Communion Time Hospitality:
Communion Time Inhospitality:
I think even progressive Catholics who like liturgical creativity and discontinuity will agree that under Pope Benedict and Summorum Pontificum, the liturgy wars had a negotiated end. There was peace at last, thank God Almighty, there was peace at last.
While the TLM flourished among a small minority of Catholics, mostly young, non-nostalgic Catholics, who simply saw the old Mass as “new and improved” to them, many parishes started to implement certain liturgical postures from the TLM into the Modern Mass, such as more Latin, kneeling for Holy Communion and ad orientem.
Parishes with multiple Masses made sure that at least one Mass was either ad orientem or facing the nave.
Cardinal Cupich has (along with Pope Francis, by the way) in the most ugly way, with pre-Vatican II authoritarianism, reignited the liturgical wars’ anger that traditional/orthodox Catholics have toward popes, bishops and priests in the Church that impose a rigid uniformity upon them during the Mass, often outside the traditional, organic development of liturgical guidelines.
I can remember in the 1970’s, bishops and priests removing kneelers from church pews because some liturgists thought it denigrated the laity to kneel during Mass when the priest was standing—there should be a common posture for all “celebrants” meaning laity and clergy and that posture is standing. The same for Holy Communion’s reception. The priest historically stood to consummate the Sacrament of the Body and Blood of Jesus at his Holy Communion, why shouldn’t the laity!
The problem with Communion time in 2024 is that many young people and some older ones want to kneel to receive Holy Communion in continuity with what the Church has approved over the centuries and during the papacies of John Paul II and Benedict XVI!
Yet the clericalism of some bishops and priests have either forced them to stand or no kneeler is provided for the person to comfortably and safely kneel, thus they drop to the hard floor on both knees without a support to kneel or stand again!
THAT IS CALLED INHOSPITALITY!
PROVIDE A GOSH DARN KNEELER FOR THOSE WHO WANT TO KNEEL AND THERE WON’T BE ANY ACCIDENTS, ESPECIALLY BY THE PERSON BEHIND THE ONE KNEELING. TRIPPING WILL BE REDUCED!
PROVIDING A KNEELER FOR KNEELING AT HOLY COMMUNION IS ABOUT GENEROUS HOSPITALITY!!
1 comment:
In the Byzantine East, the posture of the Resurrection is standing. I, therefore, haven't the same passion regarding kneeling/kneelers. What I find strange, however, is how progressives passionately pursue their own liturgical creativity yet stifle those who wish to pursue what the Roman Church had always provided. Not equitable, hospitable, or particularly welcoming.
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