Is it a sin to pray with Protestants?

[passer_by]

I believe that the correctness also depends on the context. In my ministry, I pray a great deal with Protestants. Every week we go to a different abortuary and we pray together. It’s not a service, Catholic or Protestant. It’s Christians praying for the life of the voiceless.

I certainly would never refuse to pray with Protestants at the beginning of a meeting or in the morning when we open the pregnancy center. Actually, the pregnancy centers are Catholic, but there are Protestant volunteers. We don’t tell them that they can’t join us in the prayer. Nor would I refuse to pray grace before meals with them.

The Holy Father prayed the Liturgy of the Hours at Westminster and I believe at the Lutheran parish in Germany (I have to check that one out.) Those are very appropriate contexts.

I have said throughout this thread, we attend weddings, funerals, baptisms and other special events at Protestant churches. It is one thing to pray and another thing to go up for communion. Going to communion would be completely inappropriate. Praying for the consolation of the family of the deceased, it very appropriate. Most Protestants don’t pray for the dead.

I think doing it right is really determined by the context.

Fraternally,

Br. JR, OSF :christmastree1:

I think you are definitely correct about the context being important Brother. As you say, prayer before a meal with Protestants etc are definitely harmless and could actually be more appropriate.

I think in the same way, the context would matter in perhaps not even carrying out what could be considered harmless as the above too. Especially when we know that the other party might be getting the wrong impression.

To think of an example from the top of my head. If a child of mine was considering Protestantism, I would try to avoid participation in Protestant prayer events to prevent him from getting the wrong impression. I will emphasize the differences more in his presence etc rather than emphasize what is common.

So yes, I definitely agree that context matters.

Something a bit unrelated that came to mind when you mentioned the recent visit to Germany by the Holy Father, I believe some heads of the Lutheran Church expressed disappointment because the Holy Father did not approve to change regulations on communion.

Now it might be just me, but I think that is a good indication that the Catholic Church has perhaps sent out the wrong message to non-Catholics in its ‘ecumenical’ activity in Germany. This in turn, I would think, means that some investigation should be carried out in to the nature of the Ecumenical activity in that country.

 

[Irish_Polock]

Most of the Protestants I know well - Baptists, Methodists, UCC - are inclined to pray extemporaniously. (Did I spell that correctly?) They are less likely to rely upon prayers written by others. They tend to regard dependence on ‘canned’ prayers as not our own and they can easily become more prescribed ritual than sincerely coming from the heart.

  I've been in a few ecumenical situations where some Catholics, Episcopalians and Lutherans (and Jews in interfaith gatherings) seem to feel a bit lost without their prayerbooks. About the only prayer that is likely to be repeated every Sunday in most Protestant churches is the "Our Father". Some Protestants say debts, others say trespasses. Some end it with forever, others with forever and ever. A few now substitute sins for debts and trespasses. Etc. They all appear to end it with "For thine is the kingdom....." Some churches now trade in the traditional language of the King James Version for more contmporary English and even gender-free wording. 

 The question is sort of inane. Of course Christians should pray together! How narrow-minded one must be to refuse such a privilege and opportunity! God cares little about our church affilliation. Our duty is to love the Lord and one another. 

 Let us work together to make religion a bridge rather than a barrier.

Would you say, that God is indifferent towards our particular faith affiliations, as we should be?

 

[JReducation]

God cares little about our church affilliation. Our duty is to love the Lord and one another.

 Let us work together to make religion a bridge rather than a barrier.

God certainly does care about a “church affiliation.” Christ wants all men to come home to the fullness of the Christian Church, which only subsists in the Catholic Church.

That being said, Christ does not want men to stop praying as brothers, because of the differences in where they are along the path. Those concerns are for God to deal with, not us. The fact that you’re a Catholic, even though the fullness of truth subsists within the Catholic Church, that does not mean that one is home free, regardless of how traditional or conservative one may be. Sanctity is achieved through the perfection of charity. Our charity is always proportionate to our faith and our faith must be expressed through our charity. If we stink in that department, even if you’re sitting in the front row of a church, you’re still in the back of the bus to eternity.

We are all brothers and sisters in Christ. As long as you don’t contradict Catholic teaching, it should be fine. I don’t believe it is a sin to pray with Protestants, as long as you pray as a Catholic. If we do not practice our faith and pray as if we are not Catholics, then it is a sin.

It’s funny that you should say, “pray as a Catholic”. There is only one official form of prayer in the Catholic Church and the Orthodox, that is liturgical prayer: Mass and Divine Office or Divine Liturgy and Divine Office. Some say tomayto and some say tomahto.

Every other form of prayer is really private prayer, even when it’s said in a crowd of a million. It’s not Catholic prayer. It is true that Catholics and Orthodox pray the Ave Maria and the Salve Regina, but they are still private prayers except when they are part of the liturgy.

There is a difference between Catholic prayer and prayers that Catholics use. That’s what I’m trying to say. There is no limit on what prayers Catholics may use, as long as they are prayers directed to God. Even the Hail Mary is directed to God, because it’s made up of citations from the Word of God. It is using the Word of God itself.

Something a bit unrelated that came to mind when you mentioned the recent visit to Germany by the Holy Father, I believe some heads of the Lutheran Church expressed disappointment because the Holy Father did not approve to change regulations on communion.

Now it might be just me, but I think that is a good indication that the Catholic Church has perhaps sent out the wrong message to non-Catholics in its ‘ecumenical’ activity in Germany. This in turn, I would think, means that some investigation should be carried out in to the nature of the Ecumenical activity in that country.

That is not the fault of the ecumenical movement. That is a lack of understanding on the part of the Lutherans. Today’s Lutheran was born into that faith tradition. He or she does not understand transubstantiation. He can define it; but defining something does not mean that I understand it. I can define relativity and still don’t know how it works. In fact, I don’t know how it works.

I believe the dismay was caused by the signing of the concordat between the Lutherans and the Vatican on the whole question of “sola fides”. Many well meaning Catholics and Lutherans assumed that because we have reached an agreement on this point, that the rest is just a matter of getting together and having intercommunion. In fact, this was a major step toward reunification, but only a step, not the whole journey.

Fraternally,

Br. JR, OSF :christmastree1:

 

[passer_by]

That is not the fault of the ecumenical movement. That is a lack of understanding on the part of the Lutherans. Today’s Lutheran was born into that faith tradition. He or she does not understand transubstantiation. He can define it; but defining something does not mean that I understand it. I can define relativity and still don’t know how it works. In fact, I don’t know how it works.

Oh ok, I see what you mean.

But, I thought the reason for the confusion was along the lines of thinking that ‘we are similar to Catholics and we have nothing more to attain in terms of communion. So why can’t we have communion?’ mentality. In other words, what makes being a Catholic so special enough to receive the Lord and not us type thinking.

I believe the dismay was caused by the signing of the concordat between the Lutherans and the Vatican on the whole question of “sola fides”. Many well meaning Catholics and Lutherans assumed that because we have reached an agreement on this point, that the rest is just a matter of getting together and having intercommunion. In fact, this was a major step toward reunification, but only a step, not the whole journey.

That I do totally agree on. Though I think the later efforts at doing a lot of things together and emphasizing the similarities to the point of lack of any mention of differences could have further contributed to that thinking too. It is fair after all for someone to question something like ‘why not inter-communion?’ if we are all so much the same, right.

 

[passer_by]

That is not the fault of the ecumenical movement. That is a lack of understanding on the part of the Lutherans. Today’s Lutheran was born into that faith tradition. He or she does not understand transubstantiation. He can define it; but defining something does not mean that I understand it. I can define relativity and still don’t know how it works. In fact, I don’t know how it works.

Oh ok, I see what you mean.

But, I thought the reason for the confusion was along the lines of thinking that ‘we are similar to Catholics and we have nothing more to attain in terms of communion. So why can’t we have communion?’ mentality. In other words, what makes being a Catholic so special enough to receive the Lord and not us type thinking.

That does seem more like an issue in Ecumenism then. It would seem that the Ecumenical activities have lead the Lutherans to believe that they are very much in equal footing and full communion with the Church even though they have doctrinal differences.

I believe the dismay was caused by the signing of the concordat between the Lutherans and the Vatican on the whole question of “sola fides”. Many well meaning Catholics and Lutherans assumed that because we have reached an agreement on this point, that the rest is just a matter of getting together and having intercommunion. In fact, this was a major step toward reunification, but only a step, not the whole journey.

That I do totally agree on. Though I think the later efforts at doing a lot of things together and emphasizing the similarities to the point of lack of any mention of differences could have further contributed to that thinking too. It is fair after all for someone to question something like ‘why not inter-communion?’ if we are all so much the same, right.

 

[Padraig1972]

To answer this one is not so easy.

I recently was at a protestantic service as my cousin`s child was baptized. But i did not take any part in the service and was quietly observing.

Praying with protestants? Sure. Take part in the their service? No.
I will however soon be praying with a protestant at mass as i have invited one to mass with me.