After reading “Let Us Kneel” in Plain Talk December 2017, my take on the issue presented is different from other readers. There are still many countries with monarchs to whom it is proper protocol to bow or curtsy. As Americans, it was decided that we would have no monarch or other leader to whom we would bow. However, we decided to make it customary to stand erect, right hand over heart, as a sign of respect for the American flag, an important symbol of the freedoms won so dearly by our forefathers. As an American I honor our unique Constitution, but as a worshiper of the one true God, I kneel only to him in reverence, humility, and gratitude. I propose that all who get to live in the United States consider the difference and kneel only before the one to whom we owe such deference.
K.D., CA
I would like to comment on “Finding the Best Mass” by Fr. Bruce Lewandowski, CSsR (July-August 2017). My thoughts are the last Mass I attended was the “best.” I attend Mass weekly and have for more than eighty years. I agree that sometimes the environment, sound, music, and other attendees can distract anyone. But, I’ve been lucky to travel in the United States and Europe and during the consecration, regardless of what country or area of the United States I’ve been in, I knew I was at a Catholic Mass. What a wonderful feeling! I say the last Mass I’ve attended is the best because it is always the same, the “perfect sacrifice.” I thank God for every Mass, and I will always consider the last Mass I attend to be the best because my next Mass will be in God’s presence.
Joan M., NJ
