Communion during the Mass

  • Thread starter Thread starter Christian7
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
C

Christian7

Guest
Two years ago I was in High School at a Private Catholic School. I am not of the Catholic faith, and have been practicing communion with my Protestant church ever since I was little. And so I came to receive the Blood and Body of Christ, and was rebuked by the school officials after the Mass.
Why? Exactly. A little selfish? That only those that are members of the Catholic church are offered the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ, while those that are not Catholic can sit and watch them in adornement? A small little propaganda idea maybe? Or just a selfish Catholic way?
 
no, there are many good reasons:

We belive the food actually becomes in a very real and true way, the body blood soul and divinity of Christ, the only thing that is evem bread-like or wine-like about it is the physical properties (“accidents”). St paul tells us that if you eat and drink the meal without discerning what it truly is, you are bringing judgement upon yourself. So it is better for you if you dont belive as we belive to not risk god’s anger.

Communion is also on some level a very public statement that you belive what the Church belives, and you obey the church, and are a full member in good standing, etc. then on that level, for a non-catholic to take catholic communion would be a lie. Catholics dont (or shoudnt) take other denominations communions for this same reason (not to mention it would be idolatrous for a catholic with catholic understandings to go to communion in a chuch that does not have a valid priesthood and thus no true presence) (there of course is the exception of eastern orthodox communion being okay in a desparate situation, but that is another topic)
 
Christian7,

Did you attend this Catholic School? Haven’t they addressed this with you?

Notworthy
 
40.png
Christian7:
Two years ago I was in High School at a Private Catholic School. I am not of the Catholic faith, and have been practicing communion with my Protestant church ever since I was little. And so I came to receive the Blood and Body of Christ, and was rebuked by the school officials after the Mass.
Why? Exactly. A little selfish? That only those that are members of the Catholic church are offered the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ, while those that are not Catholic can sit and watch them in adornement? A small little propaganda idea maybe? Or just a selfish Catholic way?
Click to expand...
There are also two views from the outside looking in.

Many Protestants believe that “Open Communion” as it is called is a means of getting to the full union of Christians and one Church once again. Which does not currently exist. They believe in an “External Unity” without “Internal Unity”

The Catholic Church believes that receiving Holy Communion is an outward sign of an internal unity. That those who receive Christ “Whole and Complete” in Holy Communion also accept Christ’s teaching “Whole and Complete” as presented through the Catholic Church His Mystical Body.

If you are not already in full union with Christ and His Church. Then you cannot be in union with Christ in receiving Holy Communion.
 
40.png
Christian7:
Two years ago I was in High School at a Private Catholic School. I am not of the Catholic faith, and have been practicing communion with my Protestant church ever since I was little. And so I came to receive the Blood and Body of Christ, and was rebuked by the school officials after the Mass.
Why? Exactly. A little selfish? That only those that are members of the Catholic church are offered the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ, while those that are not Catholic can sit and watch them in adornement? A small little propaganda idea maybe? Or just a selfish Catholic way?
Click to expand...
Yes, Christian, this is exactly the reason. We were trying to come up with a selfish bit of propaganda to really spite our brothers and sisters in Christ. Come on. Don’t you have enough respect for those you disagree with than to ask such a bitter, sarcastic question? Isn’t it at all possible that our difference in doctrines causes us to view communion different than at your Protestant church? Perhaps, as a Bible Christian, you are familiar with 1 Cor. 11:27, which we understand to be Paul’s warning that anyone who doesn’t recognize the Eucharist to be the body and blood of Christ could suffer illness and death by receiving it. You may disagree, and I respect that, but you should understand that the selfish, propaganda machine you are attacking is actually looking after your own spiritual well-being by asking you not receive communion. If whoever rebuked you did so inappropriately, I fell bad that that happened, but given the tone of this post and the other two you have made elsewhere, I think your motives here are not to reach an understanding of our faith, but to belittle and smirk at it. We are all very easy to get along with here and welcome you with Christian love, but please show us the same respect and patience you wish to be shown.
 
C7,

Your story certainly doesn’t sound right, but I can definitely explain the reason for what we believe.

See this thread called: The Eucharist IS Scriptural and this thread on this very topic known as Intercommunion

Do you share all our beliefs on the Eucharist (in particular) and other things as well? No. Then there is no communion, and even the early church didn’t allow “open communion” as most non-Catholic churches do today. That’s just a historical fact.
Pax tecum,
 
It is important to point out that reserving Communion to those actually in Communion with the church is the Apostolic tradition. It has always been Christian practice - always… from the first century.

In order to recieve Eucharist a person has always had to:
  1. be baptized
  2. confess the Kerygma of the church
  3. be in union with the bishop (the successor to the Apostles)
  4. be in a state of grace … In other words, metanoia was a requirement.
As a non-Catholic you would fail on at least points 2 and 3 to qualify for communion in the ancient Church … therefore you fail today. Nothing personal.
 
They should have told you that Communion is also an affirmation of belief in all that the Catholic Church teaches, so if you have not affirmed that by entering the Church, you cannot receive Holy Communion in the Catholic Church. They should have informed you of this previous to when you were at the alter rail. I am sorry that they neglected to inform you of this in a timely manner.
 
40.png
quasimodo:
It is important to point out that reserving Communion to those actually in Communion with the church is the Apostolic tradition. It has always been Christian practice - always… from the first century.

In order to recieve Eucharist a person has always had to:
  1. be baptized
  2. confess the Kerygma of the church
  3. be in union with the bishop (the successor to the Apostles)
  4. be in a state of grace … In other words, metanoia was a requirement.
As a non-Catholic you would fail on at least points 2 and 3 to qualify for communion in the ancient Church … therefore you fail today. Nothing personal.
Click to expand...
I’m Catholic but don’t know the term Kerygma. What does that mean?
 
Kerygma: the teaching of the church, the proclaimation of the faith, the deposit of faith … like that …
 
40.png
Christian7:
I am not of the Catholic faith, and have been practicing communion with my Protestant church ever since I was little. And so I came to receive the Blood and Body of Christ, and was rebuked by the school officials after the Mass.
Why? Exactly. A little selfish? That only those that are members of the Catholic church are offered the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ, while those that are not Catholic can sit and watch them in adornement? A small little propaganda idea maybe? Or just a selfish Catholic way?
Click to expand...
Hmmm…**

To receive communion you must be in communion.
**
Why would anyone even want to receive communion at a Catholic Church if they’re not in communion with “it”, or at least wanting very seriously to be Catholic??
 
Reformed Rob:
Why would anyone even want to receive communion at a Catholic Church if they’re not in communion with “it”, or at least wanting very seriously to be Catholic??
Click to expand...
Ask Bill Clinton. Did that piss anybody else off? A good analogy from the OT times I thought of would be a visiting prince going into the Holy of Holies in the Jewish temple. Now THAT would have torqued off a lot of Jews.
 
Aaron I.:
a visiting prince going into the Holy of Holies in the Jewish temple.
Click to expand...
He would have likely been pulled out by that rope/belt. Or maybe the rope would be all that would be left, no more visiting prince!!
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top