attending a non-catholic church for convienance?

[rooney]

i expected to attend a 6:30pm Catholic mass today.
i did remember untill after the morning masses were over that I need to be at a school event by 7 to set up.
the 6:30pm is the only catholic mass left that i am in walking distance of (no car).
i think i am going to attend a 5:30 mass at the episcopal church;
does this fullfill my sunday obligation?
should i confess not attending catholic mass before i recieve again?

 

[twopekinguys]

i expected to attend a 6:30pm Catholic mass today.
i did remember untill after the morning masses were over that I need to be at a school event by 7 to set up.
the 6:30pm is the only catholic mass left that i am in walking distance of (no car).
i think i am going to attend a 5:30 mass at the episcopal church;
does this fullfill my sunday obligation?
should i confess not attending catholic mass before i recieve again?

No it does not fulfill your Sunday obligation.

Do not receive communion there, and yes, you would need to confess before receiving communion in a Catholic Church again.

Personally, I would be a little bit late to the school event as opposed to missing Mass.

 

[ElizabethPH]

does this fullfill my Sunday obligation? No

should i confess not attending catholic mass before i recieve again? Yes If you intentionally missed Mass with full consent and knowledge.

I would call someone and let them know you’ll be late to set up for the school event. Mass is your number one priority here!!

 

[CMatt25]

Do not receive communion there

Why? I know they believe their Communion is the Body and Blood too and you don’t. But TEC Communion is open to all baptized in the manner of the Trinity. No one is going to be holding a gun to anyone’s head if they receive even if they don’t believe TEC Communion is the Body and Blood. If you feel so called to receive, so be it. That is one of the Christ-like aspects of TEC. Christ said He turns no one away.

 

[TheosisM]

Why? I know they believe their Communion is the Body and Blood too and you don’t. But TEC Communion is open to all baptized in the manner of the Trinity. No one is going to be holding a gun to anyone’s head if they receive even if they don’t believe TEC Communion is the Body and Blood. If you feel so called to receive, so be it. That is one of the Christ-like aspects of TEC. Christ said He turns no one away.

Because it’s against the teaching of the Catholic Church to receive sacraments in Protestant churches.

 

[Tantum_ergo]

Why? I know they believe their Communion is the Body and Blood too and you don’t. But TEC Communion is open to all baptized in the manner of the Trinity. No one is going to be holding a gun to anyone’s head if they receive even if they don’t believe TEC Communion is the Body and Blood. If you feel so called to receive, so be it. That is one of the Christ-like aspects of TEC. Christ said He turns no one away.

No, Matt, with respect, you are wrong here. And to urge a Catholic to do something wrong is wrong of you as well.

If you don’t want to trust MY word on the topic, please let me give you the DEFINITIVE answer on the subject. . . from the Code of Canon Law.

Thus:
Can. 844 §1 Catholic ministers may lawfully administer the sacraments only to catholic members of Christ’s faithful, who equally may lawfully receive them only from catholic ministers, except as provided in §§2, 3 and 4 of this canon and in can. 861 §2. ********* Here you see that the norm is that Catholics receive ONLY from Catholic ministers.*******
§2 Whenever necessity requires or a genuine spiritual advantage commends it, and provided the danger of error or indifferentism is avoided, Christ’s faithful for whom it is physically or morally impossible to approach a catholic minister, may lawfully receive the sacraments of penance, the Eucharist and anointing of the sick from non-catholic ministers in whose Churches these sacraments are valid. ****and HERE you see that it must be a matter of necessity AND that it must be in a church where the sacraments are valid. The Episcopal Church is NOT a church which is recognized to have a valid Eucharist. ***

So please, Matt, do not urge a Catholic to violate Canon Law simply because you personally ‘think’ that it’s ‘fine’ to receive communion at the Episcopal Church. It is NOT fine for a Catholic to do so, quite the contrary.

And finally, Christ does not turn away the repentent, but He tells them to ‘sin no more’. As far as ‘not turning away’ ANYBODY (whether they are ‘repentent or not’) in some cosmic group-huggery scenario, one is advised to peruse Scripture to see Christ’s words in Matthew. When He tells us that at the judgment men will be placed ‘with the goats’ He specifically notes that these men will say, “We walked with you! We cast out DEMONS in your name” and He will say, “I never knew you, depart from Me”. . .so we see quite clearly that it is entirely possible (sadly) for us to turn from Christ. And He will not force us against our will to turn to Him.

 

[jmcrae]

Why?

Leaving aside the issues of Apostolic Succession, the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist (which are also very important issues) there is also the fact that TEC priests do not have any kind of authority over Catholics, to be able to give Catholics any kind of Sacraments, including the Eucharist.

 

[LilyM]

We don’t receive Communion in other churches, including the Episcopal, because of what we believe Communion means.

Yes, it means entering into communion with Christ, but it ALSO means entering into communion with our fellow Catholics, who are His body. By receiving, we are expressing our consent to ALL the teachings of the Church, which we share with our Catholic brothers and sisters.

By receiving in the Episcopalian church, you are doing the same - expressing your consent to all the teachings of the EPISCOPALIAN church. Do you believe EVERYTHING the Episcopalians do? Including that the Pope has no special authority? Including that practicing homosexuals and women can be ordained? Including that remarriage after divorce is just hunky dory (worked for Prince Charles, after all). If so, then by all means receive there, but then don’t pretend to express consent to Catholic teaching by receiving communion in the Catholic Church.

It’s a bit like pledging allegiance to the American flag, which straightaway identifies a person as a US citizen. Could I, as a citizen of Australia but not a citizen of the US, rightly pledge allegiance to the AMERICAN flag rather than my own? Of course not.

 

[Pilgrimage]

Because it’s against the teaching of the Catholic Church to receive sacraments in Protestant churches.

Why? Didn’t Jesus share His last supper with Peter and 11 others who were not Peter?

God bless

 

[jmcrae]

i expected to attend a 6:30pm Catholic mass today.

Then go.

i did remember untill after the morning masses were over that I need to be at a school event by 7 to set up.

You’re going to be late, because you have to go to Mass at 6:30 pm.

the 6:30pm is the only catholic mass left that i am in walking distance of (no car).

See above.

i think i am going to attend a 5:30 mass at the episcopal church;
does this fullfill my sunday obligation?

No. Even though they believe similar things, they are not members of the same Church organization that we are.

It would be like someone who works for Pepsi showing up for work at the Coke bottling plant, and expecting Pepsi to pay him for the hours worked at Coke. The fact that you can’t tell the difference between the two products wouldn’t make any difference to the paymaster at Pepsi - he would simply not pay you for it.

should i confess not attending catholic mass before i recieve again?

If you choose to miss the 6:30 Mass because of something going on outside of school hours at your school (which therefore cannot be mandatory for you to attend, and certainly they can’t dock you marks or otherwise penalize you for being late, since it’s a Sunday, and not a school day) then yes, you would need to confess that before you attempt to receive the Eucharist again.

 

[CMatt25]

OP didn’t even say he or she wanted to take Communion in TEC. But if he or she did and did not look at it as the true Body and Blood or a Catholic Sacrament, and only looked at it as breaking bread in communion with other Christians in worship, and TEC allows someone to receive if they feel called forward… how is that such an awful thing?

 

[jmcrae]

Why? Didn’t Jesus share His last supper with Peter and 11 others who were not Peter?

God bless

All of the Apostles were Catholics in full communion with both Jesus Christ and with Peter.

 

[jmcrae]

OP didn’t even say he or she wanted to take Communion in TEC. But if he or she did and did not look at it as the true Body and Blood or a Catholic Sacrament, and only looked at it as breaking bread in communion with other Christians in worship, and TEC allows someone to receive if they feel called forward… how is that such an awful thing?

Because it gives the appearance of syncretism - the idea that all religions are just as good as each other. Catholics are not allowed to be syncretists.

 

[jmcrae]

Why? Didn’t Jesus share His last supper with Peter and 11 others who were not Peter?

God bless

Protestants are not descended in Apostolic Succession from any of the Apostles, in any case - they broke away from all of that when they went into schism.

The Eastern Churches are, however, which is why (drumroll) Eastern Catholics are in full communion with the Catholic Church, and we can receive Holy Communion from each other.

 

[CMatt25]

By receiving in the Episcopalian church, you are doing the same - expressing your consent to all the teachings of the EPISCOPALIAN church.

First of all I’ve never received in TEC. I’ve never even yet set foot in a TEC church. But you do know TEC is a bit more open than that, right?

 

[Nicea325]

Why? I know they believe their Communion is the Body and Blood too and you don’t. But TEC Communion is open to all baptized in the manner of the Trinity. No one is going to be holding a gun to anyone’s head if they receive even if they don’t believe TEC Communion is the Body and Blood. If you feel so called to receive, so be it. That is one of the Christ-like aspects of TEC. Christ said He turns no one away.

Sorry Matt but it is not correct according to canon law.

 

[Tantum_ergo]

Why? Didn’t Jesus share His last supper with Peter and 11 others who were not Peter?

God bless

With respect, sir (or ma’am), kindly peruse the Catechism of the Catholic Church on the topic of the Eucharist, as well as the relevant Canon Law, so that you understand that it is not a question of simply ‘sharing a supper’ with people. And God bless you too.

Really, we understand where you are coming from. You believe that your Eucharist is ‘valid’ and so you invite ‘all’; that is your prerogative and your ‘recognition’. Now we Catholics invite the Orthodox (whose sacraments we recognize as valid) to our Eucharist but they, in all but a very few cases, decline to accept. Do we INSIST that they’ve ‘gotta come’ just becase we ask them? I don’t think so. We recognize that even though we would ‘allow’ them, they may not ‘choose’ to come. That is perfectly respectful. You would ‘allow us’ – we choose not to come, with thanks, but no thank you.

The Orthodox (whose sacraments as I said we recognize as valid) do not as a rule extend an invitation to us Catholics (or you Protestants) to partake of such. Again, do we ‘demand’ that we be ‘allowed’ to have what we accept as valid? NO WE DO NOT.

I think that may be why we find it so perplexing that we are accused of being rude and of ‘denying’ others — when we actually offer the Eucharist to the Orthodox and they do NOT offer it to us (or you). We feel that a group has the RIGHT to determine its ‘rules’ and not to be badgered or ‘hated on’, so we accept in perfect amity the decision of the Orthodox with regard to us. . .and we cannot understand why so many of the Protestants who come to harrangue us about ‘meanness’ not only don’t seem to realize that other groups ‘deny’ them as well (without them seeming to even CARE, it’s just Catholics who get screamed at), but also don’t seem to realize that the Catholics they call ‘mean’ are getting the very same ‘denial’ of what to them is a valid Eucharist from the Orthodox, and yet WE are not stomping and stamping and name-calling and playing the victim/martyr cards (NOT that I am accusing anybody of having done so–not yet anyway–on this particular thread).

 

[CMatt25]

Why? Didn’t Jesus share His last supper with Peter and 11 others who were not Peter?

God bless

One was even Judas. Not to mention Peter denying Christ shortly after. .

 

[jmcrae]

One was even Judas. Not to mention Peter denying Christ shortly after. .

Were there any Protestants at the Last Supper?

Sinners, yes - we are all sinners. But no Protestants - no one who was setting himself up as his own little church, separate from what Jesus was establishing on Peter and the Apostles.

 

[Tantum_ergo]

OP didn’t even say he or she wanted to take Communion in TEC. But if he or she did and did not look at it as the true Body and Blood or a Catholic Sacrament, and only looked at it as breaking bread in communion with other Christians in worship, and TEC allows someone to receive if they feel called forward… how is that such an awful thing?

Because it is wrong, Matt.

Don’t you see that it presents a false message to everyone?

The Catholic receiving is defying canon law and presenting himself/herself as ‘justified’ in taking TEC communion. And whether that Catholic ‘believes’ it is ‘true’ or not, the TEC people seeing the Catholic receive believe it is a communion and they believe that the Catholic accepting it is accepting it for what the TEC believe it is, and that the Catholic is thus ‘validating’ the TEC position and authority.

So the Catholic, and the TEC people, are all making, and receiving, totally FALSE things from and about each other. How is falsehood anything other than an awful thing?