Sadly, it is quite common today in Catholic circles to hear that the manner in which one receives the Body and Blood of Our Lord Jesus Christ matters little. Apparently whatever posture one chooses is perfectly acceptable. After all, they will tell you, the mere method of reception bears no deep meaning nor does it send any message to others regarding one’s belief towards the One received. To the contrary, it is a completely “inconsequential” and “arbitrary” act; a simple physical maneuver used to transport the Host from the hands of the priest (or Eucharistic Minister) into one’s mouth. If this is true, then indeed it matters little whether one receives the sacred Host in one’s hands, on the tongue, standing, kneeling, or even sitting.

But is this true? Is the method of receiving Holy Communion no more important than how one moves potato chips from a bowl to one’s mouth? To the contrary, the manner of receiving Our Lord is in no way arbitrary or insignificant. The Traditional mind understands that actions in the Mass have meaning and significance no matter how seemingly unimportant. The ancient practice of kneeling to receive Our Lord carries within it a deep sign of respect and reverence, reminding us, and those around us, that we are truly unworthy to receive such a gift. This holy practice is a constant reminder of the awe inspiring verse found in Isaiah, “For as the heavens are exalted above the earth, so are my ways exalted above your ways, and my thoughts above your thoughts.”

Similarly the importance of receiving Holy Communion on the tongue directly from the consecrated hands of the priest finds reinforcement from the Angelic Doctor himself:

Despite this saintly admonition and the Church’s use of altar rails for centuries to facilitate reception of Holy Communion kneeling and on the tongue, the Neo-Catholics treat the practice as something which can be discarded without the least bit of negative impact. Indeed they see it as something completely arbitrary. Indeed to the Neo-Catholic mind our forefathers may as well have invented this sacred tradition on a whim without intending to place in it the slightest bit of significance. In reality, as we have seen, the casual posture and method of receiving Our Lord in Holy Communion over the past decades has greatly contributed to the irreverence we witness at many Novus Ordo Masses and the growing disbelief in transubstantiation we read about in every passing poll and survey conducted on the Real Presence.

After seemingly trivializing the method by which we deign to receive the Creator of the Universe into our bodies, the story goes on (emphasis added):

Indeed it is very prudent and wise to distinguish the essential from the accidental. Unfortunately, in this case, it was not done. Again, the Neo-Catholic mind conflates the idea of a practice being secondary with the notion that it is therefore insignificant and unimportant. For what better way for a young girl to honor Our Lord upon her first reception of his Eucharistic presence than with a white dress symbolizing purity and a veil symbolizing a very real marriage of souls?

The mother in the story, no doubt wanting to create an atmosphere of reverence and beauty at her daughter’s First Communion, is met with the typical liberal response we are used to hearing from “tolerant” and “open minded” Catholics. “If you want to do it, go ahead, but do not force your views on others.” Similarly, it is often the case that one is allowed to dress in a suit or nice dress for one’s local Sunday Novus Ordo, while other parishioners are free to dress in tank tops and shorts. It is not hard to see the atmosphere of irreverence that starts to develop once the pastor abdicates all responsibility for enforcing what he sees as “arbitrary” and “insignificant” standards.

To the Traditionalist, actions involving the Mass and sacraments, however minor they are perceived to be, have a great and rich significance. These actions were developed slowly and organically over the centuries and encompass the cumulative wisdom of the ages. Kneeling to receive Holy Communion proved to grow humility, reverence, and submission of the communicant. White veils for girls at their first Holy Communion proved to inspire a sense of purity, humility, and love for Christ. Thus these practices were kept, passed down, and encouraged over the centuries by the Church. This was done not out of some arbitrary and mindless custom, but precisely because these acts had a deeper meaning and fostered a holy spiritual reality in those who performed them as well as those who witnessed them.

In the final analysis, the Neo-Catholic mind is sadly trapped in the positivistic worldview inspired by the very liturgy it promotes. As the once Cardinal Ratzinger said, the New Mass is often experienced as a “banal on-the-spot product” and as “fabricated liturgy”. Many rubrics, actions, and options of the Novus Ordo Missae are indeed arbitrary, insignificant, and non-essential. Thus the Neo-Catholic’s understanding of both the Mass and the Faith develops a tendency to imbibe whatever new directive comes from the Chancery office or Vatican commission. The Faith is thereby divorced from its very past and becomes a product of the decisions of men, rather than a sacred Deposit entrusted to the Church by Almighty God.