Speaking of pastors forcing parishioners to stand up at the consecration, a caller called in to Open Line on Wednesday asking Fr. Mitch about this very thing. She said the pastor was telling her that she had to stand in order to be part of the “community” and she wondered if she was being disobedient to kneel. Fr. Mitch said that since the Church teaches that we are to kneel during the consecration, who is really being disobedient? :)
I actually told my pastor that he ought not commplain given that he had set the example of disobeidence by disobeying church authority by purposely directing the congregation to ignore church law regarding when to kneel during the liturgy.
Suddenly his sixties spirit of protest and disobdience was a thorn in his side. He was not amused.