Can protestants receive spiritual communion?

[LJinPA]

I often read prayers of spiritual communion for those who have no access to communion I wonder if one has to be Catholic to receive it. Do spiritual communions confer any real grace?
I also wonder for the sake of mainline protiestants without valid orders, whether they believe in the real presence or a pneumatic presence. Could there be any spiritual value in their communion if they are sincere? I know there won’t be a real presence without a valid priest but I wonder if it is possible for there to be any spiritual value. I would find it hard to believe their eucharist is just a piece of bread and they would be wasting their time.

I do remember reading about an apparition, maybe Garabandal which I’m not sure is approved but it talked about St. Michael bringing communion to the children. It does seem possible that if God is not bound to his sacraments and can do anything if there’s ways he can sens a special blessing or grace to any sincere Christian.

 

[LJinPA]

Also, can one receive a Spiritual Communion before going to confession if they have perfect contrition?

 

[Nita]

Yes, Protestants can and do receive “spiritual” communion - if by “communion” you mean “union with” Jesus. For many, part of their prayer at conversion is asking Jesus to dwell in their hearts.

 

[Nita]

I also wonder for the sake of mainline protiestants without valid orders, whether they believe in the real presence or a pneumatic presence. Could there be any spiritual value in their communion if they are sincere? I know there won’t be a real presence without a valid priest but I wonder if it is possible for there to be any spiritual value. I would find it hard to believe their eucharist is just a piece of bread and they would be wasting their time.

It is never a waste of time when one is trying to carry out Our Lord’s will to the best of his/her understanding. God looks at the heart.

 

[Nita]

Also, can one receive a Spiritual Communion before going to confession if they have perfect contrition?

I don’t think the Church has defintive teachings on Spiritual Communions. It is a pious prayer/practice. I would think one can ask Our Lord to come to them spiritually at any time. As long as the request is an honest, sincere, loving request there would be nothing wrong with it – even if one did not have perfect contrition. (I’m assuming that someone who would desire a Spiritual Communion would have at least imperfect contrition for their serious sin and would be intending to go to confession.)

 

[O.S.Luke]

As I understand it, a spiritual communion is made when one wishes to receive Christ in the Eucharist but cannot, and then embrace Him as if we had received Him. It’s always been a strange concept to me, because it seems that by that definition, shouldn’t we always be in a state of spiritual communion?

Part of the Rule in the religious order I belong to is to “seek the sacramental life.” I guess I take for granted living in constant desire to receive and embrace Christ.

Of course, I am a Protestant who believes that the Eucharist that takes place in the church I attend is just as valid as “anyone’s else’s” Eucharist (as if anyone “owned” the Eucharist), and that Christ is really present, so take my comments with a grain of salt.

O+

 

[LJinPA]

I understand what you mean, as far as that most Christians do believe that there is a real presence of Christ everywhere at all times whether your in church, taking a bath, out dancing, in school, on a plane, bungee jumping, or scuba diving. Catholics however believe in a special presence in the sacrament that I believe but don’t know how to explain since I tend to like analogies to understand things but I don’t have one for that.

I do wonder if one who is protestant or even a Catholic who cannot licitly recieve at the moment can still benefit from adoration.

Some good reasons to think about spiritual communion is 1: This priest (Old Catholic/Episcopalian) in England who is consecrating hosts and mailing them out over the internet. It sounds quite sacreligious from the perspective of one who believes in transubstantiation even of the guy has good intentions yet in this day of online degrees, online dating, virtual pets, virtual doctors, I’m not surprised someone came up with the idea.
2: Also there is a Methodist priest who will consecrate communion over the internet but you provide the wine and some bread. For a Catholic, Anglican, or Orthodox person this can sound outrageous, but this priest is purely Protestant and makes no pretense of being Catholic or “Valid”. He believes more in a spiritual presence as do most Protestants do. While this may be haretical for a Roman Catholic wouldn’t this be the equivalent of spiritual communion for a well intentioned Protestant?

 

[St_Francis]

Yes, Protestants can and do receive “spiritual” communion - if by “communion” you mean “union with” Jesus. For many, part of their prayer at conversion is asking Jesus to dwell in their hearts.

Spiritual Communion refers to the Eucharist, not the type of union you are talking about. Catholics have a very different theology when it comes to Communion, communion, conversion, and salvation than you do.

 

[St_Francis]

As I understand it, a spiritual communion is made when one wishes to receive Christ in the Eucharist but cannot, and then embrace Him as if we had received Him.

Catholics are sometimes unable to receive physically. One very simple example is when the rule of fasting before Communion has been violated, then a Catholic should not receive, but may still pray for a Spiritual Communion, to receive the grace that would have otherwise been received by the physical reception of the Eucharist. Another example would be if one had already received twice in one day.

It’s always been a strange concept to me, because it seems that by that definition, shouldn’t we always be in a state of spiritual communion?

You are conflating being in communion with, as in communication with (we call it recollection) with receiving His Body and Blood, which we are not always in a state of.

Part of the Rule in the religious order I belong to is to “seek the sacramental life.” I guess I take for granted living in constant desire to receive and embrace Christ.

Of course, I am a Protestant who believes that the Eucharist that takes place in the church I attend is just as valid as “anyone’s else’s” Eucharist (as if anyone “owned” the Eucharist), and that Christ is really present, so take my comments with a grain of salt.

O+

The main problem is that the theology of Protestant churches varies *widely. *As I understand it, some Episcopalians and Lutherans believe in consubstantiation rather than transubstantiation; other Protestant groups believe that what is happening is merely symbolic and there is no change to the bread and wine at all. AFAIK, no Protestant group believes in Transubstantiation, only Catholics and Orthodox.

 

[O.S.Luke]

The Orthodox do not believe in transubstantiation either; they do believe in the Real Presence, as do several Protestant traditions. This has been discussed in several threads here. Very few, if any, Protestant traditions embrace consubstantiation - that is another Thomistic/Aristotelian concept (which Catholic scholar Duns Scotus advanced and English Catholics embraced in the Lollardy movement of the 14th century), which Protestants and the Orthodox would be loathe to embrace for the same reasons as transubstantiation. Martin Luther never ever said the word “consubstantiation,” and made it clear (as did the Book of Concord) that the Eucharist was a sacramental union, and that the change was indescribable.

To many traditions, including the Orthodox, at the Eucharist the bread and wine become the Body and Blood of Christ. Period. No explanation needed… or possible.

From the United Methodist Eucharistic liturgy (epiclesis):

Pour out your Holy Spirit on us gathered here
and on these gifts of bread and wine.
Make them be for us the body and blood of Christ,
that we may be for the world the Body of Christ,
redeemed by His blood.

I hope this clarifies things. Of course, Catholics would recognize the Eucharist in Protestant traditions to be invalid anyway - so this discussion is probably moot for you.