Deacon Ed:
Here’s my thinking behind my statement… Since particular law does require catechetical counseling the advice of the CDW is to not do that. That is, they are suggesting that a portion of the law not be acted on.
Deacon Ed
Deacon Ed, I think this is the thinking behind the actions of those who kneel, and the CDW:
Before approving the norm~
October 25, 2001
… the Congregation, even after a very careful consideration of such data, to urge the Conference to introduce a clause that would
protect those faithful who will inevitably be led by their own sensibilities to
kneel from imprudent action by priests, deacons or lay ministers in particular,
or from being refused Holy Communion for such a reason as happens on occasion.
After approving the norm ~
July 1, 2002
Even where the Congregation has approved of legislation denoting standing as the posture for Holy Communion, in accordance with the adaptations permitted to the Conferences of Bishops by the Institutio Generalis Missalis Romani n. 160, paragraph 2, it has done so with the stipulation that communicants who choose to kneel are not to be denied Holy Communion on these grounds.
In fact, as His Eminence, Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger has recently emphasized,
the practice of kneeling for Holy Communion has in its favor a centuries-old tradition, and it is a particularly expressive sign of adoration, completely appropriate in light of the true, real and substantial presence of Our Lord Jesus Christ under the consecrated species.
And again, more recently ~
February 26, 2003
As the authority by virtue of whose recognitio the norm in question has attained the force of law, this
Dicastery is competent to specify the manner in which the norm is to be understood for the sake of a proper application. Having received more than a few letters regarding this matter from different locations in the United States of America, the Congregation wishes to ensure that its position on the matter is clear.
…while this Congregation gave the recognitio to the norm desired by the Bishops’ Conference of your country that people stand for Holy Communion, this was done on the condition that communicants who choose to kneel are not to be denied Holy Communion on these grounds.
Indeed, the faithful should not be imposed upon nor accused of disobedience and of acting illicitly when they kneel to receive Holy Communion".
It seems it is anyone’s guess as to how a priest is to
provide pastoral counselling providing the faithful with proper catechises on the reasons for the norm.
I highly doubt that the CDW is telling the priests not to follow the norm.
But it is clear that those who kneel are
not to imposed upon,
accused of acting illicitly, nor denied Holy Communion.
So it stands to reason that the CDW may have intended that “instances” where parishoners desire to kneel, (ie: parishes where some wish to kneel) be addressed to all “the faithful,” “providing pastoral counsel” (advising the entire parish) "on the reasons for the norm."
In this instance, I think some are using the word “counselling” as an admonishment, where that was never the CDW’s intent. I believe the CDW meant “counsel” to mean “advise,” and I don’t think it meant that those who kneel need to be singled out and pulled aside for
private counselling, but that
all the faithful were to be advised of the reasons for the norm, that being, uniformity in posture symbolizes our unity.
:whacky: *