Kneeling has long been a standard practice in Christian worship. Some protestants claim that this practice is not biblical, but it doesn’t take long to find plenty of references in the Bible to show that kneeling was common during Christ’s time. Even Jesus knelt!
- After withdrawing about a stone’s throw from them and kneeling, he [Jesus] prayed (Lk 22:41).
- Peter sent them all out and knelt down and prayed (Acts 9:40).
- When he had finished speaking he [Paul] knelt down and prayed with them all (Acts 20:36).
- All of them, women and children included, escorted us out of the city, and after kneeling on the beach to pray, we bade farewell to one another (Acts 21:5)
So why has there been some recent emphasis in the United States, among Catholic bishops, not to kneel? The American bishops seem to have chosen to make standing to receive Holy Communion the norm in the United States. However, the General Instruction of the Roman Missal, updated in 2010, doesn’t agree with this (we’ve added emphasis to the most important part):
The norm established for the Dioceses of the United States of America is that Holy Communion is to be received standing, unless an individual member of the faithful wishes to receive Communion while kneeling (Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, Instruction, Redemptionis Sacramentum, March 25, 2004, no. 91).
Gaylord Diocesan Watch has received reports that Bishop Walsh is requesting recipients of First Holy Communion to receive Holy Communion in a standing posture. Our sources indicate that Bishop Walsh desires “unity” with the norm. But mandating standing for Holy Communion is in violation of the General Instruction of the Roman Missal. Furthermore, it’s not a sign of unity. As an example, the Diocese of Green Bay, Wisconsin, led by Bishop David Ricken, is encouraging kneeling. The Green Bay Diocese stated the following (we’ve added emphasis to the most important parts):
Pastoral care should be taken for those who choose to receive kneeling. He (Bishop Ricken) specifically recommends the use of kneelers.
Closer to home, the Diocese of Lansing, in their norms for receiving Holy Communion, state the following:
Communicants cannot be denied Holy Communion because they kneel.
As the First Holy Communion season approaches, will those families that demand a reasonable form of reverence to receive Holy Communion be given that choice for their children?