Kneeling to receive Communion

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Chirp said:
Kneeling to receive communion seems to me to be a means displaying a ‘holier than thou’ attitude. I seriously doubt that the apostles knelt at the last supper to receive Christ’s body and blood.
The communion rail was removed to bring a closer feeling with Christ in the Blessed Sacrament. We don’t need a barrier between the faithful and the tabernacle.
Also, if you are a civilized human being, please receive in the hand. Don’t lower the Eucharist to the form of giving your pet a treat by taking it directly on the tongue. That’s the form I use when I give my pet a bone.
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It’s reverential to recieve on the tongue. Get with the program.
 
Shin said:
Speaking for myself, in general I do not go to the chalice at the new liturgy, it is beyond enough to receive Christ in the Eucharist. Once received there is no need to go any further, if there is a desire to do so beforehand it disappears after receiving the first.

It’s rather nontraditional for EMHCs to be out there and giving a person the chalice in the first place to say the least.

I do believe some parishes will give the host via intinction, and that I have received kneeling as well. I forget whether this is a liturgical abuse in the West or not, or ‘ad experimentum’ in some cases, perhaps someone can let me know – but I can at least say at the one parish where I found it done it was done properly with a chalice with a Paten on its base, that is under the chin when the host is given to you on the tongue after intinction.
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I can vouch what you are saying in a number of respects. I too do not receive under both species. And its not out of disrespect. Yes; the Sacred Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Our Savior Jesus Christ remains entirely in every morsel, crumb and droplet under both consecrated species. If one partakes worthily in the Holy Eucharist, you’ve already received to the full extent Christ’s Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity.

I heard some Catholics say its an insult to our Lord when the faithful only receive under one consecrated species when both are offered. Maybe I’m missing something…where’s the insult? Some parishes that are financially worse off can’t even afford to supply their congregations with sacramental wine.
but I can at least say at the one parish where I found it done it was done properly with a chalice with a Paten on its base, that is under the chin when the host is given to you on the tongue after intinction
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It’s regrettable in many parishes that the use of the Holy Communion Paten customarily held by the altar boy is almost non-existent in use today. Seems many priest forgot its respected symbolism and simply don’t care if consecrated crumbs from the Host fall to the ground. I never was an advocate of receiving Holy Communion in the hands even if it has been accepted a decade after Vatican II.
 
Newbie2 said:
Intinction is encouraged?
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In the Byzantine Catholic Liturgy the priest calls you by name and Intinction is always used. In some cases a spoon is used, mostly the priest places it into the mouth like a momma bird feeding her young. We are never told not to kneel to receive. Many of us do so. It is just the way things are. 😃
 
KathleenElsie said:
In the Byzantine Catholic Liturgy the priest calls you by name and Intinction is always used. In some cases a spoon is used, mostly the priest places it into the mouth like a momma bird feeding her young. We are never told not to kneel to receive. Many of us do so. It is just the way things are. 😃
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Now that is good to know! 😃
 
The Church totally supports you in your desire to kneel! But just a warning - once you’ve begun to kneel you’ll long for so many more things in the Mass too. It’s not going to stop there 🙂

And another thing - once you begin (outwardly) following any kind of tradition, chances are that it will be contagious.🙂
 
KathleenElsie said:
In the Byzantine Catholic Liturgy the priest calls you by name and Intinction is always used. In some cases a spoon is used, mostly the priest places it into the mouth like a momma bird feeding her young. We are never told not to kneel to receive. Many of us do so. It is just the way things are. 😃
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The priest calls you by name? So what happens if someone is visiting the parish or is new. Does he just guess? 😛
 
Brendan said:
It’s really the preffered method for offering both species.

On the practical front, it requires fewer ministers.

On the theological front, it is the fullest sign of the Risen Christ, with Body and Blood united. Substantially, they are certainly united, never more to be seperated. They are consecrated seperately, as it is a represntation of the Death of our Lord on Calvary. The Christ we recieve in the Eucharist is the Risen Christ, and the fullest sign of that is the Intincted Eucharist.
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Is there any documentation on this preference? (I’m not doubting) I’ve never heard that such is preferential…but I have not had the Sacraments class yet. 😉
KathleenElsie said:
In the Byzantine Catholic Liturgy the priest calls you by name and Intinction is always used. In some cases a spoon is used, mostly the priest places it into the mouth like a momma bird feeding her young. We are never told not to kneel to receive. Many of us do so. It is just the way things are. 😃
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I went to the baptism of my Goddaughter in the, as I recall, Ukranian rite Church. They do the same thing there, except I’m not sure if they use one’s name as I was a visitor.

I absolutely had the exact same thought…it looks like a bird feeding her young, especially when looked at from the side.
 
Dolores_IHS said:
My dilemma is that I want to kneel for Communion with all my heart, but if I do so on Sundays, I could be a distraction and feel self-conscious, or hold up the queue. I could much better do it in weekday Masses when there are less people, but the problem there is that if I kneel for the Host, what about when I receive the Chalice? It would be funny to kneel for the Host and stand for the Chalice, or kneel twice when there are people standing behind you! The only way it could work, is if I just receive the Host alone. It is a sore point of contention for me that the churches don’t have Communion rails anymore. What is a traditional-hearted Catholic to do???

Dolores
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Dolores,

I don’t see why you can’t kneel at the chalice as well. I’m an EMHC and I just hand the cup to the person while they kneel there. No problem, and I’m not short or very able bodied, and I still had no trouble bending over to them. I wouldn’t kneel for communion without working it out with the person in advance if you are unstable in the knees, though, since you might bump the cup or ciborium while rising.

I’ve not noticed that the kneeling folk hold up the line unduly. There aren’t enough of them to do so.
 
Newbie2 said:
Is there any documentation on this preference? (I’m not doubting) I’ve never heard that such is preferential…but I have not had the Sacraments class yet. 😉

I went to the baptism of my Goddaughter in the, as I recall, Ukranian rite Church. They do the same thing there, except I’m not sure if they use one’s name as I was a visitor.

I absolutely had the exact same thought…it looks like a bird feeding her young, especially when looked at from the side.
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the Ukrainian Catholic Church is Byzantine Rite
 
I actually PREFER to receive communion in the hand.
Less germs
 
ljubim said:
The Church totally supports you in your desire to kneel!
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Perhaps they can start by placing some kneelers outside the altar. Or better yet, install communion rails with cloths. I think most will take the hint.
 
KathleenElsie said:
In the Byzantine Catholic Liturgy the priest calls you by name and Intinction is always used.
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That is quite INTERESTING!

I am a Eucharistic Minister, and recently I mentioned (here at CAF) the practice at our church of mentioning a communicant by name or title (“Dad” to a man I know to be a father on Father’s Day) and I was roundly condemned for doing so; one respondent claimed he would like to report me and my pastor to the bishop and have me removed from the ministry for such a terrible practice.

Read here for the thread informing me of my wrongdoings.

I was informed quite harshly by several apparent experts of church law that "the rules say that upon offering the Eucharist to the communicant, we are supposed to say “The Body of Christ.” No more, no less. Or else face the consequences… "
 
Ponyguy said:
I was informed quite harshly by several apparent experts of church law that "the rules say that upon offering the Eucharist to the communicant, we are supposed to say “The Body of Christ.” No more, no less. Or else face the consequences… "
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I am sorry people were harsh on this topic. 😦 :grouphug:

I suggest you look up the guidelines that are put out by your own diocese on the subject. Here are the exact guidelines if your bishop is Thomas Doran (you are from Illinois, so this might be exactly what you want):The proper and only permissible form for distributing Holy Communion is to offer the consecrated bread by saying, “The Body of Christ” and to offer the consecrated wine by saying, “The Blood of Christ.” No other words or names should be added; and the formula should not be edited in any way. (Cf. GIRM, 161; 284-287).

To find something like this, try the website for your particular diocese and look under the office of divine worship and under norms or guidelines, if I’ve fetched the wrong one for you. Or, your parish might make a copy of the guidelines available to you if you ask. In my diocese, they are required to give a copy of the guidelines to people like me (I bring communion to the sick).
 
Ponyguy said:
That is quite INTERESTING!

I am a Eucharistic Minister, and recently I mentioned (here at CAF) the practice at our church of mentioning a communicant by name or title (“Dad” to a man I know to be a father on Father’s Day) and I was roundly condemned for doing so; one respondent claimed he would like to report me and my pastor to the bishop and have me removed from the ministry for such a terrible practice.

Read here for the thread informing me of my wrongdoings.

I was informed quite harshly by several apparent experts of church law that "the rules say that upon offering the Eucharist to the communicant, we are supposed to say “The Body of Christ.” No more, no less. Or else face the consequences… "
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the Latin Rite and Byzantine Rite have different traditions. it is not proper in the Latin Rite to add to the words prescribed. in the Byzantine Rite it is part of their tradition to say the name of the person when the Body and Blood of Christ is given by the priest
 
Pug said:
I am sorry people were harsh on this topic. 😦 :grouphug:

I suggest you look up the guidelines that are put out by your own diocese on the subject. Here are the exact guidelines if your bishop is Thomas Doran (you are from Illinois, so this might be exactly what you want):The proper and only permissible form for distributing Holy Communion is to offer the consecrated bread by saying, “The Body of Christ” and to offer the consecrated wine by saying, “The Blood of Christ.” No other words or names should be added; and the formula should not be edited in any way. (Cf. GIRM, 161; 284-287).

To find something like this, try the website for your particular diocese and look under the office of divine worship and under norms or guidelines, if I’ve fetched the wrong one for you. Or, your parish might make a copy of the guidelines available to you if you ask. In my diocese, they are required to give a copy of the guidelines to people like me (I bring communion to the sick).
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right. the GIRM obviously by its name only refers to the Roman Missal and not to Byzantine Liturgy. the rules would differ because the traditions differ between the Latin Rite and the Byzantine Rite
 
Wow, some of you should be ashamed. Calling the God of the Universe a ‘pet treat’. I pray he forgives you for such disrespect.
And to use the term ‘holier than thou’ maybe we need more people like that in the Church. As a EMHC I see some of the utter lack of respect of our Lord.
If you want to kneel. KNEEL. If the Priest or EMCH refuses you. Find another Parish that still truly believes in the "Real Presence.
 
choy said:
right. the GIRM obviously by its name only refers to the Roman Missal and not to Byzantine Liturgy. the rules would differ because the traditions differ between the Latin Rite and the Byzantine Rite
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Indeed, what I quoted only applies to Latin Rite Catholics. The rules are often different for an Eastern Rite, and I do not know them for the Byzantine Rite, so I can’t comment on that. I only posted it for Ponyguy because he has been encouraged to speak the formula/words in an unusual way, and I assume he is Latin Rite (he’s an EMHC), so I offered some guidelines that might apply to the situation in Ponyguy’s own parish.

Thanks for clarifying what I said for people. 🙂
 
Ponyguy said:
That is quite INTERESTING!

I am a Eucharistic Minister
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Unless you are a priest or a deacon you are not a Eucharistic Minister. The correct title is Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion
was informed quite harshly by several apparent experts of church law that "the rules say that upon offering the Eucharist to the communicant, we are supposed to say “The Body of Christ.” No more, no less. Or else face the consequences
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… "

Other than the one poster who said, Absolutely correct! If an EM ever said anything to me other than what is prescribed I would file a complaint with the pastor to have that person removed. It’s sad enough that we even have a need for EMs, we don’t need them ad libbing as well, the response to your were charitable. They seemed to be quite careful not to be harsh.
 
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