What brought this subject into the Catholic Blogosphere, again, was a comment by Spanish Cardinal Canizares Llovera, in an article by the Catholic News Agency that quoted him in somewhat awkward way. The reason this got attention is that Cardinal Canizares Llovera is the Prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, which in simpler terms is the Vatican's Department of the Liturgy & Liturgical Practices. So in other words, you have the guy at the Vatican charged with overseeing the Liturgy talking about the reception of communion, not the first time this happened but the first by a Pope Benedict appointed prefect.[2]
The Cardinal's discussion as reported by Catholic News Agency:
The cardinal’s remarks came in response to a question on whether Catholics should receive Communion in the hand or on the tongue.Now this statement isn't that ground-breaking or revolutionary, as the Prefect before him, Cardinal Arinze, made similar comments.[3] The reason that these comments have garnered such attention is three-fold:
He recommended that Catholics “receive Communion on the tongue and while kneeling.”
Receiving Communion in this way, the cardinal continued, “is the sign of adoration that needs to be recovered. I think the entire Church needs to receive Communion while kneeling.”
“In fact,” he added, “if one receives while standing, a genuflection or profound bow should be made, and this is not happening.”
“If we trivialize Communion, we trivialize everything, and we cannot lose a moment as important as that of receiving Communion, of recognizing the real presence of Christ there, of the God who is the love above all loves, as we sing in a hymn in Spanish.”
- Pope Benedict XVI has been advocating, and requiring in some instances, the reception of Communion on the tongue while kneeling. This has been in effect for over 3 years now.[4] The statement by Cardinal Canizares Llovera seems to have solidified this idea as a central one of Pope Benedict's pontificate regarding the liturgy.[5]
- Michael Voris and Jimmy Akin both produced media clips surrounding this statement. Voris painted the statement as saying a tad more than it seemingly did, and also somewhat stretching the situation here in the United States, while Akin tried to reel in what Voris said and probably pulled things back a tad further than necessary. If nothing else, these clips have gotten people to talk and think about the issue.
- As we approach the new Missal translation, the portion of the GIRM that deals with the reception of Communion will have a new wording and will therefore have a new understanding as it relates to the norm in this country for the reception of Communion.[6]
When this statement came out, it got a lot of play on the blogs. What made it even more heavily discussed was the video Michael Voris put out in his Vortex series:
This program is from RealCatholicTV.com
[You can read the script here: Script Link]
As you know, I am supportive of Voris and the Vortex. I think his commentary is usually pretty on target and he is needed voice in the American Church; this is especially true in places like where I live and others that have faced years and decades of liturgical abuse, oppressive lay parish regimes, and modernist heterodox chanceries. At the same time, I know his presentation is not everyone's cup of tea, that he sometimes paints with a broad-brush, and he (like everyone else in this world) makes mistakes. That being said, I would gladly take a few over-statements by someone driving towards orthodoxy as opposed to silence and watered down theology from those attempting to make the Church more "inclusive" and "accessible" for the sake of those not accepting of the Church's teachings.
All that being said, I do think that there were one or two over-statements and possibly even an incorrect statement in Voris' video. Yet, if you listen to the actual words of Voris (or better yet, read them) what you get is his message that for the past few years there has been a campaign by some priests and bishops against the practices of "on the tongue" and "kneeling" reception of Communion.[7] Voris has made several other videos touching on this subject, and taken together a viewer will hear a message that closely aligns with what the Cardinal said in the CNA article, as well as the message being conveyed by Cardinal Arinze, the Pope, Msgr. Marini, and others. In the end, I do think that Voris took an extra liberty or two, and maybe appealed a little too much to emotion and preached to "the choir" and thereby overstated his case a bit.
Therefore, I will admit that taken on its own, this video does have some loose ends that seem to over-state Voris' position and he conveys a message that conflates what the Church ultimately teaches regarding the reception of Communion in this country. Jimmy Akin felt the same way and felt compelled to put out a quick "PodCast" to explain his point of view. I think he did a good job, as he always does, but like Voris, I think he is guilty of over-stating his case and pulls back too hard on Voris' comments. Ultimately I think the truth lies somewhere between what the two men said. Therefore, I think you should likewise listen to what Akin has to say:
This program is from RealCatholicTV.com
[You can read the script here: Script Link]
As you know, I am supportive of Voris and the Vortex. I think his commentary is usually pretty on target and he is needed voice in the American Church; this is especially true in places like where I live and others that have faced years and decades of liturgical abuse, oppressive lay parish regimes, and modernist heterodox chanceries. At the same time, I know his presentation is not everyone's cup of tea, that he sometimes paints with a broad-brush, and he (like everyone else in this world) makes mistakes. That being said, I would gladly take a few over-statements by someone driving towards orthodoxy as opposed to silence and watered down theology from those attempting to make the Church more "inclusive" and "accessible" for the sake of those not accepting of the Church's teachings.
All that being said, I do think that there were one or two over-statements and possibly even an incorrect statement in Voris' video. Yet, if you listen to the actual words of Voris (or better yet, read them) what you get is his message that for the past few years there has been a campaign by some priests and bishops against the practices of "on the tongue" and "kneeling" reception of Communion.[7] Voris has made several other videos touching on this subject, and taken together a viewer will hear a message that closely aligns with what the Cardinal said in the CNA article, as well as the message being conveyed by Cardinal Arinze, the Pope, Msgr. Marini, and others. In the end, I do think that Voris took an extra liberty or two, and maybe appealed a little too much to emotion and preached to "the choir" and thereby overstated his case a bit.
Therefore, I will admit that taken on its own, this video does have some loose ends that seem to over-state Voris' position and he conveys a message that conflates what the Church ultimately teaches regarding the reception of Communion in this country. Jimmy Akin felt the same way and felt compelled to put out a quick "PodCast" to explain his point of view. I think he did a good job, as he always does, but like Voris, I think he is guilty of over-stating his case and pulls back too hard on Voris' comments. Ultimately I think the truth lies somewhere between what the two men said. Therefore, I think you should likewise listen to what Akin has to say:
Jimmy Akin - Podcasts
Ultimately I think that what we have is a disagreement about what Voris meant and what he is trying to argue. Kneeling for Communion has been opposed by some bishops and priests in this country for years, if not decades. You can see, just in the changes and development of the GIRM alone as well as letters coming from the Vatican, that there has been a tension between what the Vatican desires and what the USCCB and priests in this country think is best. Now, that might be an overstatement there on my behalf, but I think the line of demarcation is fair to draw between the US and the Vatican and that the two sides have historically been on opposite sides of this issue. As Msgr. Marini explained though, when the Holy Father instituted the norm of kneeling to receive at Papal liturgies, the idea that hand reception is the 'norm' in the US is an exemption from the universal requirement of the Church
When you take the Pope's statements and the Cardinals' together, you have a continuity of thought that desires for the Church to receive Communion while kneeling, for various reasons. So why not just mandate it? Well, because the Church doesn't work that way, and because of the respect for the wishes of the bishops in this country who originally requested the indult. As we move into the new Missal translation we do take a step closer to a return to kneeling and tongue reception. For someone such as myself who has tried to follow the lead in Rome and at the same time remain obedient to my bishop and local bishops conference I feel some what at ease with the change in wording. Not only that, but I can now more easily explain and advocate my practice to others.
What I have found is that kneeling draws me into an understanding and reverence of the TRUE PRESENCE. It doesn't make me better, holier, or make my Adoration more than those that stand. Instead, what it does for me personally and for God is to show my understanding, and write that understanding more easily on my heart. As Marini explained:
When you take the Pope's statements and the Cardinals' together, you have a continuity of thought that desires for the Church to receive Communion while kneeling, for various reasons. So why not just mandate it? Well, because the Church doesn't work that way, and because of the respect for the wishes of the bishops in this country who originally requested the indult. As we move into the new Missal translation we do take a step closer to a return to kneeling and tongue reception. For someone such as myself who has tried to follow the lead in Rome and at the same time remain obedient to my bishop and local bishops conference I feel some what at ease with the change in wording. Not only that, but I can now more easily explain and advocate my practice to others.
What I have found is that kneeling draws me into an understanding and reverence of the TRUE PRESENCE. It doesn't make me better, holier, or make my Adoration more than those that stand. Instead, what it does for me personally and for God is to show my understanding, and write that understanding more easily on my heart. As Marini explained:
Kneeling and receiving Communion on the tongue highlights "the truth of the real presence (of Christ) in the Eucharist, helps the devotion of the faithful and introduces the sense of mystery more easily."To me, the Eucharist is the source and summit of my life. One of those periods where I didn't kneel, to receive was shortly after graduating from Ave Maria (where we knelt always for reception) and moving to Alaska where no one knelt. I thought I was being disobedient, and I was confused as to what the who "pastoral" climate was here. I started to worry that folks were looking at me, judging me, or that I was making a "statement" during a time when we should be as "dead to self" as possible. Then I realized that what I did at Mass wasn't about me, but about God. Anything I did that could be seen by others needed to be a reflection not of me, but of how I felt about God and what the Mass meant objectively. So I returned to kneeling. I also was moved greatly once, shortly after my return to this practice when someone knelt right beside me to receive Communion, and that person was wearing a chapel veil. There was smile on the face of one of the EMHC's that told me that how we acted had an effect on others and that it was important that effect lead folks towards a belief in the real presence. Again, not that I think I am better because I kneel, but it does have an effect on those that choose to worship in that way. Maybe it is a change from the 'norm' or maybe there is something intrinsic about it. Regardless, I do agree that the Church should return to this practice and that it would ultimately lead to more Catholics believing and accepting the True Presence in the Eucharist.
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NOTES:
- People have asked what I mean by "Revert"; what I mean is that I was Baptized Catholic as an infant, but never practiced the Faith or received the other Sacraments of Initiation. I became "Active" and received First Communion and Confirmation on Easter 2006.
- The previous Prefect for CDW&DS was Cardinal Francis Arinze. He too made statements about kneeling and communion reception but many discounted his statements because he was not American and for other more political reasons having to deal with Pope John Paul II and the USCCB. Cardinal Arinze was appointed by Pope John Paul in 2002.
- See Note [2]; See also, Cardinal Arinze Video.
- CNS: Vatican - Receiving Eucharist while kneeling will be norm at papal liturgies, 2008.
- NB: In the above mentioned news article, Msgr. Marini explained that the decision by the Pope "aims to highlight the force of the valid norm for the whole church."
- For a discussion the changed wording of GIRM 160 please see: Father Z - GIRM 160 (2011 ed.)
- The progression of language in the GIRM, and the various developments in acceptence regarding these practices show a tension between D.C. and Rome regarding both tongue and kneeling reception. At one point denial of Communion occurred for many attempting to receive while kneeling. The fact that it is considered an 'exemption' comes from Msgr. Marini and not myself, see Note [4].
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