Non-Catholics, the Eucharist, and the "Universal" Church

[iloveangels]

The “Solas” are were Luther’s rather bombastic catch phrases. They can be much more than what they appear. For example, with Bible Alone, Lutherans don’t deny Tradition. Except only if it is in contraction to Scripture as understood by the Chruch.

Grace Alone was a rather pointed barb against Catholic church practice at the time that seemed to requie lots of money to be spent on indulgences if you wanted to avoid spending time in purgatory.

Faith Alone was a other reaction to the Catholic churches seeming instance on good works for salivation - those ‘good works’ including giving money to the church.

Again, they are quite bombastic, and I personally think they need to be understood in the context of their time.

This is actually a very good set of observations that jives with my background experiences. Thanks, Ben Johnson.

 

[sgcecilia]

People have already commented on the issue of unity. On top of this, there is another more important layer.

It is true that the Eucharist is essential, but receiving it is no light matter. Consider this passage from 1 Corinthians:

The Church asks non-catholics and also Catholics who are not in a state of grace not to receive communion for the safety of their immortal souls, and has done so from the beginning as the passage above illustrates. Non-Catholic Christians (with the exception of the Orthodox Christians) have not been taught to understand what the Eucharist is. How can someone “discern the body” if she does not know what the Eucharist is?

It is also extremely unlikely that a Non-Catholic/Orthodox Christian would have been to confession to be absolved of any mortal sins that would impede him or her from receiving the Eucharist worthily. This is very serious, because a person who receives the Eucharist in a state of mortal sin or without belief receives no grace from the sacrament. In addition, by receiving unworthily, he commits the sin of sacrilege (source: ewtn.com/faith/teachings/euchb2a.htm)

Asking people to refrain from the Eucharist is not a reflection of an exclusionary attitude, but rather an appropriate result of the Church’s priorities and love and concern for people. It’s really quite logical. We don’t invite people we care about to do things that might harm them. Where we go in the next world is the top consideration here. Temporary feelings of inclusion are not worth risking someone’s eternity.

Those who desire the Eucharist but cannot receive it, either because of personal sin or because they are not in full unity with the Church should consider that desire to be a gentle invitation from God to break down whatever barriers prevent them, such as receiving the Sacrament of Reconciliation or by entering into full communion with the Church.

Wow y’all, I’m happy that I sparked such an intelligent conversation! Thank you, everyone, for your responses. You’ve been very helpful.

It seems I’ve left out an important factor in my reasoning, which LittleRose addresses. In my OP, I said that we Catholics exclude non-Catholics and deny them what they need. But I’ve never heard of a non-Catholic, or anyone for that matter, being** turned away at the altar during Communion. (Does that happen? I hope not. It’s not our place to judge people; I know that much.) Maybe the Church just discourages reception of the Eucharist to certain individuals out of loving concern for them. After all, the Bible does tell us not to receive the Eucharist unworthily, or without discerning the Body and Blood, because doing so is immoral and harmful to us. (I basically just reiterated what Little Rose said. Haha, sorry.)

Maybe the problem is, then, that we as a Church do not make this distinction clear. Heck, I’ve been Catholic for over nineteen years and all I’ve ever been told is, “If you’re not Catholic, the Eucharist is not for you.” You can probably imagine how snobby and un-Christ-like that sounded to me.

In my humble opinion, I think that it is harmful to discourage the whole population of non-Catholics from reception of the Eucharist. This comes across as being exclusive and unloving, and only drives people away from what they need. Perhaps we should instead encourage those particular individuals who do not believe in the True Presence or who would receive the Eucharist unworthily to abstain, for their own sake. And this should be articulated at every Mass before Communion, so nobody leaves having committed a sin, or feeling rejected by the Church.

What, exactly, is required in order for an adult to receive Communion properly and receive its graces? Must they go through a structured religion class type thing for education? Must they declare themselves Catholic?

 

[iloveangels]

Perhaps we should instead encourage those particular individuals who do not believe in the True Presence or who would receive the Eucharist unworthily to abstain, for their own sake. And this should be articulated at every Mass before Communion, so nobody leaves having committed a sin, or feeling rejected by the Church.

Agree, as far as what you have here, but see the information below for the remainder of my comment.

What, exactly, is required in order for an adult to receive Communion properly and receive its graces? Must they go through a structured religion class type thing for education? Must they declare themselves Catholic?

The following conditions are NECESSARY for everybody, even Catholics, and they are not negotiable:
a) The person must be Catholic.
b) The person must be Baptized.
c) The person must be in a State of Grace. This means that they must have gone to Sacramental Confession with a priest since their last mortal (grave, serious) sin.
d) The person must have fasted from food and flavored drinks for at least one hour prior to reception (except in the case they are very ill or dying and then the fast is suspended).

 

[iloveangels]

From the Compendium to the Catechism of the Catholic Church
Vatican Website: vatican.va/archive/compendium_ccc/documents/archive_2005_compendium-ccc_en.html#The%20sacraments%20of%20Christian%20initiation

291. What is required to receive Holy Communion?

1385-1389
1415

“To receive Holy Communion one must be fully incorporated into the Catholic Church and be in the state of grace, that is, not conscious of being in mortal sin. Anyone who is conscious of having committed a grave sin must first receive the sacrament of Reconciliation before going to Communion. Also important for those receiving Holy Communion are a spirit of recollection and prayer, observance of the fast prescribed by the Church, and an appropriate disposition of the body (gestures and dress) as a sign of respect for Christ.”

[The numbers before the paragraph will be index numbers to paragraphs in the Catechism of the Catholic Church, published circa 1997 in English by the Holy See of Rome.]

[Sacrament of Reconciliation = Sacrament of Confession to a priest]

 

[sgcecilia]

What does it mean to be fully incorporated into the Church? Wouldn’t baptism do the trick?

 

[iloveangels]

What does it mean to be fully incorporated into the Church? Wouldn’t baptism do the trick?

It means fully incorporated into the Catholic Church. Catholic baptism will work yes. But if a person doesn’t have that – meaning maybe they were baptized someplace else – then they have to convert to the Church and go through RCIA or lessons from a Catholic priest, and become Catholic by making a profession of faith.

If a person is going to receive Catholic Holy Communion, they can’t stay Protestant or anything else. They have to become Catholic.

 

[LEMAITRE]

Why should Catholics exclude Protestants from receiving the Eucharist if the Eucharist is what is required for gaining eternal life? Who are we to deny anyone the Bread of Life? Why should we pray for unity among denominations if we’re going to be so exclusive? Jesus didn’t withhold Himself from anyone. There are plenty of Catholics who don’t believe in the True Presence who are allowed to receive Him, so what about non-Catholics? Isn’t Christ’s body what unites the Catholic church? How can we expect unity among denominations if we deny to others what gives us unity? I feel like Jesus wouldn’t discriminate. Plus, I’ve heard that receiving the Eucharist, regardless of whether one believes in it or not, benefits from it.

I know there is Scripture saying that we should be pure in receiving the Eucharist, but wouldn’t that just entail that we’ve repented and genuinely want to do what Christ told us to do? People who love Jesus should be able to reach Him if they need Him.

I just think if Jesus told us we have to participate in the Eucharist to gain eternal life, we shouldn’t make people jump through hoops to do it. He didn’t.

We aren’t acting very universal for a church that’s named after universality.

Depends on whether you truly believe that Jesus left us the Church to decide Doctrine for the masses or whether we should do what WE FEEL is right.

When you participate in the Eucharist or any Sacrament for that matter, you are publicy acknowledging that you agree with CC Doctrine and assent to the Church’s authority.

I don’t think any Protestant would want to do that willingly or knowingly and if they did, then maybe they should be Catholic.

 

[sgcecilia]

Thanks to everyone for your help! I understand better now. God bless! :angel1:

 

[iloveangels]

But Protestants do receive the Eucharist in their churches, do they not?

It’s not the same thing, DaddyGirl. They define it differently and when they bless it, they intend to do a different thing. Also most of them don’t have Apostolic Succession.

I have a friend who goes to The Church of Christ and I saw them do the wafer/juice ritual–it was really quite heartwarming the way they did it…they passed around the crackers and each took a bit, then passed around the small cups of juice–it was very communal.

That’s a ritual. It’s not a transubstantiation.

Do you mean…a protestant should be able to get it or do it in a Catholic church? Is that what you are asking about?

Neither. The mystery is why Protestants, or anyone else for that matter, would be so interested in declaring themselves Catholic in public by receiving Holy Communion, without wanting to be Catholic in public by converting to the Catholic Church. It’s a strange contradiction.

 

[iloveangels]

I think those followers who walked out left because they didn’t believe in what Jesus was telling them anymore. Perhaps they went back to being pagan?

But the Protestants today are Christians, and they do indeed believe in Jesus and his role as savior, etc. So they have indeed “stayed” with him.

But they are not Catholic.

I find it somewhat amazing that Protestants are that discontented with their own rituals if they really like being Protestant. I mean why would a satisfied Lutheran or Methodist or whatever come trying to pretend to be a Catholic for 45 minutes? I don’t get it.

If they want Holy Communion that looks like Catholic Holy Communion, maybe they should just adjust their rituals and put on a hat? I suspect that some people just want the way it looks, or the experience. Get a lacy hat and play some music and enjoy the way it looks. Have at it.

OR become Catholic and do it Catholic-style for real as a Catholic. But don’t try to blur the two things. They’re not the same. At. All.

You know, we are not a theme-park for bored Protestants. This gets old.

 

[triumphguy]

I totally agree with the original poster. thank you for saying it like this.

Which presumes that you think the Catholic Church has the only valid Eucharist.

And if you think that why not join the church in order to receive communion regularly?

 

[JeffRFitz]

Why should Catholics exclude Protestants from receiving the Eucharist if the Eucharist is what is required for gaining eternal life? Who are we to deny anyone the Bread of Life? Why should we pray for unity among denominations if we’re going to be so exclusive? Jesus didn’t withhold Himself from anyone. There are plenty of Catholics who don’t believe in the True Presence who are allowed to receive Him, so what about non-Catholics? Isn’t Christ’s body what unites the Catholic church? How can we expect unity among denominations if we deny to others what gives us unity? I feel like Jesus wouldn’t discriminate. Plus, I’ve heard that receiving the Eucharist, regardless of whether one believes in it or not, benefits from it.

I know there is Scripture saying that we should be pure in receiving the Eucharist, but wouldn’t that just entail that we’ve repented and genuinely want to do what Christ told us to do? People who love Jesus should be able to reach Him if they need Him.

I just think if Jesus told us we have to participate in the Eucharist to gain eternal life, we shouldn’t make people jump through hoops to do it. He didn’t.

We aren’t acting very universal for a church that’s named after universality.

Receiving the Blood and Body of Christ for a non-Catholic can be dangerous according to Saint Paul—> “So then, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord. Everyone ought to examine themselves before they eat of the bread and drink from the cup. For those who eat and drink without discerning the body of Christ eat and drink judgment on themselves. That is why many among you are weak and sick, and a number of you have fallen asleep.” (1 Corinthians 11:27-30)

PAX
Jeffrey

 

[iloveangels]

Receiving the Blood and Body of Christ for a non-Catholic can be dangerous according to Saint Paul—> “So then, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord. Everyone ought to examine themselves before they eat of the bread and drink from the cup. For those who eat and drink without discerning the body of Christ eat and drink judgment on themselves. That is why many among you are weak and sick, and a number of you have fallen asleep.” (1 Corinthians 11:27-30)

PAX
Jeffrey

Jeffrey, the problem is that this was written before the Protestant Reformation, and as such many Protestants read into it that they’re okay, because they think they have that kind of justification. The Church does have rules and expectations about receiving Holy Communion, as given in the Catechism of the Catholic Church. Non-Catholics are not supposed to partake of Catholic Holy Communion for specific reasons.

We are not merely a theme park for bored Protestants.

 

[Laudate_Dominum]

Your primary mistake is to assume that the Catholic Church is but a denomination among many. This is not the case. The Church is not a mere denomination. She is the one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church founded by the Person of Jesus Christ upon the rock of St Peter whose visibility is preserved to this day through the successors of the same. The Catholic Church is the True Church. The Eastern Orthodox Churches are true Churches but they are impaired because they are in schism. Protestants (including Anglicans) are no Churches in any sense of the word.

Jumping through hoops? If a Protestant wishes to receive the Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus Christ it’s a very simple affair. He/she becomes Catholic and professes the faith of Jesus Christ safeguarded and taught by the Magisterium of Holy Mother the Church.

The entire Gospel is a call to jump through hoops. This one makes all the others that much easier. And this one actually gets you to Heaven. The others don’t.

Why should Catholics exclude Protestants from receiving the Eucharist if the Eucharist is what is required for gaining eternal life? Who are we to deny anyone the Bread of Life? Why should we pray for unity among denominations if we’re going to be so exclusive? Jesus didn’t withhold Himself from anyone. There are plenty of Catholics who don’t believe in the True Presence who are allowed to receive Him, so what about non-Catholics? Isn’t Christ’s body what unites the Catholic church? How can we expect unity among denominations if we deny to others what gives us unity? I feel like Jesus wouldn’t discriminate. Plus, I’ve heard that receiving the Eucharist, regardless of whether one believes in it or not, benefits from it.

I know there is Scripture saying that we should be pure in receiving the Eucharist, but wouldn’t that just entail that we’ve repented and genuinely want to do what Christ told us to do? People who love Jesus should be able to reach Him if they need Him.

I just think if Jesus told us we have to participate in the Eucharist to gain eternal life, we shouldn’t make people jump through hoops to do it. He didn’t.

We aren’t acting very universal for a church that’s named after universality.