What I saw at Christmas Eve Mass

[tamie]

Besides a **beautiful **mass (my first Christmas Eve Mass on my way to conversion) I saw two of my fellow RCIA members receive the blood of Christ! Not only that, but they allowed their daughter, a girl of 8 or 9 receive as well! (I know she is not Catholic!) I am not sure if they received the body, I was not watching that part. I just happened to look over and see. I am still shocked!

Tamie Walcott

 

[juno24]

tamie:

Besides a beautiful mass (my first Christmas Eve Mass on my way to conversion) I saw two of my fellow RCIA members receive the blood of Christ! Not only that, but they allowed their daughter, a girl of 8 or 9 receive as well! (I know she is not Catholic!) I am not sure if they received the body, I was not watching that part. I just happened to look over and see. I am still shocked!

Tamie Walcott

Is it possible that this family are returning Catholics, and not prospective Catholics? If they are all baptized, and all have received 1st Holy Communion, it is possible they have gone to Confession in order to receive. There are many people who are in RCIA because they want to come back into the Church, and want to learn more of what the Church teaches.

If the above is not the case (and if you know for certain that it is not), then you might want to talk to them the next time you meet and let them know as politely as possible that they cannot receive the Eucharist until they have received the rites of initiation. If they have trouble understanding why, then maybe you could suggest they speak with the priest or RCIA instructor as to why they cannot receive yet.

 

[Eireann]

tamie:

Besides a beautiful I am not sure if they received the body, I was not watching that part. I just happened to look over and see. I am still shocked!

Tamie Walcott

Who knows, they can go up and receive a blessing from the Priest even if they can’t receive.

 

[Ghosty]

They could also be incoming from the Orthodox Churches, and going through RCIA while also receiving the Sacraments.

Peace and God bless!

 

[palmas85]

It is also possible that they were not catechized properly and felt it was perfectly all right to receive. After all, it is not at all unusual for non-Catholics to receive communion these days.

 

[Psalm45_9]

Ghosty:

They could also be incoming from the Orthodox Churches, and going through RCIA while also receiving the Sacraments.

Peace and God bless!

In the RCIA group at my church last year, there was a girl becoming Catholic from the Greek Orthodox Church. So she went up to recieve communion each week, because she has already recieved the sacraments/mysteries on initiation.

 

[tamie]

They started inquiry at the same time I did and they both said they had not been baptized in any religion. The man had been married to a mormon women previously so he did go to that church. I ran into one of my RCIA instructors and mentioned it to her and that is where I left it.

Tamie Walcott

 

[decn2b]

I am the assistant leader of my RCIA class and one of the RCIA students approached ME to recieve. I HAD TO GIVE HER COMMUNION. I was so distressed by this that after Mass I waited for my deacon (the RCIA instructior who is EXTREMELY knowledgeable and as orthodox as anyone). The priest was standing nearby us when I told him what happened. They both told me I did the right thing by distributing communion to the RCIA student. Their answer was…I have no authority in refusing communion to anyone with the exception of blatent and open sacrilige. To be quite honest with you only my priest knows who in my RCIA class was baptized, confirmed, etc. My priest politely said the RCIA class is a variety of people who range from former non-chritians to fully confirmed Catholics who are returning to the CHurch. And he told me he didn’t have the liberty to divulge to me who was who as far as a religious background goes.

In a nutshell I may have given communion to a RCIA student that WAS able to recieve…

 

[LighthouseRon]

tamie:

Besides a beautiful mass (my first Christmas Eve Mass on my way to conversion) I saw two of my fellow RCIA members receive the blood of Christ! Not only that, but they allowed their daughter, a girl of 8 or 9 receive as well! (I know she is not Catholic!) I am not sure if they received the body, I was not watching that part. I just happened to look over and see. I am still shocked!

Tamie Walcott

Shouldn’t we be concerned with focusing on mass and not focusing on what others are doing?

 

[Orionthehunter]

decn2b:

I am the assistant leader of my RCIA class and one of the RCIA students approached ME to recieve. I HAD TO GIVE HER COMMUNION. I was so distressed by this that after Mass I waited for my deacon (the RCIA instructior who is EXTREMELY knowledgeable and as orthodox as anyone). The priest was standing nearby us when I told him what happened. They both told me I did the right thing by distributing communion to the RCIA student. Their answer was…I have no authority in refusing communion to anyone with the exception of blatent and open sacrilige. To be quite honest with you only my priest knows who in my RCIA class was baptized, confirmed, etc. My priest politely said the RCIA class is a variety of people who range from former non-chritians to fully confirmed Catholics who are returning to the CHurch. And he told me he didn’t have the liberty to divulge to me who was who as far as a religious background goes.

In a nutshell I may have given communion to a RCIA student that WAS able to recieve…

This is a great point as I’m on our RCIA team and there are different circumstances for different people in the process. I disagree w/ you talking to the person directly but just notifying your Pastor what happened. He will know what to do.

 

[SummaTheo]

LighthouseRon:

Shouldn’t we be concerned with focusing on mass and not focusing on what others are doing?

Yes we should, but sadly they are people who steal Jesus and try to sell Him on the Internet or use the Eucharist for Witchcraft.

 

[edward_george]

tamie:

Besides a beautiful mass (my first Christmas Eve Mass on my way to conversion) I saw two of my fellow RCIA members receive the blood of Christ! Not only that, but they allowed their daughter, a girl of 8 or 9 receive as well! (I know she is not Catholic!) I am not sure if they received the body, I was not watching that part. I just happened to look over and see. I am still shocked!

Tamie Walcott

Just as a side here, and I apologize if I hijack this thread, but both species of the Eucharist are both fully the Body and Blood of Christ. When you receive the consecrated wine, you receive the Body and Blood. When you receive the consecrated bread, you receive the Body and Blood of Christ.

From the Baltimore Catechism, No. 242:

I have said Our Lord’s body in the Holy Eucharist is a living body, and every living body contains blood; and that is why we receive both the body and the blood of Our Lord under the appearance of the bread alone.

cin.org/users/james/ebooks/master/baltimore/bsacr-e.htm

Peace be upon you as you complete your journey into Mother Church, and welcome home.

-ACEGC

 

[tamie]

Yes we should be focusing on the Mass and I was except for that one moment that I looked at those receiving (I am fascinated with that and can’t wait until I can do it!) and that is when I saw them. It just really shocked me thats all. I am really trying to do the right things for myself as I travel along the road to first communion and confirmation. I absolutely love going to Mass and and I am so glad that God is guiding me into his Church!

Tamie

 

[Veronica_Anne]

Tamie, I commend you for paying attention to what’s happening at Mass. It’s perfectly natural to notice when there’s someone around that you have already met that they are there.

I also praise you for addressing this with someone who can advise you further for what is the right thing to do. I’m a cradle Catholic VERY well trained in the Faith… and also deeply into my adulthood in age… and I’ve got the same response that you described that you have.

You are not being overly dedicated, at all, to noticing when something doesn’t look or seem “quite right.” I have the SAME reaction that you did.

You’ve done the RIGHT THING.

By the way, may I suggest that for your own private security that you do not post your entire real name on a discussion board.

I’m keeping you in my prayers as you go along the journey with our Lord is drawing you. As “even” the Catholic Church says – if something doesn’t make sense to you… ask, ask, ask!

 

[Leisa]

Veronica Anne:

Tamie, I commend you for paying attention to what’s happening at Mass. It’s perfectly natural to notice when there’s someone around that you have already met that they are there.

I also praise you for addressing this with someone who can advise you further for what is the right thing to do. I’m a cradle Catholic VERY well trained in the Faith… and also deeply into my adulthood in age… and I’ve got the same response that you described that you have.

You are not being overly dedicated, at all, to noticing when something doesn’t look or seem “quite right.” I have the SAME reaction that you did.

You’ve done the RIGHT THING.

!

I too believe the people should be focusing on the mass and not what others are doing. But if you see someone receive communion who you know is in the state of mortal sin, do you go to your priest and report it? Likely not. I don’t see this as any different. If you see someone desecrate the body or the blood of Christ in some form, that needs to be reported. But to assume these people are not worthy to receive based on limited knowledge isn’t the concern of the observer.

I get concerned when there are people who consider themselves the communion police and seem to think they somehow know all the facts and can judge what the circumstances of the situation are, and what is in other people’s heart.

Thank you.

 

[tamie]

Leisa:

But to assume these people are not worthy to receive based on limited knowledge isn’t the concern of the observer…

I never implied that they were not worthy to receive.

I get concerned when there are people who consider themselves the communion police and seem to think they somehow know all the facts and can judge what the circumstances of the situation are, and what is in other people’s heart.

Thank you.

Leisa, I do not consider myself communion police. As I said before I was focusing on the Mass except for that one time when I looked at the receiving line, which by the way was right in front of me, and saw them. To clarify, initially I thought I was missing something and thought maybe there was some special exception at Christmas Mass for those of us who had not completed the conversion process yet. THAT is why I said something to the RCIA leader. I had no other motivation to say anything. I did not say it to cause those people any harm. I think you are doing the same thing you accuse me of and that is judging the circumstances and what was in my heart at the time.

Tamie

 

[LighthouseRon]

tamie:

I think you are doing the same thing you accuse me of and that is judging the circumstances and what was in my heart at the time.

Tamie

I have to support Leisa on this. Leisa made no direct accusation of you. She is simply stating her opinion based on the situation presented, and I’m sure it wasn’t meant to be accusatory of you specifically.

As catholics we need to be very careful that we (myself included) don’t develop a superiority complex and start judging folks and their actions while failing to look at ourselves. From the quote above it shows you are judging Leisa. Does this mean when you do it, it is okay but when she does it it is wrong?

My wife had a previous marriage when we met. While she was going through the annulment process she was told (after confession) she could receive communion, providing her and I conducted ourselves appropriately. After mass in which she received for the first time for several years, a parishoner confronted the priest and my wife who were talking in the back of the church about my wife’s worthiness to receive because she was divorced. Several people heard this. It was an awkward moment, and very hurtful for my future wife. The accuser didn’t know all the facts, and made a big mistake.

That being said I suppose it is possible that I am oversensitive to this type of situation. If that is true, I sincerely apologize, as I don’t wish to accuse or offend anyone. My point is “things aren’t always what they might seem.”

Peace

Ron