Standing during the Consecration. (A serious post.)
Where did this come from? (I really do know!) But I don’t like it, I always kneel - the rubrics instruct us to do so. I found a document wherein Fr. Joseph Fessio addressed this issue:
“It is not an insignificant detail. That is why the Church regulates the
posture as well as the words of liturgical celebrations. In this case, the rubric in force is from the General Instruction of the Roman Missal (GIRM). no. 21, requiring that people
“should kneel at the Consecration unless prevented by lack of space, large numbers, or other reasonable cause.”
This is the norm—and has been since at least 1201 A.D.—in the Roman Rite. The bishops of the United States of America asked for and received approval from Rome for the congregation to remain kneeling throughout the Canon of the Mass (from the end of the <Sanctus> through the Great Amen) and from the <Agnus Dei> until the
Postcommunion prayer. This remains the norm in the U.S. In fact, in June of 1995 at their annual summer meeting, the U.S. bishops rejected a proposal that kneeling at this time should be optional rather than mandatory.” - EWTN Library
Nevertheless, liturgists like to make up their own rules - read this from the bulletin Fessio is commenting on:
“It has to do with the slow recovery of the importance of the eucharistic prayer in the Mass. We are talking about the prayer that begins with “The Lord be with you,” “Lift up your hearts” and ends with the Great Amen. This is one prayer. It has an integrity of its own; and it is important not to single out one moment or part (such as the moment or words of consecration) as more important than the rest. To underline that integrity it is best to take the same bodily posture during the entire prayer. The eucharistic prayer is basically a prayer of praise and thanksgiving (even if it includes an intercessory part), and as a prayer of praise and thanksgiving it calls for the bodily posture of standing.
Moreover it is a communal prayer, a prayer of the community even if it is proclaimed by the presider. As a communal prayer it calls for all to take the same bodily posture.
At the heart of the sacrament of unity (which the eucharist is) we would not want to be doing different things. It is true that, for a long time, we did not have this appreciation for the eucharistic prayer. The moment and words of consecration were given so much importance that they virtually eclipsed the rest of the eucharistic prayer. Bells would be rung, the choir would not sing, everyone would observe silence, all but the priest would be on their knees. While all this spoke of immense faith and devotion, the disadvantage of that was (in retrospect) that we tended to overlook the rest of that one prayer of which the words of consecration are “only” a part.” - EWTN Library
I know - this is an old tired issue - but lately some bloggers have been reprising old issues, such as everyone going to communion in swimsuits, and chest-bumps and moose-licks during the sign of peace, etc., so I thought I’d throw this into the mix.
“I’m mad as hell and I am not going to take it anymore!” - A quote from C. of A. I think…or was that from ‘Network’?
ANYONE CARE TO COMMENT?
(I have to wonder if that Machu Picchu thing will even be taken seriously – that is if the Pope ever decides to release it!)
