As Catholics, how do we receive Christ?

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As a Catholic, should I agree with this Protestant saying “If you have faith, then you have works to follow”? Does the Catholic Church totally agree with it?

Also, as a Catholic, how do I respond to the Protestant question “how do you receive Christ?”

My Protestant friend asked me this question during our bible study. I answered we receive Christ by the Holy Eucharist, then I asked her to read 1Corinthians 10:16-17. After reading, she said "ah, okay, so you receive Christ in the communion? yes, but Christ only said ‘do this as a remembrance of me’ ". I was thinking of explaining John 6 to her, but I chose to be silent, since I was the only Catholic in our bible study! But is explaining the Catholic interpretation of John 6 the best reply for what she said?
 
The process of “receiving Christ” is described here ;

globalgoodnews.org/receiving_christ.htm

The result is being born again and made a child of God. Catholics believe that this is done through faith and baptism. That is the Catholic answer.

Possibly you might be more comfortable and grow better in your faith were you to attend a Catholic study group.

Verbum
 
jamil_joseph02 said:
As a Catholic, should I agree with this Protestant saying “If you have faith, then you have works to follow”? Does the Catholic Church totally agree with it?

Also, as a Catholic, how do I respond to the Protestant question “how do you receive Christ?”

My Protestant friend asked me this question during our bible study. I answered we receive Christ by the Holy Eucharist, then I asked her to read 1Corinthians 10:16-17. After reading, she said "ah, okay, so you receive Christ in the communion? yes, but Christ only said ‘do this as a remembrance of me’ ".I was thinking of explaining John 6 to her, but I chose to be silent, since I was the only Catholic in our bible study! But is explaining the Catholic interpretation of John 6 the best reply for what she said?
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Yes, a good explanation of John 6 would have answered her objection. Then, if they hadn’t strung you up by then, you could have gone on the add a summary of Catholic teaching as Verbum suggested above.

I also tend to agree with Verbum, in that, if your Catholic minority status in this predominately Protestant Bible study group makes you timid about sharing the fullness of the Faith with them, you may be in the double-danger of re-inforcing their ignorance and putting your own Faith in jeopardy.

Are there no good Catholic Bible studies in your area in which your Catholic faith can be nourished and grow?
 
If I were you I won’t join Protestant bible studies. They are based on personal interpretation and are not in accordance with the Magisterium of the Church which has the sole right of interpreting it.

Maybe one day you’ll find yourself slowly turning away from the real Church of Christ.

Ask your parish for information about CATHOLIC BIBLE STUDIES.

AM+DG:thumbsup:
 
You have to be careful, because that sounds like a loaded question. Protestants are good at that. They wait for you to say what they want, then they have you right where they want you.

I would immediately ask her what she means?

Does she mean receive Christ’s teachings?

Receive the body of Christ?

Receive the gifts of the Holy Spirit?

Receive guidance from God’s wisdom?

Or in typical protestant fashion, she could mean invite Christ “into your heart” by faith. In which case there is no right answer, because there is sooo much more to it than that. God chose us, we didn’t choose him. He is always in our heart, he doesn’t come by invitation only. We were created in His image and likeness.

You can say, I accepted God’s gift of grace and freedom from original sin through baptism.

I received the gifts of the Holy Spirit; wisdom, understanding, knowledge, counsel, fortitude, piety, and fear of the Lord through confirmation.

I receive the gift of Christ’s body and sacrifice in communion.

I receive the gift of God’s healing power in the sacrament of annointing.

I receive the gift of God’s love and compassion in marriage.

I receive the gift of God’s forgiveness in confession.
 
HI O6,

“Receiving Christ” within that contex is well explained in the reference I gave.

Verbum
 
jamil_joseph02 said:
As a Catholic, should I agree with this Protestant saying “If you have faith, then you have works to follow”? Does the Catholic Church totally agree with it?
Also, as a Catholic, how do I respond to the Protestant question “how do you receive Christ?”
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If you have faith then you should have works to follow. This is because our faith is a gift from God and we have to respond in faith to that gift by using the graces He has given us. If we don’t respond our faith is dead as the apostle James put it.
As we cooperate with the Graces God so generously showers us with we participate in His plan of salvation. We are not working our way to salvation because God does not need our help. His saving action was done on the Cross that earned our Graces necessary for salvation. Now we must have those Graces applied to us by our cooperation with His Works.

As to receiving Christ, we receive Him spiritually through all the truth and meaning there is in the world and physically in the gift of the Eucharist.

mdcpensive1
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