Thank you, Cardinal Arinze!
The rules of the 2000 Roman Missal are taking some time to implement correctly, and Rome has had to correct some misinterpretations. For example, clergy in some parishes and dioceses have been troubling Catholics by telling them that they are now to remain standing after receiving Holy Communion. To the relief of the faithful, Cardinal Arinze has confirmed that the rules in the new GIRM are not intended to forbid kneeling or let it be forbidden.
(via Adoremus)
Granted, I haven't been following this all that closely, but here's what I've been seeing. All of my life, in all Maine Catholic churches I've attended, people have kneeled from the end of the "...Lamb of God, You take away the sins of the world, grant us peace." until the priest invites us to stand and pray for the concluding prayer. We did of course stand and proceed to receive the Eucharist, but then returned to kneeling after.
Lately, I've noticed some (not all) of the older members of the congregration remaining on their feet after the "Lamb of God" acclamation until they receive Communion, and then they do kneel. This only happens at daily Masses, and I have yet to see it at a weekend liturgy.
My question to you is this: Is remaining standing after the "Lamb of God" (Sorry, I can't remember the official name of that acclamation) an old tradition returning, or a new phenomenon? If so, are the older parishoners at daily Mass "compromising" by kneeling after they receive the Blessed Sacrament? What exactly DO the new canonical guidelines for the Mass say about this?
It seems to me that the period just after receiving Christ into our own bodies is a most appropriate time to be on one's knees in deep prayer.
According to the page at Adoremus (linked above), CDW has said that kneeling is "laudably" to be retained after the "Lamb of God" in places "where it is the custom". It's not universally required.
As far as I can tell, it's the custom in the US, although that custom has weakened somewhat in recent years. In our archdiocese, we were told a few years ago to retain the kneeling in order to fulfill the requirement for a "reverence" before receiving Holy Communion.
A translation of the new GIRM is at the bishops' site.
Just a little correction to my first comment: I've always known people to kneel and remain kneeling through Holy Communion after the Ecce Angus Dei acclamation "Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away...", not the "Lamb of God, grant us peace" acclamation as I wrote earlier.
I guess the trouble here in Maine is that either the bishop of my diocese hasn't put out the word as to which posture he would prefer, or all the priests haven't chosen to make mention of it.
The reason I brought it up at all was that our parish's three nuns remain standing after the Ecce Agnus Dei at daily Mass, so of course I wondered if they knew something that I didn't. Maybe they do, and it's our priest who hasn't relayed the message to the rest of us.
IT IS GOD IN THE FORM OF BREAD AND WINE!
It is only fitting and should be required of everyone to give the utmost respect and reverence to our Creator . Kneeling and receivimg the Communion in the tongue must be mandatory.