“…at his feet weeping…”
This lesson is a catechesis on the gesture or posture of kneeling to receive Holy Communion. The General Instruction of the Roman Missal states:
The faithful may communicate either standing or kneeling, as established by the Conference of Bishops. However, when they communicate standing, it is recommended that they make an appropriate gesture of reverence, to be laid down in the same norms, before receiving the Sacrament.[1]
How long has kneeling at communion been a universal practice of the Roman Rite and why is there a movement away from kneeling? According to Fr. Joseph A. Jungmann (see Appendix D), kneeling has been a firm universal norm since the fourteen century. Pope Benedict XVI gives insight into why there is a push to move away from the 700 year norm of kneeling for the reception of Holy Communion.
There are groups, of no small influence, who are trying to talk us out of kneeling. “It doesn’t suit our culture,” they say (which culture?). “It’s not right for a grown man to do this he should face God on his feet.” Or again: “It’s not appropriate for redeemed man—he has been set free by Christ and doesn’t need to kneel anymore.”[2]
We see many figures in Scripture who kneel, such as the leper, the hemorrhaging woman and others. Are they any less dignified when they kneel before the Lord? For that matter, is Christ Himself, “…Who, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God something to be grasped…” (Philippians 2:6) less dignified because He knelt in the garden? Standing may be associated with an encounter of the Resurrected Lord, yet Mary Magdalene, who was the first to encounter the Risen Lord, “…approached, embraced his feet, and did him homage” (Matthew 28:9).
“Kneeling does not come from any culture – it comes from the Bible. It is knowledge of God. The central importance of kneeling in the Bible can be seen in a very concrete way.”[3] It is safe to say that kneeling is commensurate with Catholic culture. Saint Paul writes, “…that at the name of Jesus every knee should bend, of those in heaven and on earth and under the earth…” (Philippians 2:10). If all men should kneel at the very name of Jesus, why would we not kneel when we receive Jesus in Holy Communion?
POP CULTURE CONNECTION - Flash Mob “O Holy Night”
A group of singers decided to go to the local mall at the height of the Christmas shopping season. The last song they sing is O Holy Night. Actors portraying the Holy Family come out, and we see perfect strangers begin to kneel at the sight. Everyone present listens and watches in awe. This is just a simple, beautiful song with actors merely portraying the Holy Family, and observe their reaction! How much more should we fall on our knees at the very sight of Jesus, truly present in the Holy Eucharist?
What does kneeling tell us about our prayer, belief and life as a Catholic?
1. Kneeling at the consecration during Mass expresses the role of Christ and of the Church. The priest standing in the person of Christ and the communicant are not equal. The priest in persona Christi is the living icon of the presence of the Bridegroom and mediator of the Blessed Sacrament. The communicant is the bride, the receptor of the gift being given.
2. Kneeling is scriptural. Saint Bernard gives a wonderful and intimate picture of Christ and the faithful. The faithful, who are sinners, approach Jesus in humility and repentance. They do not just walk up to Jesus, but as with the example of so many in Scripture, they approach on their knees or fall down. Saint Bernard says that the sinner is on their belly and grasps at the feet of Christ, the lowest part of His body, begging for mercy. When the sinner looks up, he does not immediately behold the face of Christ, but rather the hand of Christ inviting the repentant sinner to stand. The sinner is pulled up by the strength and grace of Jesus, and then can embrace and kiss Jesus.
Saint Peter – “When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at the knees of Jesus and said, ‘Depart from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man.’” (Luke 5:8).
The Leper – “And then a leper approached, did him homage, and said, ‘Lord, if you wish, you can make me clean.’” (Matthew 8:2)
Jairus – “One of the synagogue officials, named Jairus, came forward. Seeing him he fell at his feet and pleaded earnestly with him saying, ‘My daughter is at the point of death. Please, come lay your hands on her that she may get well and live.’” (Mark 5:22-23).
“While he was saying these things to them, and official came forward, knelt down before him, and said, ‘My daughter has just died. But come, lay your hand on her, and she will live.’”(Matthew 9:18).
Woman with a Hemorrhage – The woman reached out in faith to touch the cloak of Jesus as He passed through a crowd. The woman was cured by a single, silent touch. “The woman realizing what had happened to her, approached in fear and trembling. She fell down before Jesus and told him the whole truth.” (Mark 5:33).
A Father – “When they came to the crowd a man approached, knelt down before him, and said, ‘Lord, have pity on my son, for he is a lunatic and suffers severely; often he falls into fire, and often into water.’”(Matthew 17:14).
The Rich Young Ruler – “As he [Jesus] was setting out on a journey, a man ran up, knelt down before him, and asked him, ‘Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?’” (Mark 10:17).
The Roman Soldiers – The Roman soldiers knowing how reverent kneeling was, chose this posture to mock the King of Kings. “They began to salute him with, ‘Hail, King of the Jews!’ and kept striking his head with a reed and spitting upon him. They knelt before him in homage.” (Mark 15:18-19).
Mary Magdalene - Mary Magdalene and Mary on the day of the Resurrection are told by an angel at the tomb to go quickly to the disciples and tell them that Jesus has been raised from the dead. They quickly and obediently go to the disciples. “And behold, Jesus met them on their way and greeted them. They approached, embraced his feet, and did him homage.” (Matthew 28:9).
Saint Stephen – “Then he [Stephen] fell to his knees and cried out in a loud voice, ‘Lord, do not hold this sin against them’ and when he said this, he fell asleep.” (Acts 7:60).
3. Kneeling is incarnational. Jesus proclaims, “I am the living bread that came down from heaven; whoever eats this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world” (John 6:51). When we kneel before the Host that is the Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus, descending from above, Divinity from above, shares in humanity below, and then humanity is raised to become like God.
4. Kneeling is communal. When communicants wait at the communion rail, sometimes called the altar table, it is as if the communicants are at table. It is at this table that all gather, and it is at this table that they are served the Blessed Sacrament. The community comes to kneel at one table and is served one meal. No one sits at the head of the table, and no one, unless they are unable to receive our Lord, can be turned away. Kneeling at the communion rail is personal, and at the same time communal, for at the communion rail each individual awaits his own personal encounter with Christ. Communicants patiently wait as Christ draws near. In churches that do not have a communion rail, communicants might kneel at the step of the sanctuary. Whether there is a communion rail or not, the communicants are both united in their waiting together, while at the same time individually awaiting their Lord.
5. Kneeling is dignified. When the knight is knighted by a king, he kneels before the king. This action shows dignity to both the king and the knight. It shows dignity to the king because it is a sign of reverence. We, the faithful members decrease, so that He, Jesus Christ the King, can increase. Kneeling reveals dignity on the part of the knight, because the knight presents himself as an unworthy servant. When he is knighted by the king, he arises a new man, with dignity and strength. We say to our Lord, “Lord, I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof, but only say the word and my soul shall be healed.”[4] In our unworthiness we kneel and present ourselves to Him, and then arise in newness of life, filled with dignity and strength.
6. Kneeling differentiates. The Gospel of John says, “…And the Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us, and we saw his glory, the glory as of the Father’s only Son, full of grace and truth...” (John 1:14). The Mass is primarily in two parts, the Liturgy of the Word, and the Liturgy of the Eucharist. During the Liturgy of the Word, we stand to receive the Word of God proclaimed in the Gospel. During the Liturgy of the Eucharist, if the communicant chooses to kneel to receive Our Lord, a distinction is made: standing to hear the Word of God, and kneeling to receive Him in Holy Communion. This distinction is theologically correct for the Word of God is a spiritual presence, while the Word made Flesh in the Eucharist is the Real Presence, a physical presence.
Over the centuries the Church has always characterized the moment of Holy Communion with sacredness and the greatest respect, forcing herself constantly to develop to the best of her ability external signs that would promote understanding of this great sacramental mystery. In her loving and pastoral solicitude the Church has made sure that the faithful receive Holy Communion having the right interior dispositions, among which dispositions stands out the need for the Faithful to comprehend and consider interiorly the Real Presence of Him Whom they are to receive (See The Catechism of Pope Pius X, nn. 628 & 636). The Western Church has established kneeling as one of the signs of devotion appropriate to communicants. A celebrated saying of Saint Augustine, cited by Pope Benedict XVI in n. 66 of his Encyclical Sacramentum Caritatis, ("Sacrament of Love"), teaches: “No one eats that flesh without first adoring it; we should sin were we not to adore it” (Enarrationes in Psalmos 98, 9). Kneeling indicates and promotes the adoration necessary before receiving the Eucharistic Christ.[5]
From this perspective, the then-Cardinal Ratzinger assured that: "Communion only reaches its true depth when it is supported and surrounded by adoration" [The Spirit of the Liturgy (Ignatius Press, 2000), p. 90]. For this reason, Cardinal Ratzinger maintained that “the practice of kneeling for Holy Communion has in its favor a centuries-old tradition, and it is a particularly expressive sign of adoration, completely appropriate in light of the true, real and substantial presence of Our Lord Jesus Christ under the consecrated species” [cited in the Letter "This Congregation" of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, 1 July 1, 2002].[6]