The Hidden Depths of the Mass #39

Standing or Kneeling

Prior to the Second Vatican Council, the normal practice was to receive Communion kneeling at the Communion rail.  Now the official practice in the United States is to receive standing.  Timothy P. O’Malley writes, “We stand and receive on the hand.  This is an ancient posture, one in which we welcome the Eucharistic Lord as one who stands upright, as a creature made for Eucharistic Praise” (“Hand or tongue?  Kneeling or standing?  Either way, receiving the Eucharist should be an act of communion.”  Our Sunday Visitor.  June 20, 2022.  https://www.oursundayvisitor.com/hand-or-tongue-kneeling-or-standing-either-way-receiving-the-eucharist-should-be-an-act-of-communion/).  There is some positive in kneeling.  The rubrics do not prohibit kneeling but we are encouraged to consider the importance of unity in posture.  We all stand as Mass begins.  We all sit as the readings are proclaimed.  We all stand for the Gospel, Creed, and Prayers of the Faithful. 

We all kneel in humility during the Eucharistic Prayer as the sacrifice of Jesus is offered.  We stand to receive Communion as having been raised up by Christ’s sacrifice.  Our unity in posture can be a sign of unity in what we believe.

(The previous articles in this series are available online at
https://renewaloffaith.org/bulletin-series-on-the-mass-2023/)