A picture is worth a thousand words.
Posted on 07/18/2008 1:39:45 PM PDT by NYer
IN a return to tradition, the Pope will tomorrow offer communion to kneeling Catholics, and preferably on the tongue rather than in the hand.
The final World Youth Day mass at Sydney's Randwick racecourse will attract up to half a million worshippers and will be beamed to as many as a billion viewers around the world.
A firm believer in the importance and beauty of liturgical traditions, the Pope will seek to set an example to a massive audience with his return to pre-1960s ritual.
"The Holy Father has requested that those whom he gives communion to will kneel, and his preference is that they receive communion on the tongue," said Father Mark Podesta, an official World Youth Day spokesman.
However, these preferences will not apply to the crowds at the racecourse, who could be pressed for kneeling space.
"His request is not a mandate for the church, it's merely an indicator," Father Podesta said.
"He is concerned with the question of reverence.
"(Standing and receiving the host in the hand) could be open to irreverence. It's a reminder for those who watch it that this is very special."
The mass will also include a recital in Latin of the Our Father prayer, and a few other words in Latin, Father Podesta added. World Youth Day was an international event, he said, and the language of the church was Latin.
"World Youth Day is about communicating with youth," he said. "The Pope's message will be made in a way that youth can most easily identify with."
(Excerpt) Read more at theaustralian.news.com.au ...
I think if one were to truly reflect on what the Eucharist is, the only way to receive would be on their knees on the tongue.
My youngest son who had his 1st commumion this year receives on the tongue because I explained to him why I receive that way.
This is a beautiful thing.
As Pope doesn’t he have the power to make kneeling for Communion and receiving Communion on the tongue mandatory? Couldn’t he issue some sort of Papal Executive Order?
Way to go B XVI!
That would be wonderful, but the Pope knows he has to deal with a few stubborn bishops, and in a special way, in this country, so he has to go slowly.
He is a very wise man ... far better to lead by example. I just watched the Holy Mass from St. Mary's Cathedral. The vestments, music, gothic interior .... instilled a tremendous sense of reverence on those in attendance. It was reflected on their faces, closed eyes, bowed heads - most taking communion on the tongue. B-16 is an awesome shepherd.
And the Pope goes on.
The thing is the youth like it too!
The next generation gives me lots of hope.
I had watched the dedication of the new alter and it was a beautiful ceromony. That is a rare bird experence for me. Also I have heard that the VCII says that wooden alters are to be regarded as transition alters until marble alters like that one get installed. There was commetary on that during the ceremony of the dedication. A lot of parishes in the USA have wooden alters. Mines is one of them.
This younger generation is going to lead not only their parents back, but the whole of my generation back to true Holy Catholic Faith.
This Pope is laying the foundations. He knows the progressive Catholics are aging out bigtime. He is simply being patient.
Excellent! Parents are the first and primary teachers of their children. Too many parents leave the task of religious education up to the parish. It's appalling the number of parents who readily admit they never discuss God at home. They fully expect that over the span of only 15 hours, we will transform their children into theologians. Instead, Father and I invest a great deal of time on the basics - the Sign of the Cross, the Lord's prayer, the holy water font, the proper reverence to be shown when approaching the Sanctuary, silence during Mass, no food or gum - we're talking very basic information - and it must be repeated each week to the youngest children until it becomes 2nd nature. Nothing lights up this priest's face more than to see one of the 3 or 4 year old children come up for a blessing at Communion with hands folded and making a profound bow before the Body and Blood of our Lord. It is also encouraging to see some of their parents bring them to Mass on Sundays when there is no religious education.
I recently acquired a dvd on Children's Eucharistic Adoration. The priest who originated this concept is Fr. Antoine (don't know the order). It is just awesome to watch the transformation of squiggly little bodies into faces fixated on the holy Eucharist. When done on a regular basis, the children actually desire to be in our Lord's presence. Father Antoine shows them how to worship with their bodies by having them kneel, bow and continue to go down all the way to the floor. This makes us "small" (ie - humble) in the presence of God. He shows them the monstrance and explains how each of the rays emanates from God then points to the children to show how they are like the rays around the host. It is truly beautiful! Best of all, by 2nd grade, the children actually understand the Real Presence and truly appreciate silence during the liturgy. I plan to show this to Father and hopefully, we can begin our rel ed program this year with a Holy half hour ;-). Small steps ... patience ... gradual approach ... repetition ... more patience ... followed by the joy of witnessing the transformation not only in the children but in the parents because the children are the ones who bring their parents to Church on Sunday. As the prayer of St. Francis says: "Lord, make me a channel of your Peace". To see a 2 year old do metanoia before the altar while blessing herself, is truly a blessing to behold and enough encouragement to keep us going.
Speaking of transformations, if you watched yesterday's Mass from the Cathedral of St. Mary's, you saw sumptuous vestments used in a Novus Ordo liturgy imbued with sacred music and certain prayers said in Latin. I could not help but flashback to 2 years ago when pope Benedict XVI journeyed to Austria. What humility for this pontiff to don those garish blue-yellow tie-dye vestments. The contrast is so remarkable. Pope Benedict was elected only 3 years ago - it would be interesting to compile a thread showing the evolution of his vestments over that short time span. We can learn much from this pontiff's humility and patience. He is such a blessing to the Church!
We are seeing a Pope who is in full bloom during this year, first in America, now down under.
May God bless Pope Benedict with many years.
The Pope has full and immediate power to rule as Chief Shepherd over the whole Church, but I think he wants people to "TASTE AND SEE" and experience the reverence and splendor of the Traditional Liturgy and be drawn to its beauty. It could be "mandated" for every parish, but what's the sense of a bunch of resentful priest doin' the Latin thing mechanically for an uncomprehending congregation?
I think Benedict wants people not to be driven, but to be drawn. And this will take time. But it will happen.
I disagree. When Vatican II changes were implemeneted, they were mandated for all and it didn’t matter who liked it and who didn’t. The priests and the congregations were not crying for changes. There was much resentment for the new changes. Gradually over time it became accepted by Catholics, though not all. If the Pope was to mandate the changes now, it would become acceptable over time. The Pope is the Shepherd. What better way for the flock to taste and see than to actually have it available at their churches? I believe because it is the correct way to conduct the Mass, right will win out.
He is and this is wonderful news.
One of our girls will attend 2nd grade this year. I am trying to come up with a tactful way to request of the priest in the NO parish that Madelyn be allowed to take First Communion kneeling and on the tongue. The priest conducts fairly reverent services, but is not known for his embracing of traditional rubrics. I'm not sure how this is going to turn out. I do know that Madelyn and her younger sister next year will be taken to the Traditional Mass across town for subsequent Communions where I don't have to make special requests!
Where did you find that dvd? Our girls tend to be attracted to religious teaching geared to their age level but I really haven't seen much on media. And when I do it tends to be very expensive.
I couldn’t be a stronger advocate for the Latin Mass but I did happen to attend a TLM where some younger NO people were there to attend a Baptism afterward (having no prior exposure and perhaps not even aware Catholics had such a thing). It was obviously a shock to them and some of the expressions were quite pained. Perhaps some gradualism would be desirable here. We really don’t want some of the younger people who aren’t attuned to the wonder and reverence of traditional Catholic worship to be turned off and never come back.
Why wait until next year? We have several children in our parish who attend Catholic school. The parents asked where their child should make First Communion. Father assured the parents that the children should make First Communion at their own parish. This is a Maronite Catholic Church and communion is distributed by intinction and on the tongue - no EMHCs; no communion in the hand. The parish is viewed as a community and the sacraments are celebrated together, like a family. Optionally, the parents may elect to have the children also attend First Communion with their classmates at the RC Church. Would this work in your situation?
Where did you find that dvd?
The web site is http://www.childrenofhope.org. Keep in mind that the purpose of this dvd is to inspire Catholic schools and parishes to adopt Children's Adoration. It's focus is on demonstrating how children can come together and quietly show reverence to the Lord in the Blessed Sacrament. Watching it can lead to frustration as you will no doubt want to convince your pastor to try this out. Each time I mention it to my pastor, I sense hesitancy on his part. He has spent 7+ years trying to encourage parents to bring their children to Mass. Last year he asked me to take over as Director for Religious Education. This is no mean feat in such a small parish where the children range in age from newborn to 17. We had 22 enrolled in class last year. With only 3 volunteers, I grouped them preK to 1, 2-4, 5-7 and teen youth. Two of the volunteers will not be returning this year and it is a challenge to find others willing to come to Church so early and instruct diverse grade levels with one book. Then again, there is wide disparity in the children's exposure to religion. Two sisters, aged 10 and 12, joined the program last year. Neither had any religious education, nor had they even been baptized!
Catholic convert Steve Ray has just put out a series of dvd's that may be of interest to your children. Google his name. I may have some additional resources to pass along. Please freepmail me during the week to remind me, okay?
You are incorrect about this. Contrary to widespread belief, Vatican II did not mandate any changes of the Liturgy except for the use of vernacular languages (and even that was optional, not mandated.) Vat. 2 did not move the tabernacle from the front of the church; did not turn the priest around away from the tabernacle; did not abolish communion rails; did not forbid (in fact, strongly endorsed) Gregorian chant and the use of Latin; and did not change the Order of the Mass.
The Second Vatican Council stated in Sacrosanctum Concilium, 36:
1. Particular law remaining in force, the use of the Latin language is to be preserved in the Latin rites.
2. But since the use of the mother tongue, whether in the Mass, the administration of the sacraments, or other parts of the liturgy, frequently may be of great advantage to the people, the limits of its employment may be extended. This will apply in the first place to the readings and directives, and to some of the prayers and chants, according to the regulations on this matter to be laid down separately in subsequent chapters.
3. These norms being observed, it is for the competent territorial ecclesiastical authority mentioned in Art. 22, 2, to decide whether, and to what extent, the vernacular language is to be used; their decrees are to be approved, that is, confirmed, by the Apostolic See. And, whenever it seems to be called for, this authority is to consult with bishops of neighboring regions which have the same language.
It was Pope Paul VI, five years after the close of the Council, who published the Novus Ordo in the Roman Missal of 1970. The drastic changes it embodied were not mandated by the Council.
"...and it didn’t matter who liked it and who didn’t."
That's sure how it looked from the pews, but at the time most of us were woefully unaware that this was being foisted on us by bishops and bishops' conferences" (the former NCCB, now USCCB) and Pope Paul VI, unfortunately, did not use his authority to rein them in, since he was trying to follow the new emphasis on the authority of each bishop within his diocese ("particular law" as opposed to "universal law"), and of collaborating groups of bishops ("territorial ecclesiastical authority" as opposed to "the authority of the Holy See").
"The priests and the congregations were not crying for changes."
That's true of the laity for sure. But the changes were often carried leagues further, with ludicrous distortions, by individual priests who were in the "excited junior liturgist" mode. Tens of millions of people were disoriented, scandalized and broken-hearted by the changes and of these, millions up and left, while other millions stayed and suffered.
If the Pope was to mandate [restoration] now, it would become acceptable over time. The Pope is the Shepherd. What better way for the flock to taste and see than to actually have it available at their churches? I believe because it is the correct way to conduct the Mass, right will win out.
You may be right, but keep in mind that whole National Episcopal Conferences are basically telling the Pope "hell, no." When
(And then I went to Mass and came back.)
What I was waying was...
When Cardinal Dario Castrillon Hoyos, the head of Ecclesia Dei, the papal commission responsible for implementing the liberation of the 1962 Missal, celebrated a Pontifical High Mass at Westminster just last month, not a single bishop from Britain or Wales was in attendance.
In churchy etiquette, that's the equivalent of a phuque-tu, your excellency.
And the German, French and Dutch bishops are, if you can imagine it, even surlier.
Bxvi is trying to "restore all things in Christ" while keeping his bridge officers on board. But if the rats end up abandoning ship, it may turn out to be good riddance after all.
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