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Phemie
Guest
While the Episcopal Church my encourage us to partake, our Church forbids us from doing so.
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Allegra
Guest
To the OP: This is a bold-faced lie. Every Catholic Church clearly states that we do not practice open communion. To present oneself for the Eucharist when one is knowingly not in communion with the Catholic Church is considered a GRAVE sin, even when the person is a baptized Catholic! Everyone knows this. Even practicing Catholics do not present themselves for the Eucharist unworthily. (ie- when they are in a state of mortal sin.) This is out of respect for the sacrament. No, the priest isn’t going to ask people if they are Catholic or in a state to recieve. This is done on the honor system. To say, “Well, they don’t check so they obviously don’t care,” is dishonest and disrespectful. I’m not trying to chew out the OP, as it seems evident to me that he or she knows this and is willing to be respectful to the Sacrament whether he or she agrees with the policy or not. I think that is very honorable.
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achmafooma
Guest
Funny how an innocent question sometimes spirals into an unexpectedly deep discussion!Wow! Well I certainly didn’t expect such a lengthy religious and philosophical debate!
To the person who said that a baptism and a mass aren’t usually one in the same, I have an answer for you, if you are interested: This coming Sunday, there will be a mass, followed by the baptismal ceremony; so while they aren’t one in the same, I am attending both with my family.
As for the ensuing debate, I do my best to respect the traditions of all faiths and religions. I had actually planned on receiving until I read up on what to expect in a Catholic mass, and learned of the protocol that said that non-Catholics should refrain from the Eucharist, and wanted to know from the very knowledgeable people in these forums if there were any other traditions that I should respect, as well. I would do the same if I were in a Baptist or Pentecostal Church. If I were visiting a Mosque, for example, as their guest and was asked to remove my shoes or to respect another of their traditions, of course, I would follow it as best I could.
Respect is something that (at least in my area), I find that is lacking when it comes to situations like these, and I try to live the values that I preach. I may not be Roman Catholic, but as a guest in a Roman Catholic Church, I will respect their customs and traditions to the best of my ability - both because I am not there to offend anyone, merely to celebrate a momentous and happy day with my family, and also because I was raised to be polite and respectful. I would never go into another person’s house as their guest and not follow their rules, and I believe that principle should apply to houses of worship, as well.
Thank you all for an interesting debate, though! It was very thought-provoking to read and I learned quite a bit! I’m very much looking forward to the baptism on Sunday, especially now that I have a better idea of what to expect. This thread has made me feel quite comfortable and very welcome in advance of the ceremony on Sunday.
Thank you all and may God bless all of you with happiness and health,
Casey
In my opinion, your attitude is exactly the one that we should take when visiting other religious groups and services. Speaking as a Catholic, I thank you for taking the time to ask the question in the first place, and read the responses, and to respect our traditions.
I hope that you have a wonderful time at the Mass and the Baptism. I hope you’ll check back with us to let us know how it went, and if you have any questions that arose out of what you saw/experienced.
God bless!
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