I can't have communion... it's ripping me up inside... what should I do?

[Zundrah]

Why would they think that?

Talk to them. Everyone pull out their calenders and find a time when you arent in class and they can meet with you.

You DO Have to go thru RCIA. That is a given. Sacrifices can be made to make sure you fulfill the needed obligation to go thru it so you can come into full communion.

This, again IMO, should not be a real obstacle.

It’s not like you are trying to wriggle out of RCIA. You just have a conflict with your courses. That is legit.

Im sure a do-able compromise can be found for all concerned.

This really shouldnt be a serious and unresolvable problem. And I say that as an RCIA catechist.

You are sooo mean! Why is it that every body seems to be working in their parish! Why can’t I do that! Why doesn’t this happen to me! Argh! I badly wanted to fulfil my dreams of becoming a minister back when I was methodist, but now I can’t even have RCIA let alone even think of working in the Church!

 

[ProVobis]

Catholic College? I’ve never heard of it.

You have now. A web search turns up a few in England.

 

[Zundrah]

I suppose some priest may tell you that because of your intent on joining the Church, it would be ok to receive the Eucharist. However, this is not how things are supposed to be done.

I also think that you are way over the edge on this if your posting is a valid concern. You are being scrupulous to an unhealthy extent.

Protestants have no business coming to Mass and receiving the Eucharist. As St. Paul says, those who partake of the Body and Blood of Christ and are not in unity of Faith reap a serious reprehension and condemnation from God Himself. Their intentions are neither good nor productive for their own spiritual welfare.

So, it takes a year. Deal with it. You can always receive a blessing from the priest, though you may need to discuss the situation with him. You can receive a spiritual communion simply by asking the Lord to come into your heart during reception and by remaining in your seat.

Over the edge? By saying what exactly? I have been so indepthly studying the fulfilment of the passover in Egypt. I have read the books and listened to the seminas. It was all so new to me, but not now. Communion is all that I want. Nothing else will satisfy me now. Now that waiting is the only option I need to see what exactly I am hanging on for, what should I be doing with this extraordinary lengh of time? Studying more of it? That is all I will do, I can do nothing more than that.

 

[Zundrah]

You have now. A web search turns up a few in England.

Well, this does sound interesting! I will definately look one up and see what courses they run. I must go to one!

 

[Julian0404]

Next semester choose classes around the RCIA schedule, any RCIA schedule investigate several in your area.
The statement you made that you were almost angry that they did not change the date to accomodate you is a common anger, but if there is one thing the Lord is teaching you, and you are missing the lesson, is humility. It is not about you.
Jesus told the young rich man, “sell everything you have and come follow me, at which the young man went away sad” - paraphrase. Like you, it was all about him. He wouldn’t sell everything he had to follow Jesus.
You change your schedule and let Jesus know you are willing to follow Him.

 

[Marie5890]

Are you wanting to circumvent the RCIA process?

Why cant they meet with you either before or after the Mass?

You dont have classes on Sunday do you?

No, you simply cant circumvent the process of formation.

You just cant simply come to the banquet w/o proper formation. As someone quoted Paul above.

I ask again, WHY cant you meet with them ON SUNDAY either prior to or after a Mass? What is it that is making this option impossible?

 

[ljubim]

Heh, well… you made me blush! I don’t know what to say…

I only wished that they would have arranged a time for me when my college classes aren’t on. I remember telling them that I couldn’t attend anymore. I’m more than certain that they think I was making excuses not to attend. Unfortunately.

Any time Zundrah.

Adoration is the closest to the “feeling” of receiving Our Lord as it gets. I would hit up that Adoration chapel until this is all resolved!

 

[ProVobis]

Well, this does sound interesting! I will definately look one up and see what courses they run. I must go to one!

You’ll probably love studying Catholic theology and history beyond RCIA; then you can really appreciate Communion.

 

[Brenda_V]

You should call the rectory and make an appointment to speak with your pastor about your situation. He has all the discretion in the world in a matter such as yours. If you make an appointment he will know how serious you are.

Believe me, if you have been a regular at Sunday Mass your pastor knows it aand I’m sure he will bend over backwards for you.

Make that appointment!

Since your Priest is always rushed this should be the first thing you do. If this doesn’t work then try another Parish’s RCIA program.

My prayers are with you as I fully “get” how you are feeling! As a person who can not eat wheat I can only partake of the Precious Blood but I skip and make a spiritual communion when I have an active cold sore as there are two others in my Parish with the same needs and when I must miss just one Sunday it is awful!

Brenda V.

 

[peary1]

Over the edge? By saying what exactly? I have been so indepthly studying the fulfilment of the passover in Egypt. I have read the books and listened to the seminas. It was all so new to me, but not now. Communion is all that I want. Nothing else will satisfy me now. Now that waiting is the only option I need to see what exactly I am hanging on for, what should I be doing with this extraordinary lengh of time? Studying more of it? That is all I will do, I can do nothing more than that.

You can always offer it up for the poor souls in purgatory.

 

[LilyM]

You’re in college, right? Presumably working towards a diploma or certificate of some kind? How many years has the course been/will the course be all up? More than a year, I’ll bet. And yet I don’t hear you carrying on about how you have to study a WHOLE two or three years or whatever to get that piece of paper.

You must understand that things that are worth doing take time - AND sometimes you have to push a bit to get what you want.

Why on earth you think your priest would think any less of you for having to go to college is beyond me. For goodness sake, he went to college himself - he knows it’s very important.

When you make statements like ‘they’ll just think I’m making excuses’ or ‘he’s too mild to take me seriously’ what do you mean by them? What exactly have they said or done to make you think that?

Have you even actually bothered asking him and/or whoever else is involved in RCIA point blank whether you could take those classes some other time? You’re not at all clear on that. If you did, what precisely did he/they say in response?

 

[sanctasofia]

Believe me when I say that I do understand your feelings of impatience, because I have always been an impatient person myself (“Lord, grant me patience, but hurry!”).

The thing is however, that this is not about emotion or feelings, but about faith. Emotion will only carry you so far and then once again you will find yourself getting impatient over something that does not go according to your desire. This is the time to start learning how to trust in the infinite goodness of God and His great love for your soul. If you are being asked to wait, then this is ultimately for your own good. Many wonderful suggestions have been given on here by others, from what you can do to try to change the situation, to how to handle it if you can’t.

You said that you do pray - the Rosary, “like a nun”. So, act like a nun, be submissive to His will in all things and spend time thinking how you can give back to Him for all that He has given to you. Prayer is more than just repeating words, I am sure you know; it is an act of humble adoration and thanksgiving for all that God has given you. The very fact that you have been given the gift of the one true faith is something that you could be spending the whole next year giving thanks for! The Rosary is my favorite prayer, and a very powerful one, but try offering it up for the Church and for our Holy Father Pope Benedict, and for all of our priests and for vocations and leave your own personal needs and wants to God’s mercy. Pray for all the others in the RCIA and ask God to bless them during this time. Spend any time you have to wait for anything, in offering up praise and thanksgiving, and in petitions for others.

If you must ask for things for yourself, ask the Holy Spirit for the gift of patience and of self-surrender. If at all possible, spend time in front of the Blessed Sacrament in Adoration and in asking Jesus how you can best please Him. True love is not shown by demanding attention and gifts for yourself, but by giving to the object of your love, to the Beloved. You have been given such a very precious opportunity to show Jesus just how much you love Him and how grateful you are for all that He has done for you. Don’t waste this time whining and complaining! You will melt His heart by your own acts of love towards Him, and He may make it possible for you to receive Him sooner than you thought possible, but let Him give this gift to you, don’t demand it from Him! Yes, receiving Him in Holy Communion is so precious, but anticipation of the event, will only deepen your longing, your love and your appreciation. Cherish this time of great longing. He loves it when we long for Him, it helps assauge His thirst for souls.

I will keep you in my prayers during this time of great graces and trials.

 

[CB_Catholic]

I guess I don’t understand why she cannot receive private instruction. She is not a catechumen, from what I understand, she has already been baptized validly in the Methodist church, and raised as a Christian. Technically, RCIA is for catechumens. I know that most parishes combine the two (candidates and catechumens), but that is mostly for practical reasons. In our parish a person in Zundrah’s situation may receive private instruction and make a Profession of Faith and be Confirmed at the regular Sunday Liturgy. If I were Zundrah, I would request this from my Pastor, and if the answer is negative, find another parish in which I could either attend RCIA or receive private instruction. Making a baptized Christian who wishes to become a Catholic wait a whole year for RCIA does not seem reasonable to me, and should not be done.

 

[Ultima_Ratio]

I want to take communion. I want to have the Eucharist. I want to be part of the Lords communion.

I haven’t read through the follow up posts, but I did want to say this: You have no idea how good it is for your soul to have this strong desire. If the desire springs from an interior desire to receive communion, rather than simply a feeling of being “left out” it is extremely good for your soul - much better than you realize.

What I would suggest (and I apologize if others have already mentioned this) is to try and find a Priest who will accommodate your schedule by giving you one-on-one catechism classes. That is how I entered the Church. Often times, Traditional Priests will do this. See if you have a Traditional Order near you and call the Priest directly.

 

[Zundrah]

You’ll probably love studying Catholic theology and history beyond RCIA; then you can really appreciate Communion.

My friend, the best thing I ever did was study the mass from outside the church! I can so adore the gathering more so now! I couldn’t recommend it enough to anyone!

 

[Zundrah]

Are you wanting to circumvent the RCIA process?

Why cant they meet with you either before or after the Mass?

You dont have classes on Sunday do you?

No, you simply cant circumvent the process of formation.

You just cant simply come to the banquet w/o proper formation. As someone quoted Paul above.

I ask again, WHY cant you meet with them ON SUNDAY either prior to or after a Mass? What is it that is making this option impossible?

Okay, please here me out;

I was taken out of school two years early! I have no GCSE’s because of this! That is why I am in the College course at the present time. I am 21 and I need these GCSE levels desperately! I cannot get work without them. Skipping college is not an option. I have asked my parisioner about other available times and they said they couldn’t help me. The priest even said just this morning at mass, “you can always come next year, just come back next year and don’t let anything get in the way!”

Since your Priest is always rushed this should be the first thing you do. If this doesn’t work then try another Parish’s RCIA program.

My prayers are with you as I fully “get” how you are feeling! As a person who can not eat wheat I can only partake of the Precious Blood but I skip and make a spiritual communion when I have an active cold sore as there are two others in my Parish with the same needs and when I must miss just one Sunday it is awful!

Brenda V.

I can imagine your situation Brenda, it is frustrating because there is nothing you can do. There is nothing worse than this.

You can always offer it up for the poor souls in purgatory.

I am embarrassed to admit that I don’t know axactly how to pray for those in purgatory quite yet…

 

[Zundrah]

I haven’t read through the follow up posts, but I did want to say this: You have no idea how good it is for your soul to have this strong desire. If the desire springs from an interior desire to receive communion, rather than simply a feeling of being “left out” it is extremely good for your soul - much better than you realize.

What I would suggest (and I apologize if others have already mentioned this) is to try and find a Priest who will accommodate your schedule by giving you one-on-one catechism classes. That is how I entered the Church. Often times, Traditional Priests will do this. See if you have a Traditional Order near you and call the Priest directly.

Thank you Ultima, should I go to all the nearby catholic churches and get the number from the church sign and go home and call them all one by one and ask? What should I say!? How do I open a conversation like this? I will be embarrassed though if he ask me how long I have been catholic for. What if they don’t have time for me? In the end, I guess I always have CAF to come to.

 

[Zundrah]

I guess I don’t understand why she cannot receive private instruction. She is not a catechumen, from what I understand, she has already been baptized validly in the Methodist church, and raised as a Christian. Technically, RCIA is for catechumens. I know that most parishes combine the two (candidates and catechumens), but that is mostly for practical reasons. In our parish a person in Zundrah’s situation may receive private instruction and make a Profession of Faith and be Confirmed at the regular Sunday Liturgy. If I were Zundrah, I would request this from my Pastor, and if the answer is negative, find another parish in which I could either attend RCIA or receive private instruction. Making a baptized Christian who wishes to become a Catholic wait a whole year for RCIA does not seem reasonable to me, and should not be done.

I read and understood your post here CB, but maybe you could help me a little more? When I go to my pastor, what should I be requesting? Should I tell them that I am unhappy about waiting a year for this? Should I ask for some private teaching about the mass and its depth meaning?

 

[Ultima_Ratio]

Thank you Ultima, should I go to all the nearby catholic churches and get the number from the church sign and go home and call them all one by one and ask? What should I say!? How do I open a conversation like this? I will be embarrassed though if he ask me how long I have been catholic for. What if they don’t have time for me? In the end, I guess I always have CAF to come to.

Here’s a link to Traditional Orders in your area. It would be great if the Fraternity of St. Peter was near you.

I would call the Priest and explain your situation. Tell him that you want to join the Catholic Church very bad, but that your College schedule does not permit attendance at the local RCIA program. Then tell him that someone suggested that you contact a Traditional Order to see if the Priest would be willing to offer one-on-one catechism classes. Tell him that the person who suggested this said that is how he entered the Church. The Preist will probably accommodate you, but if not I bet he will know of another good Priest who will.

 

[Zundrah]

You’re in college, right? Presumably working towards a diploma or certificate of some kind? How many years has the course been/will the course be all up? More than a year, I’ll bet. And yet I don’t hear you carrying on about how you have to study a WHOLE two or three years or whatever to get that piece of paper.

You must understand that things that are worth doing take time - AND sometimes you have to push a bit to get what you want.

Why on earth you think your priest would think any less of you for having to go to college is beyond me. For goodness sake, he went to college himself - he knows it’s very important.

When you make statements like ‘they’ll just think I’m making excuses’ or ‘he’s too mild to take me seriously’ what do you mean by them? What exactly have they said or done to make you think that?

Have you even actually bothered asking him and/or whoever else is involved in RCIA point blank whether you could take those classes some other time? You’re not at all clear on that. If you did, what precisely did he/they say in response?

I think that what you are trying to say is, why did I start RCIA if I knew I was going to be going to college? Well, the college course came up after I had been going to RCIA for about 4 weeks. And why did I go to college if it meant missing RCIA? Surly RCIA is far more important without question!? Well, I have no GCSE’s, my income is from peoples tax because I have no job at current! I need these leves! I need a job! But am I still being selfish? But anyway, let’s move on to the next question; have I requested private sessions outside my college hours? The answer is yes, they said there was nothing they could do. Why you might ask? I don’t know. I am not the parishioner or the priest.