Thursday, August 21, 2008

Yikes and yuck.

H/T to R. Leonardi for this "thing/incident/event/comparison":

A question on kneeling for communion sent to Fr. Z: Priest denies communion

And a lovely ditty written by a local priest: incongruity of a person insisting on kneeling to receive Communion

While I do not receive kneeling at the NO Mass, I do genuflect(or bow) before receiving. I can tell you that about 5 years ago, a priest in a Covington church...when I came up to receive...asked me if I was Catholic...(I promise I am not making this up)...because I had my tongue out to receive communion and not my HANDS. My voice trembled as I replied "yes". I returned to my pew in tears, thinking of all the people who profane and abuse our Lord in the Holy Eucharist DAILY. It was humbling and maddening all at once. It is stuck in my brain and it all came back after reading this entry. More disturbing was the comment on Fr. Z's site:
I witnessed the Rector of the Pontifical College Josephinum deny Holy Communion to a new seminarian for kneeling to receive. He was pulled aside after the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass and chastised.

When the seminarian later brought evidence supporting the legality of kneeling in Redemptionis Sacramentum with the appropriate member of formation, he was verbally abused and told to cease, which out of obedience he did.

Such a sad state of things today! Please pray for all Christ’s priests that they may be unswervingly loyal to the Magisterium!


The comments were getting heated and Father closed them, understandably.
Lord, help us.
UPDATE: I forgot about the time I was at another "older" church in Covington, when I was still single(maybe 14 years ago), went to confession, I was asked to leave the confessional because, as the priest said, "I can't give you absolution because those aren't really sins". Nice. Trust me, they were sins. Again, Lord help us poor folk here in Covington.

4 comments:

Deanna said...

In the 'lovely ditty' you refer to, the priest makes the statement,"we should feel incomplete having received the Eucharist under only one form. " Does he not know that the Church teaches that you have the fullness of the Eucharist if you receive under one or two forms? There is no 'incpmplete' when you receive Jesus!

Orthodox said...

At a Chrism Mass Celebrated about two years ago, the Bishop himself saw fit to walk right past me ( I was the only member of the faithful who knelt at the now unused communion rail).

Promtly, I arose and proceded to then kneel infront of His Lordship, and quite thankfully then communicated.

One can attribute the occurance to a lack of understanding, maybe Im just a little too outspoken, but nevertheless the entire incedent has remained with me until now.

Samantha said...

Oh My, I can not imagine being excused from reconciliation like that.. it's hard enough to get there without thinking you might be rejected! Ugh.

Joe of St. Thérèse said...

Let us pray for our future priests. I've been fortunate here in LA not to be denied for receiving kneeling. (THough I almost did in Orange)