Kneeling After Communion

Kneeling at Mass is one of many postures during the liturgy. At different times we are to kneel, sit, or stand depending upon what is taking place during Mass. Each posture takes on a certain significance within the liturgy, especially kneeling.

Humility before God

Kneeling is a very humbling posture. The very act of kneeling before someone is to put yourself in a vulnerable position recognizing the other person’s authority, or when we kneel before God, it is that we are acknowledging his holiness and greatness. In the Catholic Church we believe that the bread and wine are transformed into the true body and blood of Jesus Christ although remaining under the appearance, taste, and texture of bread and wine. The process is called transubstantiation and what happens is a miracle of faith given to us by Jesus and passed down through his disciples.

Respect for Jesus’ Presence

After we receive the body of Christ and his precious blood we return to our pew and kneel for a period of time. We kneel for one primary reason: it is a sign of respect for the real presence of Jesus Christ. We are to kneel until the Eucharist is stored safely in the tabernacle.

The General Instruction of the Roman Missal (GIRM), which is the main document that prescribes how a Mass is to be conducted, makes very clear that we are to kneel after receiving the body and blood of Jesus Christ in the eucharist. When I go to Mass I occasionally see some people kneel for a short time and then sit down on the pew. While the GIRM does make exceptions for people with certain physical conditions, those who are physically able to kneel should. We don’t kneel because of the priest and we don’t kneel until we are done praying even though the distribution of communion continues, we kneel when the blessed sacrament is out of the tabernacle, is being distributed to the faithful, and we may return to a sitting position once the blessed sacrament is no longer out, when the tabernacle door has been closed, signaling the end of the communion rite. Kneeling until the priest sits down is not necessary, but is permissible.

After communion there is often a silence (sometimes very short) and the GIRM says that “the faithful […] may sit or kneel during the period of sacred silence after Communion.” (GIRM 43). Otherwise, kneeling has taken place from the Agnus Dei (Lamb of God) up until this point. The diocesan bishop has the authority to decide if something other than kneeling will take place during the Mass. In most dioceses, kneeling during communion is the norm.

26 thoughts on “Kneeling After Communion”

    1. If you went through religious training during childhood and have already had your First Communion, you may partake in Communion AFTER you have been to Confession (you should not take Communion if you have any mortal sins that you have not confessed). You will need to go through RCIA if you have never taken Communion before. Talk to your priest to see when classes start and to clarify your situation.

  1. MATHEW DING AJANG

    I am a Catholic and I know that what we have gone throughout the years for the three years, that is Year A, Year B and Year C are properly set for us.Can my beloved brothers and sisters in Christ to truly understand why we have Year A, Year B and Year C and what reading do we have for Year A, Year B and Year C or are the readings the same throughout the three years.

    1. The Sunday cycle is divided into three years, labelled A, B, and C. 2017 is Year A. 2018 will be Year B, 2019 will be Year C, etc. In Year A, we read mostly from the Gospel of Matthew. In Year B, we read the Gospel of Mark and chapter 6 of the Gospel of John. In Year C, we read the Gospel of Luke. The Gospel of John is read during the Easter season in all three years. The new year starts on the first Sunday of Advent

  2. CATHOLIC DOCTRINES ARE IN THE BIBLE
    Catholics are always intimidated into believing that we do things contrary to the Bible just because we are ignorant of what we do, the following will help you locate WHERE what we do in the Bible

    1) PRAYING FOR THE DEAD
    2 Mac. 12:38-45
    Wisdom 3:1
    Tobit 4:17

    2) USE OF IMAGES AND SACRAMENTS
    (these reminds us of what they stand for)

    2 kings 3:20-21
    Num. 21:8-9
    Ex 25:17-22
    Col 1:20, 2:14
    John 12:32
    Acts 19:11-12

    3) AUTHENTICITY OF CATHOLIC TRADITION AS A SOURCE OF REVEALED TRUTH
    2 Thes 2:15
    2 cor 10:10-11
    John 21:25
    2 John 1:12
    3 John 1:13

    4) THE SHIFT OF SUNDAY INSTEAD OF
    SATURDAY ( SABBATH)
    Rev 1:10
    Acts 20:7
    1 cor 16:1-2
    John 20:1-22

    5) THE POPE’S AUTHORITY AS THE
    SUCCESSOR OF ST. PETER
    John 21:15-17
    Matt 16: 18-19
    Acts 2:1-14

    6) THE REFERENCE OF CATHOLIC PRIESTS AS ‘FATHER’ WHEN THERE IS ONLY ONE FATHER IN HEAVEN
    Gen 17:4
    Jer 7:7
    Num 12:14
    Jn. 6:49
    Mtt. 23:30
    Lk. 1:73

    7) IS THE BIBLE IN SUPPORT OF THE
    HIERARCHY IN THE CHURCH? YES
    Eph 4:11-13
    1 Tim 5:17-25
    1 Tim 3:1-7, 8-13

    8) IS PURGATORY REAL ? YES!. WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY ABOUT IT?
    Is 35:8, 52:1
    Zech 13:1-2
    1 cor 3:15
    Lk. 12:47-48, 58-59
    Rev. 21:27
    Heb 12:22-23
    Job 14:13-17

    9)ABOUT INCENSE
    Ex 30:33-37
    Num 16:6-7
    Lev. 16:12-13
    Lk.1:10
    Rev. 8:32

    10) THE ROSARY IS A PRAYER IN HONOR OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY
    Lk. 1:28,
    Lk. 1:42

    11) IS HOLY WATER THE WILL OF GOD TO BE USED?
    2 kings 2:19-22
    John 5:1-18
    John 7:37

    12)WHY DO WE ASK THE SAINTS TO PRAY FOR US?
    Prov. 15:8, 15:29
    Job 42:8
    James 5:16
    Mtt 16:19

    13) WHY DO WE USE MEDALS, CRUCIFIXES AND SCAPULARS AND BONE OF SAINTS?
    (these help to remind us of what they stand for)
    2 kings 13:20-21

    14) WHY MUST WE CONFESS OUR SINS TO ANYBODY OTHER THAN GOD. Mtt 16:19, 1-20

    15) IS INFANT BAPTISM IN THE BIBLE?
    Acts 16:15 33
    Acts 18:8
    Mtt 28:19
    Acts 10:47-48
    Please help Rekindle our faith by sharing
    with a fellow Catholic today, let’s build up our
    faith
    I AM PROUD TO BE A Catholic

  3. Hi everyone

    I feel so blessed after getting this clarity, in my parish we do kneel after receiving the body n the blood of Christ, but we do not recieve the body of Christ by the tongue, the lay ministers and the priest they give it to us in our left hands, they said putting it in.our tongue is not hygienic,

  4. Our priest says we should all remain standing until everyone receives communion!!! I don’t understand the unity in this!! He says if we kneel after receiving communion, we are disrupting the unity and not being unified with the rest of the congregation. In his homily, today, he talked about being ready for the coming of Christ. He asked, “Will we take a bullet for not denying our faith as Christians?” What do we do when we are told not to kneel after receiving the true body of Christ? Shouldn’t every kneel be bending at His presence? Shouldn’t we be allowed to worship in our own Churches after receiving Christ as we would like? Why, when there are so many terrible things going on in the world right now, should a priest be hard on someone if they prefer to kneel after receiving communion? This is how I respect and show some small gesture of adoration to our Lord. It would be nice if we had adoration in our church but we don’t!!! It would be nice if we had a short time of quietness to reflect after we go back to our pews, but if we all remain standing until everyone is done, he quickly jumps right into the closing of the Mass. I’m sorry, but I truly don’t understand the humbleness in standing before the Lord!!

    1. Seferino L. Hernandez

      It is up to the GIRM & also to our local Bishop. Our priest says “the consecrated elements of the Eucharist is still there and to remain STANDING until the Ciborium is placed inside the Tabernacle & the doors are closed.”
      Some folks think that unity is holding hands during the “Our Father”, so did I. I read that unity is when we all have Communion together. Made sense to me.

  5. We had that in our church and I didn’t like it , kneeling was my time with the Lord, but now we are back to kneeling again.

  6. Hello Andres,

    You say that the GIRM “makes very clear that we are to kneel after receiving the body and blood of Jesus Christ in the eucharist.”

    Can you tell me exactly which paragraph(s) you are referring to? I don’t see it clearly stated anywhere.

  7. my question is if a Roman rites becomes a melkite priest , can he remain a Roman catholic or will he turn to become a melkite , can a melkite priests celebrate mass in Roman catholic or concelebrate with the Roman catholic priests

  8. Kneeling posture after communion, while recommended by the GIRM, is actually up to the diocese, and the magisterial authority of the local Bishop. Some diocesan instructions are to stand after communion, and to continue to stand until all have approached the Eucharist and returned to their seats. The intent is to recognize the unity of the congregation’s prayer and Grace, and the shared participation of the Body of Christ (“Church / Community”) in the Body of Christ (“Eucharist”) — rather than limiting it to internal reflection and communion while kneeling.

  9. I am Maronite Catholic and we do not kneel at Mass, even after Communion. Our churches do not have kneeling benches. Kneeling is reserved for penance. FYI: The Maronites are Eastern Rite Catholics and fully in communion with the Catholic Church. Francis is our Pope as head of the Universal Catholic Church.

    1. I’m a practicing Latin/Roman rite Catholic and we do not kneel in my parish at all before or after communion. In fact our priest invites those who want to, to stand around the alter during the Eucharist portion of mass. This is actually how the early church worshiped. I personally cannot stand kneeling as it symbolizes individualism, conservatism and inferiority to the priest as opposed to all standing united in Christ. I also find kneeling extremely ironic, when not a minute prior the priest says to the congregation to ‘Lift Up Your Hearts’. How can you possibly do so while kneeling?

      Anyone who thinks kneeling is the only ‘way’, clearly hasn’t been to a catholic church without either a) pews, b) pews without kneelers and/or c) knows nothing about the Eastern Catholic rites.

      I’m with Maronite Jim. in that kneeling is reserved for certain times throughout the liturgical year (penance, Good Friday, etc.).

    2. I’m a Russian-Rite Byzantine Catholic, but I joined Catholic communion from Orthodox (also Russian-Rite), I’m married to a Ruthenian-Rite Catholic, & we attend a Ukrainian-Rite mission. We aren’t supposed to kneel in any of the Byzantine Rites on any Sun., or any time at all from the eve of Pascha (i.e. eve of Easter) until the eve of the Day of the Holy Spirit (i.e. eve after Pentecost). Instead we bow, or bow & touch the floor w/ the back of the hand. Standing, which we do a lot of, symbolizes the Resurrection. Kneeling Prayers, for that latter eve, are the only time we kneel in the same way as Roman Catholics, 1 time a yr! The other times of yr, from eve of Mon. until Sat. afternoon, our kneeling is in prostration.

      But I’ve noticed Kneeling Prayers done instead AT Pentecost, some people prostrating on the Sun. of the Cross & at the Exaltation of the Cross happening to occur on a Sun., & some people kneeling b/f sitting in pews on Sun. Not sure if any of those could be legitimate exceptions. And having pews is at least discouraged, & generally avoided, in at least Russian churches, but throughout the East they’re not exactly favored. They certainly get in the way of bowing & prostrations, & give one the feeling of being in an audience sitting back to watch a performance, rather than doing one’s duty to sing & worship in the Divine Liturgy, i.e. Heavenly WORK OF THE PEOPLE. (Never ‘Mass’. That’s Latin & from the dismissal of the Mass, but our Rites req. the vernacular & our dismissal is ‘Let us go forth in peace’.) Much better than pews to have seating all along the walls, for whomever needs to sit, whether to rest a while or b/c of being old or sick.

      Anyway, since the 1st Council of Nicaea said, ‘Forasmuch as there are certain persons who kneel on the Lord’s Day and in the days of Pentecost, therefore, to the intent that all things may be uniformly observed everywhere (in every parish), it seems good to the holy Synod that prayer be made to God standing,’ not sure, but I think kneeling on those days prob. needs to be justified, not not-kneeling.

  10. Thank you so much dear brother for this wonderful teaching, I never hear anything like this since I became a catholic though I was born catholic, I still have a question to ask ; recently in my country Nigeria, the congregation of bishops agreed that distribution of holy communion should be on hand no more in mouth, but some people refused to buy the idea saying that its wrong for them to touch the body and blood of Christ, I am confused on whom to follow; please advice me on the right part.

    1. Hello Alaeze,

      It is not merely that you are touching the body of Christ. It is also to reassure the ministers and/or priests that you have the right intention for the body and blood of Christ when you have it placed on your tongue. It is also no longer appropriate to dip the body into the blood of Christ, which used to be a norm. I am a Eucharistic minister only, but I have learned a little bit on this subject. For these reasons, it is probably better that you have it placed on your tongue.

    2. Alaeze — The bishops have the authority in matters of liturgy, and the faithful should obey them. It is not inherently wrong to touch the Body of Christ. After all, even when one receives on the tongue, one is touching the Body of Christ.

  11. Egesi Ugochukwu Christopher

    I am a Legionary in St. Agnes Catholic Church, Maryland, Lagos in Nigeria. This will barely 10 months since I joined. And as you may be aware, evangelism is one of our core duties but often times I go out on visitations and evangelism, I’m often bombarded with questions about the catholic faith and why we do what we do and this is the reason I’m searching for answers as I do not know much.

    Thank you Jon.

  12. I read the article on Kneeling after Communion and agree The Lord is with us. Our church but in the bulletin and made annoucements that we are to stand until everyone recievies Communion! I am very upset many people do not kneel they just sit and the Priest tells people to sit before the chalice is put away. They say this is what the 2nd Vatican said to do. I am very confused why are they taking away all the respect and Love out of church?? I feel very confused and empty Communion is my time with Jesus not the people in the church?

  13. Hi I would like to baptise myself. How can I get it done. I am an adult early fifties could you pl let me know the steps and an anybody to contact

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