Question about Catholic Communion

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Sister_Amy

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What happens if a someone who isn’t Catholic decides to pretend to be Catholic to take Communion?

How does a priest know if a person is Catholic or not?
 
Sister_Amy said:
What happens if a someone who isn’t Catholic decides to pretend to be Catholic to take Communion?

How does a priest know if a person is Catholic or not?
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The priest doesn’t know. It’s not his fault if someone pretends to be Catholic. He just has to trust that everyone will be honest, and that anyone who isn’t Catholic will come up and cross their arms to be blessed.
 
Priest will not turn anybody away from Communion unless he knows for certain that person is not a Catholic. Even then he cannot enforce all these. There are multitude of people during the mass and the priest is not the only one dispensing the Communion.

As a Catholic we think that there is no reason for someone not a Catholic to come up to receive Holy Communion. If they do it for the wrong reason, it is between them and God.
 
Reuben_J said:
Priest will not turn anybody away from Communion unless he knows for certain that person is not a Catholic. Even then he cannot enforce all these. There are multitude of people during the mass and the priest is not the only one dispensing the Communion.

As a Catholic we think that there is no reason for someone not a Catholic to come up to receive Holy Communion. If they do it for the wrong reason, it is between them and God.
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Is it a sin?
 
I was serving in Holy Qorbono according to the Maronite Rite, and I was holding the chalice for a Byzantine priest (it was at a Ruthenian Parish - the local Maronite community is borrowing the building once a month) who was intincting hosts in the Maronite fashion to distribute for communion. A girl who was visiting with a friend of mine presented herself for communion. I had thought she was not Catholic but I was not sure and it happened so quickly.

Turns out she wasn’t Catholic. Kind of horrifying to see it up close and personal, especially when I’m assisting in the distribution. Man, holding the chalice is quite an honor, amazing and terrifying at the same time.
 
I assume it’s safe to say thousands of people take communion every week that aren’t Catholic and hundreds of thousands that are Catholic take it when they’re not supposed to due to lack of confession.

Although it is not encouraged to take it when you’re not Catholic I would hope (and like to believe) doing so has led many into the faith by opening them more fully to Jesus and sparking a longing for him, regardless of the ethical implications. 👍 God works in amazing ways.

However, I am in no way promoting it.
 
Are there some devotions in the Muslim faith that are only available to Muslims? If so, is there any one devotion which is more important than all the others?

Think of it like that. 🙂

And, BTW, protestant Christians often feel quite aggrieved at not being allowed to receive communion in the Catholic Church - so it’s not just you!
 
How would someone know if I, a non-Muslim, tagged along to Mecca to observe the hajj? Quite likely there’d be at least little things I might say or do that would give the game away. Same with Catholics and Communion, although to a much lesser extent.

There is a proper posture and procedure Catholics adopt when receiving Communion.

More importantly, the priest says something to each person as he gives it to them, and they are meant to respond with a particular answer. Most non-Catholics wouldn’t know the correct response, so that would be something the priest would look out for. In fact I’ve heard a priest specifically tell us he does this.

It’s a bit like if he asks the bride at a wedding ‘do you take this man …’ and she doesn’t know that the correct response is ‘I do’, he’ll get the hint that she really isn’t prepared to be married. If she were, she’d know the right thing to say and say it.
 
Sister_Amy said:
Why do Catholics take it?
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Christ told us that unless we eat His flesh and drink His blood we have no life in us.(John 6:53). He then then instituted the Eucharist (changing bread and wine into his flesh and blood) at the last supper (Mt 26:26-30)

We as Catholics choose life and obedience to God, therefore we do as commanded. We eat His flesh and drink His blood.

It is a sin to receive communion unworthily - that is without first having professed faith and been baptized, and then been taught so as properly discern the Real Presence, Body Blood, Soul and Divinity, of Jesus Christ in the Eucharist.
If they receive unworthily out of ignorance the culpability of the sin is small, if they know they are unworthy and receive anyway their sin is great.

Peace
James
 
My SIL’s BIL, (brother of her husband) recieved Communion when his one son was married in HMC. My SIL told me that he said, “I don’t care what these Catholics say, I’m taking it and that’s that!”. He laughed about it afterward.
I was sickened and appalled by his deliberate defiance. Even his own son (a convert) and his DIL did not say anything to him.
He’s always been an overbearing ogre to his kids so I guess that’s why his son did not tell him “no”.
Sad story the whole way around.
 
catholicpublish said:
I assume it’s safe to say thousands of people take communion every week that aren’t Catholic and hundreds of thousands that are Catholic take it when they’re not supposed to due to lack of confession.

Although it is not encouraged to take it when you’re not Catholic I would hope (and like to believe) doing so has led many into the faith by opening them more fully to Jesus and sparking a longing for him, regardless of the ethical implications. 👍 God works in amazing ways.

However, I am in no way promoting it.
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:thumbsup:Couldn’t agree more! If someone is moved to partake in communion even though they aren’t a “signed and sealed” Catholic, then I pray their heart has been opened to the Truth! Is it a sin??? A resounding No!:rolleyes:
 
WetCatechumen said:
I was serving in Holy Qorbono according to the Maronite Rite, and I was holding the chalice for a Byzantine priest (it was at a Ruthenian Parish - the local Maronite community is borrowing the building once a month) who was intincting hosts in the Maronite fashion to distribute for communion. A girl who was visiting with a friend of mine presented herself for communion. I had thought she was not Catholic but I was not sure and it happened so quickly.

Turns out she wasn’t Catholic. Kind of horrifying to see it up close and personal, especially when I’m assisting in the distribution. Man, holding the chalice is quite an honor, amazing and terrifying at the same time.
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When I was in high school, I went with a group to a European country, and we all went to the town’s church on Sunday, and those of us who weren’t Catholic were asked to just stand in the back. But I always wondered what happened up there and what if we decided to pretend to be Catholic for the day.
 
Edmundus1581 said:
Are there some devotions in the Muslim faith that are only available to Muslims? If so, is there any one devotion which is more important than all the others?

Think of it like that. 🙂

And, BTW, protestant Christians often feel quite aggrieved at not being allowed to receive communion in the Catholic Church - so it’s not just you!
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Oh I have no interest in receiving communion, even if it were allowed.

As far as Muslim “devotions,” they don’t let you get a hajj visa unless you’re Muslim, but non-Muslims can do anything else. I’ve been a part of a few gatherings where, as we demonstrated the prayer, some non-Muslims joined in.
 
LilyM said:
How would someone know if I, a non-Muslim, tagged along to Mecca to observe the hajj? Quite likely there’d be at least little things I might say or do that would give the game away. Same with Catholics and Communion, although to a much lesser extent.
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Well, if you didn’t want to get kicked out, you’d probably try to play along and do what the other 4 million people are doing. And that’s if you could get in to the country in the first place.

But why you’d want to put yourself through that…?
 
Sister_Amy said:
Oh I have no interest in receiving communion, even if it were allowed.

As far as Muslim “devotions,” they don’t let you get a hajj visa unless you’re Muslim, but non-Muslims can do anything else. I’ve been a part of a few gatherings where, as we demonstrated the prayer, some non-Muslims joined in.
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Thanks for the reply! That’s interesting information about the hajj, and other Muslim devotions.
 
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