E20: Unity of Posture as the Body of Christ

What is the difference between the practices of our personal prayer and those of community worship? Why does maintaining unity of posture during Mass matter?

Join us for this month’s episode of Catholicism 101 as we dig into why our Bishops call for outward unity in liturgical celebrations and what issues are actually caused by disregarding their guidelines for public worship.

Resources:

• Cardinal Cupich’s statement in Chicago Archdiocese Newspaper (Chicago Catholic) 12/11/2024
• Deacon Ken Bennett – WKC Article: “Sacrament of Unity: How to properly receive Holy Communion”
• Instruction on the Ecclesial Vocation of the Theologian | CDF
• General Instruction of the Roman Missal
• Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, Redemptionis Sacramentum

Transcript

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SPEAKER_00 0:09

Hi, friends. Welcome back to another episode of Catholicism 101 Forever Learning and Living the Faith. So a lot's happened since the beginning of April. It's currently mid-May when this is being recorded and uploaded. And, you know, we've had Easter, Pope Francis passed, and we um a week ago today, Pope Leo the 14th um was elected. So um I kind of want to uh take a second and just write remember how um excited everyone was a week ago, how everyone was going crazy. Uh there it was just a huge party of like we have a Pope, um, and the oneness that we all felt in that in the community. Um and just the the oneness and the unity of the Catholic Church really showed itself um in a beautiful, beautiful way whenever we saw that white smoke. And so as we move into this episode, I want us to keep um that excitement, the the fact that we were all celebrating um just such a good, beautiful thing altogether um in anticipation of hearing and seeing who our new Holy Father was. So uh just like the joy and the excitement and the beauty of that. It's not something that you experience that often. So I really I really want us to hang on to that because today we are talking about unity. And specifically, we're talking about our unity of posture during mass, our unity of posture as the body of Christ. Um and in specifics, we're we're really getting down to having unity of posture whenever we receive communion. And um, this is, I'm I'm gonna be honest, this is an issue that oftentimes is very divisive. Um people are very passionate on both sides of the matter. And so I kind of want to um explain the the reasoning behind why the magisterium has put forth the guidelines that she has. You know, number one, what are those guidelines? But number two, why has she done this? Um, like what is what is it based on? Um so do know in the in the resources linked in the show notes, um, I have like the general instruction of the Roman Missal. I have a document from the CDF uh written by Cardinal Ratzinger, whenever he was the prefect of the CDF. Um I've got the Congregation for the Divine Worship uh also linked in there. And then Deacon Ken Bennett, one of our own um, one of our own here in the Diocese of Owensboro, he wrote an article back in 2023 about how to properly receive communion as it is a sacrament of unity. And also um Cardinal Supich, he is uh one of the arch, he's the archbishop of um Chicago. And so he wrote a letter and an article in their archdiocesan newspaper called Chicago Catholic. So I have all of those things linked below. And um we're gonna we're gonna dig into why this matters and why um the church, the bishops, our priests, they're not just trying to pick fights. They're you know, it that's not at all what it's about. Um it's not just like uh I know better than you, so listen to me, kind of thing. That's not at all what it is. Um honestly, that's like kind of why we wanted to do this, is because we want um not only people to understand where the church is coming from, but also see the heart of the church as mother and wanting the best for her children and understanding how um our actions have certain implications, whether or not we intend for them to or realize that they are happening. So without further ado, let's get into it. So the Mass is a sacrament, the sacrament of the Eucharist. And sacraments are efficacious. Efficacious meaning that what they symbolize is actually happening on a much deeper level, is much more real than what we see. Um the the signs, the symbols, the things that we see, they give us a very clear idea of what is actually happening on like an ontological level, meaning like the deepest essence of reality, what's truly happening. Um I kind of want to give you this um like what's the word analogy. So um you can think of like baptism, right? Baptism is a sacrament of cleansing, right? And a sacrament of new life. Okay, so water can represent both life and death. You can't live without it, but you can also die it in like an overabundance of water kind of thing. So it represents both death and new life. Um, kind of the core of this is cleansing, cleansing from sin. So you you are washed in the waters of baptism as a sign that your soul is being cleansed by the blood of Christ. Okay, so um you can't baptize with anything but water. Okay, like you can't be baptizing um with like car oil. You can't be baptizing with car oil. If you're trying to do that, then that's actually a sacrilege. Because here's the thing the sacraments are efficacious, meaning that what is done in the symbolism is what is actually brought about. So if you're trying to baptize with like motor oil, I guess that's the correct term. What if you're trying to baptize with motor oil, what you're symbolizing is like making one's soul dirtier, like make like bringing it into further darkness. Um, that is not at all what baptism is or was instituted to be. And so um twisting that sign, twisting that sign is it is a sacrilege, you know? So we we we've got to be kind of aware of that. Now, the Eucharist is also referred to as communion, the word communion literally meaning common union. Communion is a synonym for unity, for oneness. Oneness being like the first mark of the church, I believe, in one holy Catholic and apostolic church. One comes first, okay? So here's the thing: receiving the Eucharist, receiving communion, it is not a private action, but rather a communal one, as the very word communion implies. When you receive communion, you become part of something greater than yourself, you become a larger part of the body of Christ, you become an integral part of the larger body of Christ. Background information. Because in order to maintain the symbolism, in order to maintain that symbolism of common union, communion, and receiving communion, being part of that larger body of Christ, the bishops ask us to maintain unity of posture as we receive Holy Communion. Now, I know that this sometimes can seem like it's splitting hairs or it's a my it's like minute. It doesn't really matter. But here's the thing: um, drawing attention to yourself, even though this more than likely is not the person's intention, uh, by receiving communion differently than the rest of the community, again, whether or not the person intends, it does symbolize division. It plants a seed for disunity and for scandal. So Cardinal Supic of the Archdiocese of Chicago, in December of 2024, he wrote an article, a letter, in the newspaper for the Archdiocese called The Chicago Catholic. And so this is what he had to say. 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. Now, in in writing this article, this letter, uh Cardinal Supic is drawing from the general instruction of the Roman Missal. And in the paragraphs that he is citing in this letter from the GIRM, he is citing from Redemptionis Sacramentum, which means sacrament of redemption. So those paragraphs from the GIRM, paragraphs 86 and then 160 through 164, that further cite redemptiones sacramentum, what they are are they address appropriate posture, gesture, and dialogue as established by the USCCB, by the Holy See. So what this says regarding posture, the norm established for diocese in the United States is that Holy Communion is to be received standing. Those who choose to kneel will not be denied communion. Now, regarding the appropriate gesture before receiving communion, the bishops ask that as our sign of reverence, as our communal sign of reverence, that each person as they approach to uh the minister to receive holy communion, they we are to bow our heads. We are to bow our heads as that sign of reverence. Now, as far as the dialogue, we are the minister will say the body of Christ, and you are required to say amen. Same thing for the blood of Christ. You are required to say amen. Um, sometimes um that seems like something that's oftentimes that's something people forget, especially like whenever you receive on the tongue. Sometimes it's really easy to forget to say amen and just stick your tongue out. But here's the thing: you gotta say amen. You gotta say amen. That's like a requirement. Um, so if if you are um if you're one that also prefers to receive on the tongue, um make make a make an intentional effort to say amen before you stick out your tongue. Okay. Notice how whenever the GIRM speaks about posture, it says the norm is that communion is to be received standing. They do say that uh those who choose to kneel will not be denied. Now, the phrasing and the way that they put that very obviously says that that is that is not the wish of the bishops, but also like we're not going to cause further division or scandal. Um, and like we're not gonna deny you the Eucharist. Uh, we're not gonna deny you the Eucharist because you're kneeling or you genuflect kind of thing. Um the heart of this is the bishops want the symbolism of our liturgy, of the mass, of the way we participate in mass, the way we receive communion, the the fullness of the symbolism of oneness, of unity. The church, mother church, and her wisdom and her goodness, just and her maternal instinct and care wants to maintain the integrity of the sacrament. Now, I I want to take a minute here to just give you a truth that's not always the most fun to receive. Um, it's it's one that causes a lot of inner conflict sometimes. Um just yeah, it it's the whole notion and truth that there are some things that are just not good to do, no matter what your intention is or what the circumstances are, they're just they're just not good to do. Um and you know, you can have the greatest, the most beautiful, most pure of intentions in um choosing to do something that um isn't gonna have good effects. You know, whether or not you realize it, um, regardless of your circumstances, uh, certain behaviors still have bad effects. Um though I will say that circumstances are able to lessen the degree to which you should be held accountable for these behaviors. Um, but nevertheless, it doesn't change the fact that these behaviors do not bring about the best effects. Um, they they don't bring out the most virtue, uh the highest level of excellence, um, that virtuous humble obedience that the Lord is calling us to when he calls us to die to self, to take up our cross and follow him. Now there's a twofold side to this. Um, when it comes to um being asked to stand and to bow when you receive communion rather than drop down on both knees or genuflect. Um, I first want to acknowledge that there is such a goodness and a beauty and a pureness in the heart that does that, that wants to do that, a heart that is just in love with the Lord and has a profound respect for the Lord. I want to affirm that because that is a good and that is a beautiful thing. There is a mysticism there and there is that deep love for the Lord there. At the same time, though, I do feel compelled to point out um that there some of our greatest saints, some of our greatest saints um did not always agree with the bishops or the pope or fellow priests, whatever it may be. They didn't always agree. Um, Padre Pio being one of the most prominent. Um, part of what made him so holy is his silent obedience and not fighting um what he thought was right with the bishops by his own power and by like doing public polling and dialoguing with um like just essentially trying to invoke a democracy over the bishops of the church. He didn't do that. The way he um the way he strived for reform and what he disagreed with was he took it to prayer. He laid it in the hands of the Lord and was like, Lord, if this desire, this conviction is truly of you, then I want you to handle it. There is this whole imitation of Christ in the agony of the garden of Lord, not my will, but your will be done. Also, um, in in this frame as well, Saint Faustina wrote that uh in her diary of when Christ would appear to her, she wrote that Jesus told her, the devil can imitate humility, but he cannot imitate obedience. There is such a fine line that the devil loves to make very blurry for us, um, whenever we're thinking, Is this truly righteous of me to do? Um is is it self-righteousness or um is it like a just anger or frustration and recognizing that is one of the hardest, most painful things we can do. Um just being honest with ourselves and realizing like, you know what, I'm not infallible. You know, we're we're concluding um the Eucharistic revival, and um, we've seen throughout the United States over the past three years just this devotion to uh Christ in the most blessed sacrament. We have seen this devotion and love grow. And this is so good, and this is so beautiful, and there is truly a mysticism and a deep love for the Lord there, and in um the desire to show him the utmost reverence, um, like physical reverence, you know. But here's the thing: we are still asked to submit to the authority of the church, and um, we're actually shown the hidden beauty of this, the hidden quiet beauty of this by the humility of Saint John, who is the beloved disciple. So this is um the story in John chapter 20, um where uh basically John and Peter run to the empty tomb. And I always love whenever this story comes up, like Easter Sunday morning, you know, because you get all of these like memes and jokes on Facebook of like, oh, like John put in like this, this like subtle flex, or um like he he he's just kind of like pumping himself up by being like the the the other disciple ran faster than Peter and got to the tomb first. So you see all that and it kind of makes me giggle, and like obviously that's really our first instinct as to how we read this. But although this story initially comes across as a humble brag from John about his athletic abilities, this story actually showcases John's virtuous, humble obedience much more profoundly. So this comes from John chapter twenty verses one through ten. On the first day of the week, Mary of Magdala came to the tomb early in the morning, while it was still dark, and saw the stone removed from the tomb. So she ran and went to Simon Peter and to the other disciple whom Jesus loved, and told them, They have taken the Lord from the tomb, and we don't know where they put him. So Peter and the other disciple went out and came to the tomb. They both ran, but the other disciple ran faster than Peter and arrived at the tomb first. He bent down and saw the burial cloth there, but he did not go in. When Simon Peter arrived after him and saw the burial cloths there, and the cloth that had covered his head, not with the burial cloths, but rolled up in a separate place. Then the other disciple also went in, the one who had arrived at the tomb first, and he saw and believed. For they did not yet understand the scripture that he had to rise from the dead. Then the disciples returned home. So John, in this account, the beloved disciple, with his incredible athletic abilities, throughout the history and tradition of the church, he has been the primary apostolic representation of the contemplative mystical life. So he teaches us the beauty and goodness of the spiritual life as that intimate relationship with the Lord. And this intimate relationship with the Lord then draws us up into the greater body of Christ, that is the church. Now, Peter, on the other hand, he is that rock on which Christ built his church. He forever stands as the representation and the embodiment of the authority of the church. And in Matthew chapter 16, verses 18 and 19, Jesus says, And so I say to you, you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven. Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. Now, the keys to the kingdom of heaven. Um that is that is the authority. That is the authority that Christ gives to Peter, the Petrine office to the magisterium. And um, you know, we recently saw those keys. We recently saw those keys uh all over everything with the election of Leo XIV. But part of the magisterium, you know, the magisterium is all of the bishops in union with one another and the Pope, who is a bishop. Now, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, this is one of like the offices of the Holy See, one of the congregations of the Holy See, headed by the Magisterium. In 1990, they released a document entitled Donum Veritatis on the ecclesial vocation of the theologian. And this was written by Cardinal Joseph. Ratzinger during his time serving as prefect for the CDF prior to his election as Pope Benedict XVI. Now, you might be like, hold up. Maybe, maybe you're not, but you might be like, hold up. What is the ecclesial vocation of the theologian have to do with any of this? With like the mystical life. Well, here's the thing. The the ecclesial vocation of the theologian, what is what is the role of the theologian within the church in service to the church essentially is um what this document is about. And though there is a difference between a formally academically trained theologian and then uh someone who studies theology informally, all who do theology, whether it be professionally, formally, academically, or just as like a personal hobby of study, um, an interest of yours, every single person who engages in theology, which is faith-seeking understanding, is bound to submit their um their ideas, their conclusions to the approval of the church. Now, understanding theology as faith-seeking understanding, as you as you grow in your relationship with Jesus, just like any other relationship, as you grow to fall more in love with someone, you naturally want to know more about them. And our relationship with Christ works the same way. You want to understand um why they are the way they are, you know, maybe not necessarily in a bad way, of like what what's what makes them take what's their favorite things, um, like how can I love you best, kind of thing. Our our relationship with Christ works the same way. And so doing theology in an informal sense is essentially our seeking to understand the one that we are in in this intimate relationship with, who is Christ. So I want to read this excerpt from a document released by the Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith that was actually written by Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger before he was elected as Pope Benedict XVI during his time serving as prefect for the CDF. So this document is entitled Donum Veritatis on the ecclesial vocation of the theologian. It says, The Church, which has her origin in the unity of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, is a mystery of communion. In accordance with the will of her founder, she is organized around a hierarchy established for the service of the gospel and the people of God who live by it. After the pattern of the members of the first community, all the baptized with their own proper charisms, so like your own spiritual gifts, with their own proper charisms, are to strive with sincere hearts for a harmonious unity in doctrine, life, and worship. This is a rule which flows from the very being of the church. For this reason, standards of conduct appropriate to civil society or the workings of a democracy cannot be purely and simply applied to the church. Even less can relationships within the church be inspired by the mentality of the world around it. Polling public opinion to determine the proper thing to think or do, opposing the magisterium by exerting the pressure of public opinion, making the excuse of a consensus among theologians, maintaining that the theologian is the prophetical spokesman of a base or an autonomous community, which would be the source of all truth. This indicates a grave loss of the sense of truth and of the sense of the church. The church is like a sacrament, a sign, an instrument that is of communion with God and of unity among all men. Consequently, to pursue concord and communion is to enhance the force of her witness and credibility. To succumb to the temptation of dissent, on the other hand, is to allow the leaven of infidelity to the Holy Spirit to start to work. Now, Benedict XVI, speaking as prefect on behalf of the congregation for the doctrine of the faith. It still applies to all of us as lay faithful, as um not members of the magisterium. Though I don't want that to underscore the fact of the census fidelium, the sense of the faithful, that is important and that is good, yes. But here's the thing: just as the CDF says, you you can't bring in the mentality of um democracy and like polling the public and all of this. You can't bring that into the church because um oftentimes the truth is not the popular opinion. You know, you think of like Robert Frost, the road less traveled, it's that kind of thing. Okay. Um the whole like truth hurts sometimes, truth hurts sometimes. Um, but as we grow and just fall deeper in love with the one who is truth itself, um, all of a sudden it's not a burden and it's not as scary. It's actually a source of peace and joy. So that's what um that's what the church in her in her maternal wisdom is is trying to guide us towards. As we grow closer to the Lord in this intimate relationship with him, like like John the beloved disciple, we are also growing what closer to one another in uh that larger body of Christ. So if we find that there is dissension and there's conflict between our personal relationship with the Lord and what the magisterium of the church has put forth for the benefit of the faithful as community, as communion of the body of Christ, we are called to a couple of things. First, we are called to an honest examination on our part of our role in the disruption of this unity, of our role in the dissension, the tension, the conflict. We have to honestly um examine ourselves. And that is one of the hardest things to do. Uh, you know, basically, like Holy Spirit shine a light. What what am I not seeing? And that is so hard. That is not fun, but it is so necessary. It is so necessary. Uh, the second thing we're called to do is seek that deeper understanding of why the church takes this particular stance. Again, it is that informal study of theology as faith seeking understanding. And third, the last thing um we are asked and called to do is exercise that humble obedience, um, not like begrudgingly, but with charity and love, because we don't want to cause any further division among the faithful. We are willing the good of the other for the sake of the other, especially in the midst of potential pride. And you know, I I do truly believe that um this plays a bit of a role in the USCCB saying that communion will not be denied to those who um receive on their knees or geniflect or whatever it may be, those who whenever you fall out of um unity of posture, uh you will not be denied communion. Because here's the thing if if that does happen, that causes further division and further scandal. I mean, it just does. And um, you know, the the the the the USCCB, the church, um, our bishops, the maternal instinct of the church is, you know, this is not the time and place for that. This is not the time and place um to correct you in the communion line right now because that breaks our unity even more. Um but outside the liturgy, like we want you to understand why we ask what we ask of you during the liturgy. Now, some the other element of this um is this with the Eucharistic revival, uh, you know, since COVID and all of this, there is like this this good desire in so so many people for a renewal of the liturgy. Uh yeah, that that that was called for by Vatican II, and it's affirmed by Cardinal Supic's statement, um, also in that same article letter in the Archdiocesan newspaper for Chicago. He says, by recognizing this relationship between how we worship and what we believe, the bishops at the council, Vatican II, made clear that the renewal of the liturgy in the life of the church is central to the mission of proclaiming the gospel. It would be a mistake to reduce the renewal to a mere updating of our liturgy to fit the times we live in, as if it were kind of a liturgical facelift. We need the restoration of the liturgy because it gives us the capacity to proclaim Christ to the world. Now, we have to keep in mind that we as lay faithful, we don't carry that authority given by the Holy Spirit to the magisterium. Our practices of personal piety, they have a time and a place. Um, and those devotions, those practices of personal piety, um, whether that be physical reverence by genuflecting um at communion or receiving on both knees, those have their place, and it is not within the liturgy, it is not within the Eucharistic liturgy, the Mass. Um, again, as the sacrament of unity and oneness, the unity of posture as that symbolism is so important. Again, whether or not we realize it or not, it does sow those those seeds of division and um descent and leads to scandal. So those practices, they have their time and place. And the Lord does see our hearts and our desire to love him as best we know how. So, again, as beautiful and good as our mysticism or our personal relationship with the Lord is, he still asks us to submit to the authority of the shepherds entrusted with our care. And then something I do want to um, you know, kind of conclude with and mention um is sometimes we can get so tunnel-visioned on these things and like not really look at the bigger picture with like just like things and context of the situation. So historically, it takes about a hundred years or so following the conclusion of an ecumenical council to really sort out all of the chaos, the misinterpretations, misunderstandings of those specific changes that are put forth by the council fathers. So, being that, it is the year of our Lord, 2025, and Vatican II concluded in 1965, on it, we're 60 years in to this post-conciliar period of just like fine-tuning and figuring it out. Okay. So, so simmer down a little bit. As my mom would say, we've still got like roughly 40 years of continuing to be led by the Holy Spirit, by the magisterium, and the sense of the faithful um to a more fully developed understanding of the council and what the what the council fathers um were guided by the Holy Spirit in putting forth. So again, I kind of want to circle back to this whole theme of John and Peter, the the mystic, um, the beloved disciple, the one with um the one with his head on the heart of Christ, you know, hearing the heartbeat of Christ, um, and Peter who holds the keys, who holds the keys and the authority, which they're beautiful in their own ways, but um we have to recognize that as a lay faithful, we often, most of the time, 99.9% of the time, we are in the position of John, the beloved disciple, who you know, in his mysticism, his contemplation, um, his athletic ability, he gets to the tomb first, he sees it first, and he recognizes first that the Lord is risen, but in his humility, his his love for the Lord, just this virtuous, humble obedience, he stops and allows Peter to go in first and put that seal of approval as the head of the church on the fact that Christ had risen from the dead. So even if you get to the tomb first, even if you come to a conclusion before the Holy See, our magisterium, the bishops, before they put the the seal of the authority of the church on that, we still have to recognize um that until they do that, we are subject to error. We can totally be wrong. So, what I want to leave you with is a really beautiful note from none other than St. Thomas Aquinas as like food for thought, but also like my final sign off on this. Um whatever I have written, whatever I have said, if it contains any error, I submit it to the judgment and correction of the Holy Roman Catholic Church and whose obedience I now pass from this life. Until next time, have a blessed day.