Reverence during the Eucharist

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Ruth_Catherine

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Can anyone help me find information regarding posture during the Eucharistic prayer. I thought we were supposed to kneel or stand depending on the parish you are in but since I have been back to the Church I have noticed more of a half sit, half kneel. I am trying to teach my son we are to kneel but he is confused at why most, and I mean most everyone, in our parish half sits, half kneels. Is this a norm everywhere? Is this acceptable or just accepted?

Is there somewhere I can find the rubrics for postures?

Thanks
 
Ruth_Catherine said:
Can anyone help me find information regarding posture during the Eucharistic prayer. I thought we were supposed to kneel or stand depending on the parish you are in but since I have been back to the Church I have noticed more of a half sit, half kneel. I am trying to teach my son we are to kneel but he is confused at why most, and I mean most everyone, in our parish half sits, half kneels. Is this a norm everywhere? Is this acceptable or just accepted?

Is there somewhere I can find the rubrics for postures?

Thanks
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I don’t know about the rubrics but I can say I have to 1/2 sit 1/2 kneel because I have to really bad knees and it’s excruciating to kneel. I just can’t physically do it. I wish I could I would gladly kneel. So I don’t know if some of them just ‘can’t’ kneel or what the issue is.
 
Half sitting half kneeling should only be done if you are physically unable to kneel, otherwise it’s laziness and irreverence. I would know, I used to get scolded about it all the time when I was a little kid. 😃

I’m pretty sure standing is illicit in the Roman rite but it’s better then sitting.
 
Obviously the phrase isn’t a technical and doesn’t appear in official documents,

For some people, a Mass with a guitar music, or with a alector or Communion minister is now in union and in union with the Catholic C hurches.

I know this is not exactly what you are seeking, but let it sink in. More commonly, however, far out means liturgy that violates serious regulations of the church concerning the mass and sacraments. In calculation to your designated question, you are permitted to express your emotions and holiness for Mass.

I attended the Franciscan University of Steubenville and they had charismatic masses that would last a good 2 1/2 hours. The sign of peace was overly extended. I attended one mass on campus, then went in town. Dont get me wrong, the Charistimatic Mass is a way of expressing oneself and these students do express themselves.

So if you want to pray during the Eucharistic prayer with hands lifted, that is up to you and their is no disrespect for that. It does not alter the mass, but is a gesture that is a beautiful sign lifting you hands as God as gone through Suffering and Calvary.

God bless you and if you do not understand, send me a private message.

May you see fit in the other wyas the liturgy is reverence.
 
I also am unable to kneel completely–I have to sit-kneel, leaving part of my posterior on the bench, or I would be unable to kneel at all. I cannot fully kneel for more than a couple of seconds without excruciating pain. Although this would not be true of most people, it may be true for more than you would expect–especially the elderly, the larger folks, etc. I would try to give the benefit of a doubt, in Christian charity.
 
Ruth_Catherine said:
Can anyone help me find information regarding posture during the Eucharistic prayer. I thought we were supposed to kneel or stand depending on the parish you are in but since I have been back to the Church I have noticed more of a half sit, half kneel. I am trying to teach my son we are to kneel but he is confused at why most, and I mean most everyone, in our parish half sits, half kneels. Is this a norm everywhere? Is this acceptable or just accepted?

Is there somewhere I can find the rubrics for postures?

Thanks
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The universal GIRM calls for kneeling only at the Consecration.

In the US, the adaptation (IOW, the law) is that everyone kneels after the Holy, Holy, Holy until after the AMEN. Obviously some people can’t kneel due to physical limitations and this rubric doesn’t require the impossible.

Again, in the US, everyone kneels after the Lamb of God and remains kneeling until Communion – unless the bishop of their diocese has decreed another posture.

T
 
Again, in the US, everyone kneels after the Lamb of God and remains kneeling until Communion – unless the bishop of their diocese has decreed another posture.

T
“In the US” So, it is kneeling during the “Lamb of God” no required in different countries? Or does that have something to do with the different, “Rites”. Please forgive my ignorance but the different Rites of our faith I find quite fascinating.
 
Of course the Church doesn’t enforce things that are impossible, or even difficult. If half of your congregation is 70 and 80 year olds with bad knees, you can’t expect them to kneel and neither does the Church.
 
Originally Posted by Phemie: Again, in the US, everyone kneels after the Lamb of God and remains kneeling until Communion – unless the bishop of their diocese has decreed another posture.

Originally Posted by JerrySiebert
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“In the US” So, it is kneeling during the “Lamb of God” no required in different countries? Or does that have something to do with the different, “Rites”. Please forgive my ignorance but the different Rites of our faith I find quite fascinating.
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The universal GIRM doesn’t require kneeling at that time but different Conferences of Bishops decide on the posture for their country.

It’s also a fact that even though their Bishops’s Conference didn’t call for kneeling at that time, many parishes never stopped doing it. Canada has not required kneeling at any time except the Consecration (from after the Sanctus until the Memorial Acclamation) for the last 36 years (we’re still functioning with the 1975 GIRM) but you will find many parishes where they kneel for the entire Eucharistic Prayer and go to their knees immediately after the Agnus Dei. The Conference left it up to the individual bishop and many of them left it up to the Pastors, so it may change in a parish as often as the Pastor changes.

We have not yet seen what will happen with the 2002 GIRM as it has not been promulgated in Canada, but I recall a document that was given to our priests at a 2002 diocesan gathering that indicated that we’d be kneeling for the entire Eucharistic Prayer. I know liturgists have been saying “One prayer, one posture throughout” for a while so if we go to kneeling throughout it won’t come as a surprise.
 
I hardly see anyone kneel during the liturgy of the Eucharist then again most churches I have gone to lately have removed their kneelers too. When I moved from home from a small diocese to an archdiocese of a large American city, I was surprised that they had kneelers & pews as it was something that was rare in my area.

I am a larger woman, and have taken 1 too many tumbles and landed on my knees which has caused me knee pain. Kneeling for longer than a few minutes is painful for me so I have to do the half kneel/half sit. I would think its rude if anyone was to accost me for my posture when I am attempting to show reverence.
 
MissRose73 said:
I am a larger woman, and have taken 1 too many tumbles and landed on my knees which has caused me knee pain. Kneeling for longer than a few minutes is painful for me so I have to do the half kneel/half sit. I would think its rude if anyone was to accost me for my posture when I am attempting to show reverence.
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Am I the only one who thought the OP meant that in her parish 1/2 the congregation kneels and the other 1/2 sits during the EP? In our parish it’s 3/4 stand and 1/4 kneel.
 
ConstantineTG said:
Of course the Church doesn’t enforce things that are impossible, or even difficult. If half of your congregation is 70 and 80 year olds with bad knees, you can’t expect them to kneel and neither does the Church.
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Unfortunately that is not the case. This parish is filled with people of all ages. Young and old, children to elderly.
 
Phemie said:
Am I the only one who thought the OP meant that in her parish 1/2 the congregation kneels and the other 1/2 sits during the EP? In our parish it’s 3/4 stand and 1/4 kneel.
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I guess I should clarify. I am a nurse and I understand bad knees and I love and care for the elderly. So I understand for those who can’t kneel. What I am talking about is most everyone is in a position of half kneeling, half sitting. Young and old. Kids and parents.
I have recently returned to the church so I found this kind of interesting. I was always taught to be up on my knees, if I can. I try to encourage my teen to be up on his knees but he sees everyone half kneeling half sitting, so since he is new to the church he sees this and doesn’t understand my frustration.
 
I’ve never been on the site I’ve linked below until I did a search for this topic. Essentially, you should be kneeling unless there is a good reason to be in another posture (emphasis mine):
Wordbytes.org:
The new revision of the General Instructions of the Roman Missal (GIRM), promulgated in 2000 and issued with U.S. adaptions in 2002, instructs that: “In the dioceses of the United States of America, they should kneel beginning after the singing or recitation of the Sanctus “Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of power and might…”] until after the Amen of the Eucharistic Prayer, except when prevented on occasion by reasons of health, lack of space, the large number of people present, or some other good reason. Those who do not kneel ought to make a profound bow when the priest genuflects after the consecration. The faithful kneel after the Agnus Dei “Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world, have mercy on us…”, which is after the sign of peace] unless the Diocesan Bishop determines otherwise.”
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source:
wordbytes.org/doctrine/index.html?posture.htm
 
Ruth_Catherine said:
Unfortunately that is not the case. This parish is filled with people of all ages. Young and old, children to elderly.
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Surprisingly enough, I am going to another parish because in the summer my parish switches to one bilingual Divine Liturgy. The parish I now attend has an all-English Divine Liturgy. I’m the only one who stands and everyone kneels for consecration (in the East you should never kneel on a Sunday) and its about 80% post-retirement age crowd.
 
Our family has always kneeled except due to an injury. Then it is more of a half-kneel. We do have elderly in our parish who half-kneel half sit. But we also have healthy people who have sit for whatever reason.

My children have always followed what my husband and I do and we choose to kneel so they follow the example we set.

Except in the Eastern Catholic Church, then it is proper to Stand.

Blessings.
 
ConstantineTG said:
Surprisingly enough, I am going to another parish because in the summer my parish switches to one bilingual Divine Liturgy. The parish I now attend has an all-English Divine Liturgy. I’m the only one who stands and everyone kneels for consecration (in the East you should never kneel on a Sunday) and its about 80% post-retirement age crowd.
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Someone please correct me if I am incorrect. I’m fairly certain that you should not be standing in this case. Rubrics generally require that we subscribe to the normal custom of the parish that we are celebrating with - in other words, your posture should match that of those around you.
 
musicality said:
Someone please correct me if I am incorrect. I’m fairly certain that you should not be standing in this case. Rubrics generally require that we subscribe to the normal custom of the parish that we are celebrating with - in other words, your posture should match that of those around you.
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As I said, in the East its a no-no to kneel on Sundays. In fact in my own parish the priest put in the weekly bulletin for all those who kneel on Sundays to stop kneeling for even only during the Easter season as the tradition of the Church calls for standing on Sundays. Some people still continued to kneel.
 
musicality said:
Rubrics generally require that we subscribe to the normal custom of the parish that we are celebrating with - in other words, your posture should match that of those around you.
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Unless you know the people around you are wrong. Then do the right thing.
 
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