There are a couple of points that I believe should be addressed, given the line of thinking that seems to have manifest itself in the discussion of this judge.
The first is the question of faithfulness and the reception of the Blessed Sacrament.
To be absolutely clear, and please forgive me if I am hurtful to anyone, but if you do not believe in the Real Presence of Jesus Christ in the Eucharist, or you are living outside of the precepts of the Catholic Church, you absolutely…positively…without question should not, repeat, not receive Holy Communion.
This is not meant to hurt or offend, but to protect and aid both the integrity of the Sacrament and the person who receives. It does not mean, however, that Catholics with impediments to communion do not have to attend Mass. The obligation still exists.
I cannot stress enough, that it is very dangerous for a person who is not in full communion to receive the Blessed Sacrament. No one has a “right” to Communion. It is the free gift of Jesus Christ to those who accept Him and His Church, but it is the obligation of the Church, as bearer of the Mysteries, to protect that which is sacrosanct.
To receive the Sacrament of the Eucharist, one must be in communion with the faith community…the Church.
In every missal found in the parish church there are guidelines for reception of that which is both the sign of unity and the Real Presence of Jesus. It can be found either in the inside front cover or back cover of the missal. The Catholic Church does not accept “open” communion because it indicates a true union where none exist. This is the teaching of the Church and is found in the Catechism of the Catholic Church and the documents of the Second Vatican Council. It is abbreviated for us in the missals.
Now…why is it dangerous? The most obvious reason is found in the scriptures. One of the best descriptions I have read of the warnings is found in a book named “Catholic and Christian - An Explanation of Commonly Misunderstood Catholic Beliefs” by Dr. Alan Schreck. I am going to paraphrase Dr. Schreck.
The Apostle John emphasized that Jesus really meant for his followers to actually eat his flesh and drink his blood (Jn 6:51-57), and that Jesus predicted that many people would be scandalized and fall away because of this teaching. (Jn 6:60-64). Jesus goes further and says, “unless you eat of the flesh of the Son of man and drink his blood, you have no life in you.” (Jn 6: 53).
Scripture tells us that as Jesus taught this, people walked away from him in droves. In turn, Jesus asks his disciples, “will you also leave me?”
Basically, many people could not accept that Jesus was going to give them his body and blood as “real food and real drink.” He is the Manna from heaven.
Now the warning part: St. Paul in his first letter to the Corinthians writes; “whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of profaning the body and blood of the Lord. Let a man examine himself, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgement upon himself.” (1Cor 11:27-29)
Again, we learn of the dangers of receiving falsely the Blessed Sacrament in the most famous example of someone that believes they have a “right” to eat and drink found in the person of Judas.
Early Christian artists depicting the Last Supper began to introduce the dangers and arrogance of unworthy reception of the Eucharist. It shows Judas reaching out, as if to snatch, the bread from Jesus’ own hand.
In the scriptural account of the Last Supper, John writes; "After saying this Jesus was troubled in spirit, and declared, "Very truly, I tell you, one of you will betray me.’ The disciples looked at one another, uncertain of whom he was speaking. One of his disciples—the one whom Jesus loved—was reclining next to him; Simon Peter therefore motioned to him to ask Jesus of whom he was speaking. So while reclining next to Jesus, he asked him, ‘Lord, who is it?’ Jesus answered, ‘It is the one to whom I give this piece of bread when I have dipped it in the dish.’ So when he had dipped the piece of bread, he gave it to Judas son of Simon Iscariot. After he received the piece of bread, Satan entered into him. Jesus said to him, ‘Do quickly what you are going to do.’ Now no one at the table knew why he said this to him. Some thought that, because Judas had the common purse, Jesus was telling him, ‘Buy what we need for the festival’; or, that he should give something to the poor. So, after receiving the piece of bread, he immediately went out. And it was night. (John 13:21-30).
Even earlier in the scriptures, the notion of eating something of great importance, that is not meant for all, is found in the Genesis story of Adam and Eve. We find them eating of the tree of which they were forbidden to eat, but in arrogance and with a sense of “right”, and some trickery of the devil, they do in fact eat.
The penalty is great for them, and for us. But it foreshadows the dangers of disobedience to God, to Jesus Christ, and to His Church and also the power found sustenance. Food.
Please do not endanger yourselves buy letting the devil trick you into eating the Body and Blood of the Lord if you are in an unworthy state, either by separation from the Church because of disobedience, grave sin, or a lack of faith.
When we say, “Lord I am not worthy, but only say the word and I shall be healed”, it is not a statement of being made worthy, but of submission and a plea of healing from sin. For grievous sins, one must first receive the Sacrament of Penance and be restored and absolved, which is beyond mere forgiveness which God offers us even without our asking.