Three points that were bothering me about this debate.
- excuse my shout, but what happened to the UNIVERSAL ?!
It is a joy to embrace the bit of the “one-body” we are. Haven’t you ever wondered during mass about the millions of others doing the same thing at the same time ? And all those guardian angels singing together all over the world ?
Sometimes I have to work at the last minute on a Sunday morning, sometimes I get to take someone with me if I drive to another parishes 5 or 7pm procrastinators mass. Sometimes I travel. Priests who follow the rubrics make travelers, and any out of parish Catholics
welcome. Should I wander into someone’s private “club” It is disconcerting.
- There are obvious physical exceptions for people unable to stand or kneel on cue, A good percentage of my home parish sits respectfully without embarrassment.
- Doesn’t the conference of Bishops of each country set the norms per the cultural customs ? Seems I remember hearing about a culture that regarded kneeling as disrespectful and had adopted an all standing norm. This is a far cry from each priest winging it on his own.
Thanks for considering these points, and please correct me if I’m wrong,
Sue