Should I Recieve Communion if I Don't Believe?

[JPatton]

I am currently a non-denom Protestant but am 99.9% Catholic in my beliefs. I believe in the Catholic Church and continue to study her deeply. I’m currently struggling with my evangelical wife about converting and this is causing alot of tension and problems with our marriage. I attend Mass on my own and also attend church with her. While I am at her (for now our) church I do enjoy it. The message is usually good, the music is great, the worship and praise seems to be ginuine and the people are all wonderful. Still I don’t feel spiritually fed there, as I did before I discovered Catholicism. I believe in the “real presence” very strongly which is one of the main reasons why I feel the need to convert. I am not in RCIA or even talked to a priest yet due to the “battle” in my family life over converting. I am still reading, studying, listening to EWTN radio, listening to apologetic cds and praying, praying, and praying.

While at my wife’s non-C church should I recieve communion if I don’t believe it’s only “symbolic”?

I no longer agree with their doctrine (allthough I do respect them and appreciate their love of Christ) so should I still take communion with them even if I’m not Catholic yet,or even in RCIA?

Since I believe that Christ’s body & blood IS present, will He be at her church, in the bread & wine when / if I partake in it?

The way they perform communion is nothing like the Catholic Church (which I respectfully do not partake) and they don’t believe in apostolic succession, so will He be prensent? If not should I not recieve?

God Bless Your New Year to Come!
Jamie

 

[Bubble]

You said you haven’t talked to a priest yet, but you really need to. Since there an issue with your family, do it in private. No one else has to know for now.

 

[rskempf]

Hello,

I believe you are on the right track to pray. Please keep praying. God may not be present in the bread offered at the non-C service but he does hear your prayers.

To be more specific about His presence, our Lord is not present in the bread offered at the non-C service. This presence is only made possible by the consecration completed in the Catholic mass by a priest that has been ordained in the Catholic church.

If you can persevere, God will answer your prayers. You will complete RCIA, hopefully with your spouse, and will eventually receive our Lord. The outpouring of grace will be wonderful at that time.

For now, and to respond to another question in your post, consider abstaining and receiving at the non-C church as follows. If you abstain, your spouse may become negative. It will be harder for her to listen to your suggestions to move to the Catholic church. If you do receive at the non-C church, she may be more open to further discussion. Keeping her mind open to a new direction is a key. If she becomes “closed” to a new direction, your efforts will yield less fruit. Finally, I would discuss this further with a Catholic priest. They may offer some better advice.

I had a similar experience. I will pray for you this week.

I wish you now a bountiful and grace-filled new year.

 

[Joyousguard]

The Catholic Church does not recognize many Protestant Sacraments as being valid. The transubstantiation of the bread and wine into the body and blood is something that I believe is uniquily Catholic although the Anglicans may share this belief. At the protestant churches it is not a consecrated host and just bread and wine you would find in a store. ONLY A CATHOLIC PRIEST CAN TRULY CONSECRATE A HOST TO YOUR UNDERSTANDING, EVERYTHING ELSE IS INVALID AND THUS NOT REAL.

Catholics are not allowed to partake in the so called Eucharist of other churches nor are protestants allowed to recieve communion in a catholic church. However, since you are not Catholic yet you can eat as much as you want because it is nothing more than what you find at a supermarket.

A Catholic priest can better explain it to you if need be.

 

[PBP]

We welcome you to join us. Remember that conversion is an ongoing process that never ends. We must persevere until the end. Make an appointment with a priest and he will guide you to the RCIA process. With regard to your question about receiving what is offered at your wife’s church, keep in mind their presiders are not in the apostolic succession traceable back to Peter. My opinion is you are not at risk if you do consume it because you are not in full communion with the Catholic faith anyway. But, given your faith already, I would probably respectfully decline their offer.

 

[EDKidd]

JPatton

Your situation is similar to mine, though I have started the RCIA process. My wife attends an Anglican church, though considers herself to be a Fundemental Christian

At the moment, she only attends her church one Sunday each month and for the sake of family unity, I tag along.

Howver, a new Vicar has been installed and is looking to shake things up a bit; this I believe will take the form of regular Sunday worship but also with communion thrown in for good measure (apologies if that sounds flipant.) This will put me very much into the position you are now facing.

Speaking purely personally, if I am faced with the situation you have described, I would decline to take communion. My main reason for this would be based on this definition of ‘communion’ swiped from an on-line dictionary. It defines communion as:
“A body of Christians with a common religious faith who practice the same rites”

Whilst our faith is indeed common, I was always taught that unless I felt ‘at one’ with the Church I was at and all of it’s teachings, I should never take communion.

Good luck with your journey and in dealing with the tensions you are experiencing within your household. A quick search on CAF will show that you are not alone

 

[justinthemartyr]

No, you should not, as that could bring condemnation upon you as Paul stated in corinthians.

peace to you.

 

[KarenElissa]

I personally stopped receiving Communion at the Protestant church I was part of when I was to the point that I was almost sure about converting.

I hadn’t totally decided, but was to the point where I could tell that unless something major changed, that was the direction that I was headed in.

 

[Scottgun]

I would not because when you participate in a denomination’s rituals, there is implied agreement (formal cooperation I suppose) with what it teaches about that ritual. In other words, it would be deception to participate.

 

[c659smith]

You would be a hypocrite if you did in a protestant church receive communion.

You would also give others your agreement with what they are doing is in Christ.s teaching.

To receive in the Catholic Church would be considered a Mortal sin without first receiving the initial Sacrament or at a death bed.while not being in communion with the Church.This would be a serious Mortal Sin per Catholic teachings and Scripture.

Again if the Protestant Church believes what they are receiving weither a symbolizism or transubstasiation to place jesus in a paper cup and throw away any small minute particle or drop to which the whole body and blood of Jesus Christ is present is a sacralidge.

Remember what the bible teaches about a sin aganist the holy spirit as He is part of this miracle

 

[jmcrae]

I am currently a non-denom Protestant but am 99.9% Catholic in my beliefs. I believe in the Catholic Church and continue to study her deeply. I’m currently struggling with my evangelical wife about converting and this is causing alot of tension and problems with our marriage. I attend Mass on my own and also attend church with her. While I am at her (for now our) church I do enjoy it. The message is usually good, the music is great, the worship and praise seems to be ginuine and the people are all wonderful. Still I don’t feel spiritually fed there, as I did before I discovered Catholicism. I believe in the “real presence” very strongly which is one of the main reasons why I feel the need to convert. I am not in RCIA or even talked to a priest yet due to the “battle” in my family life over converting. I am still reading, studying, listening to EWTN radio, listening to apologetic cds and praying, praying, and praying.

This is good! Keep coming to Mass, even though you are not yet Catholic.

While at my wife’s non-C church should I recieve communion if I don’t believe it’s only “symbolic”?

No, if you are not in communion with them regarding their doctrine, then you should not participate in their communion service.

Since I believe that Christ’s body & blood IS present, will He be at her church, in the bread & wine when / if I partake in it?

No, since they have no valid priesthood. (In their case, it really is symbolic, since they have no priest.)

 

[reneeville]

Dear JPatton,
**While my heart was going through much like yours, I received “communion” at my Methodist congregation on an Easter morning 2005. I had been in serious contemplative and meditative prayer since the prior August as the “symbolism” just wasn’t jiving with what I understood John 6 to read. Anyhoo, that was the last time I ever received “communion”… I went home that Easter and lamented to God that I was so torn (there were plenty other issues that plagued my faith)… I never, in a million years, would have just decided to become Catholic…no, I had been well indoctrinated against the Church. However, that is exactly the message I believe was impressed upon my heart that Sunday. I entered RCIA that fall and came into the Faith at the Easter Vigil 2006. **
I would not receive “communion” again if I were in your shoes.
The Eucharist is worth waiting for!
God bless your journey~

I am currently a non-denom Protestant but am 99.9% Catholic in my beliefs. I believe in the Catholic Church and continue to study her deeply. I’m currently struggling with my evangelical wife about converting and this is causing alot of tension and problems with our marriage. I attend Mass on my own and also attend church with her. While I am at her (for now our) church I do enjoy it. The message is usually good, the music is great, the worship and praise seems to be ginuine and the people are all wonderful. Still I don’t feel spiritually fed there, as I did before I discovered Catholicism. I believe in the “real presence” very strongly which is one of the main reasons why I feel the need to convert. I am not in RCIA or even talked to a priest yet due to the “battle” in my family life over converting. I am still reading, studying, listening to EWTN radio, listening to apologetic cds and praying, praying, and praying.

While at my wife’s non-C church should I recieve communion if I don’t believe it’s only “symbolic”?

I no longer agree with their doctrine (allthough I do respect them and appreciate their love of Christ) so should I still take communion with them even if I’m not Catholic yet,or even in RCIA?

Since I believe that Christ’s body & blood IS present, will He be at her church, in the bread & wine when / if I partake in it?

The way they perform communion is nothing like the Catholic Church (which I respectfully do not partake) and they don’t believe in apostolic succession, so will He be prensent? If not should I not recieve?

God Bless Your New Year to Come!
Jamie

 

[inthecloud]

ONLY A CATHOLIC PRIEST CAN TRULY CONSECRATE A HOST TO YOUR UNDERSTANDING, EVERYTHING ELSE IS INVALID AND THUS NOT REAL.

If I recall the Orthodox sacraments are valid from a RCC point of view.

 

[emarc]

God bless you for searching out for the truth. The Church would probably advise you to wait till after your conversion to the Catholic faith, although for those who are sick or homebound, the Chuch would give if they asked. The reason I believe is because St. Paul had warned people who receive His body and blood yet are not in communion with Christ as tantamount to defiling his body and blood. For Catholics, receiving the Holy Communion is receiving Jesus’ body, blood, soul and divinity - a total oneness with our Lord. “He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood, abides in me and I in him.” For non-Catholics, if they are not in communion with the Church, they do not believe in the body and blood of Jesus in the Holy Eucharist.
Happy New Year.

emarc

 

[DJgang]

Okay, so this is what is going to happen.

Right now you will start learning, reading and believing in the Catholic Faith. If you do take Communion at a Protestant Church, well, it will mean nothing to you. So, then you stop taking communion…and very soon, you will thrist for the Eucharist and that’s where you’ll convert…yep, start RCIA in the Fall, and you’ll be Tiber Swim Team of '09…maybe…

Ya got to muddle through this all to get where the Holy Spirit is leading you…

God bless!

 

[O.S.Luke]

I would not because when you participate in a denomination’s rituals, there is implied agreement (formal cooperation I suppose) with what it teaches about that ritual. In other words, it would be deception to participate.

This is not true in the Anglican or Methodist traditions. All baptized Christians of the Church Catholic are invited to partake. It is not the Anglican or Methodist table - it is the table of the Lord.

However, since you are not Catholic yet you can eat as much as you want because it is nothing more than what you find at a supermarket.

That’s highly offensive and rather bigoted. It is also against the Catholic Church’s statement on Communion in other traditions.

O+

 

[Scottgun]

This is not true in the Anglican or Methodist traditions. All baptized Christians of the Church Catholic are invited to partake. It is not the Anglican or Methodist table - it is the table of the Lord.

That’s neither here nor there because if the partaker thinks they are in error on their teaching on this, then he is being deceptive by partaking.

 

[Alexius]

The Catholic Church does not recognize many Protestant Sacraments as being valid. The transubstantiation of the bread and wine into the body and blood is something that I believe is uniquily Catholic although the Anglicans may share this belief. At the protestant churches it is not a consecrated host and just bread and wine you would find in a store. ONLY A CATHOLIC PRIEST CAN TRULY CONSECRATE A HOST TO YOUR UNDERSTANDING, EVERYTHING ELSE IS INVALID AND THUS NOT REAL.

Catholics are not allowed to partake in the so called Eucharist of other churches nor are protestants allowed to recieve communion in a catholic church. However, since you are not Catholic yet you can eat as much as you want because it is nothing more than what you find at a supermarket.

A Catholic priest can better explain it to you if need be.

The Orthodox Church also consecrates the bread and wine and believe it mystically becomes the true Body and Blood, but they do not use the term “Transubstantiation” to describe it…The Oriental non-Chalcedonians and the Assyrians also teach this…

If I recall the Orthodox sacraments are valid from a RCC point of view.

Yes, Orthodox sacraments are valid as well…

Prayers and petitions,
Alexius

 

[Alexius]

Don’t receive Communion at the non-Denom church. The meaning is to become one, which involves believing as one. If you do not, then it is wrong.

Prayers and petitions,
Alexius

 

[O.S.Luke]

That’s neither here nor there because if the partaker thinks they are in error on their teaching on this, then he is being deceptive by partaking.

Deceptive to whom? God? I suspect God knows our true heart.