Non-Catholics receiving communion at Mass

[ProVobis]

27 Therefore whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord unworthily will have to answer for the body and blood of the Lord. 12 28 A person should examine himself, 13 and so eat the bread and drink the cup. 29 For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body, eats and drinks judgment 14 on himself.

Of course they may be protected by invisible ignorance .

It doesn’t seem like this “ignorance” is helped when they hear the “for all” in the consecration.

 

[Hesychios]

That depends.

It applies to all Catholics, regardless of where they are domiciled;

It applies to non-Catholics:

• In areas where The Holy See has Secular Authority;
• In areas where The Holy See has Sovereign Authority;
• In areas where The Holy See can claim Jurisprudence;
• In areas where Canon Law as the authority of the state behind it;

The more interesting issue is whether or not the punishment, as decreed by Canon Law, is appropriate.

xan

jonathon

OK, I’ll bite.

What is the punishment decreed by Canon Law?

 

[GailMac]

DearJLMom - No one can force you to dispense the Blessed Sacrament to non-believers.

As an Extraordinary Minister of Holy Communion, you are already supposed to know all the “rules” about this. I do not fault you for not knowing. It is obvious from your post you are trying to learn all you are supposed to know regarding the practices of the Church regarding Holy Communion. That is to be commended. Learn all you can. It is a Holy task and should be treated as such.

It is also obvious that there is something wrong with the practices at your particular parish if the priest who ministers to the nursing home gives an “open Communion” call, not to mention the fact that you aren’t properly prepared to be a Extraordinary Minister of Holy Communion simply because you are asking a very basic question about who can and cannot receive. I would think they would teach you all about who can and cannot receive BEFORE sending you anywhere with the Blessed Sacrament.

You aren’t going to the nursing home to minister to Protestants. Giving them a false understanding of what Communion with our Lord is all about by lightly dispensing Communion as if it were merely a symbolic gesture of welcome or communion with us is no service to them. The Truth walks in the door with you! Literally in those small white hosts in your Pyx. It is up to you to defend Him. Sadly this isn’t the first time I heard of “open Communion” etc. but I will pray it is the last.

Peace,

Gail

P.S. Contact Father Vincent Serpa here at Catholic Answers and also contact the Apologists. They will help you get the CORRECT information you need. Tell them what you shared here at this thread. Pleeeeeese!

 

[jblake]

jlmom;:

He says there’s a dispensation for the aged. I’ve looked and can’t find one. Does anyone know about this?

If there is a dispensation, it is not based on age, at least not according to current Canon Law.

If the nursing home has a strong affiliation with a religious organization that is in full communion with the Catholic Church, then the dispensation might be based on the theory that all of the residents of the nursing home are members of either that organization, or the Catholic Church, and as such, entitled to partake of Holy Communion, were they to attend Mass at the parish.

They expect us to administer Holy Communion to them too, and we don’t feel that we have the authority.

From what you have said, you don’t have that authority.

If the situation is as I described in the paragraph above, you should have been told that, as part of your training to be an Extraordinary Minister of Holy Communion.
May I suggest that you obtain a copy of, and study I Was Sick and You Visited Me: A Spiritual Guide for Catholics in the Hospital Ministry Fernando Poyatos. Paulist Press; New York/Mahwah, NJ: 1999 ISBN 0-8091-3871-9.

xan

jonathon

 

[Seatuck]

usccb.org/dpp/Eucharist.pdf

See appendix A for non catholics.

 

[cameron_lansing]

That depends.

It applies to all Catholics, regardless of where they are domiciled;

It applies to non-Catholics:

• In areas where The Holy See has Secular Authority;
• In areas where The Holy See has Sovereign Authority;
• In areas where The Holy See can claim Jurisprudence;
• In areas where Canon Law as the authority of the state behind it;

The more interesting issue is whether or not the punishment, as decreed by Canon Law, is appropriate.

xan

jonathon

Read canon 11 carefully since the law of the Church does not make those claims: “Merely ecclesiastical laws bind those who have been baptized in the Catholic Church or received into it, possess the sufficient use of reason and, unless the law expressly provides otherwise, have completed seven years of age.”

Non Catholics are not subject to ecclesiastical penalty.

Note that in the case of canon 844 when it applies to non Catholic Christians receiving any of the three sacraments treated there, the law is directed to the Catholic minister and not the recipient.

A Catholic minister might be subject to censure or expiatory penalty, but not the non Catholic recipient.

 

[liberational]

Exactly. So why can’t any non-Catholic just walk in off the street and receive communion? Canon Law doesn’t apply to him/her.

Why would they want to? There isn’t a Vatican police scanning people to assure they are Catholics as they enter a Church.

There’s nothing stopping them, so long as they keep quiet about their being non-Catholic.

 

[jmcrae]

Why would they want to? There isn’t a Vatican police scanning people to assure they are Catholics as they enter a Church.

There’s nothing stopping them, so long as they keep quiet about their being non-Catholic.

Hopefully, they would refrain because they are honest people who want to give a good witness of their own professed beliefs, and because they are the sort of people who, when they are guests in someone else’s home, follow the rules of that home, out of respect for others, rather than because they are motivated by some threat of punishment.

 

[jblake]

cameron_lansing;:

the law of the Church does not make those claims: "

The applicability to non-Catholics is based on treaties, concords, compacts, and similar declarations made by, for, or on behalf of The Holy See, and/or its authorized representatives.

xan

jonathon

 

[cameron_lansing]

The applicability to non-Catholics is based on treaties, concords, compacts, and similar declarations made by, for, or on behalf of The Holy See, and/or its authorized representatives.

xan

jonathon

Feel free to provide the sources from among these “treaties, concords, compacts, and similar declarations,” and apply them to the issues under discussion, namely the reception of Holy Communion by non Catholics or the imposition of some penalty upon them for receiving it illicitly.

Until this can be done, the claim of applicability strikes me as a gratuitous assertion. On the other hand, if they could be provided, I will welcome the correction but would have to wonder if I slept through several years of canon law studies.

The agreements treated in canon 3 pertain to external relationships between Church and state and not to the internal governance of the Church regarding spiritual matters such as the discipline of the sacraments. Consequently, they should not be viewed as means by which the Church asserts the power of governance when it comes to merely ecclesiastical law over non Catholics over and against the force of canon 11. Even in the context of penal sanctions, the Church only states its innate and proper right to exercise them over members of the Christian faithful in canon 1311.

The point also remains that the obligations of canon 844 fall on the Catholic minister.

 

[mikew262]

27 Therefore whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord unworthily will have to answer for the body and blood of the Lord. 12 28 A person should examine himself, 13 and so eat the bread and drink the cup. 29 For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body, eats and drinks judgment 14 on himself.

Of course they may be protected by invisible ignorance .

I wouldn’t call a practicing sincerely devout Christian unworthy, Catholic or not, but that’s just me. IMO, nobody should be denied from being at Christ’s table. Afterall, Christ himself ate at many a sinner’s table, do you really think that he in turn would deny somebody a seat if he/she truly wanted to be there? If so, that would make Jesus a hypocrite, which of course he isn’t.

I attended an Episcopal service one time and I was encouraged to take communion. The person stated all are welcome at Christ’s table. While I politely declined, I thought that was a very nice sentiment.

 

[jmcrae]

I wouldn’t call a practicing sincerely devout Christian unworthy, Catholic or not, but that’s just me. IMO, nobody should be denied from being at Christ’s table. Afterall, Christ himself ate at many a sinner’s table, do you really think that he in turn would deny somebody a seat if he/she truly wanted to be there? If so, that would make Jesus a hypocrite, which of course he isn’t.

Non-Catholics, both baptized and unbaptized, and regardless of the status of their marriages (along with excommunicated Catholics) are more than welcome to share at our fellowship meals.

Notice that Jesus invited only the 12 to partake of the Passover with Him, though.

I attended an Episcopal service one time and I was encouraged to take communion. The person stated all are welcome at Christ’s table. While I politely declined, I thought that was a very nice sentiment.

I am under the impression that they view it as a fellowship supper and not as a Passover Sacrifice.

 

[mikew262]

Non-Catholics, both baptized and unbaptized, and regardless of the status of their marriages (along with excommunicated Catholics) are more than welcome to share at our fellowship meals.

Notice that Jesus invited only the 12 to partake of the Passover with Him, though.

I am under the impression that they view it as a fellowship supper and not as a Passover Sacrifice.

I was talking communion in my post.

 

[jpruitts1]

“Since we were a community during the retreat that is was within his power to allow non-Catholics to receive.”

You won’t find it, because it is not permitted.

I met with one of the retreat facillitators and he suggested I read the encylical Ecclesia de Euchrista and pay special attention to Chapter 4. I did read this but do not understand what it is stating.

 

[jmcrae]

I was talking communion in my post.

Yes, I know. You are aware that Episcopalians follow a different belief about Holy Communion, right? That it’s not the Passover Sacrifice of the New Covenant, but rather, it is a fellowship supper.

Anyone can come to a fellowship supper; only believers can participate in a religious Sacrifice.

 

[vee8]

Just because someone without a license wants to drive a car, thinks they can drive a car and even gets behind the wheel of one doenst mean they are actually allowed to drive it. They need to fulfill certain requirements first. Same thing with receiving the Body Blood Soul and Divinity of Jesus in the Eucharist anyone can have it yes if they meet certain requirements first those being a Catholic in a state of grace. These rules were made by Jesus for our own good our own protection just like the rules of the road were made for our own good and protection. Of course if Church rules are broken that doesnt mean the Holy Father will pull up behind you lights flashing but every single human will be judged by Jesus at the moment of our death so let us not give Him reason to accuse us of receiving Him unworthily.

From the catechism
[1385](javascriptpenWindow(‘cr/1385.htm’) To respond to this invitation we must prepare ourselves for so great and so holy a moment. St. Paul urges us to examine our conscience:** "Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of profaning the body and blood of the Lord. **Let a man examine himself, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For any one who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment upon himself."218 Anyone conscious of a grave sin must receive the sacrament of Reconciliation before coming to communion.

 

[mikew262]

Just because someone without a license wants to drive a car, thinks they can drive a car and even gets behind the wheel of one doenst mean they are actually allowed to drive it. They need to fulfill certain requirements first. Same thing with receiving the Body Blood Soul and Divinity of Jesus in the Eucharist anyone can have it yes if they meet certain requirements first those being a Catholic in a state of grace. These rules were made by Jesus for our own good our own protection just like the rules of the road were made for our own good and protection. Of course if Church rules are broken that doesnt mean the Holy Father will pull up behind you lights flashing but every single human will be judged by Jesus at the moment of our death so let us not give Him reason to accuse us of receiving Him unworthily.

From the catechism
[1385](javascriptpenWindow(‘cr/1385.htm’) To respond to this invitation we must prepare ourselves for so great and so holy a moment. St. Paul urges us to examine our conscience:** "Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of profaning the body and blood of the Lord. **Let a man examine himself, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For any one who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment upon himself."218 Anyone conscious of a grave sin must receive the sacrament of Reconciliation before coming to communion.

These rules were made by Jesus or the Church? Can you be more specific about Jesus making these rules? Where did Jesus say you had to be Catholic to receive communion?

 

[mikew262]

Just because someone without a license wants to drive a car, thinks they can drive a car and even gets behind the wheel of one doenst mean they are actually allowed to drive it. They need to fulfill certain requirements first. Same thing with receiving the Body Blood Soul and Divinity of Jesus in the Eucharist anyone can have it yes if they meet certain requirements first those being a Catholic in a state of grace. These rules were made by Jesus for our own good our own protection just like the rules of the road were made for our own good and protection. Of course if Church rules are broken that doesnt mean the Holy Father will pull up behind you lights flashing but every single human will be judged by Jesus at the moment of our death so let us not give Him reason to accuse us of receiving Him unworthily.

From the catechism
[1385](javascriptpenWindow(‘cr/1385.htm’) To respond to this invitation we must prepare ourselves for so great and so holy a moment. St. Paul urges us to examine our conscience:** "Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of profaning the body and blood of the Lord. **Let a man examine himself, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For any one who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment upon himself."218 Anyone conscious of a grave sin must receive the sacrament of Reconciliation before coming to communion.

These rules were made by Jesus or the Church? Can you be more specific about Jesus making these rules? Where did Jesus say you had to be Catholic to receive communion?

 

[mikew262]

Just because someone without a license wants to drive a car, thinks they can drive a car and even gets behind the wheel of one doenst mean they are actually allowed to drive it. They need to fulfill certain requirements first. Same thing with receiving the Body Blood Soul and Divinity of Jesus in the Eucharist anyone can have it yes if they meet certain requirements first those being a Catholic in a state of grace. These rules were made by Jesus for our own good our own protection just like the rules of the road were made for our own good and protection. Of course if Church rules are broken that doesnt mean the Holy Father will pull up behind you lights flashing but every single human will be judged by Jesus at the moment of our death so let us not give Him reason to accuse us of receiving Him unworthily.

From the catechism
[1385](javascriptpenWindow(‘cr/1385.htm’) To respond to this invitation we must prepare ourselves for so great and so holy a moment. St. Paul urges us to examine our conscience:** "Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of profaning the body and blood of the Lord. **Let a man examine himself, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For any one who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment upon himself."218 Anyone conscious of a grave sin must receive the sacrament of Reconciliation before coming to communion.

These rules were made by Jesus or the Church? Can you be more specific about Jesus making these rules? Where did Jesus say you had to be Catholic to receive communion?

 

[peary]

I worked as a team member at a Catholic Healing retreat which welcomes other denominations. The priest stated at the beginning of Mass that those who were not Catholic were welcome to receive Eucharist. Since we were a community during the retreat that is was within his power to allow non-Catholics to receive. I have not ever heard of this. Can some one tell me how this can be and where it is written? All I have ever seen during Advent and Lent is a ‘disclaimer’ to non-Catholics stating why they can’t receive but could receive a blessing by crossing their arms across their chest.

The priest committed a grave error. NonCatholics are not allowed to receive the Eucharist, and he does not have the authority to decide. I would contact the bishop if need be.