Do people die from taking the Eucharist unworthily?

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Prodigal1984

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In 1 Corinthians 11:29-30, Saint Paul warns about taking the Eucharist knowing you are not in a state of Grace. He says:
For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body, eats and drinks judgment on himself. That is why many among you are ill and infirm, and a considerable number are dying.
1 Corinthians 11:29‭-‬30

If this was the case then, why don’t we hear about this today? Surely not everyone who takes the Eucharist is in a state of Grace, especially on like Christmas and Easter. So what is up with this?
 
I understand that. But in that case how did Saint Paul know that was the reason they were getting Ill and dying?
 
The apostles knew a lot of things miraculously. I have no doubt many people are physically sick from taking the Eucharist unworthily today. Sin affects all kinds of things, including it can cause disease.
 
Prodigal1984 said:
I understand that. But in that case how did Saint Paul know that was the reason they were getting Ill and dying?
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He just did. The Bible is God’s inspired Word and cannot contain error.

Actually, we don’t know that people in the present day, who receive the Eucharist unworthily, don’t get ill or even die from it. They could. Not each and every one, but we can’t say it doesn’t happen. Perhaps Almighty God allows certain people to contract disease and acquire illnesses due to their having received unworthily.

We simply can’t know. This will be revealed to us in eternity, if God so chooses to give us this knowledge.
 
Prodigal1984 said:
For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body, eats and drinks judgment on himself. That is why many among you are ill and infirm, and a considerable number are dying.
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I also see another angle. St Paul is referring to the soul. I can’t remember which Saint or where I read it, but it was said the wounds of our souls are horrible, open festering wounds type of thing.
So as all sins wound our souls, some killing the life of sanctifying grace within the soul (mortal sin), which without this grace the soul “is dead”. Thus the need for confession to be restored to the state of sanctifying grace.
So I see the soul being ill and infirm due to venial sins, and the dying/dead souls as a result of mortal sin.

Also, that’s why we are admonished to examine our consciences and if aware of mortal sin, to not receive Communion, to realize Whom we are about to receive! And as we are to adore Christ, this is what we do when we look at the Blessed Sacrament prior to receiving and reply to the priests’ “The Body of Christ” with an “Amen” (It is true/so be it/affirming that it is Christ).

If we don’t discern whether we are in a state of grace to receive Communion, and if upon realizing we are not in a state of grace to receive but then decide to receive anyway, then we are receiving unworthily, and so by doing this we are bringing judgement upon ourselves - a grave sin to receive Communion when not in the state of grace = committing sacrilege=mortal sin=kills the life of sanctifying grace. And we will be judged for this (as well as all other sins) at our particular judgement.

What Does It Mean To Receive Communion Worthily?
 
They die a spiritual death. In a similar sense that Adam and Eve died a spiritual death the moment they ate “unworthily” of the fruit, so to speak.
Causes ill’s in their spiritual life/relationship w the Lord too, so “getting sick” also in a spiritual sense.
 
Receiving the Eucharist unworthily is committed by people living in sin, without repentance. The Corinthians were notorious for carnal sins; consider the ill health effects of venereal disease, especially at a time without modern medicine.
 
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CRV said:
And as we are to adore Christ, this is what we do when we look at the Blessed Sacrament prior to receiving and reply to the priests’ “The Body of Christ” with an “Amen” (It is true/so be it/affirming that it is Christ).
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When I was a kid I only went to TLM, not wanting to go into why but thats just what my parents brought my brothers and I too. I didn’t go to the Ordinary Form until I was in college and I remember the first time I had no idea the priest didn’t say amen for us. Actually I was lost the entire mass the first time. I had no idea why the priest was facing us and not God etc.
Anyways I talked to the priest afterward because it was kind of weird he was just looking at me waiting for a response and I didn’t know I was supposed to give one.
 
I understand.
But it does contain errors.
Judith says Nebuchadnezzar was the king of the Assyrians when we know from Daniel and other historical witnesses that he was the king of Babylon.
 
Prodigal1984 said:
Anyways I talked to the priest afterward because it was kind of weird he was just looking at me waiting for a response and I didn’t know I was supposed to give one
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Understandable as you explained your upbringing.

I see it for different reasons in the OF- 1. those who usually attend the EF don’t respond Amen because they are in the habit of not responding, as you said in the EF the priest includes that in what he says. And 2. Those who only attend the OF either aren’t aware that they should respond, or forget to.
Then there is the opposite - in the EF, people being new to the EF sometimes make the mistake of responding Amen, not knowing that the priest says that part himself and they are to remain silent.
 
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Haydock commentary explained that this was not the Nebuchadnezzar King of Babylon:
Ver. 5. Nabuchodonosor. Not the king of Babylon, who took and destroyed Jerusalem, but another of the same name, who reigned in Nivine; and is called by profane historians Saosduchin. He succeeded Asarhaddon in the kingdom of the Assyrians, and was contemporary with Manasses, king of Juda. Ch. — He might be the same with Asarhaddon, who resided at Ninive in the 20th year of his reign. After the defeat at Bethulia, the Medes recovered part of their power, under Cyaxares I. who was succeeded by Astyages and Cyaxares II. with whom Cyrus was associated in the empire. Xenophon. — Asarhaddon spent the latter years of his life at Babylon, of which he had made himself master. Houbigant. — The Jews frequently give names to foreign princes different from those by which they are known in profane history. See Tob. ult. H. — Him. Gr. afterwards (v. 15) insinuates, that he prevented any from mounting the throne of Media, till this work was written, “he transfixed him with his darts, and destroyed him till this day.” Houbigant.
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Prodigal1984 said:
But it does contain errors.
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Explore these from both a secular, skeptical, as well as Catholic, inerrant, view; it’s a fascinating adventure. I’d recommend reading Scott Hahn for the Catholic side.

Plenary inerrancy of scripture is the Catholic teaching.
 
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If only that would happen nowadays. There would then be no reason to deny the real pretense.
 
CapitalistCatholic said:
If only that would happen nowadays. There would then be no reason to deny the real pretense.
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Am I correct in reading this to say that you would like to see people get sick or die from unworthily receiving the Eucharist?

I am about as hard-nosed as they come, where it comes to people living in willful mortal sin, yet continuing to receive the Eucharist. But I don’t want people to get sick or die. I don’t wish that on anyone.

That said, none of us have the authority to change the warning from Scripture. The warning is there, and these people ignore it at their own peril.
 
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It’s not just spiritual death. The word in Greek in 1 Corinthians 11 v.30 is κοιμάομαι (koimaó) - Greek (from Strong’s Concordance: 2837) - meaning to sleep, to fall asleep, or to die.

This is from 1 Corinthians 11 USCCB - the Commentary below the Chapter:

" * [11:29–32] Judgment: there is a series of wordplays in these verses that would be awkward to translate literally into English; it includes all the references to judgment ( krima , 1 Cor 11:29, 34; krinō , 1 Cor 11:31, 32) discernment ( diakrinō , 1 Cor 11:29, 31), and condemnation ( katakrinō , 1 Cor 11:32). The judgment is concretely described as the illness, infirmity, and death that have visited the community. These are signs that the power of Jesus’ death is not yet completely recognized and experienced. Yet even the judgment incurred is an expression of God’s concern; it is a medicinal measure meant to rescue us from condemnation with God’s enemies."
 
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