Wow. If you want to kneel before receiving the Body and Blood of Christ, you better lawyer up pal.
Here’s the Church bulletin. You really have to read this from a parish in San Bernardino, California:
I’m not a fan or rushing Communion where the priest dispatches seventy four “ministers” to deliver the Body of Christ to three dozen people. Instead of seeming like something rather important it becomes sped up. It becomes more like Drive-Thru Jesus.
Kneeling seems like a rather appropriate way of acting in the face of the Real Presence. But I guess not.
HT Gloria TV
December 14, 2022 at 11:52 am
We wouldn’t want them, God forbid, to either supply a kneeler or a communion rail! 😮 that would just be ridiculous!
Heaven help us!
Have a blessed day!
December 16, 2022 at 9:10 am
Yes indeed, instead you must Lawyer Up.
December 20, 2022 at 9:59 pm
Our parish has two chairs with kneelers on the back for those who want to kneel. Never had a problem. Probably cost us $200.
December 14, 2022 at 12:04 pm
The wording “Because of incidents that happened” makes me think that there was a situation. One person could ruin it for the rest of the group. Maybe the church had someone threaten a lawsuit after getting hurt. With the sue happy culture that we live in, maybe the church needed to say something in order to protect itself. Again if you are looking for persecution, you will find it.
December 14, 2022 at 12:58 pm
Bingo.
“… and when they had called the Apostles, and beaten them, they commanded that they should not speak in the Name of Jesus, and let them go. And they departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for His Name.”
Real persecution still takes place, but neither Matthew Archbold nor I have been counted worthy to suffer it.
December 18, 2022 at 10:38 am
The tactic of referring to some nebulous “incident” is a time honored leftist tradition. Just as we always hear of an anonymous “complaint” that necessitates the removal of the Nativity in the town square. These ploys should never have been given credence, but have now become the norm in American life. The good of an entire community cannot outweigh one voice in this tyranny of the minority, but the deeper scandal is that the entire claim is based on a calculated LIE. And the fact that it’s a priest telling the lie only makes it more egregious.
December 14, 2022 at 12:49 pm
Pavlov trained his dogs too well. Even after he no longer wants them to grovel before him they won’t stop. So he just keeps beating them.
December 14, 2022 at 5:30 pm
You have NO idea what you are talking about. It’s about the worship and the honor of God in the Eucharist. Kneeling is the utmost action in the presence of God the Son. Kneeling for the reception of Jesus has been discouraged in the last 60 years but it is still the ideal way of worshiping God in the Eucharist and receiving him. Pavlov’s dogs? Dogs are dogs and obey commands without thinking of morality. You cannot tell us that standing with your hand out to receive our Lord is more respectful than kneeling before Him and asking the King for His merciful grace.
December 15, 2022 at 5:55 pm
” Kneeling is the utmost action in the presence of God the Son.” That is overstating it, for several reasons.
1. Postures and gestures may be fitting or not, but like clothes, they are fundamentally rather superficial. “A sacrifice to God is an afflicted spirit: a contrite and humbled heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.”
2. Kneeling is not the most extreme posture. Bowing < Genuflecting < Kneeling < Prostrating
3. There is a virtue in submitting to those put in authority over you — up to a point, of course. If I recall correctly, claims of Marian apparitions that were later found by the Church to be worthy of credence have often found local bishops as obstacles, but the Blessed Virgin never encourages the seers to simply disobey their bishops.
4. On the flip side, make sure you are not doing the right thing just to show off "as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be honoured by men". This is a hard one; I catch myself showing off even when no other human sees me.
December 16, 2022 at 6:06 am
“That is overstating it” No it’s not. At the name of Jesus every knee shall bend.
” There is a virtue in submitting to those put in authority over you — up to a point, of course.” Not when it comes to the King of Kings and at whose hands your judgement will come.
“This is a hard one; I catch myself showing off even when no other human sees me.” There more ways of showing off such as boasting lol.
December 16, 2022 at 10:13 am
Are you stating this ex cathedra? Nice Protestant attitude, having no authority between yourself and the Almighty.
December 16, 2022 at 10:26 am
” There more ways of showing off such as boasting lol.” Yes, exactly. Let’s say that I am boasting here. How does that make any sense? For one thing, Outis is not my name. (I’m guessing Bob really is your name.) What’s the point of boasting under a pseudonym? What kind of boasting is it to admit to weakness and folly? None of that makes sense, but such is the human condition.
Seriously, Bob, you need to make some examination of conscience. If you do, you will discover unpleasant things about yourself, things you need to know but clearly do not. It’s not the condition of your knees that matter, and yes, the Church can just as easily dispense from kneeling as from the requirement to give up meat on EVERY DAY of Lent and on EVERY DAY of Advent, which was a good an holy tradition. No, it’s the condition of your heart that matters more, Bob. If your body is prostrate but your heart is defiant, you should think twice before receiving.
But you won’t, of course.
December 16, 2022 at 1:34 pm
“Are you stating ex cathedra? ”
I don’t have to:
Philippians 2:10-11 New Living Translation (NLT)
that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue declare that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
“What’s the point of boasting under a pseudonym? ” You tell me lol. You did it ‘Outis’
“Seriously, Bob, you need to make some examination of conscience. If you do, you will discover unpleasant things about yourself, things you need to know but clearly do not.”
I certainly hope that is a practice that you indulge in as well as we all should as Catholics. Oh and if you DON’T discover unpleasant things about yourself in the process then if I were you I would reconsider giving this advice to others lest being seen as a hypocrite.
” Nice Protestant attitude, having no authority between yourself and the Almighty.”
Really? Show me exactly where I exhibited this attitude.
December 18, 2022 at 10:44 am
You said:
“This is a hard one; I catch myself showing off even when no other human sees me.”
So I’ve noticed. No one appointed you devil’s advocate, yet you seem quite intent on pitting your sophistry against the piety of others. You must enjoy displaying what you think is cleverness, but I must inform you, it looks like simple pride and disruption for its own sake.
December 14, 2022 at 12:52 pm
Did you actually read the block of print you highlighted? It appears that some parishioners, or maybe some visitors, first knelt, then fell, and then lawyered up — or maybe they followed your advice and lawyered up first so that they could sue the parish. If that’s really the kind of behavior you support, well done.
As for me, I fully expect that any stumble I might have while kneeling or standing from kneeling is my fault. I do so at my own risk, however small that might be. It seems you’re different, though, and want to sue for your own clumsiness.
December 14, 2022 at 1:09 pm
It seems to me that a very simple and relatively inexpensive short term solution would be to get a couple portable kneelers with rails; then those who wish to receive kneeling can do so without whatever issues might have happened.
This happened in a parish near me that also didn’t have rails or kneelers but had a special (unfortunately only one-time) TLM; they brought in a couple kneelers and problem solved.
I can see how it could be an issue if you didn’t have an altar rail and kneelers; you’d have the potential of unsteady people trying to get up and grabbing onto someone for balance, etc. The long term solution is to get altar rails back in. Short term a couple kneelers would suffice. The issue could be resolved in a couple sentences in the bulletin, if the self-evident aspect of the portable kneelers wasn’t enough.
December 15, 2022 at 9:30 am
Sounds like they had a specific problem they dont want repeated. Having done various ministries over the years, I am not a fan of extraordinary ministers being involved. Nothing against the people, but the role is overused. If communion would take 45 minutes – sure, get some help. But the minute or two that is saved by their use is time better used in silent contemplation.
December 15, 2022 at 11:59 am
Women Eucharistic Ministers always seem to want to make eye contact. Why would I want to stare into their eyes before receiving the Holy Host? Are they trained to make eye contact? Why?
December 16, 2022 at 12:28 pm
Kneeling or standing makes no difference if one is doing either with fear of God, with faith and with love. Yes, outward signs are essential but the inner disposition is what pleases the Lord. People should be able to choose without legal documents. How ridiculous!