Signs and symbols are very important and communicate a message even to non-believers.
For example, if I am a “seeker” and attended Mass only twice in my lifetime, and the first time I saw everyone kneeling to receive Holy Communion, that would tweak my curiosity about Holy Communion and why anyone would kneel to receive Holy Communion. The sign and symbol of receiving Holy Communion as Pope Benedict distributed Holy Communion upholds, promotes and makes clear what the Church believes about the Most Holy Trinity and our Lord’s Real and Substantial Presence that the Holy Eucharist is.
However, if I went to a Mass where I saw what is happening in the first photo, like the Muslim in that photo, I would think that nothing really important is happening and especially if I could compare the two ways of distributing Holy Communion. The first photo shows through signs and symbols that the Bread may only be a symbol, only bread that symbolically represents Christ—thus it doesn’t really matter how you receive, standing, kneeling, on your head or by an AI robot, it is just a symbol and symbol understood as anyone would understand it, believer or not—a symbol of Jesus but not really Jesus! In other words, if anyone wanted a memento of having attending Mass, let’s say at St. Peter’s Basilica, one could take that symbol of Christ home and place it in a curio. It’s not really the Real Presence of Christ, only a symbol and no different than a statue or other image of Christ that people keep in their curios.
If the cardinals at the consistory with Pope Leo are reading my blog, and certainly there must be at least one cardinal, let’s get real about the reform of the reform and return the entire Latin Rite to kneeling for Holy Communion and distributed only by a bishop, priest, deacon and formally installed adult acolyte and that acolyte properly vested.
Ask Pope Leo to write a Traditionis Custodis type document returning the Church kneeling for Holy Communion and enforce it as TC is enforced and tell bishops that Masses that still allow people to stand for Holy Communion, with anyone and everyone distributing Holy Communion can’t be held in a parish church or advertised in bulletins! What’s fair is fair! What’s good for the goose is good for the gander, no?
That truly isn’t too much to ask. Why would anyone think that is too much to ask?
8 comments:
The commentary on the "Muslim" meme reveals a great, great lack of understanding of Islam, far more than it does about the "right" way to recieve communion.
Islam, having co-opted the prayer postures of the Christian East, would likely not see an issue with standing to receive Communion, which is the most ancient practice.
It is not just about standing but about reverence and the sloppy casualness of dress and manner of the EMHC . Muslim reverence is profound and what he sees in this meme exudes not the reverence due to Allah or to Jesus! This orthodox video is excellent and could well be used to catechize Catholics and if Catholics received standing but from a cleric and as shown in this video, I would praise standing! And so would the Muslim!
Forgot the video!
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=WPj7z72VgT0&ra=m
I’m glad K is so solicitous of Islam but not Catholicism. I wonder if he is worried about having his head separated from his shoulders?
Fr. ALLAN McDonald - Having been inside at least half a dozen mosques in different parts of this country, I must suggest that, well, you don't know what you are talking about.
Muslims attend mosque prayers in a variety of "fashions," from suit and tie to jeans and tee shirts. (In all of the mosques I have visited the men and women sit separately.) Some have come from work and are, well, sweaty and dirty. Some come from home and arrive neat and clean. All wash before entering, at least symbolically, remove their shoes, and line up on a place that is kept clean for prayer.
The imams in the mosques I have visited are wearing a suit and tie, a suit with no tie, or something very similar to a galabiya, a long, loose-fitting robe.
And the women in the mosque were distributing Holy Communion without proper dress? Go reread my post, your reading skills or glasses are betraying you.
Fr. ALLAN McDonald - If you think 1) that Muslims distribute Holy Communion in mosques or 2) that you get to determine what is "proper dress" then you are less intelligent than I give you credit for.
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