Originally published at The Catholic Thing
The recent kerfuffle over kneeling/not kneeling to receive the Blessed Sacrament brought back to me memories of a Church history professor I had in the seminary. He was renowned for his enormous library and his encyclopedic knowledge.
Commenting on the redistricting scheme of the French revolutionaries, who decided that a simple grid defining counties would be much more rational and a great improvement on the less tidy but organically evolved pattern of regional associations then in existence, our priest professor opined that “It takes a great genius to make great nonsense.”
With less charity than my former teacher, I’m inclined to say that not only does it not take a great genius to make great nonsense, but that almost any fool is capable of promulgating and justifying even the most patently wrong-headed practices.
Our parish church just underwent a renovation, which saw the restoration of an altar rail and the beautification of the sanctuary, which, though not overly ornate, is truly breathtaking. As per the pastor’s instructions, Communion is now distributed at the altar rail. Communicants may kneel or stand and receive in the hand or on the tongue; there is no pressure to receive in any one way.
The
