A Blessed Feast of Corpus Christi to you!

Recently I was distributing Holy Communion to the faithful at Mass and someone knelt to receive Our Lord. Since I know this person, this thought flashed through my mind, “what a gift to be able to be on our knees before the love of our lives”. Immediately, that thought was followed by the image of a man on his knees with a ring in his hand before the love of his life!

Everybody knows what that picture means: man, kneeling, ring, woman clasping hands to face in joy! It is unmistakable! If you saw an engagement picture without the knee bent, you might/should look side-eyed to see why not!

If we can get on our knees to profess our undying love and give our lives to the beloved, then why not for Jesus? In Holy Communion, you are saying “yes” to Him who has given His life for you, and giving your life in return back to Him.

I know that most parishes don’t have kneelers available. I can’t change the world. I can’t even guarantee that the next pastor will keep the kneelers for you.

I also am glad that you, the people of St. Mary’s, don’t look sided-eyed at each other to measure who stands and who kneels. In the current discipline of the church, it is an option, one not often supported or encouraged, but an option to kneel nonetheless.

The ONLY measure that matters for each communicant is the measure of your loving response to Jesus. Because we are beings whose nature is to have a body and soul, yes, our postures matter but do not exclusively determine our receptivity.

The communicant who sparked this reflection is a ‘regular’ Catholic, and I have witnessed her devotion grow over the last few years. One of the elements that allowed that to grow, was giving her the option to receive kneeling if she wanted. As pastor, that put a smile in my soul and on my face.

Kneeling before the love of your life? You betcha!

Blessed be Jesus in the Most Holy Sacrament of the Altar! Blessed be Jesus, the deepest desire of your soul!

pax et bonum,

Father John Mosimann