14 June 2011

Catholic Instincts ... Again!

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I banged on about Catholic instincts recently, and Fr Tim's post about the CBCEW trying to get Rome to make queueing in a line for standing Communion, and the Archdiocese of Westminster trying to unmake altar rails even a historical part of Catholic worship, makes me realise just how spot on CCFather was when he identified the lack of a Catholic instinct as being the mark of our Bishops today.

I'm afraid, however, that I'm becoming radicalised by this discovery: radicalised towards what Vatican II taught us, and not what those who preach in VII's name teach us.  VII is about resourcissement, the return to our roots, and aggiornamento, the unambiguous making clear today to people of today what we have always believed. 

Kneeling in adoration is our vocation, and has been since the foundation of the Church; and the separation of Sanctuary from the world, marked off by a railing that nevertless permits the Faithful to approach and receive their Saviour, allows us to mark and symbolise both the reality of Christ present at the Altar, and His willingness to see his creatures approach the Holy of Holies - sounds Catholic to me!

So: No to the CBCEW!  No to Westminster!  They don't understand, and because they don't understand they've got it wrong.  And the thing they've got wrong really matter, even if they don't understand why.

What do we do?  Well here's a start.  Next Sunday, try to catch your Priest after Mass and say that while you don't want to make trouble, the CBCEW has said that communion kneeling down is our inalienable right, so from the feast of the Assumption on, you (we!) will be kneeling for Communion, and while we don't want to make a big thing of it, we'd like him to be aware that it's on its way.

What do you think?

3 comments:

Richard Collins said...

Excellent! I have never stood to receive Our Lord and don't intend to start now.

Left-footer said...

Yes! Completely with you.

Genty said...

The Bishop of Rome hath no jurisdiction in this Realm of England.
So when the Pope indicates he wants people to kneel to receive Holy Communion, what would you expect?
The bishops of England and Wales are faithfully adhering to Article 37, in the "spirit" of Vatican II, after all; completing the Reformation is work in progress. Catholics have urgent need of St. Michael in this day of battle.