Communion Confusion

[SouthrnCatholic]

I have a friend of mine who attends the local Catholic Church along with multiple other churches on Sunday (he’s a philosophy major). One day he changed his schedule and went to the same Mass I did, and it caught my eye from across the Church that he was receiving Communion even though he’s not Catholic. I was horrified! I tried to have a talk to him about not receiving the Eucharist while attending Mass because according to Catholic Traditions/rules he’s not in a state of grace that allows him to receive Communion as a non-Catholic. I’m not sure I understand why this is, but I know that’s how it works. Our conversation did not go as nicely as I wished, and he says that he’s just going to quit going to the local Catholic Church because he doesn’t think he should be going to a Church whose views are so different than his. I don’t want to disuade him from the Catholic Church, but at the same time I’d rather have him not attend Church than to receive Communion when he shouldn’t be. Is this a bad attitude to have towards this situation? I feel bad that I may be disuading him from the Catholic faith, but I don’t want him to disrespect Jesus’ body like that…

 

[Thomas63116]

I tried to have a talk to him about not receiving the Eucharist while attending Mass because according to Catholic Traditions/rules he’s not in a state of grace that allows him to receive Communion as a non-Catholic. I’m not sure I understand why this is, but I know that’s how it works.

You seem to be confusing two separate issues on who should/should not be receiving Communion. The Catholic Church sees reception of Communion as a visible expression of the unity of the Church. Therefore, we consider it inappropriate for a non-Catholic (someone not with whom we do not share that full unity) to receive the sacrament. The Church also teaches that Catholics should only receive Communion if they are in a state of Grace (i.e. not in need of the Sacrament of Confession before receiving, due to mortal sin). But that is really a separate issue.

I think the best way to handle a situation like this is to inform your friend of the Catholic Church’s position. Tell him that you realize other denominations have different understandings of Communion and therefore different rules for who can receive and you are sure he went up to receive only because he was unaware of the Catholic teaching not out of any disrespect. Let him know that you hope he will continue to attend Mass and that you hope one day he might want to join the Catholic Church. But, in the mean time, tell him now that he is aware of the church’s policy that you hope he will respect the Church’s rules on this matter, just as he would respect the rules at any other worship service he might visit.

 

[Bookcat]

I have a friend of mine who attends the local Catholic Church along with multiple other churches on Sunday (he’s a philosophy major). One day he changed his schedule and went to the same Mass I did, and it caught my eye from across the Church that he was receiving Communion even though he’s not Catholic. I was horrified! I tried to have a talk to him about not receiving the Eucharist while attending Mass because according to Catholic Traditions/rules he’s not in a state of grace that allows him to receive Communion as a non-Catholic. I’m not sure I understand why this is, but I know that’s how it works. Our conversation did not go as nicely as I wished, and he says that he’s just going to quit going to the local Catholic Church because he doesn’t think he should be going to a Church whose views are so different than his. I don’t want to disuade him from the Catholic Church, but at the same time I’d rather have him not attend Church than to receive Communion when he shouldn’t be. Is this a bad attitude to have towards this situation? I feel bad that I may be disuading him from the Catholic faith, but I don’t want him to disrespect Jesus’ body like that…

of course he may be in a state of grace…but that is not the question here…

Here are the guidelines as explained by the US Bishops conference – it can be good to print them out for him and note too that you should not have questioned his state of grace…in other words fix the breech …

usccb.org/liturgy/q&a/mass/communion.shtml

 

[SouthrnCatholic]

Ah, you are completely right. I knew I wasn’t getting something right but could not figure it out to save my life, thank you.

 

[SouthrnCatholic]

You seem to be confusing two separate issues on who should/should not be receiving Communion.

You are completely right, thank you. I knew I wasn’t getting something right but could not place it to save my life.