You all know that I have only just recently returned to the Catholic Church after 25 years in the Evangelical Church. When I left the Church so many years ago… we (Catholics) were turning away from some traditions (with small t) and norms in the Mass. Some of these changes were a very good thing, in my book, others I wondered and was quite puzzled about; I was a bit confused over them.
First, the Priest has turned around to enhance the idea that we are all gathering AROUND the ‘table of the Lord’. We are drawn into the ‘conversation’ and Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. No longer is it just for the Priest and God, but now we are actually invited into the most Holy Sacrifice - more intimately. THIS is TRULY a good thing! One of the other good things was the language of the Mass. As a child I had NO idea what was going on in the mass when it was in Latin, I never took Latin, so it was always foreign to me! I am sure that I was not alone. My older sister tells me that the missals contained both Latin and English on opposing pages. I wouldn’t know. Being one of eight children, my parents couldn’t afford missals for all of us. Once the language went to English, I remember being IMMEDIATELY drawn into the Mass, and when the New Alter was turned around, I could not only hear in English but witness and participate with my own eyes, my ears, my heart, soul and spirit more FULLY in the Liturgy.
However, other changes puzzled me. For example, ‘reverence’. We no longer knelt when receiving Holy Communion. Additionally, we were now receiving the Blessed Sacrament … the Eucharist in the Hand, then picking it up with our own fingers, and putting it in our mouth. I thought, wow, is the Eucharist no longer thought to be HOLY? Again, I am sure that I was not alone. I always liked receiving it on the tongue but I thought we should conform and be ‘progressive.’ Who am I to make the rules? At first people bowed and/or genuflected before receiving standing in the hand, but that became less and less. Receiving Communion started to become mundane and … seemed to me to be ‘cafeteria’ style communion. Upon, returning after 25 years, I see more evidence of change. VERY few people genuflect or profoundly bow (if physically unable to genuflect) before entering the pew. Nor do they genuflect when leaving or turning their back to the tabernacle where Jesus is present – Body, Blood, Soul, Spirit and Divinity in the Eucharist. This truly made me sad. I am especially sad when parents genuflect, but their children walk right by them as they do and slide into the pew. They are not ‘training them in the way they should grow.’ Do not get me wrong… it is not everyone who does this… but it is becoming the norm. I am sure; once the future gray heads replace the gray heads in the church today, I bet no one will be genuflecting at all. This I do not think is good. We are losing the sense of Holiness that was missing in the protestant churches I attended.
I DO NOT bring up this topic of reverence to start a movement and insist that everyone start Kneeling and receiving on the tongue; nor do I INSISTS you train your kids how I think you should. I bring this up to create an awareness of what the SACRED TEACHING of the Church is - universally. I have been told many times in the past that standing for Communion was the ‘new norm’. Well, that is really just in the USA. MOST of the rest of the Catholics in the world still receives Kneeling and on the Tongue. I was astonished. One of the reasons I was given for not kneeling to receive the Eucharist and receiving in the hand, was that, In the Eucharist; we are transformed, made like Christ when we receive communion. Therefore, we are all united in Christ and Christ is in us, Furthermore we, are all bringing Christ’s presence to all we meet. I was given this reason, as to why we do not need to kneel, bow, or receive on the tongue. It sounded ‘good’ but I was never comfortable with that stance. For me, I know that Christ is IN ME. AS I receive the Eucharist who is WHOLELY and COMPLETELY JESUS CHRIST PRESENT in the visible form of the Bread and Wine. He changes me and makes me more Christ like. Unlike a regular piece of bread that I eat where I take it in and make it a part of me… it is the opposite with Christ in the Eucharist. As I take HIM in to me at communion, HE changes me… into HIM, not the other way around. This makes me think that having reverence present in the Eucharist is just as much an obligation as it was in the 1950’s. Even though Christ comes into me, and gives me the grace to be more CHRSIT-LIKE and welcomes me into communion with the TRINITY, I in fact still am the mortal person named ‘Bill’. The EUCHARIST present in the Tabernacles of the World and right in my church is 100% JESUS CHRIST. Therefore, when I face or come into the church that holds the tabernacle that holds the EUCHARIST, that Holds MY LORD AND MY GOD, I feel blessed and in AWE of Him so I will bow as I come into his presence, before sitting down. I will bow before I turn my back to him, and I will bow to him before I leave and take Him in myself, after Holy Communion when I am sent forth at the end of Mass.
May I suggest to you that below are two links of videos that I came across reinforcing my understanding of faith and the church’s teaching on these subjects. I am glad the Church continues to hold high, her reverence for Christ Presence in the Eucharist. I ask you as we are coming to changes in the Mass this Dec. 2011, should we consider some more Returning to the Primary Norms of the Mass found in the UNIVERSAL CATHOLIC CHRUCH. I often wonder… did these changes contribute to the loss of so many Catholics like myself over the past 25-30 years? Do we need to take a second look, admit our error, and return to the Norms of the Roman Rite currently being demonstrated in Rome today? Again… I am NOT a revolutionist… I just miss the reverence of the Churches of my youth that created an atmosphere at church that was DIFFERENT from any other place I visited. This is a place where we come to be transformed… made HOLY… Set ASIDE… from the fancy-free and mundane nature of our society. When I was in the Evangelical Church… there was no mystery, not reverence… no real sense of Holiness or of being set apart. Upon my return, I still find that Holiness missing. Think about it, wont’ you? Pray about it? Talk about it and give it some thought.
Here are the video blogs about the Eucharist and how it should be received and what ‘permissions’ have been granted in its distribution. The first is form Cardinal Arenzie… a BRILLIANT CATHOLIC priest who is the Prefect of the Liturgy and Sacraments for Pope Benedict XVI. Please review them… there are additional links on these sites to study and explore on this and many other subjects.
Cardinal Arinze on Eucharist on Tongue and Kneeling and Standing in the Hand. Cardinal Arinze is the Apostolic Prefect for the Sacraments and Liturgy. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ap1KL2D5ae4&NR=1
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