A Protestant at Catholic Communion

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This seems a bit crazy sometimes, doesn’t it?

We would love to have you share the Eucharist with us, as it is the renewal of the new covenant in Christs body and blood.

Sexual intercourse is likewise a renewing of the covenant for a married couple. It is abomination for unmarried couples to engage in sexual intercourse because they don’t have the blessing of the covenant of marriage between them and God.

Likewise, it is an abomination for one to partake of the Eucharist when they reject the covenant that Christ made with His Church. In essence, it is no less of an abomination than is fornication.

:o
 
Area Man:
In the Presbyterian Church USA, Holy Communion is open to all Christians.
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…and as an ordained presbyter in the PCUSA I can say (sadly) that in many places within our denomination where Holy Communion is open to non-Christians.

Google “open communion” and “PCUSA” and you will find a list of the ‘usual suspects.’ (This is how sad we are that ‘open communion’ which once referred to “communion for all Christians” now refers to “communion for anyone.”) If that fails, look for Mt. Auburn Presbyterian Church in Ohio or Mt. Kisco Presbyterian Church in New York. There are many congregations, in direct violation of the Confessions and with the implicit consent of their Presbyteries (bishops), that invite non-Christians to partake of the Lord’s Supper.

Since we don’t profess the real presance, I suppose it shouldn’t bother me. But, for some reason, “eat and drink judgement” and “teachers shall be judged severely” comes to mind and I find myself wanting out.

-C
 
Area Man:
I am a Protestant who finds myself attending Catholic Mass a few times per year. Most of the time I receive communion, which I know is against the rules of the Catholic Church. My question is this, is it a sin for me to break the rules of men so that I can follow the teachings Christ?

Area Man
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SORRY this isn’t right, it’s ok for you to attend Mass, but if a Catholic can’t receive in sin, then how can it be right for a non Catholic to receive ???
Anyway are you thinking of becoming a Catholic ? well come on in, really I’m sorry for being so blunt, but you did ask the question.:tiphat:
 
Area Man:
Communion should be an opportunity for all followers of Christ to come together and celebrate that what which unites us, and not an opportunity to dwell on those areas where we disagree.
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How about a little parable.
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rfk:
Susy has strong beliefs that everyone who comes into her home should take their shoes off at the door and avoid spitting on the carpet.

Frank welcomes everyone into his home with their shoes on, and he spits on his own carpet all the time. No big deal.

Now, Frank has known Susy for years, and is fully aware of her feelings regarding shoes and spitting. But he thinks her rules are silly. So the next time Frank visits Susy’s home, he tromps in with his muddy boots and proceeds to spit all over the carpet.
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Even if your beliefs about communion are different, it shows a basic lack of respect and a disregard for your fellow Christians to come into their house and spit on the carpet. Without even getting into whose beliefs about communion are “correct”, there is the basic sin of contempt for your brothers and sisters in Christ.
 
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Xenon-135:
This seems a bit crazy sometimes, doesn’t it?

We would love to have you share the Eucharist with us, as it is the renewal of the new covenant in Christs body and blood.

Sexual intercourse is likewise a renewing of the covenant for a married couple. It is abomination for unmarried couples to engage in sexual intercourse because they don’t have the blessing of the covenant of marriage between them and God.

Likewise, it is an abomination for one to partake of the Eucharist when they reject the covenant that Christ made with His Church. In essence, it is no less of an abomination than is fornication.

:o
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Good analogy. Also, please recall that this “story” was started by a comment from Rev. Thomas Reese, plublisher of America, the liberal progressive “Catholic” rag. He WANTS it to be true, of course. But it has never been verified by anyone, including Tony Blair or anyone else present during this “private meeting.”

Keep in mind that Blair’s wife and children are Catholic.
 
Hey there Area Man!

Since most of these answers are rather long, I’ll give you the short version - IF you want what we ahve, do what we do! Obviously you are hungry for the Eucharist. Since you feel Jesus Christ has invited you to the banquet, why no take Him up on the offer? Beats the alternative. 👍

Peace and all good,

Thomas2
 
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iguana27:
… I think we should not judge those who profess what the church believes regarding the real presence of the Eucharist, and we should instead worry about our own potentially unworthy communions…
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I don’t have a problem with the need to always look to our own faults (the “beam” in our eye so to speak) first and not be so quick to judge. As I’m sure you will agree God will do the judging.

That being said, the individual did ask us for our insights into the matter. Agree or disagree the Church is about as clear as possible on the reception of the Eucharist. It would be sinful for those who know the answer to this person’s question to withhold that information when asked, wouldn’t it?
 
Area Man:
I am a Protestant who finds myself attending Catholic Mass a few times per year. Most of the time I receive communion, which I know is against the rules of the Catholic Church. My question is this, is it a sin for me to break the rules of men so that I can follow the teachings Christ?

Area Man
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I have gone to mass many times, most of the time it was to bring someone who could not make it if I did not take them. I never recieved communion, it implies that I am in communion with the Catholic church, that cannot happen. For the same reason I do not recieve communion in Protestant churches. I still go to church, seeking someday.
 
I invite you to carefully read the Catechisim of the Catholic Church (CCC) regarding questions about any Catholic subject

Please take the time to read the entire CCC from cover to cover.

This will take a while but is well worth it.
 
I have recently come back to the Church after a 20 year hiatus as a Lutheran. My wife converted at the same time (from Lutheranism), and I have to say that after an agonizing two year conversion process, this was the church teaching we had the hardest time accepting. Because Lutherans believe in the real presence (although they believe Christ’s presence is “in, with and under” the bread and wine and the species do not change) and the Lutheran liturgy is in the form of the Mass, it seemed like we had a better understanding of and belief in the Eucharist than many of the Catholics we knew. I also struggle with witholding the sacrament from Catholics in a state of sin, particularly divorced and re-married folks - after all, Jesus came to save sinners!. Seeing the hurt and alienation of some close friends effected by this was a factor in my leaving the Church.

It’s unfortunate, but I think this really hampers the Church’s ability to reach out and evangelize protestants and non-believers. The Catholic Church can seem like a club reserved for insiders because you have to “learn” the Mass and go through an elaborate “initiation” process (RCIA) to even get to the supper table, while so many Protestant churches have a “come on in” approach.

One thing I will say: I abstained from receiving until my wife was received into the Church and it was a real blessing for me. It heightened my awareness and appreciation of the whole Mass and I was acutely aware of Christ’s presence in the people around me. I went up with arms crossed for a blessing just to be in the presence of the Lord and got my first taste of the beauty and grace in Eucharistic adoration.

I will keep listening to you many wise folks for better ways to explain this to myself and others and pray for my eyes to be opened a little wider. However, I will not take the protestant route of “taking matters into my own hands”. I have come to learn the beauty and freedom of obedience to Christ’s Church - even when I don’t “get it”.
 
Area Man:
I can speak only for the Presbyterian Church USA

From the Book of Order of the Presbyterian Church USA

Section W-2.4001

“a. The invitation to the Lord’s Supper is extended to all who have been baptized, remembering that access to the Table is not a right conferred upon the worthy, but a privilege given to the undeserving who come in faith, repentance, and love. In preparing to receive Christ in this Sacrament, the believer is to confess sin and brokenness, to seek reconciliation with God and neighbor, and to trust in Jesus Christ for cleansing and renewal. Even one who doubts or whose trust is wavering may come to the Table in order to be assured of God’s love and grace in Christ Jesus.”

I hope this helps everyone understand my frame of reference for my question. Coming from a tradition that is so welcoming to those outside our tradition, it is hard to understand why another denomination of Christians (Catholics or any other denomination with closed communion) would not want to invite their brothers and sisters in Christ to join them at the table of our Lord.

Communion should be an opportunity for all followers of Christ to come together and celebrate that what which unites us, and not an opportunity to dwell on those areas where we disagree.
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AreaMan, is it ok for non-baptized to receive communion in a Presbyterian Church USA? My question is sincere since the Book of Order specifies “baptized.”
 
My gosh! I guess I didn’t have to upset my wife by becoming a Catholic. Why did I not just go to a Catholic mass whenever I felt like it and take communion with them. I converted because I thought that the Catholic church was truly the church that Christ started. My wife does not believe that and so remains an Anglican. If you believe that then why don’t you convert. If not then why don’t you respect the teaching of the Catholic church. Whether we like it or not we are not in communion - I pray for the day when that happens. This sounds almost like the protestant sola scriptura arguement ie. I can interpret the bible in anyway that I like. So I can take communion wherever I like.
Convert and take communion honestly. I know that the church would love to have you. Forgive me for letting my feelings get the better of me.
walter 🙂
 
Steveroz,

We are clearly blessed to have you both back.

Here’s what I think. Nothing entered into seriously can be entered into quickly. Practically the whole first half of RCIA is just to see if the individual, after learning about Christ and his Church, still wants in. And even more so the Eucharist, the physical reception of Christ body and soul. It is a serious relationship that shouldn’t be entered into without full understanding and a decisive commitment to receive. And as you pointed out not even all Catholics can receive; on top of all else you must be “right” inside or you damage yourself and the Church.

The Eucharist is for many things, but I don’t think it’s a proper tool for evangelizing.
 
To receive the eucharist in a catholic church you must respond “amen” when the priest states: “body of Christ.” If you are affirming the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist then you must also be affirming the authority of the Church. If you are affirming the authority of the Church, are you really a protestant? I think you’ve set up a false dichotomy. You are not “forced” to disregard the laws of “men” to obtain communion with Christ. To fully participate in the Eucharist is to affirm the authority of Christ’s Church in the catholic church.

Just my two cents.
 
Thanks Flounder - (cool username by the way)

I agree that the Eucharist is not an evangelism tool. (although it has to be right at the top of any list of reasons for becoming Catholic!) It’s just difficult (for me any way) to explain to non-Catholics why we can’t share this gift more freely without it coming across as arrogant on the part of the Catholic position. When you’re on the outside looking in, the Church’s views can seem uncharitable and exclusionary. Because I have a personal and passionate interest in sharing the Faith with the separated bretheren in our life, I want to be able to always present the Church’s teachings in the light of God’s love for all His people.

We will be going to our former church this Sunday to attend the baptism of a close friend’s grandchild. We want to celebrate this wonderful occasion with them, but we will at the same time not be able to participate in communion. We were members of this church for 20 years and the community became an extension of our family. Our leaving was very painful for them and us. I would like to somehow make this an opportunity to promote unity instead of highlight division, but I’m struggling for how.

I feel like I’m just rambling here, I guess the point is that the division in Christianity is real and very painful in the life of my family. I ask that you all join our daily prayers for further and deeper understanding and that God will grace us each in our own way to be instruments of achieving the unity for which His Son so fervently prayed.
 
I am currently a protestant who has attended Catholic mass religiously for the past six months. I am currently undergoing the Journey of Faith so that I may convert to the catholic faith.

I have never receiced communion as yet but still approach the altar for a blessing from the priest instead of receiving the sacrament. My first communion will not be until Easter 2005 and I cannot wait to be a part of the catholic faith fully.

I canot judge that man who reaceives communion as a protestant but just wanted to say that I long for the day to personally receive it myself.

May the lord bless you all.
 
Thanks for the name compliment steveroz…
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steveroz:
I feel like I’m just rambling here, I guess the point is that the division in Christianity is real and very painful in the life of my family. I ask that you all join our daily prayers for further and deeper understanding and that God will grace us each in our own way to be instruments of achieving the unity for which His Son so fervently prayed.
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Well said. For my part consider it done.
 
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beng:
PS
Many Protestants also has closed communion (Presbyterian, Lutheran, some baptist)
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My wife is Lutheran. The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (which accounts for 53% of Lutherans in this country) practices
“eucharistic hospitality” (their words… see Principle 49 of the ELCA’s document “The Use of the Means of Grace: A Statement on the Practice of Word and Sacrament” located at elca.org/dcm/worship/worship/sacraments/umg.html).

Principle 37 of this same document says “Admission to the Sacrament is by invitation of the Lord, presented through the Church to those who are baptized”; Application 37G of this principle says “When an unbaptized person comes to the table seeking Christ’s presence and is inadvertently communed, neither that person nor the ministers of Communion need be ashamed. Rather, Christ’s gift of love and mercy to all is praised. That person is invited to learn the faith of the Church, be baptized, and thereafter faithfully receive Holy Communion.” Probably for this reason and others like it the Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod (LCMS), in its document “Admission to the Lord’s Supper” located at lcms.org/graphics/assets/media/CTCR/admisup.pdf teaches that “both (1) a genuine understanding of and faith in Christ’s presence in and through the sacramental elements and (2) doctrinal and personal unity among those who commune together are necessary for admission to the Lord’s Supper” (i.e. closed communion). Ditto for the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod (WELS) and, I suspect, most if not all of the smaller synods which tend to be even more conservative.

I’ve even seen where WELS Lutherans talk about the “liberal LCMS” (e.g. because an LCMS pastor participated in an interfaith service at Yankee Stadium for the families of those killed in the Sept. 11 attacks). Prior to this, I’ve never heard “liberal” and “LCMS” used in the same sentence – certainly not by my ELCA in-laws 🙂

Erich

In the beginning there was nothing.
Then God said, “Let there be light,” and there was still nothing.
But at least everyone could see it.
 
Okay, well I am part of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America, and from what I’ve gathered from my churches teachings, we also believe in the True Presence of Christ in the host. I personally believe this. And as for joining the Catholic community, I disagree with the Catholic church on other things. But I don’t get why I shouldn’t be allowed to take communion at a Catholic service if I believe the exact same thing as what I’m being told I have to believe to take it. I refrain from taking it because I know the church doesn’t let me, but I’m not sure why they won’t let me.

PS: We don’t have closed communion. It says right in our bulletin “We welcome to our table all baptized christians who recieve communion in their own church”
 
I would also like to point out that I go to Catholic masses because I attend a Catholic school, and we have masses at least monthly if not more. Also my step-father is Catholic so we have to attend his church once in a while.
 
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