Not recieving Communion

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Meggie

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I’m having trouble in my life with many Catholic Church issues. I don’t like some of the things catholic persons in authority have done to me, espeally when it goes to the diocean level.

I do not “believe” one bit. There is nothing in me that has any faith in the least eon.

However, becuase I’ve studied other Religions I am pretty sure, well I am positive, that the Catholic Church provieds one with the greatest moral compas, spiritual direction and truth. Therefore I have commited to follow the rules of the Catholic Church, just like I follow the rules of my workplace, school, and state.(although the latter are clearly flawed)

I have stopped recieving Communion beucase my thought process is based on facts and not on respect or love. My protestant friends say I’m not Catholic then, and my Catholic friends say that if I’m not in Mortal sin then I’m being bellergant. My Catholic friends say that I am sinning because I am failing to recive grace that would help myself and others. I don’t really care about that becuase I can’t see it. When I tell them that they say I give Catholocism a worse name than if I didn’t go to church at all.

My feeling is that I am following church law and attending Mass weekly and there is no law that sais I have to recieve Communion (except at Easter, which I did) so I don’t.

Am I breaking any rules that I am unaware of?
 
Meggie said:
I’m having trouble in my life with many Catholic Church issues. I don’t like some of the things catholic persons in authority have done to me, espeally when it goes to the diocean level.

I do not “believe” one bit. There is nothing in me that has any faith in the least eon.

However, becuase I’ve studied other Religions I am pretty sure, well I am positive, that the Catholic Church provieds one with the greatest moral compas, spiritual direction and truth. Therefore I have commited to follow the rules of the Catholic Church, just like I follow the rules of my workplace, school, and state.(although the latter are clearly flawed)

I have stopped recieving Communion beucase my thought process is based on facts and not on respect or love. My protestant friends say I’m not Catholic then, and my Catholic friends say that if I’m not in Mortal sin then I’m being bellergant. My Catholic friends say that I am sinning because I am failing to recive grace that would help myself and others. I don’t really care about that becuase I can’t see it. When I tell them that they say I give Catholocism a worse name than if I didn’t go to church at all.

My feeling is that I am following church law and attending Mass weekly and there is no law that sais I have to recieve Communion (except at Easter, which I did) so I don’t.

Am I breaking any rules that I am unaware of?
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For starters you have to obey the six precepts of the Church:
  1. To hear Mass on Sundays, and all Holydays of obligation. (these vary from place to place)
  2. To fast and abstain on the days commanded. (these vary from place to place, you want to check)
  3. To confess our sins at least once a year.
  4. To receive the Blessed Eucharist at Easter.
  5. To contribute to the support of our Pastors.
  6. Not to solemnize marriage at the forbidden times; nor to marry persons within the forbidden degrees of kindred, or otherwise prohibited by the Church; nor clandestinely.
Interesting that you are so adamant that there’s not a shred of belief in you, and yet in the next breath you do affirm your belief - that the Catholic Church provides the best moral compass and the greatest truth.

Your issue is with persons in positions within the heirarchy of the church - which is fine, it’s not like Christ promised each individual, even in the clergy, would be perfect or even particularly good. Just look at the Apostles!

The question is how do you feel about the Church’s dogmatic teachings - on ABC, divorce, the four Marian dogmas, confession to a priest, things like that? Problems with any of those, which are required beliefs for Catholics?

I do think it’s a shame (although not sinful at all) not to receive Confession and Communion oftener - think of the Sacraments as precious gemstones. A diamond is still a diamond and a pearl a pearl, regardless of whether the person who gives it to you is an honest jeweller or a lowdown thief.

The sacraments really are too precious and valuable for you to deny yourself based on personal dislike of the person administering them. For confession, can you perhaps try out other parishes whose priests and employees you don’t have problems with?
 
No. Everyone is welcome at Mass, and there is no law stating that you must receive Holy Communion, other than at Easter time.

If you do not feel that you are properly disposed to receive Holy Communion, then of course you are quite right not to partake of it.

Welcome. 🙂
 
Meggie said:
I’m having trouble in my life with many Catholic Church issues. I don’t like some of the things catholic persons in authority have done to me, espeally when it goes to the diocean level.

I do not “believe” one bit. There is nothing in me that has any faith in the least eon.

However, becuase I’ve studied other Religions I am pretty sure, well I am positive, that the Catholic Church provieds one with the greatest moral compas, spiritual direction and truth. Therefore I have commited to follow the rules of the Catholic Church, just like I follow the rules of my workplace, school, and state.(although the latter are clearly flawed)

I have stopped recieving Communion beucase my thought process is based on facts and not on respect or love. My protestant friends say I’m not Catholic then, and my Catholic friends say that if I’m not in Mortal sin then I’m being bellergant. My Catholic friends say that I am sinning because I am failing to recive grace that would help myself and others. I don’t really care about that becuase I can’t see it. When I tell them that they say I give Catholocism a worse name than if I didn’t go to church at all.

My feeling is that I am following church law and attending Mass weekly and there is no law that sais I have to recieve Communion (except at Easter, which I did) so I don’t.

Am I breaking any rules that I am unaware of?
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I can’t vouch for official Church teachings, but personally, I say good for you!
You realise where your issues lie, but you are following and respecting the rules as best you can.
I’m not aware that you are doing anything wrong as far as the rules go.

Right now you are at a tough place in your faith…we have all been there, or will be there, in varying degrees of intensity, keep praying for His grace to help you through this.
Who knows, maybe you will come to understand things you do not understand now.
I’m saying, keep doing what you are doing. Keep going to Mass, even if you are not receiving Communion. You can even pray for a “Spiritual Communion” to receive grace to help you understand, if you so choose.

In a way I’m like you…I want to understand and not just blindly follow
I used to read books on the Eucharistic miracles to make be believe, with hard facts, about the True Presence…but, like you, until I understand, I respect the Church enough to follow the rules anyway. It’s the best you can do for now, so good for you! Keep on attending! 🙂
PM
 
Based on what you said, I can’t see any rules being broken. I am glad you are sticking with the Church even though you have a few issues that need addressing. I have not been to communion in about 3 years. But like you I am staying with the Church.
 
Yes, I follow the church’s moral teachings from conception to natural death. I trust that the American GIRM is as correct as its going to be. I read of the saints, I am o.k. versed in the Bible and Chatechism, I think Mary’s good and all that.

Its not so much belief as its my own choice to adhere and allign myself to the morals and resoning for the Catholic Church. To me saying I believe in the Catholic Church would be as ludicrous as saying I believe in the sun shining. Its not so much a belief but an obvous fact.

Its not even the priests, I know many good priests, I wouldn’t recieve Communion from them. Part of this is that I just don’t want to.
 
I am incredibly uncertain what to say to you, because I from what you have said, I am having a difficult time understanding what exactly your motivations are, and where your heart is. On one hand, it seems like you are being truly persistent in living a faith you find impossible to believe, but that on an intellectual level, you realize is Truth. That in itself is very commendable. It reminds me of the man who told Jesus, “I believe, but help my unbelief!”

This is just my thought on receiving communion-however, I have no official church backing for it, so it’s possible I may be wrong. I think the question you have to ask yourself (after discerning if you are in mortal sin or not) is whether you love, or seek to truly love Jesus the Christ? Do you love Him, or do you seek to love Him? If you answer yes to either of those, I would say, yes, receive. If no though, I would abstain from communion, but remain in your seat and try to pray.

It sounds like you are in a very difficult spot. I will pray for you, and I hope you soon find the peace that Jesus truly came to give you.
 
Meggie said:
Its not even the priests, I know many good priests, I wouldn’t recieve Communion from them. Part of this is that I just don’t want to.
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That’s a little puzzling - that you wouldn’t receive communion even from a good and worthy priest. Any particular reason why you ‘just don’t want to’?
 
I think the main question is whether you believe that Jesus is truly present in the Eucharist and that you are receiving him. If yes then do receive communion as long as you are in a state of grace as you say you are. If no, then you are perfectly just and correct in abstaining.
 
Lily - perhaps it’s hard for us younguns, who, in a way, have been brought up to almost take Communion for granted, to understand why someone would not want to recieve. However, I have heard that in the past, many people did not recieve mainly because they felt too unworthy - that’s why the rule about recieving on Easter was made in the first place.
Similarly people might feel that they don’t properly appreciate the Eucharist (I sometimes consider not reciving Communion myself, for this reason), or maybe they are finding it hard to pray and don’t feel close to Jesus, in which case they of course would not feel comfortable recieving Him in the Eucharist (again, I feel this way sometimes).
I suspect that if I understood Communion properly I might see it not just as a passive reception of grace on my part, but something which I also put some of myself into - in which case, it makes sense that I would not want to receive if I was not willing to give my part.

Is it possible that the OP is getting faith confused with emotion, or something? If someone did not believe in God, then they would think that the Church is spouting a bunch of lies, as the Church talks about God as a real, existant being all the time. Yet rather than accusing us of lies, the OP says they believe that the Catholic church provides truth. When one believes in the existance of God, who can’t be seen, that is faith. Or even better, when the truth of the Catholic church is “not belief but obvious fact”, despite the way that it is hard to ‘prove’ in a logical or scientific/observatory sense (unless the OP has personally witnessed a miracle, or something), that is faith.

I’ve “been there before”, I think, where it’s not that I’ve lost my faith, but it’s a matter of feelings and spirituality. It’s just the way things are, people don’t always want to pray, and don’t always feel comfortable recieving Communion. In these cases I reckon the approach that the OP - along with many other Catholics, some who even post on this forum - is taking, is the best, to stick to what we know is right, to stick to being Catholic, try to get through it as best we can.
 
Logically I understand trasubstantiation

I don’t believe anything and that includes the Eucharist.
 
Meggie,
Welcome to the struggle. No one gets through life without some questioning of the basics of faith. The disciples said to Jesus “I believe, help thou my unbelief.” We all do as much as we can at any moment. There are ups and downs in belief as well as physical well-being. Just continue to do what you can and trust God for the rest. That’s what Jesus’ message of forgiveness was all about.

Matthew
 
Meggie said:
I do not “believe” one bit.
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If you dont’ believe, then I don’t think you should partake of the Holy Eucharist. To receive the Eucharist without believing is a breach of integrity, in my opinion.

Nonetheless, belief is not merely an operation of the intellect, but is an act of the will. You decide what to believe and what not to believe. Although your intellect may be enlightened (or not), and your will may be strengthened (or not), you still retain freedom of will to either believe or not. Those who don’t believe, do so because they don’t will it. Yet, there certainly may be impediments of the intellect and will which make belief very difficult for them, some impediments may even be involuntary. This does not mean that such impediments are necessarily unconquerable.

St. Thomas doubted the trustworthy testimony of those closest to him, those who loved him, who he should have known had no reason to deceive him. Jesus described Thomas as “faithless.” (John 20:27). I can imagine how heartbreaking that must have been for Thomas to hear that from Christ Himself. Blessed are those who believe without seeing.

May God help your unbelief.
 
Meggie said:
Logically I understand trasubstantiation

I don’t believe …t.
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Hey Maggie! 🙂 Like you I logiclly understand it. My raesoning is that God can do it.

But, if you do not mind, please tell me why you do not “believe anything and that includes the Eucharist” Personally I see this as an oxymoron. I need you to help m see your view.

If you would rather take this to PM then I am open to you.
 
I understand the facts and theology gives.

Belief is different. It requires part of my soul.
 
Meggie, I don’t really want to preach to you, because I don’t think you need that right now. Let me throw this at you. At the end of any given day, faith is a gift. It’s not neccessarily something we can walk into a court of law and prove. I’m not going to condemn or criticise you either, as some of the greatest saints in the Church have had doubts. What I am going to do, is ask the Holy Spirit to lead you to the peace and truth you’re seeking.
 
Today after Mass I was chatting with my friend who’s an alter server as she was cleaning up the pews. She noticed I didn’t go to Communion and was expaining to me that there was confession. I told her I didn’t need confession I’d stopped going to Communion. She then basically b*ched me out best she could in church. My friend was disgusted and said that I’m being horrible to God who’s given me so much.
I stood fast by my beliefs and told her that there was no church law that said I had to recieve every week. Father was within earshot and nodded that I was right. My friend pressed so I continued to tell her that I had every right to do what I was doing. That I didn’t have to go to Communion if I didn’t want to and I didn’t care if I was loosing grace or being disrespectful to my past graces becuase I have every right to do what I feel when it comes to my choices.

My friend went to lock up the mic’s and the priest took the time to tell me that I was unbelievably disrespectful and if I continued my attitude or truly felt that way I should not even enter the Church.

At this point I don’t know if i care
 
Could something you said have been misconstrued by the priest? I mean, maybe you said something that the priest misinterpreted and thought you were saying something you didn’t? You might also consider that the best thing to do in that situation is to calmly state your opinion. If the person persists, just stop. I can imagine this wasn’t a calm, peaceful, respectful disagreement. You might also just discuss the issue with the priest and hear what he has to say.

Do you mind if I ask why you do not want to receive Jesus every week? I’m curious…
 
Holy Mass should be approached with utmost reverence–whether you receive Communion or not. Likewise, Confession is not just necessary to receive Communion, but for the forgiveness of sins. Maybe if you go and receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation, you’ll receive the Spirit again and He will help you to appreciate Holy Mass and the ineffable gift that is Holy Communion.🙂

But first, just take a deep breath, look to the Cross, leave your anger at its foot, and pray 🙂
 
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