Obedience amidst Current Controversies – Posture Regarding
Reception of Holy Communion
Hello my brothers and sister in Christ!
I hope this writing finds you amidst a prayerful and blessed Advent season!
Being recently married, I have found that one of my favorite rituals in my new
home with my husband is looking over the Catholic News Agency feed over my morning coffee. We ran across a rather surprising article about the Archdiocese of Chicago, the title of the article being, “Cardinal Cupich asks Catholics ‘to receive holy communion standing’ in the Chicago Archdiocese”. My husband and I have been receiving on the knees for years, as well as most members of my family who are able to kneel receiving communion. It has been an important element in reception of Christ with utmost reverence and love, looking up to His powerful presence and affirming the truth of it after the priest says “The Body of Christ”. However, not everyone receives on their knees. Most receive standing, as this is what has been predominantly taught since the reforms that have come from Vatican II. What I would like to discuss today in this article are the points that Cardinal Cupich makes that I agree with, question, or disagree with.
As a sort of disclaimer, I want readers of this article to understand that though I may
have disagreements with this Cardinal, it does not eliminate the fact that he is a
Cardinal, and thus holds an office of authority which ought to be respected. Too often
Catholics are quick to disparage authorities whom they disagree with, and I hope that
this article offers a space of respectful disagreement and further discussion. I
encourage all readers of this article to read the letter Cardinal Cupich has written. That
way, if you find any fault in my representation of his words, you can discern what you
think his argument is.
In Cardinal Cupich’s letter, he emphasizes the importance of the actions that take
place during the Mass, most notably, the processions. We process into the Mass, we
process with the offerings, and we process for Communion. Cardinal Cupich states,
“[Processions] give us a sensible experience of what it means to be a pilgrim people,
helping us keep in mind that we are making our way together to the fullness of the
heavenly banquet Christ has prepared for us”. I agree with him here – the actions that
take place during the liturgy matter greatly. This was one of the most impactful insights I gained in my classes on the Mass in my time at Marian University. The actions we do
are done together; the sign of the cross, kneeling, standing, sitting, reciting prayers,
singing, etc. They communicate that the movement of the Body of Christ ought to be
united and pilgriming towards Heaven together. I applaud this point, especially
considering that my Senior Seminar Theology paper was regarding the problem of
personal piety overrunning the public liturgy! In regards to the procession for
Communion, Cupich says that, “Nothing should be done to impede any of these
processions, particularly the one that takes place during the sacred Communion ritual.
Disrupting this moment only diminishes this powerful symbolic expression, by which the faithful in processing together express their faith that they are called to become the very Body of Christ they receive”. It is at this point in his letter that I have some concerns.
Firstly, I have a problem with his lack of direct citation to any documents in
Vatican II. Although he is a cardinal who has likely been thoroughly versed in these
documents, it is dangerous to make claims upon these documents without direct
citation. I can already feel the haunting aura of the Spirit of Vatican II. What I mean by
this is that many have abused specific quotes from Vatican II documents to push
agendas that are not aligned with the whole teaching of the council. While I am not
claiming that this is Cardinal Cupich’s intention, it would be pastorally prudent to cite
more specifically the documents that bring us to discouragement of reception on the
knees. Also, a benefit of citing these documents specifically allows your flock to also be
more well-versed in these crucial reforms to the liturgy.
Secondly, in his letter, Cardinal Cupich states, “…no one should engage in a
gesture that calls attention to oneself or disrupts the flow of the procession. That would be contrary to the norms and tradition of the church, which all the faithful are urged to respect and observe.” Again, this is a place where it would be helpful to cite what norms and traditions Cupich is referring to, because without the citation, his claims are easily refutable. He is not wrong that according to the General Instruction of the Roman Missal, “The norm established for the Dioceses of the United States of America is that Holy Communion is to be received standing, unless an individual member of the faithful wishes to receive Communion while kneeling”(GIRM 160), but it does not discourage the faithful from receiving communion kneeling, nor does it describe reception on the knees as something that calls attention to the faithful. What I found most concerning about the letter is describing those who receive on their knees as attention seeking.
Nothing is further from the truth! Everyone that I know who receives on the tongue does so because it is how they were raised to receive communion, and do not see those receiving on their hands as irreverent or careless. This comment in the letter is possibly more disruptive to the unity in the procession than any kneeling recipient. I worry this could be an alienation of those who are just accustomed to an alternate tradition.
This all brings me to my last concern – is this what we ought to be concerned
about? While I still agree with his assertion that symbolism is deeply important to the Mass and public liturgy, I would argue there has been an over-emphasis on the
communal aspect of the Eucharist. Becoming nit-picky about our posture when we
receive the Blessed Sacrament distracts us from more key issues we face in the
Church. America is facing a divided Church – topics like abortion, euthanasia,
immigration, nationalism, liberalism vs, conservatism, racism, sexual morality etc – the
posture that we receive communion is not going to truly address those controversies, it
only makes it appear as if we did. Perhaps, instead of alienating those who have
received on their knees for years, we could incorporate things surrounding the liturgy to discuss our differences. While I do not personally agree with every aspect of Cardinal
Cupich’s request that congregations receive standing, I think it has allowed a space for
cordial discussion and debate. The concept of obedience though there is disagreement
in the Church has been something my mind has been chewing on more lately, and I
hope to write more posts about this down the road.
Ora et Labora
-Emily Griffin
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