Just Can't get a Protestant to Understand---

[oneofmany]

On another web site I am discussing the topic of the Eucharist. Protestants can’t understand the body and blood part but another one said why would one need to go to confession and be in the state of grace in order to receive communion?

Didn’t Jesus want people, even sinners, to come to Him and he went to sinners so that means He will not care how we come to Him to take communion. One Protestant even said when he goes to Catholic church he goes down to communion and feels it’s ok to do so.

Is there a video on Catholic answers youtube or here that explains why we must be in a state of grace to receive communion and why? Thanks.

 

[Robyn_p]

Here’s one by Jimmy Akin that might help you out.

catholic.com/video/why-you-need-to-be-in-a-state-of-grace-for-communion

 

[JerryZ]

Well it seems that it is normal for protestants to dismiss the Bible alltogether when it suits them. They will grab a few verses and make them say what they want to say but when Jesus repeats over and over that His flesh and blood are food indeed and that it is necessary for us to eat it so that we may have life in us.
THAT is a simbol… Go figure.

Remember St. Peter’s words, that some would twist the words of the Bible to their own destruction.
Not to mention St. Paul’s words on eating and drinking judgement on ourselves by eating and drinking the Eucharist unworthily. That even some were stricken with sickness and had died because of it.
A simbol cannot do THAT Can it?

So many Martirs have given their lives to protect the Eucharist from defilement.

Like St. Tarcisius, Martyr Of The Eucharist

–

 

[jesus4ever]

I would say to them 2 things.

First would be “do you love Juses” they would say ‘YES’ then I would say then how come you dont love his church that he set up for you and me. why are you against his church. SEE what they say.

 

[RoseMary131]

Remember, Jesus didn’t get everyone to understand that they were to eat His Body and drink His Blood. He let them walk away.

You can share information, but it is the Holy Spirit who changes hearts and minds.

If they really are searching, they will find the answers.

In all that you do remember:

1 Peter 3:15
Always be ready to give an explanation to anyone who asks you for a reason for your hope, but do it with gentleness and reverence.

Be at Peace.

 

[Cat]

I would say to them 2 things.

First would be “do you love Juses” they would say ‘YES’ then I would say then how come you dont love his church that he set up for you and me. why are you against his church. SEE what they say.

I spent the first 47 years of my life as an Evangelical Protestant.

They would say that they aren’t against His Church. They would say that they are members of the invisible universal (or catholic) church of Jesus Christ, which has existed since the time of the apostles, and will continue through all eternity.

And they would show you all the Bible verses that prove it.

And then they would hand YOU that Bible and ask you to show them in the Bible where Jesus established an actual “church organization.”

Can you answer them? Can you open that Bible (which does NOT Have the tabs on the pages to show you where the books are!) and point to those passages and verses that demonstrate that Jesus DID establish an actual church organization? Can you do this without using any extra-Biblical historical writings?



Here’s the deal, folks. When you are talking to Evangelical Protestants, history means nothing, at least at first. They are only concerned with what the Bible says, so you have to use the Bible alone. And this is easy enough to do with the question of the Church that Jesus Christ established.

Once you’ve demonstrated something from the Bible, then you can turn to history. If I were you, I would point your Protestant friend to the resources at Calvin College in Grand Rapids, Michigan . This Protestant college has the complete works of all the early church fathers (it’s online, too!). Your Protestant friend is more likely to trust Calvin than the Vatican.

Protestants may be able to misinterpret the Bible, but they can’t get around the historical writings, other than to claim that they are ALL spurious. But then they learn that the authors of many of those writings were actual students of the apostles, and that most of these early church fathers underwent cruel martyrdom for their faith–again, it’s hard to get around this and accuse people of corrupting “true Christianity” and starting up “Catholicism.” Martyrs truly do bear witness to Jesus Christ, don’t they?

Anyway, my best advice to those of you who are attempting to witness to Protestants is “don’t underestimate them.” I think a LOT of Catholics think that Protestants are just ignorant, and only know a few Bible verses–and then when the Catholic starts actually talking with the Protestant, they learn, to their dismay, that the Protestant has a huge body of scholarship and theology behind their beliefs, and what often happens is that the CATHOLIC is the one who ends up converting to Protestantism. DO NOT UNDERESTIMATE the scholarship of your Protestant friends.

And the other piece of advice I can give you is LOVE LOVE LOVE! One of the main reasons I converted to Catholicism is the practical and compelling love of many Catholics that I had known over the years. Sometimes I hear Catholics say that they just can’t be around certain Protestants anymore and they’re going to stay away from them. Please don’t do this. Stick with them. Never stop loving them. You will know in heaven how much good your love did for them!

 

[Casilda]

I spent the first 47 years of my life as an Evangelical Protestant.

They would say that they aren’t against His Church. They would say that they are members of the invisible universal (or catholic) church of Jesus Christ, which has existed since the time of the apostles, and will continue through all eternity.

And they would show you all the Bible verses that prove it.

And then they would hand YOU that Bible and ask you to show them in the Bible where Jesus established an actual “church organization.”

Can you answer them? Can you open that Bible (which does NOT Have the tabs on the pages to show you where the books are!) and point to those passages and verses that demonstrate that Jesus DID establish an actual church organization? Can you do this without using any extra-Biblical historical writings?



Here’s the deal, folks. When you are talking to Evangelical Protestants, history means nothing, at least at first. They are only concerned with what the Bible says, so you have to use the Bible alone. And this is easy enough to do with the question of the Church that Jesus Christ established.

Once you’ve demonstrated something from the Bible, then you can turn to history. If I were you, I would point your Protestant friend to the resources at Calvin College in Grand Rapids, Michigan . This Protestant college has the complete works of all the early church fathers (it’s online, too!). Your Protestant friend is more likely to trust Calvin than the Vatican.

Protestants may be able to misinterpret the Bible, but they can’t get around the historical writings, other than to claim that they are ALL spurious. But then they learn that the authors of many of those writings were actual students of the apostles, and that most of these early church fathers underwent cruel martyrdom for their faith–again, it’s hard to get around this and accuse people of corrupting “true Christianity” and starting up “Catholicism.” Martyrs truly do bear witness to Jesus Christ, don’t they?

Anyway, my best advice to those of you who are attempting to witness to Protestants is “don’t underestimate them.” I think a LOT of Catholics think that Protestants are just ignorant, and only know a few Bible verses–and then when the Catholic starts actually talking with the Protestant, they learn, to their dismay, that the Protestant has a huge body of scholarship and theology behind their beliefs, and what often happens is that the CATHOLIC is the one who ends up converting to Protestantism. DO NOT UNDERESTIMATE the scholarship of your Protestant friends.

And the other piece of advice I can give you is LOVE LOVE LOVE! One of the main reasons I converted to Catholicism is the practical and compelling love of many Catholics that I had known over the years. Sometimes I hear Catholics say that they just can’t be around certain Protestants anymore and they’re going to stay away from them. Please don’t do this. Stick with them. Never stop loving them. You will know in heaven how much good your love did for them!

Catholic friends prayed a novena for 3yrs for my husband’s eyes to open, they also loved him despite his ‘arguments’. He was given several books, one was Mike Aquilina’s Mass of the Early Christians. My husband is no longer protesting (protestant)

 

[TimothyH]

We are incorporated into Jesus when we receive communion. We cannot be in a state of sin for that to happen because Jesus is without sin.

-Tim-

 

[cheezey]

Remember, Jesus didn’t get everyone to understand that they were to eat His Body and drink His Blood. He let them walk away.

You can share information, but it is the Holy Spirit who changes hearts and minds.

If they really are searching, they will find the answers.

In all that you do remember:

1 Peter 3:15
Always be ready to give an explanation to anyone who asks you for a reason for your hope, but do it with gentleness and reverence.

Be at Peace.

BTW, this still Protestant CAFer gets it.

 

[RoseMary131]

BTW, this still Protestant CAFer gets it.

For you dear Cheezy and anyone who can not today receive Holy Communion.

Prayers for a Spiritual Communion

**My Jesus, I believe that you are present in the most Blessed Sacrament. I love You above all things and I desire to receive You into my soul. Since I cannot now receive You sacramentally, come at least spiritually into my heart. I embrace You as if You have already come, and unite myself wholly to You. Never permit me to be separated from You. Amen.
**

**Oh Jesus, I turn toward the holy tabernacle where You live hidden for love of me. I love you, O my God. I cannot receive you in Holy Communion. Come, nevertheless, and visit me with Your grace. Come spiritually into my heart. Purify it. Sanctify it. Render it like unto Your own. Amen. **
Lord, I am not worthy that Thou shouldst enter under my roof, but only say the word and my soul shall be healed.

ourcatholicprayers.com/spiritual-communion.html

 

[OraLabora]

My wife and I were discussing last night the futility of arguing faith matters. Been there, done that, I’m afraid.

You can’t convert someone by arguments. You can pray for them. You can witness to them through your own experience.

When I returned to the Church after a long absence I was able to intellectually “argue” the Eucharist. But I never won those arguments.

Eventually I knew experientially that the Eucharist was what it claims. That’s when I realized it’s an un-winnable argument. Faith is a matter of perception and deep experience leading to assent to letting God’s grace go to work on us.

I would be inclined to say about the Protestant: “thanks be to God for his faith in Christ”. It’s a darn sight better than no faith at all. Anybody who is on a walk with Christ deserves our respect and prayers. God will lead him to where He wants him to be. Arguing may just have the opposite effect. Trust in God and His grace.

 

[manualman]

Rule 1: Never generalize about Protestants. You’ll always be wrong. Including me right now. They’re all over the board.

Rule 2: MANY protestants simply don’t comprehend or reject the very idea of sacraments. For some, that rejection is rooted in a disbelief that anything with a physical manifestation can have spiritual value (profoundly warped version of Sola Fide). Don’t argue with this type, they aren’t ready for it. Just confound them with your faith in Christ.

Rule 3: For protestants that DON’T seem to be neo-Manicheans (see above), sacraments can still seem to be a system rather than a relationship with God and they reject it before further comprehending it on that basis. These folks can be reasoned with (not the same as convincing them.) They just need to understand that sacraments don’t REPLACE relationship with Christ, they draw us IN to that relationship and strengthen it. What can seem like “rigid rules” to them at first glance are really guides to lead us to Christ and help us avoid the ditches on the sides of the straight and narrow. When understood in that context, the need to confess serious sin is not a “restriction” it is sound advice and a guide to help prevent us from digging ourselves further into sin.

 

[cmodrmac]

It would be inappropriate for a non catholic to receive communion in a catholic Church-the RC Church has been clear about this - we should respect their opinion and rules

Quite frankly the looseness which many Protestants approach the Eucharist bothers me significantly - in our Church all who are baptized can receive -even 2 or 3 year olds-

As for being in a state of sin - would be interested to hear from some of the more learned posters it would seem that receiving the Eucharist would remove sin

Not all Protestants are the same - it would be helpful to identify the denomination

 

[oneofmany]

Here’s one by Jimmy Akin that might help you out.

catholic.com/video/why-you-need-to-be-in-a-state-of-grace-for-communion

Thanks, I did post that but either he didn’t watch it or did not understand it. I guess the meaning of grace is different between religions and not being in the state of grace as mortal sin is not understood.

He was still sticking with Jesus welcomed all to come to Him so why not in communion?

 

[oneofmany]

For you dear Cheezy and anyone who can not today receive Holy Communion.

Prayers for a Spiritual Communion

**My Jesus, I believe that you are present in the most Blessed Sacrament. I love You above all things and I desire to receive You into my soul. Since I cannot now receive You sacramentally, come at least spiritually into my heart. I embrace You as if You have already come, and unite myself wholly to You. Never permit me to be separated from You. Amen.
**

**Oh Jesus, I turn toward the holy tabernacle where You live hidden for love of me. I love you, O my God. I cannot receive you in Holy Communion. Come, nevertheless, and visit me with Your grace. Come spiritually into my heart. Purify it. Sanctify it. Render it like unto Your own. Amen. **
Lord, I am not worthy that Thou shouldst enter under my roof, but only say the word and my soul shall be healed.

ourcatholicprayers.com/spiritual-communion.html

Thanks for this advice. I should post this to let those who are not Catholics know of it. It must seem like an exclusive club to some who are told they must join before they are welcome to do things and take it the wrong way.

 

[TK421]

Thanks, I did post that but either he didn’t watch it or did not understand it. I guess the meaning of grace is different between religions and not being in the state of grace as mortal sin is not understood.

He was still sticking with Jesus welcomed all to come to Him so why not in communion?

That’s an upside down view of communion. The Eucharist is the perfection of the other saving sacraments. Are you not baptized? Then be baptized. Do you have grave sin hanging on your conscious? Then confess. Have you found absolution of all sin? Then go and receive Christ within you. It would nullify the entire sacrament if you were to receive it posthaste, minus the part where you actually go and repent (which is manifested in confession). What your friend is suggesting is essentially saying that Jesus is not in fact telling us “Go now, and leave your life of sin”.

 

[JonNC]

=JerryZ;11358897]Well it seems that it is normal for protestants to dismiss the Bible alltogether when it suits them.

They will grab a few verses and make them say what they want to say but when Jesus repeats over and over that His flesh and blood are food indeed and that it is necessary for us to eat it so that we may have life in us.
THAT is a simbol… Go figure.

Yes, those protestants (not all by any stretch) mistakenly even see those words as symbolic, but it isn’t a matter of “dismissing the Bible all together”.

Remember St. Peter’s words, that some would twist the words of the Bible to their own destruction.
Not to mention St. Paul’s words on eating and drinking judgement on ourselves by eating and drinking the Eucharist unworthily. That even some were stricken with sickness and had died because of it.
A simbol cannot do THAT Can it?

Not that I can see.

Jon

 

[Peter_J]

I would say to them 2 things.

First would be “do you love Juses” they would say ‘YES’ then I would say then how come you dont love his church that he set up for you and me. why are you against his church. SEE what they say.

My response to this isn’t nearly as good as the response Cat’s already posted, but I’ll post it anyhow: triumphalism rarely does any good.

 

[Peter_J]

I think a LOT of Catholics think that Protestants are just ignorant,

And vice versa.

 

[EvangelCatholic]

I rejoice and invite all Christians to come with me to Mass; most are quite humbled by the solemnity. The chanting of the psalm, the readings from the Bible and homily are easily digested by Protestants [meaning any denomination that does not use the historic Mass]. What follows can be a little uncomfortable for those unaccustomed to the liturgy. Let’s be honest, the ceremonies/ rituals [bowing, incense, elevation, bells, kneeling] can be a bit awkward to those who interact with God in praise, hymns, sermons.

The Real Presence is there whether the individual understand or acknowledge.