If a non-Catholic is in a state of grace, why can't he receive Communion?

[eagertolearn]

I have a friend who is not Catholic. She believes that she is in a state of grace and so wants to know why she can’t receive Communion at a Catholic wedding. She disagrees with a lot of things about the Church and she feels that Christ created Communion for everyone not just the Catholic.

I told her the rule probably protects her from sacrilege. She maintains that she is in a state of grace and all those rules are man-made.

 

[Michelle_Arnold]

The Church does not bar your friend from Communion based on her spiritual state. Except under extraordinary circumstances, of which this is not one, your friend cannot receive Catholic Communion because she is not a Catholic. Period.

Because the Catholic Church believes that “the celebration of the Eucharist is a sign of the reality of the oneness of faith, life, and worship, members of those churches with whom we are not yet fully united are ordinarily not admitted to holy Communion” (source). Perhaps your friend might want to consider whether brushing aside the Church’s understanding of its own sacraments and insisting on taking Catholic Communion, despite knowing full well the Church’s position on the matter, demonstrates an attitude at odds with being in a state of grace.

Recommended reading:

Am I sinning by receiving Catholic Communion?