneeling at the altar rail if we choose.👍
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IneedGod, I started kneeling for Communion almost one year ago, and no one has tripped over me yet 😛
Usually I will stand 3-4 feet away from the priest and step forward into a kneeling position. If you try to come closer and kneel with your feet back and too close to the next person in line, then it creates a tripping hazard.
Other than that, there should be no problems!👍
 
I almost tripped once when the person ahead of me unexpectedly knelt, so I can appreciate the concern about tripping. However, you clearly have the right to do so if you wish.
 
Thank you,
To be honest I don’t know what to think sometimes. There have been one or two other things taught or discussed that made me sad, I am not the only one being told these things 😦
However to say anything would make me feel like a small child asking her teacher if she is sure she knows her A B C’s.
Thank you for helping!
 
YoungTradCath said:
False. In the United States the norm is to stand, but an individual may make the decision for himself to kneel.
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So if I were to go to another country the norm would be different? I know this probably isn’t a big deal to most, but my hubby is military so there is a possibility of us living in another country. I assumed it was done the same everywhere. You know, the whole universal aspect of Catholicism. 😊
 
IneedGod said:
Please advise, as someone new this confuses me.
I know that receiving in the hand is acceptable perhaps used most often. I thought COTT was also acceptable including when kneeling. We were told kneeling was WRONG, it is always wrong. ( some one could trip)
I would greatly appreciate it if you would clear this up for me.

Ty and God bless
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The first rule is obedience. If your Pastor or your Bishop says it’s wrong, you don’t do it. It’s not about what we want or think. It’s about trusting the servant of God He has placed in authority over us.

The only exception to obedience is being ordered to sin. Not do something you think is less great than something else, but actually steal, lie, murder, commit sins against chastity.

Otherwise, humbly do as he instructs.
 
“COTT”

Why do people have this urge to make everything, even the most sacred, into an acronym?
 
KendraDZ1902 said:
So if I were to go to another country the norm would be different? I know this probably isn’t a big deal to most, but my hubby is military so there is a possibility of us living in another country. I assumed it was done the same everywhere. You know, the whole universal aspect of Catholicism. 😊
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The norm may be different, not that it necessarily will be. But yes, the potential exists for certain gestures and practices to vary from one country to the next. For guidance in matters pertaining to the Mass, I look to the country’s GIRM.
Julia_Mae said:
The first rule is obedience. If your Pastor or your Bishop says it’s wrong, you don’t do it. It’s not about what we want or think. It’s about trusting the servant of God He has placed in authority over us.

The only exception to obedience is being ordered to sin. Not do something you think is less great than something else, but actually steal, lie, murder, commit sins against chastity.

Otherwise, humbly do as he instructs.
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This is a good point as well, but boy can it be a tough one to actually live by. :banghead:
 
IneedGod said:
Thank you,
To be honest I don’t know what to think sometimes. There have been one or two other things taught or discussed that made me sad, I am not the only one being told these things 😦
However to say anything would make me feel like a small child asking her teacher if she is sure she knows her A B C’s.
Thank you for helping!
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Asking for clarification is not acting like a small child, it is acting like an adult.

Also, remember the Catholic Church is full of rituals, traditions, and practices that are universal AND local, some private devotions AND public worship so navigating the maze can be a lifelong journey. And I speak as a cradle Catholic.

As far as communion on the tongue (let’s not upset Paulfromiowa 😉 ), as others have said this is the norm as well as standing but kneeling is acceptable. Some priests have spoken to people who they know prefer to kneel and hav suggested that they receive last or first so the chances of tripping are diminished.

At the liturgy I attend, for example, a man in the front row is always the first to receive. He bows, then genuflects, then kneels, receives the host, steps to the side and then genuflects before returning to his seat. For most of the other parishoners we don’t dare go near when it receives. He obviously has a great devotion to the Eucharist --but it’s like a 747 coming in for a landing! :eek:
 
Thank you so much.
Paulfromiowa I am sorry, I did not mean any disrespect.
So I should put my worries aside and just be obedient. I can do that 😉
God bless
 
Digitonomy said:
I almost tripped once when the person ahead of me unexpectedly knelt, so I can appreciate the concern about tripping. However, you clearly have the right to do so if you wish.
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I had to grab onto the pew, so I didn’t go down, last week when someone decided to genuflect before receiving.

I don’t know that kneeling is such a big deal, mainly because, at our parish, when you receive you are a little bit away from the line. Most times, if everyone froze, people could walk between the person receiving and the next person in line.

But when someone genuflects, they do it in line. So there is someone right behind them. The person in front of me, put her foot back, pretty much into where I was standing. Almost knocked me off of my feet.

Yes, her right to do so, but I know I will stay well back behind her, because I never know when her foot will shoot out behind her.
 
maryjk said:
I had to grab onto the pew, so I didn’t go down, last week when someone decided to genuflect before receiving.

I don’t know that kneeling is such a big deal, mainly because, at our parish, when you receive you are a little bit away from the line. Most times, if everyone froze, people could walk between the person receiving and the next person in line.

But when someone genuflects, they do it in line. So there is someone right behind them. The person in front of me, put her foot back, pretty much into where I was standing. Almost knocked me off of my feet.

Yes, her right to do so, but I know I will stay well back behind her, because I never know when her foot will shoot out behind her.
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Now wait just a minute.

I genuflect before receiving, but I do so by stepping forward with my left foot when the person in front of me steps forward to receive and descending to the floor onto my right knee. My right foot stays where it had been so the person behind me is safe. From there I rise back to a standing position to receive and move my right foot beside my left foot. The person behind me can then step forward. To my knowledge, no one has ever been at risk of keeling over due to my genuflection. Of course, they are behind me so I guess I wouldn’t really know. :o

Yes, her right to do so, but there is a way to genuflect in line without kicking the person behind.
 
UpUpAndAway said:
**Now wait just a minute.
**
I genuflect before receiving, but I do so by stepping forward with my left foot when the person in front of me steps forward to receive and descending to the floor onto my right knee. My right foot stays where it had been so the person behind me is safe. From there I rise back to a standing position to receive and move my right foot beside my left foot. The person behind me can then step forward. To my knowledge, no one has ever been at risk of keeling over due to my genuflection.

Yes, her right to do so, but there is a way to genuflect in line without kicking the person behind.
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I’m not sure what you mean by “wait just a minute.” Normally someone says that to call out the other person. 🤷 I am not sure why you are calling me out.

All I can tell you, it that I ended up with a leg going between my feet. And that I had to grab the pew to keep from going down.

This is at least the second time this has happened to me. Each time it is a different person. Yes, I do generally stay a little bit back from the person in front of me. But sometimes their foot shoots back further than I am prepared for.
 
UpUpAndAway said:
The norm may be different, not that it necessarily will be. But yes, the potential exists for certain gestures and practices to vary from one country to the next. For guidance in matters pertaining to the Mass, I look to the country’s GIRM.

Thanks! 🙂
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Although is is the norm, priests are not to refuse to give communion to someone who kneels. I’ve heard it’s been done, though. Fortunately not in my parish.
 
UpUpAndAway said:
This is a good point as well, but boy can it be a tough one to actually live by. :banghead:
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Yeah, I’m not too good at it either… . Okay, I’m terrible at it. But there’s a lot of testimony that God values obedience over person piety. Br. JR is pretty knowledgeable on the topic.
 
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