You may not realize this, but even your allowance of us to receive Holy Communion in your Church is yet another reason why we cannot be in union. This is another reason because it is a doctrinal innovation to teach that someone who is a material heretic and/or schismatic is able to receive Holy Communion. The ancient Christian teaching is that the Holy Gifts of the Body and Blood of Christ are only for the Holy People of God, who are faithful members of the Church. What the Antiochian priest said is very apropos and it applies equally to the highest realization of unity with God and the Church - Holy Communion. Your Church has changed ancient Christian doctrine by affirming that unfaithful members of the Church (which is what your Church considers the Orthodox to be) are elgible to receive Holy Communion. As long as your Church continues to innovate the Tradition like this, unity is *very *far away.
God bless,
Adam
P.S. I hope this post didn’t offend the purposes of this forum. If it did, I promise not to post such “apologetic” statements on the Eastern Catholicism forum again. I just felt like clarifying why we don’t respond to the Roman and Eastern-rite Catholic allowance of the Orthodox to receive Holy Communion in their Church.
We must consider above all else the example of Jesus our Christ.
First His commands.
Joh 14:15 If you love Me, keep My commandments.
Joh 14:21 He that has My commandments and keeps them, it is that one who loves Me; and the one that loves Me shall be loved by My Father, and I shall love him and will reveal Myself to him.
Joh 14:23 Jesus answered and said to him, If anyone loves Me, he will keep My Word, and My Father shall love him. And We will come to him and will make a dwelling place with him.
Joh 14:24 The one who does not love Me does not keep My Words. And the Word which you hear is not Mine but of the Father who sent Me.
Joh 14:17 the Spirit of Truth, whom the world cannot receive because it does not see Him nor know Him. But you know Him, for He abides with you and shall be in you.
Jesus greatest command was to love your neighbor as yourself in that command He said all others are fulfilled.
Mar 12:31 …“You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” There is not another commandment greater than these. Lev. 19:18
By denying and refusing communion perhaps the EO do not love themselves properly. Perhaps they themselves have been brought up being beat down and know no other way but to reflect the same in their actions.
Now consider Jesus action in regard to the Eucharist.
Joh 6:51 I am the Living Bread that came down from Heaven. If anyone eats of this Bread, he will live forever. And indeed the bread which I will give is My flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.
Note here Jesus does not say for the life of the correct or pure.
Joh 6:58 This is the Bread which came down out of Heaven, not as your fathers ate the manna and died; the one partaking of this Bread will live forever.
This would imply that with eating of Jesus bread we may live forever. Who are we to deny this to others honestly seeking Jesus in light of Jesus greatest command?
Even Jesus offered the bread to one who was against Him.
Joh 13:18 I do not speak concerning all of you; I know whom I chose out; but that the Scripture might be fulfilled, “The one eating the bread with Me lifted up his heel against Me.” Psa. 41:9
Joh 6:56 The one partaking of My flesh and drinking of My blood abides in Me, and I in him.
Joh 6:60 Then many of His disciples having heard, they said, This Word is hard; who is able to hear it?
Joh 6:61 But knowing in Himself that His disciples were murmuring about this, Jesus said to them, Does this offend you?
Joh 6:63 It is the Spirit that gives life. The flesh does not profit, nothing! The Words which I speak to you are spirit and are life.
Joh 6:65 And He said, Because of this, I have told you that no one is able to come to Me except it is given to him from My Father.
Joh 6:66 From this time many of His disciples went away into the things behind,
and no longer walked with Him.
Jesus offered communion to those who rejected it. Jesus offered them the chance to come into life in Him. Since they found the teaching to hard to comprehend they walked away.
This is an exact reflection of the relationship btween the Church and the EO. The Church offers Jesus and the EO walk away.
Peace.