Communion at Protestant churches

[BrewMax]

In the Catholic Church, it is also the individual who makes his Examination of Conscience, and goes to Confession if necessary. But the Church provides him with plenty of guidance on what to look for, and how to know that he is receiving Holy Communion in good conscience.

Catholic priests, too, usually assume that everyone in the communion line-up has made a good Examination of Conscience, and prepared themselves properly.

If he notices that an unbaptized person or non-Catholic is receiving, he will sometimes take the person aside and give him instructions not to receive again until after he has been Initiated into the Church, together with information about what the Catholic Church believes, and what the person should do instead; however, even in those cases, there are priests who will just leave it in God’s hands and hope for the best.

I guess I am a little confused here. It was my understanding that the Eucharist is among many other purposes, also for the forgiveness of sin. In this conscience examination, what sins would one consider to be able to be forgiven at communion and which ones are just too much for the sacrifice to handle? Not sure I understand this concept.

 

[viper78912]

Grace Seeker;2721407:

Why are you so intent on denying that he had a spiritual connection? He recognized who Jesus was. That takes sprititual discernment.

And you are the one who has been intent in talking about his baptism of blood. and desire. Where did that desire come from if not a spiritual connection with Jesus? But I agree with you it wasn’t a Sacramental experience. Hence, my statement to Theodore who proposed that Sacaramental graces were superior to spiritual graces.

Though you continue to argue with me (maybe just because I’m a protestant and you can’t admit a protestant might have a point), you seem to be agreeing with my position that the effect of receiving Jesus’ love (sans sacraments) was just as effective in St. Dimas’ spiritual life as if he had received the sacraments. Please don’t telll me that receiving Jesus’ love like St. Dimas did is NOT a spiritual experience, but only a physical one.[/QUOTS

If i came to you in person would you say to me that i have no Spirit within me ? Because if i didn’t i’d be dead, once you loose you’re physical component you are Spirit, hence when we receive Christ in Holy Communion (Sacramental Communion) he comes to us in PERSON (in Body as well as Spirit i thought you understood that). But if Christ only came to us Spiritual than the promise of the Eucharist was in vain.

To recap, the subject is:
Can Catholics receive Protestant communion?

1. Catholic Eucharist is a Sacramental receiving of the REAL Body and Blood of Christ.
2. Protestant Communion is a SYMBOLIC fellowship memorial of the Last Supper.
   Spiritual Communion is above dogma and doctrine, allowed to ALL.
   Catholics attend Protestant services and partake of the symbolic fellowship meal.
   How does this counter doctrine and dogma? denis

[/quote]

 

[Theodore]

Theodore;2723727:

To recap, the subject is:
Can Catholics receive Protestant communion?

1. Catholic Eucharist is a Sacramental receiving of the REAL Body and Blood of Christ.
2. Protestant Communion is a SYMBOLIC fellowship memorial of the Last Supper.
   Spiritual Communion is above dogma and doctrine, allowed to ALL.
   Catholics attend Protestant services and partake of the symbolic fellowship meal.
   How does this counter doctrine and dogma? denis

By receiving Spiritual Communion you are denying the " REAL PRESENCE " The BODY and BLOOD of CHRIST as taught by the Catholic Church ( John Chapter 6 ) hence by partaking in a Protestant Symbolic Memorial of the Last Supper, you are rejecting CHRIST the BREAD of LIFE …

 

[Grace_Seeker]

Theodore;2723727:

To recap, the subject is:
Can Catholics receive Protestant communion?

1. Catholic Eucharist is a Sacramental receiving of the REAL Body and Blood of Christ.
2. Protestant Communion is a SYMBOLIC fellowship memorial of the Last Supper.
   Spiritual Communion is above dogma and doctrine, allowed to ALL.
   Catholics attend Protestant services and partake of the symbolic fellowship meal.
   How does this counter doctrine and dogma? denis

I’m so glad that spiritual communion is allowed to all. Without the permission of the Catholic church I wasn’t sure that God would be allowed to be in communion with me. :::sarcasm intended:::

This thread, like many in this forum, has jumped all over the place. Not every post has remained on topic, so not every question I have posed is dealing strictly with the original post in this thread.

Some of those who have commented on the place of the sacramental with regard to the spiritual have not be commenting on communion alone, but the whole concept of the value of the spiritual as being someone “less” meaningful than physical things. It is not the fact that Catholics understand the Eucharist they receive to be one of the physcial body of Christ while most protestants do so symbolically that brought about my comments. It is that some Catholics have seen the whole concept of spiritual communion to be inferior to physical communion that I have challenged. Plain and simple, I think that way of valuing is demeaning to God the Father who is a spiritual being and is to be worshipped in spirit and in truth.

The physical world is no more real than the spiritual world. And partaking of the physical body of Christ in communion is no more communion than is spiritual communion with Christ. If you think so, then you’ve missed the reality of God’s very nature and that you and I are created not just as physical beings but also as spiritual ones.

I don’t say this to counter anything in Catholic theology, only to raise awareness that some are cheapening their spiritual experience which is bad praxis – be one protestant or Catholic.

 

[jmcrae]

viper78912;2746381:

By receiving Spiritual Communion you are denying the " REAL PRESENCE " The BODY and BLOOD of CHRIST as taught by the Catholic Church ( John Chapter 6 ) hence by partaking in a Protestant Symbolic Memorial of the Last Supper, you are rejecting CHRIST the BREAD of LIFE …

I think it’s important to remember the distinction between spiritual holy communion (which is very Catholic) and the symbolic holy communion practiced by many Protestants.

To make an Act of Spiritual Holy Communion is to pray for spiritual union with Christ. We usually do this in situations where it is not possible for us to receive Holy Communion at Mass, for whatever reason. We also encourage Protestants attending Mass to make an Act of Spiritual Holy Communion, rather than present themselves to receive Holy Communion in the line up.

You (anybody) can also make an Act of Spiritual Holy Communion any time you want.

Protestants cannot receive Holy Communion in the Catholic Church because they have not made a profession of faith in the Catholic Church and they have not received all of the Sacraments of Initiation.

Catholics cannot receive Holy Communion in Protestant churches because to do so implies a unity that does not actually exist.

It is a fact that to receive Holy Communion in the Catholic Church is to receive the Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus Christ, whole and entire, which we refer to as the Real Presence of Jesus Christ.

It is also a fact that to receive Holy Communion in most Protestant churches is to receive symbols of Christ’s body and blood.

These two facts, though very interesting to discuss and compare, aren’t really related to the reasons that we can’t intercommune - after all, even if a Protestant firmly believes in the Real Presence of Jesus Christ, he still can’t receive Holy Communion in the Catholic Church, until after he makes his Profession of Faith and finishes receiving the Sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation, and First Holy Communion - and by that time, of course, he is Catholic.

 

[jmcrae]

The physical world is no more real than the spiritual world.

I don’t know about that. If you break your arm physically, I think it has a greater effect on your life than if you break it spiritually.

 

[Grace_Seeker]

I don’t know about that. If you break your arm physically, I think it has a greater effect on your life than if you break it spiritually.

That may be true with respect to arms, but we are not talking about arms we are talking about lives. And I think you will agree that if one dies spiritually it has a much greater impact on one’s life than if one dies physically.

 

[jmcrae]

That may be true with respect to arms, but we are not talking about arms we are talking about lives. And I think you will agree that if one dies spiritually it has a much greater impact on one’s life than if one dies physically.

If I die spiritually, I can be spiritually resurrected in the Confessional. There is no such opportunity after dying physically - as soon as I die physically, I go straight to the Judgement.

 

[Grace_Seeker]

If I die spiritually, I can be spiritually resurrected in the Confessional. There is no such opportunity after dying physically - as soon as I die physically, I go straight to the Judgement.

Where the issue becomes once again one’s spiritual life.

What was it Jesus said, “Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell.”

I’m not objecting to your interpretation of the eucharist, and I don’t hear you trying to impose your interpretation on my experience of communion. So, unless it is your desire to discount my spiritual experience in communion as not having meaning or being an effectual means of grace because it is not a physical experience of Christ, I don’t see that we have any argument with one another.

 

[jmcrae]

Where the issue becomes once again one’s spiritual life.

Actually, it becomes my entire life - spiritual, emotional, and physical - what did I do with my gifts, how did I help others, did I pray, did I follow my conscience, etc.

What was it Jesus said, “Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell.”

Yes - both the body and the soul are very important.

I’m not objecting to your interpretation of the eucharist, and I don’t hear you trying to impose your interpretation on my experience of communion. So, unless it is your desire to discount my spiritual experience in communion as not having meaning or being an effectual means of grace because it is not a physical experience of Christ, I don’t see that we have any argument with one another.

No, your spiritual experience in your symbolic Holy Communion may be different from what we experience with physical Holy Communion in the Catholic Church, but it’s certainly real.

Both, of course, are also spiritual.

Technically, only the Sacraments of the Catholic Church are “means of grace” (meaning the most usual method by which God scrubs the effects of sin off of our souls and purifies them) but there is a secondary meaning of the term “grace” that refers to emotional fulfillment, and it is certainly true that Protestantism has that. (So does the Catholic Church, too. )

 

[Mannyfit75]

I went to a Methodist/Episopical wedding last summer and we took part in their version of communion, which is open to all. That was on a Saturday afternoon. We are both Catholic, we took part because they were friends of my girlfriend. We still went to mass on Sunday morning (next day) ourselves. I view it as a sign of unity, does not hurt to go do it, but it is not a replacement.

Catholics by their own profession of faith, cannot partake in communion in Protestant churches. For Catholics, communion unity in one faith and one Church. You profess the Catholic faith you cannot partake in Protestant communion services.

Since you did, it would be advisable to go to confession.

 

[Sixtus]

Catholics by their own profession of faith, cannot partake in communion in Protestant churches. For Catholics, communion unity in one faith and one Church. You profess the Catholic faith you cannot partake in Protestant communion services.

Since you did, it would be advisable to go to confession.

 

[Grace_Seeker]

Technically, only the Sacraments of the Catholic Church are “means of grace” (meaning the most usual method by which God scrubs the effects of sin off of our souls and purifies them) but there is a secondary meaning of the term “grace” that refers to emotional fulfillment, and it is certainly true that Protestantism has that. (So does the Catholic Church, too. )

Well, I guess there is no chance we are going to be in agreement over this. I believe that the sacraments of other ecclesiastical bodies also offer means of grace, but you are not likely to even recognize them as valid sacraments. And I’m too tired to debate the issue. Rather, may I just offer you the right hand of fellowship and we can each move on to continue to worship and serve God in the communities of faith in which he has placed us.

Peace be upon you.

 

[Theodore]

Theodore;2746665:

I think it’s important to remember the distinction between spiritual holy communion (which is very Catholic) and the symbolic holy communion practiced by many Protestants.

To make an Act of Spiritual Holy Communion is to pray for spiritual union with Christ. We usually do this in situations where it is not possible for us to receive Holy Communion at Mass, for whatever reason. We also encourage Protestants attending Mass to make an Act of Spiritual Holy Communion, rather than present themselves to receive Holy Communion in the line up.

You (anybody) can also make an Act of Spiritual Holy Communion any time you want.
Nicely put , i’ve done the same thing often myself when i could not receive Our Lord in the Sacrament itself. It does have it’s benefits (Spifitual Communion) but it does not replace the Eucharist
Protestants cannot receive Holy Communion in the Catholic Church because they have not made a profession of faith in the Catholic Church and they have not received all of the Sacraments of Initiation.

Catholics cannot receive Holy Communion in Protestant churches because to do so implies a unity that does not actually exist.

It is a fact that to receive Holy Communion in the Catholic Church is to receive the Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus Christ, whole and entire, which we refer to as the Real Presence of Jesus Christ.

It is also a fact that to receive Holy Communion in most Protestant churches is to receive symbols of Christ’s body and blood.

These two facts, though very interesting to discuss and compare, aren’t really related to the reasons that we can’t intercommune - after all, even if a Protestant firmly believes in the Real Presence of Jesus Christ, he still

can’t receive Holy Communion in the Catholic Church, until after he makes his Profession of Faith and finishes receiving the Sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation, and First Holy Communion - and by that time, of course, he is Catholic.

Nicely put !! I myself have Spiritual Communion when i can not receive Holy Communion. It has it’s benefits, but it can never replace the The Real Presence in the EUCHARIST…
We pray that we may all become ONE…

 

[Theodore]

I guess I am a little confused here. It was my understanding that the Eucharist is among many other purposes, also for the forgiveness of sin. In this conscience examination, what sins would one consider to be able to be forgiven at communion and which ones are just too much for the sacrifice to handle? Not sure I understand this concept.

Venial sin can be forgiven when you receive Holy Communion with an act of Sorrow. Mortal sin can only be forgiven in the Sacrament of Penance ( Confession). To receive Christ when a person is in state of Mortal sin would be to bring Judgement upon oneself…
Peace

 

[viper78912]

“For whoever keeps the whole law, and yet stumbles in one point, he is guilty of all.”(James2.10).
All sin is equally grievous.
The celebrant priest is forgiven all his sins ‘operatis operandi’. Participants at Mass should also be absolved in the penitential rite of all sins ‘operatis operandi’. denis

 

[viper78912]

Catholics by their own profession of faith, cannot partake in communion in Protestant churches. For Catholics, communion unity in one faith and one Church. You profess the Catholic faith you cannot partake in Protestant communion services.

Since you did, it would be advisable to go to confession.

The foreword to Pope John Paul‘s eulogy is written by Billy Graham. Pope John Paul II promised to attend Billy Graham’s revival crusade, and even offered the use of the cathedral. Popes have prayed in the mosques. Can we not recognize our brotherhood in Christ who died for all (John3.16) ?Do we sin in participating in Protestant fellowship (John 17.21)?

 

[jmcrae]

The foreword to Pope John Paul‘s eulogy is written by Billy Graham. Pope John Paul II promised to attend Billy Graham’s revival crusade, and even offered the use of the cathedral. Popes have prayed in the mosques. Can we not recognize our brotherhood in Christ who died for all (John3.16) ?Do we sin in participating in Protestant fellowship (John 17.21)?

What has any of that got to do with Holy Communion?

In the Catholic Church, we have the miracle of transubstantiation - Jesus is truly present under the appearances of the bread and wine.

Protestants have no equivalent to this - their bread remains bread, and whatever they are using for the drink remains whatever it is - they do not become Jesus’ body and blood, soul and divinity.

 

[viper78912]

The issue is Catholics receive the REAL Body and Blood of Christ at the Epiclesis and Transubstantiation. They also participate in the symbolic Protestant Communion fellowship. This is in keeping with Jesus’ message in John 17.20?
“God is not a God of Disorder but of peace.”( 1Cor.14.33).

What has any of that got to do with Holy Communion?

In the Catholic Church, we have the miracle of transubstantiation - Jesus is truly present under the appearances of the bread and wine.

Protestants have no equivalent to this - their bread remains bread, and whatever they are using for the drink remains whatever it is - they do not become Jesus’ body and blood, soul and divinity.

 

[Theodore]

I don’t have a problem enjoying fellowship or a meal with anyone, what ever their believe. But being a Catholic, i can not receive Communion in a Protestant community, because to do so could lead a non Catholic to think, that there is no difference in our beleive of the Real Presence.
Theo…