OMNE GENU FLECTATUR
Every knee shall bend Phil 2:10
The
Movement of Nations for Kneeling
Mother Teresa of Calcutta,
Society of the Missionaries of Charity:
God love you for your sincere
desire to see Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament better known, more fervently loved,
more humbly adored and more faithfully served throughout the world! I fully
support any organization which has this as its aim, and I will be praying for
you and all the intentions of The Movement of Nations for Kneeling.
Kneeling officially signifies adoration. (Ceremonial of Bishops, Nos.
68-72 p.36-37)
One waits for symbols and promises standing, but the
Reality, one receives with love and on ones knees. Pope Saint Pius X
The
Catholic Church has always offered and still offers the worship of
latria[adoration] to the Sacrament of the Eucharist. (Pope Paul VI, Mysterium
Fidei, 1965, n.56) No one eats of this flesh without having first adored it and
not only do we not sin by adoring but we would sin by not adoring. (Ibid., n.55,
St. Augustine, In Ts, Ch.98, 9:PL 37, 126)
The worship of divine
adoration must be given to Christ present in the Eucharist. (Ibid, n.55; Paul
VI, Address of June 15, 1978) The mission of this movement is threefold:
1. To restore and bring about increased, more humble and fervent
adoration, reverence and love for Jesus in the Holy Eucharist through receiving
Holy Communion worthily and in the best way possible, while kneeling and on the
tongue. (The communicant must of course, always be in a state of grace, having
received absolution in the Sacrament of Penance.)
2. To promote and
defend kneeling at the appropriate times during the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass,
especially during the Consecration.
3. To maintain and renew the
venerable practise of genuflecting and kneeling before the Blessed Sacrament,
whether enclosed in the tabernacle or publicly exposed, as a sign of adoration.
The mission of this movement is threefold:
1. To restore and
bring about increased, more humble and fervent adoration, reverence and love for
Jesus in the Holy Eucharist through receiving Holy Communion worthily and in the
best way possible, while kneeling and on the tongue. (The communicant must of
course, always be in a state of grace, having received absolution in the
Sacrament of Penance.)
2. To promote and defend kneeling at the
appropriate times during the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, especially during the
Consecration.
3. To maintain and renew the venerable practise of
genuflecting and kneeling before the Blessed Sacrament, whether enclosed in the
tabernacle or publicly exposed, as a sign of adoration
The great
importance and need for the Church to fulfill this mission is very clear:
1. Explanations from recent literature:
On kneeling in the
liturgy - If we attempt to banish or downplay the posture of kneeling we will be
doing serious harm to an element integral to Catholic liturgy. Jesus prayed
while kneeling. Kneeling was, from Apostolic times, the general custom. In the
Old and New Testaments, it is the posture of the New Covenant, when all fall to
adore God-with-us in Christ... the gesture which, as Isaiah had foretold, would
greet the coming of Gods Kingdom. This posture signifies profound adoration."
(A. Beards. Homiletic & Pastoral Review. Feb., 1992)
Kneeling and
faith in the Eucharist: Once more, the act of bending the knee before Jesus
Christ is not just a relative act, or an act that is based on culture. Rather it
transcends culture because it is an act that has scriptural, traditional, and
cosmic significance ... When Catholics worship by bending the knee in
Eucharistic adoration, they strengthen belief in the doctrine of the Real
Presence of Christ in the Eucharist, for themselves and for the entire Church.
And when they can and do not, they weaken it... Kneeling, as an act of latria
[adoration] of Jesus Christ... testifies to all four fundamental doctrines
better than the act of standing... if a person deliberately, and with full
knowledge, discourages kneeling at the Consecration or genuflection before the
Blessed Sacrament, he or she is anathema C.T.(cf.n.878) (Fr. Scanlan, Homiletic
& Pastoral Review. Aug.,1994)
"In order that the heart may bow
before God in profound reverence, the genuflection must neither be hurried nor
careless. (S.C.S.D.W. Inaestimabile Donum, 1980, No. 26, approved by John Paul
II)
This mission is to be wholeheartedly fulfilled in full communion
with official Church guidelines, strong recommendations and intentions of Popes
and the Saints, and long-established practise, throughout the Church. The models
for perfection are Our Lord Jesus Christ, Mary, Patroness and Mother of this
movement, and all the Holy Angels and Saints.
Receiving Jesus this way
is needed and best:
1. It emphasizes the uniqueness of this Holy Food as
compared with ordinary food.
2. It emphasizes the uniqueness of the
ordained priest touching the Sacred Species.
3. It emphasizes the
presence of Christ who is feeding His flock and fosters humility.
4. It
gives us a strong sense of identification with past Catholics and Saints who
have received on the tongue from time immemorial.
5. It minimizes the
danger of the Host being dropped or ignored. Reduces sacrileges/abuses.
6. It fosters a sense of unity in the Liturgy.
7. It reaffirms
the fact that Holy Orders is a sacrament that ordains a man to the priesthood.
8. It expresses complete obedience to the Church. (Challenge, Fr. F.
Heuser, p.3-4, June 1992)
2. Other authoritative statements:
Pope John Paul II: "I did not revoke what one of my predecessors has
said about this... here, my dear priests and my dear brothers and sisters, only
Communion on the tongue and kneeling is allowed... I say this to you as your
bishop!" (Sermon, March 1,1989, SS Nome Di Maria Church)
Pope John Paul
II, on Communion in the hand:
"There is an apostolic letter that the
existence of this special permission is valid. But I tell you, that I am not in
favour of it... neither will I recommend it!" Nov. 1980, Germany (101 Times,
Vol.4, No.2, 1992, tel:908-689-8792, USA)
Mother Teresa of Calcutta:
"Self-knowledge puts us on our knees and it is very necessary for love."
(Total Surrender, p.30)
"Further, it is the custom in our Society, and
my known wish, that the Sisters receive Holy Communion on the tongue, which to
my knowledge they are doing everywhere." (India,1995)
The Church
throughout centuries: To preserve and defend reverence, dignity and holiness due
to the greatest treasure in the Church, only kneeling, not standing, to receive
Holy Communion, always on the tongue, was allowed. "This method, 'on the tongue'
must be retained." (Pope Paul VI, Memoriale Domini, 1969)
St. Basil
(330-379AD; considered Communion in the hand a "great fault."
Council of
Rouen (650 AD); Do not put the Eucharist in the hands of any layperson, but only
in their mouths.
Council of Constantinople (695 AD); prohibited the
faithful from giving Communion to themselves.
St. Thomas Aquinas
(1224-74); "Out of reverence towards this Sacrament, nothing touches It but what
is consecrated." (Summa, Pt. III, Q.82, Art.3)
Visionary and stigmatist
Sister Agnes of Akita Japan: through Sister Agnes' wound, the nuns were led to
abandon Holy Communion in the hand and to receive Jesus on the tongue and
kneeling instead. (Akita, Approved by local bishop)
Examples from
Scripture:
"Every Knee shall be bowed to Me" (Is 45:23).
"As I
live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bend before Me" (Rom 14:11).
"...every knee must bend, in heaven and on earth and under the earth"
(Phil 2:10).
A Practical Reason:
Clergy who ask congregations to
kneel report: Returning to kneeling is actually reducing reception time by fifty
percent in the parish!
Worldwide appeal for help to fulfill this
mission:
1. It is our great hope and prayer that all religious societies
and orders, clergy, and laity will inspire and lead the entire Church, by God's
grace, in fulfilling this important mission. We appeal to all to help by prayer,
example, and word and to invite everyone to do the same.
2. We invite
all clergy and laity to ask and encourage the faithful to receive Holy Communion
on the tongue and while kneeling; to come and kneel in a line or semi-circle in
front of, along, and around the altar is the best proven and most efficient way,
the common practise for centuries throughout the world.
3. We encourage
the use and restoration of an elevated step, mat or floor padding, pews or
kneelers, or communion rails, where needed.
4. Since this is a matter of
ecclesiastical discipline, the practise of receiving Holy Communion in the hand
can be rescinded in any diocese.
5. We ask all cardinals, bishops,
clergy, religious and lay persons in every nation to please make, distribute or
write for copies of this document. Donations to cover costs are gratefully
accepted. Accurate and faithful translations of this flyer are encouraged,
available and can be reproduced in other languages to spread this movement to
all peoples. We encourage all to establish local chapters and/or informal
support networks.
***********
Thank you very much. May God bless
you, through the Immaculate Heart of Mary, for your diligent and generous
response to this appeal to and for the good of the whole Church.
Angel's
Prayer With the Blessed Sacrament suspended in the air, the Angel at Fatima
prostrated himself, and recited this prayer:
O Most Holy Trinity,
Father, Son and Holy Spirit, I adore Thee profoundly. I offer Thee the most
precious Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus Christ, present in all the
tabernacles throughout the world, in reparation for all the outrages, sacrileges
and indifference with which He is offended. By the infinite merits of the Sacred
Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary, I beg the conversion of poor
sinners.
Ecclesiastical approval: Fatima, 1930 Verified to be free of
theological errors by ecclesiastical authority. (December 11, 1995)
OMNE
GENU FLECTATUR The Movement of Nations for Kneeling Worldwide Apostolate: P.O.
Box 489, Station U, Toronto ON Canada M8Z 5Y8
Local Apostolate/Contact
John-Henry Westen jhwesten@wownet.kosone.com
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Last modified 12th March, 1997, by David Joyce.