Malurgy

[johnquinn39]

The idea of installing altar rails has also been mentioned.

Deo gratias.

I do not agree.

Installing altar rails would be an act of wholesale idolatry and vandalism.

[gwyn]

Since it our Lord that we receive: body, blood, soul and Divinity, then it is only right that we kneel in his presence and to receive him. In Acts 10:26 Peter tells Cornelius to "Get up, for I am only human". It is difficult not to conclude, therefore, that in the presence of Christ we should kneel.

Altar rails? Yes please.

[johnquinn39]

Altar rails? Yes please.

No thanks

[musicus]

As reported by Catholic World News, 31 August 2011:

A Scottish archbishop has announced that the faithful should receive Communion standing, arguing that “kneeling at the altar rails (where they continue to exist) is not the practice envisaged by the instructions in the Missal.”

In a letter to his priests, Archbishop Mario Conti of Glasgow said that the General Instruction to the Roman Missal calls for the faithful to file up and receive Communion standing. The text actually says that “the faithful communicate either kneeling or standing, as determined by the Conference of Bishops.”

Archbishop Conti did not instruct his priests on how to approach Catholics who kneel for Communion despite his directive. In 2002, the Vatican’s Congregation for Divine Worship said that Catholics who wish to kneel when receiving Communion should not be required to stand. Refusing to administer Communion to those who insist on kneeling would be “a grave violation of one of the most basic rights of the Christian faithful,” the Vatican said.

Phew! So that's OK then. Gwyn's post had me wondering whether I (and millions of others) had been getting it wrong all these years.
OTOH and IMHO, John's talk of idolatry and vandalism is pure hyperbole. Let's not get carried away and confuse our opinions with facts.

[alan29]

Since it our Lord that we receive: body, blood, soul and Divinity, then it is only right that we kneel in his presence and to receive him. In Acts 10:26 Peter tells Cornelius to "Get up, for I am only human". It is difficult not to conclude, therefore, that in the presence of Christ we should kneel.

Altar rails? Yes please.

There is nothing in the gospels that leads us to believe that Jesus expected those around him to approach him on their knees.

[nazard]

If you look at 2 Chronicles chapter 4 you will see that the temple is split into two parts: verse 22 specifically mentions the doors of the inner temple, the Holy of Holies. Now, if it had doors, it is reasonable to suppose that they were in some sort of wall or barrier. Even if they stood hanging on free standing posts, they were there. There is therefore a strong precedent for having the sanctuary gates, even if there is no rail. Do you know of any church where the rail has been removed and the gates left standing? Of course, if we no longer consider mass to be holy, then we won't benefit from a holy of holies to celebrate it.

It has been the long practice of christians to separate the sanctuary from the nave with a barrier. The iconostasis of the orthodox is the most notable example, but here in England we have a fine tradition of rood screens. Where did the idea that there should be no division come from?

This whole thread is unfocused because it is based on this invented word "malurgy" (some sort of lurgy?) which was not defined, but merely illustrated by a few examples of contemporary liturgical practice, some questionable and others laudable. Can anyone define "malurgy" satisfactorily? Is it ever likely to make the OED? Beth ydy "malurgy" yn gymraeg? Or yam-yam?

[alan29]

Thought we worshipped under the new covenant?

[nazard]

So?

[contrabordun]

I suppose the implication is that, 3000 years later, the layout of Solomon's temple is not necessarily binding upon us?

[nazard]

While not binding, it is an example for our guidance.

[alan29]

Any other ritual laws from Leviticus that we need to be guided by?
Sorry, but when appeal is made to the practises of another faith ............

[nazard]

Mea culpa, I always thought that the new testament followed on from the old, and that its books were considered canonical. I stand corrected.

[JW]

Not sure that we should be looking at Chronicles or anywhere else in the OT for liturgical guidance! There's a lot in there that the Catholic Church rejects anyhow (purification rituals, tithes, etc.). St Paul and Hebrews had a few words to say to those who wanted to stick to the Old Law.

Someone more erudite will correct me, but post Vatican 2, the Church tried to become more inclusive, to reach out to people. One of the myriad changes was to minimise the barrier between people and sanctuary in church - by removing altar rails. I believe the Orthodox churches stand and do not kneel, including for reception of Communion. And Orthodox liturgy has changed much less than RC liturgy since the days of the early Church. Many Orthodox churches, I believe, still retain their screens of icons. Anyway, Catholics tend not to kneel even when suggested in the rubrics - they prefer to sit on the front edge of their pews; if there are chairs instead of pews they just sit!

For those Catholics who prefer to receive Holy Communion kneeling at the altar rail, there are still churches with such facilities and I would hope priests are flexible enough to accommodate those who wish to receive in this way. Also, surely, there is nothing to prevent someone in a standing Communion queue kneeling to receive?

[nazard]

I have thought of kneeling, but where our pp stands he has his toes right on the edge of the sanctuary step. It would be interesting to see how high he jumped, but it may not contribute to the sense of awe of receiving communion...

[BobHayes]

Francis Cardinal Arinze, in his introduction to the current print of Vatican II document Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy, notes:

The danger is that some people seem to think that inculturation in the liturgy encourages free and uncontrolled creativity. (p. 7)

and

Some people think that liturgical renewal means the removal of kneelers from Church pews, the knocking down of alter rails or the positioning of the alter in the middle of the sitting area of the people. The Church has never said any such thing. (p. 9)

Unfortunately it appears that Vatican II is interpreted as an 'access all areas' pass by some people.