19/07/2025
EUCHARISTIC REVIVAL
The Church is clear that in the Novus Ordo Missae of Vatican II, the faithful may receive Holy Communion kneeling or standing; both are allowed. So why is it that even until now, there are still some priests allergic to kneeling and even deny those who wish to receive the Lord this way?
As St. John Paul II affirmed in Inaestimabile Donum (April 3, 1980, §11), "when the faithful communicate kneeling, no other sign is required, since kneeling itself is a sign of adoration." He reinforced this in Redemptionis Sacramentum (March 25, 2004, §§90–91), stating that "it is not licit to deny Holy Communion to any of Christ's faithful solely because the person kneels or stands."
The late Pope Francis, in his General Audience on March 21, 2018, during his catechesis on the Holy Mass, also emphasized that "the faithful may receive Communion standing, with devotion, or kneeling, as preferred."
Even earlier, St. Paul VI, in his *Instruction Memoriale Domini (May 29, 1969)**, while permitting Communion in the hand in exceptional cases, firmly taught:
"The method of distributing Holy Communion to the faithful has not changed in the Catholic Church; the faithful, as a rule, receive Communion on the tongue. This method must be retained…" (as a first class norm)
Pope Benedict XVI, known for his deep Eucharistic theology, also gave strong witness by personally distributing Communion on the tongue and kneeling during his papal Masses. In Sacramentum Caritatis (Feb 22, 2007, §65), he wrote:
"The way we receive the Eucharist ought to express our awareness of the greatness of this sacrament and our humility before God." This applies the principle of "Lex orandi, lex credendi." The way we pray reflects what we believe.
So, bakit may pari pa rin na ayaw magbigay ng komunyon kapag nakaluhod ang tao? May mali? Wala! Wala namang mali, 'di ba? Kneeling is not disobedience, it's devotion. It's a gesture of humility, a sign of reverence and above all, an external act of worship.
🙏 Let's pray for our priests, that they may always honor both reverence and mercy at the altar.