My communion issues are solved

[baltobetsy]

Every Sunday, in the Episcopal church where I sing professionally, the rector invites EVERYONE to “share in the mysteries of Christ’s Body and Blood.” Not all Christians, all believers, or all who have been sorry for their sins - EVERYONE.

Betsy

 

[Ferdy_000]

Every Sunday, in the Episcopal church where I sing professionally, the rector invites EVERYONE to “share in the mysteries of Christ’s Body and Blood.” Not all Christians, all believers, or all who have been sorry for their sins - EVERYONE.

Betsy

Thank you Betsy. I play guitar professionally at the Catholic church where i attend as well. I love it! Anyway we share in the Mysteries of Christ’s Body and Blood too, but how many churches did God make? In other words , which is the “true Body and Blood” that redeems? Me , I’m fearful everytime i receive Holy Communion…I make sure I’m forgiven through Confession , and also we Catholics Confess our venial sins in sections through the Mass. Why? Because , we respect His Body and Blood and believe it’s God that’s in the form of bread and wine. Anyway, that’s the nicest way i can put it , except, that even when “we” are restricted from Communion if we are in sin. Peace

 

[NMJenny]

Every Sunday, in the Episcopal church where I sing professionally, the rector invites EVERYONE to “share in the mysteries of Christ’s Body and Blood.” Not all Christians, all believers, or all who have been sorry for their sins - EVERYONE.

Betsy

Admittedly it’s been along time since I was an Episcopalian, but in those days the orthodox Episcopal Church only admitted those to communion who had been confirmed in the Episcopal Church! With what’s been going on in PECUSA in the last twenty-five years or so, I guess that most of the people who held that point of view have either become RCs or joined TAC…

 

[thomasf]

One thing I don’t understand is, if you don’t want to make the necessary steps to return to the church, why would you want to receive communion in the catholic church? It’s obvious that you’re more concerned with other religious practices and ‘feeling welcomed’, and are more concerned with the physcial reception of communion than the spriritual aspects of communion. It seems to me that you’re more suited for protestant worship.

Of course, you’re missing out on the real presence of Jesus in the eucharist. And you’re missing out on the church that Christ Himself founded. And the graces that come with that.

And one more thing. It’s not a matter of being ‘holier than thou.’ It’s a matter of being worthy to receive Jesus in the eucharist, like Paul says. I for one am concerned about being in the proper state of grace. And it’s a disservice to my fellow christian to not advise them of the same thing. To just let people receive unworthily is to allow them to condemn themselves. And that in itself is sinful. To not advise you of the proper way to come back to the church would be to confirm you in your sins. And after all, you asked. The question is, is it important enough to you to come back to the full truth and the real presence that you give up those sins? From your actions, apparently not.

 

[Jenny_Z]

Let’s see…

Catholic church, started by Jesus, around for 2000 years, Jesus truly present in the Eucharist, a little harder to get to by going through RCIA…

Episcopal (or Anglican) church, started in the 1500’s by King Henry VIII, offers “Communion” to anyone, but Jesus not actually present in the Eucharist…

I’ll take the difficult road, please.

 

[THurifer2]

Let’s see…

Catholic church, started by Jesus, around for 2000 years, Jesus truly present in the Eucharist, a little harder to get to by going through RCIA…

Episcopal (or Anglican) church, started in the 1500’s by King Henry VIII, offers “Communion” to anyone, but Jesus not actually present in the Eucharist…

I’ll take the difficult road, please.

Actually you really need to understand why Henry VIII wanted to start a church…its because he wanted to be an adulterer…really a wonderful guy giving the beginings of a Church. Went through wives like a hot knife through butter…or should I say guillotine

 

[japhy]

I think that even the Episcopalians expect that those who receive Holy Communion with them be practicing Christians who are not adding non-Christian practices to their devotional lives, and not in a state of sin.

Tell that to the Episcopalian priestess who is also a Muslim…

 

[Jenny_Z]

Actually you really need to understand why Henry VIII wanted to start a church…its because he wanted to be an adulterer…really a wonderful guy giving the beginings of a Church. Went through wives like a hot knife through butter…or should I say guillotine

Yeah, I thought of mentioning that, wasn’t sure if it’d get moderated or not

I’m a convert, and I thought long and hard about taking the “easy route” to the Episcopal church… and shy’d away from it for this very reason. Add onto that the current split because of openly homosexual clergy, and I ran to the Catholic Church with open arms, even though I knew it would be a year before I’d be able to receive the Eucharist.

Here’s an Apologist’s answer on the matter, for the OP: forums.catholic-questions.org/showthread.php?t=1771

 

[jmcrae]

Tell that to the Episcopalian priestess who is also a Muslim…

I wish I could.

However, I don’t think we can judge the Episcopalian Church by her any more than people should judge us by the weird things that go on at certain Catholic parishes - you know, the sorts of things that make us all feel like we want to bring back the Inquisition.

 

[onenow1]

Hi, All
Here’s the verse that should come to mind when receiving communion.

Luke 2
21 But behold the hand of him who betrays me is with me on the table.
22 For the Son of man goes as it has been determined; but woe to that man by whom he is betrayed!"
23 And they began to question one another, which of them it was that would do this.

Sounds like a pretty serious matter to me, and that they understand exactly what they were doing in receiving the Body and the Blood of Jesus.

That being said I completly agree with this:

In defense of the Protestants (for once) - BY: JMCRAE

I think that even the Episcopalians expect that those who receive Holy Communion with them be practicing Christians who are not adding non-Christian practices to their devotional lives, and not in a state of sin.

Being allowed to confess your sins privately in your heart doesn’t mean that you don’t have to ever confess your sins to Jesus. Nor does it mean that you don’t have to repent of your sins and repair the consequences of them before receiving their Holy Communion, just because there is no priest there to tell you to do so.

Protestant discipline is easy, but it’s not completely non-existent. And just because it’s only a symbol doesn’t mean that it’s a completely meaningless gesture that you just do in order to “feel welcomed.”

Peace, OneNow1

 

[japhy]

However, I don’t think we can judge the Episcopalian Church by her any more than people should judge us by the weird things that go on at certain Catholic parishes - you know, the sorts of things that make us all feel like we want to bring back the Inquisition.

Touché. I see your point.

 

[Ferdy_000]

I’ve been reading these posts, and some have been charitable and some were not …me included…but make no bones about it, what the Catholic Church preaches is the Truth about Communion and how we should receive it. And another comment… I’m not a theologian by no means, and i doubt that any of us really are, but didn’t Luther say that “our sins were like dung covered by snow?” Anyway, that’s why Catholics go to Confession, to make sure that there is no dung left, God knows, how much dung there is in our lives Actually, that’s one of the reasons why I don’t convert to one of the Protestant Church(es) . Especially, not a church that advocates homosexuality , even on the pulpit . Anyway, enough said…I have to go to work

 

[peregrinus_sg]

In defense of the Protestants (for once) -

I think that even the Episcopalians expect that those who receive Holy Communion with them be practicing Christians who are not adding non-Christian practices to their devotional lives, and not in a state of sin.

Except for one big problem… does anyone really know what the Episcopal/Anglican ecclesial communion teach about being a Christian?

An ecclesial community that welcomes intercommunion without substantial full Communion is like a religion that preaches the benefits of sex outside of marriage - it substitutes the truth with a lie, promotes adulterous relationships and cheapens the Eucharist and ecclesial communion.

 

[onenow1]

Hi,All
I would say most of our seperated brethern through no fault of their own, are being fed half truths, with a lack of true historical knowledge,not to different from our own trust in the Catholic Church, which we know of course through antiquity is indeed the true Church of Jesus. However they are still in the race searching for truth, this may very well be the way that Jesus, indeed wants things to progress, after all many do come home to the true Church through study etc. There communion is not as ours, however, I wouldn’t rule out the spiritual value of their communion, if they have a contrite heart; and anyway we should not be in the heart reading business.

Peace, OneNow1

 

[peregrinus_sg]

You mean they have value like our St Anthony’s bread? Blessed bread but nothing more than that?

 

[benedictgal]

The OP made references to his Sufi Master and to others in one of his posts. After re-reading both of his threads, I was reminded of a document that the former Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger issued when he was Prefect for the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith: Dominus Iesus. The document says, in part:

Above all else, it must be firmly believed that the Church, a pilgrim now on earth, is necessary for salvation: the one Christ is the mediator and the way of salvation; he is present to us in his body which is the Church. He himself explicitly asserted the necessity of faith and baptism (cf. Mk 16:16; Jn 3:5), and thereby affirmed at the same time the necessity of the Church which men enter through baptism as through a door (77). This doctrine must not be set against the universal salvific will of God (cf. 1 Tim 2:4); it is necessary to keep these two truths together, namely, the real possibility of salvation in Christ for all mankind and the necessity of the Church for this salvation. (78).

***The Church is the universal sacrament of salvation (79), since, united always in a mysterious way to the Saviour Jesus Christ, her Head, and subordinated to him, she has, in God’s plan, an indispensable relationship with the salvation of every human being (80). ***For those who are not formally and visibly members of the Church, salvation in Christ is accessible by virtue of a grace which, while having a mysterious relationship to the Church, does not make them formally part of the Church, but enlightens them in a way which is accommodated to their spiritual and material situation. This grace comes from Christ; it is the result of his sacrifice and is communicated by the Holy Spirit (81); it has a relationship with the Church, which according to the plan of the Father, has her origin in the mission of the Son and the Holy Spirit (82).

1. With respect to the way in which the salvific grace of God which is always given by means of Christ in the Spirit and has a mysterious relationship to the Church comes to individual non -Christians, the Second Vatican Council limited itself to the statement that God bestows it in ways known to himself (83). Theologians are seeking to understand this question more fully. Their work is to be encouraged, since it is certainly useful for understanding better God’s salvific plan and the ways in which it is accomplished. However, from what has been stated above about the mediation of Jesus Christ and the unique and special relationship (84) which the Church has with the kingdom of God among men which in substance is the universal kingdom of Christ the Saviour it is clear that it would be contrary to the faith to consider the Church as one way of salvation alongside those constituted by the other religions, seen as complementary to the Church or substantially equivalent to her, even if these are said to be converging with the Church toward the eschatological kingdom of God.
   Certainly, the various religious traditions contain and offer religious elements which come from God (85), and which are part of what the Spirit brings about in human hearts and in the history of peoples, in cultures, and religions (86). Indeed, some prayers and rituals of the other religions may assume a role of preparation for the Gospel, in that they are occasions or pedagogical helps in which the human heart is prompted to be open to the action of God (87). One cannot attribute to these, however, a divine origin or an ex opere operato salvific efficacy, which is proper to the Christian sacraments (88). Furthermore, it cannot be overlooked that other rituals, insofar as they depend on superstitions or other errors (cf. 1 Cor 10:20-21), constitute an obstacle to salvation (89).

At the time the document was released, it was met with disdain from many circles. However, the Church needs to take a stand on her legitimate position.

I bring this up because of the contentious issue of the OP having “resolved” his situation on communion. As many of us have stated, the solution he claims to have found is not a legitimate solution. Invalid Holy Orders yields an invalid Communion. What the OP claims to have received is merely symbolic of the True Presence that existst in the Catholic Church.

 

[onenow1]

You mean they have value like our St Anthony’s bread? Blessed bread but nothing more than that?

OneNow1. Yes !

Peace

 

[jmcrae]

You mean they have value like our St Anthony’s bread? Blessed bread but nothing more than that?

The ritual they do has meaning and deep significance for them. It’s not possible to make equivalencies between Protestant and Catholic ways of thinking; they are literally two completely different languages.