Baptism and confession

[allisonP]

I am wondering about confession. If my baptism is accepted as a true baptism, and I think it is as I was baptized in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, but I am not Catholic, should I go to confession and if so, could I then partake of the communion?

 

[palmas85]

I am wondering about confession. If my baptism is accepted as a true baptism, and I think it is as I was baptized in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, but I am not Catholic, should I go to confession and if so, could I then partake of the communion?

You would have to go through RCIA more than likely. Even if you have a valid baptism you cannot partake of Holy Communion until you are accepted into the church. As far as confession I suppose that you could go, but you would receive none of the sacramental graces of the sacrament.

I am sorry to tell you but there are no shortcuts to this situation. In order to partake of the sacraments validly you must be accepted into the Church first except in extremely rare circumstamces.

 

[Virginia804]

It does seem odd that it’s that way.
If we are all members of the same body of Christ, and the Baptism of other accepted Christian denominations is regarded as valid, then to not allow the person to receive communion does seem exclusionary.
What is even stranger, is that (from the Orthodox I have spoken to) the Catholic Church will accept an Orthodox to receive Communion, but the Orthodox won’t accept Catholics.
That seems a lot like Catholics are in the same situation they are putting Protestants.
I hope some day the elephant that got cut up into so many pieces gets put back together, but I don’t think it will be by everyone becoming one denomination.

I heard story (I wish I could validate it) that when the rite for Pope Paul the XXIII’s installation to the papacy came around, the Archbishop of Canterbury came to him and told him he wanted to receive communion at the mass. The (soon to be) Pope Paul XXIII supposedly said “If you ask me the rule regarding if you can receive, I will tell you, but if approach the table, I will not turn you away.” Maybe that falls under the special situation referred to.

The thing is receiving communion cannot be taken lightly - and in the Catholic faith I think it is a more solemn event than in some Protestant Churches, so the Catholic rule is to make sure everyone who receives Communion is on the same page about what they are doing. To Catholics this is not just a ‘sign.’

I think if the person is in ‘grave need’ or terms to that effect, and they demonstrate they believe in the Real Presence, and their own denomination is not close, and maybe some other conditions, then they can receive.

It is a fair question - if you want to receive Communion in a Catholic Church, why wouldn’t you want to become Catholic? Just wanting to go to confession and wanting to receive communion sound like that direction is already present in some sense.

 

[passus]

It does seem odd that it’s that way.
If we are all members of the same body of Christ, and the Baptism of other accepted Christian denominations is regarded as valid, then to not allow the person to receive communion does seem exclusionary.

These Protestant Christians are in communion with the Catholic Church, but because we differ in some elements of our faiths, that communion is only a partial, or imperfect, communion.

Someone who comes from a differing Christian background needs to be properly catechized in the reception of the Sacrament and even more importantly, make a profession of faith before the Church.

What is even stranger, is that (from the Orthodox I have spoken to) the Catholic Church will accept an Orthodox to receive Communion, but the Orthodox won’t accept Catholics.
That seems a lot like Catholics are in the same situation they are putting Protestants.

You either seem to have mis-heard your friends or they are mistaken.

Firstly, the Catechism states:
With the Orthodox Churches, this communion is so profound “that it lacks little to attain the fullness that would permit a common celebration of the Lord’s Eucharist” (838*CCC *).
That in mind, and with the understanding that Orthodox Communion is valid, Canon law tells us that we may receive Holy Communion (and other sacraments) from Orthodox Churches.
Whenever necessity requires it or true spiritual advantage suggests it, and provided that danger of error or of indifferentism is avoided, the Christian faithful for whom it is physically or morally impossible to approach a Catholic minister are permitted to receive the sacraments of penance, Eucharist, and anointing of the sick from non-Catholic ministers in whose Churches these sacraments are valid ( 844 §2CIC).Furthermore, the Church does not freely invite all Orthodox to the Communion line at their discretion. Rather, the Church encourages members or those churches in such a “profound communion” to adhere to the discipline of their own churches regarding inter-communion.
Members of the Orthodox churches, the Assyrian Church of the East, and the Polish National Catholic Church are urged to respect the discipline of their own churches (Guidelines for the Reception of Communion).
And with that understanding, it would seem that the Orthodox churches frown upon the reception of Catholic communion in the first place.
Orthodox Christians are not permitted to receive Communion in non-Orthodox communities, including the Roman Catholic. To do so would imply a unity that in fact does not yet exist. Also it implies that we are “united” to the faith community from which we receive the Eucharist (Source).

 

[Br.Rich_SFO]

It does seem odd that it’s that way.
If we are all members of the same body of Christ, and the Baptism of other accepted Christian denominations is regarded as valid, then to not allow the person to receive communion does seem exclusionary.
What is even stranger, is that (from the Orthodox I have spoken to) the Catholic Church will accept an Orthodox to receive Communion, but the Orthodox won’t accept Catholics.
That seems a lot like Catholics are in the same situation they are putting Protestants.
I hope some day the elephant that got cut up into so many pieces gets put back together, but I don’t think it will be by everyone becoming one denomination.

I heard story (I wish I could validate it) that when the rite for Pope Paul the XXIII’s installation to the papacy came around, the Archbishop of Canterbury came to him and told him he wanted to receive communion at the mass. The (soon to be) Pope Paul XXIII supposedly said “If you ask me the rule regarding if you can receive, I will tell you, but if approach the table, I will not turn you away.” Maybe that falls under the special situation referred to.

The thing is receiving communion cannot be taken lightly - and in the Catholic faith I think it is a more solemn event than in some Protestant Churches, so the Catholic rule is to make sure everyone who receives Communion is on the same page about what they are doing. To Catholics this is not just a ‘sign.’

I think if the person is in ‘grave need’ or terms to that effect, and they demonstrate they believe in the Real Presence, and their own denomination is not close, and maybe some other conditions, then they can receive.

It is a fair question - if you want to receive Communion in a Catholic Church, why wouldn’t you want to become Catholic? Just wanting to go to confession and wanting to receive communion sound like that direction is already present in some sense.

The “elephant” if you mean the Church never got “cut up”. It’s still one whole “elephant”. Many people however decided to create their own version of the “elephant”. Remember that the Catholic Church is the Mystical Body of Christ. To receive Communion, union with Christ, you need to be in full and complete union with Him in His Mystical Body, the Catholic Church.

 

[allisonP]

Well that makes sense I suppose.
Now for another part to the question if you please?
If I become Catholic, be confirmed with the Church ( I think I am wording this right, if not bare with me please!) Then when I make my first confession, will I confess my sins from my original baptisim or from when I became Catholic?
Thanks for thinking and answering these question I have.
Allison

 

[melinda_s]

If I become Catholic, be confirmed with the Church ( I think I am wording this right, if not bare with me please!) Then when I make my first confession, will I confess my sins from my original baptisim or from when I became Catholic?
Thanks for thinking and answering these question I have.
Allison

hi from your original baptism as much as you can remember and those that you can’t remember are also forgiven with the absolution i did this recently

 

[allisonP]

oh boy.
I do not want to remember!

 

[Virginia804]

When you go through RCIA, there are guides and sessions about how to go to confession. I entered the Catholic Church at about 40, after being baptised at 14, so there was a lot to go through.
But it was very freeing…there is something about saying it out loud that frees one from obcessing about some thing one has done. At least that was my experience.

I don’t know if it is too late to get into the process for this year, since Lent is starting soon. I do know of some cases where people have started after the normal time to begin, which is in the Fall, so if you want to do this, which it sounds like you do, I’d go to the priest or call the parish as soon as you can to find out.

 

[Virginia804]

Passus,
I don’t disagree with your post - just wanting to point out that the Catholic position about an Orthodox receiving communion is different than a for a Protestant. Sure, we are OK from the Catholic Church’s point of view to receive at an Orthodox Church, but I haven’t found an Orthdox that wants us to - from their perspective, if we want to, we need to leave the Catholic Church and become Orthodox. Maybe they have special situations for exceptions as well.

Likewise, the Orthodox Church doesn’t want its members receiving in the Catholic Church, just as the Catholic Church doesn’t want its members receiving communion in a Protestant Church.

Is any of that incorrect? What I heard I heard from Orthodox and Catholic Priests, but that doesn’t mean it is exactly correct.

Regarding another post below, I thought the Mystical Body of Christ is more than the Catholic Church - it also includes all Christians, even those from denominations where we are in imperfect communion.

I do know that in Eastern Orthodox Catholic Churches - the Eastern Rite within the Catholic Church - we can receive communion there.