Being Reverent

This week at Church, our priest made an announcement that Catholic Church policy, or at the Diocesan level, has changed. Apparently a newsletter was sent out to Parishioners in December 2007 titled Toward a Full, Conscious and Active Participation, it states:

As the worshipping assembly processes together in revernce and song, the food that is shared, is changing and transforming. Standing together until the last person has been fed, the assembly is transformed from individualism into one body.

Once the communion procession is completed the entire assembly kneels or sits to share in a moment of silence and thanksgiving.

1. Stand in line for communion
   
2. Music was sung or not
3. Receive communion and (optionally) the blood of Christ
4. Walk back to your pew
5. Kneel in silent prayer for a bit, length of time up to the parishioner -- could be 30 seconds to 2 or 3 minutes or more.
6. After we kneel and say our communion prayer, we are to stand up and wait for the last of the communicants in line to finish.
7. The priest washes the challice and puts away the cup and other communion related items.
8. ... (the end of the Mass)
   

This parts from the previous policy in which the routine was:

1. Stand in line for communion
2. Music was sung or not
3. Receive communion and (optionally) the blood of Christ
4. Walk back to your pew
5. Kneel in silent prayer for a bit, length of time up to the parishioner -- could be 30 seconds to 2 or 3 minutes or more.
6. Sit down quietly and continue singing along with the music that is being sun, or just be "quiet in the spirit" so to say.
   
7. The priest washes the challice and puts away the cup and other communion related items.
8. ... (the end of the Mass)

There was a time since about the early 90s where Catholics were instructed to stand in the middle part of the Eucharistic prayer. I thought this to be less reverent than the old time honoured policy of kneeling throughout. I still keep to the old rule, not because I like old things, but sometimes the old rules are better than the newer.

Also, after the Lamb of God prayer, before the Priest says ... I will kneel because this is also being reverent to the Holy Trinity.

People are so much like lemmings though. Most will do as you tell them to. I am however built a bit different I guess, thank God. After all, how often do we kneel in everyday life? Not very often. We mainly stand and sit. The act of kneeling is special. It is mainly reserved when we are in taking part in a church Mass or a service. Basically through the act of kneeling we are admitting that God himself is the higher being and that we fall prostate to Him.


So when the Catholic Church, or the Winnipeg Archdiocese puts out a new policy where we are to stand instead, that rings alarm bells, and makes me question just where these new policies are coming from?

What is the root of this change in policy? Who is the one who suggested the change? I don't think that it is the Pope, since he is too traditional for that kind of thing...

I need to find out more about this and hopefully in the next while I will have an answer... Perhaps an e-mail or letter to the Pope is in order here.