In the year 2002, I was in my fourth year as pastor of St. Boniface Church in Ft. Smith. After the bishops of the United States decreed that the unity of posture during Holy Communion was standing, I was pleasantly surprised at the large number who willingly observed this standing posture throughout Communion. The reality of a song being sung by the congregation while Communion is being given out and received is a communal "thank you" to Jesus as is captured in the second verse of the song "Gift of Finest Wheat" which says "With joyful lips we sing to you, our praise and gratitude, that you should count us worthy Lord to share this heavenly food." We are not only in the closest communion with Jesus that we can be on earth when we receive His Body and Blood, but we are, at the same time, in communion with each other not only in our posture, but also in our singing songs which speak about this heavenly food and the nourishment Jesus gives each one of us during this special time. It is after we have all received Holy Communion and the singing ends that we all (including the priest and deacon) kneel or if that is not practical for health reasons, sit and have a period of quiet time when we speak to Jesus in praise, thanks and/or petition from our hearts or just glory in his presence within us. When we all stand and the priest says the "Prayer After Communion" we all say "Amen" which brings an end to the Communion Rite with the blessing and dismissal bringing an end to the Mass. I still strongly urge those who have gotten into the bad habit of leaving the Mass soon after receiving Holy Communion to overcome that practice and stay at least until the blessing and dismissal, if not also the closing hymn. While it is a blessing to all that we stay in union with prayers, postures and gestures throughout all of Mass (and save individual actions of piety when we come for personal prayer time), so we should start the Mass together and conclude the Mass together until we are sent off to "announce the Gospel of the Lord."

After giving everyone time to soak in what I have shared with you in my pastor's column this and last week, I would like us to begin standing again throughout Communion beginning on Pentecost weekend (May 18-19) and assure you that anyone who chooses to do differently (whether it be kneeling for a minute or two after returning to their pew and then standing OR kneeling throughout the time after returning to their pews) should not and hopefully will not be criticized for doing so.

To those who say they don't see any other parish doing it this way, I say, in many, if not most things, it takes more courage and conviction to be a leader and not a follower when we know and appreciate the reasons the Church has for us to do such things as a sign of the unity in Jesus that we strive to have at all times!