What would happen if an Eastern Catholic took Orthodox communion

[ConstantineTG]

and perhaps this is the reason why so many Orthodox parishes are closing is that the people refuse to accept the changes that must happen to keep getting new members. Nothing major just simple changes such as allowing Catholics to receive.Sounds a bit two faced to me when Orthodox come to our priests for communion and yet we are given the cold shoulder.

Its a huge and complicated issue. There is a huge process that needs to be undertaken before we even open our Churches to intercommunion. If the Orthodox priest denies you, I suggest you respect his decision. Its not about being two faced, its how they understand their faith. For us we have opened the doors to them in the hopes they will see this as a hand reaching out asking for unity. We shouldn’t think of them as bad if they don’t reciprocate our actions. Many Protestant groups can say the same thing about us. Even the Anglicans. They believe they have the Real Presence but we’ve said they don’t because they don’t have valid priests. Don’t you think some Anglicans are feeling the same way about the Catholic Church as you are about the Orthodox? Don’t think we Catholics aren’t viewed in the same way. We’ve been asked so many times by Protestants about inter and open communion, and we’ve denied them. Fact is, many Orthodox just doesn’t see us the way we see them.

 

[ukrrom]

What do you Orthodox say to that?

 

[Stephentlig]

and perhaps this is the reason why so many Orthodox parishes are closing is that the people refuse to accept the changes that must happen to keep getting new members. Nothing major just simple changes such as allowing Catholics to receive.Sounds a bit two faced to me when Orthodox come to our priests for communion and yet we are given the cold shoulder.

We must pray for this unity and that such relations between Catholics and Orthodox end and that both Unite. What you need to do is get on with being a good Catholic. It serves us no purpose to claim to be ‘‘Christian’’ and yet contradict it by being disrespectful and bullish towards other churches that they must meet our demands or else :knight2:. This kind of behaviour is two-faced.

Pray to God on this Divine Mercy Sunday that he will change things soon and unite us both. I invite you now to leave the subject. Go and pray your chotki/Divine Mercy chaplet and ask God for the grace to forget about it and just ask permission before receiving. Ask the most Holy Theotokos to aid you in this quest to be content and to help you understand that you can not control what only God can control.

Pax
Stephen

 

[ConstantineTG]

Also, any Sacrament is not a right. We do not have a right to receive any Sacrament, so we shouldn’t demand for it as if we are entitled to it. We can receive Sacraments only if we follow the Church’s rules and guidelines for receiving them. If not, then we cannot, no questions asked, case closed.

 

[ukrrom]

besides the priests who in the parish is really going to make a stink about it besides how would the priest know anyway. Christ would not refuse anybody that realizes the truth than why should he.I asked his by the way and he said no I then told his that he was turning away Christ

 

[ukrrom]

Orthodox please respond im interested to hear what you have to say to the above

 

[ukrrom]

Please respond

 

[Stephentlig]

besides the priests who in the parish is really going to make a stink about it besides how would the priest know anyway. Christ would not refuse anybody that realizes the truth than why should he.I asked his by the way and he said no I then told his that he was turning away Christ

Realising the Truth Ukrrom is not solely the intellectual side of it. The Truth is Love and knowledge. If both are in Harmony then we are being Christian. Unity Love precedes unity of schism. Only love can unite us. And you must do what love himself did.

It is sad he said no. But simply bow your head so that he will see Christs and walk away. dont retaliate. you’ll just end up with a lot of subconcious repressed anger and anxiety that you dont need in your life right now. Learn to live a True Life in God and understand that Love is the key to unity. Repay evil with love not evil with evil, which only draws out more evil.

Pax
Stephen

 

[5Loaves]

Christ is Risen!

Last summer when you started a number of threads you were not yet baptized. Has your situation changed since then? I ask because it seems you have not received much catechesis in your preparation for the Holy Mysteries.

It’s easy to misunderstand someone’s intention sometimes when all we are going by is straight text. That said, your posts have a very “me” centered approach. As a Catholic I find your attitude towards the Orthodox which you have presented in a number of these posts quite disturbing. That you consider sneaking in under the radar to receive Eucharist in an Orthodox Church a viable option is really strange and to me shows you have not been well catechized by the Catholic Church.

If you are not yet baptized are you sneaking in and taking Eucharist in the Catholic Church? Would you suggest that it would be appropriate for Christians and non-Christians who are not Catholic to sneak in and take Eucharist because the priest might not know they aren’t Catholics and “I bet you most of the parish people would not care”? [They should care, and I’d bet you most do care.] Priests are charged with safeguarding the Holy Eucharist. I suggest you talk with some priests East and West before you continue judging their decisions to be “two faced”. You are talking about good and holy priests Catholic and Orthodox and this attitude towards them is offensive.

I’ve probably spent nearly as much time in Orthodox services as in Eastern Catholic due to the lack of access to many services in my EC parish. I wouldn’t dream of sneaking in to receive any of the Holy Mysteries in an Orthodox Church for the reasons others have already made clear. Nor would I ask for any of the Holy Mysteries in an Orthodox Church except in danger of death, or unless I were for an extended time staying where it was “physically… impossible to approach a Catholic minister” since this is the expectation of the Catholic Churches for their faithful.

If you have become a Christian in the Catholic Church then you should respect the canons of the Church sui iuris of which you are a member.

If you have been Baptized and Chirsmated in an ECC:

CCEO Canon 671 §2. If necessity requires it or genuine spiritual advantage suggests it and provided that the danger of error or indifferentism is avoided, it is permitted for Catholic Christian faithful, for whom it is physically or morally impossible to approach a Catholic minister, to receive the sacraments of penance, the Eucharist and anointing of the sick from non-Catholic ministers, in whose Churches these sacraments are valid.

If you have been Baptized and Confirmed in the Latin Church:

CIC Can. 844 2. Whenever necessity requires it or true spiritual advantage suggests it, and provided that danger of error or of indifferentism is avoided, the Christian faithful for whom it is physically or morally impossible to approach a Catholic minister are permitted to receive the sacraments of penance, Eucharist, and anointing of the sick from non- Catholic ministers in whose Churches these sacraments are valid.

besides the priests who in the parish is really going to make a stink about it besides how would the priest know anyway**. Christ would not refuse anybody that realizes the truth than why should he**.I asked his by the way and he said no I then told his that he was turning away Christ

Exactly what truth do you realize which this good and holy priest fails to recognize? Again, Catholic and Orthodox priests are charged with safeguarding the Holy Eucharist. Catholic or Orthodox they do not offer Eucharist to those who are not properly disposed to receive it.

Hopefully you will seek out a qualified spiritual director/spiritual father to work with so that you may begin to shift the focus away from what you can get away with in order to feel good, and towards what Christ God is calling you to in obedience to whatever Church you are part of, or if you have not yet been baptized then find a situation where you can move forward with that. The graces of Baptism and Christmation/Confirmation are important for the path you desire.

 

[theistgal]

My husband and I are Byzantine (Ruthenian) Catholics. We sometimes attend Vespers and other liturgical services at a nearby Orthodox Church where we know a lot of people.

We would never THINK of presenting ourselves for communion at any Orthodox Church! While it’s true that the Catholic Church has given permission for Catholics to receive from an Orthodox priest, we know very well that the Orthodox themselves do NOT want Catholics to receive the Eucharist from them. They have every right to decide who may or may not receive the Eucharist in their own Church (just as the Catholic Church does).

And to present yourself, knowing that this is something they do not want you to do, seems the height of rudeness, disrespect and, yes, even sacrilege!

Now FYI if it were an extreme situation, such as if you were dying, and no Catholic priest was available, I think it is perfectly to ask for an Orthodox priest to administer the sacraments to you - but it is also the Orthodox priest’s right to say “no” if he does not believe that is right.

Bottom line, as my (Methodist) grandma used to say, “Tell the truth and shame the devil!” God is not honored by people who lie about their Faith in order to receive His Body and Blood. Just make a spiritual communion and offer it for the reunion of the churches!

 

[theistgal]

Orthodox please respond im interested to hear what you have to say to the above

And by the way, if you want to know what the Orthodox have to say, perhaps you should ask this question in an Orthodox forum!

 

[thequeen]

My husband and I are Byzantine (Ruthenian) Catholics. We sometimes attend Vespers and other liturgical services at a nearby Orthodox Church where we know a lot of people.

We would never THINK of presenting ourselves for communion at any Orthodox Church! While it’s true that the Catholic Church has given permission for Catholics to receive from an Orthodox priest, we know very well that the Orthodox themselves do NOT want Catholics to receive the Eucharist from them. They have every right to decide who may or may not receive the Eucharist in their own Church (just as the Catholic Church does).

And to present yourself, knowing that this is something they do not want you to do, seems the height of rudeness, disrespect and, yes, even sacrilege!

Now FYI if it were an extreme situation, such as if you were dying, and no Catholic priest was available, I think it is perfectly to ask for an Orthodox priest to administer the sacraments to you - but it is also the Orthodox priest’s right to say “no” if he does not believe that is right.

Bottom line, as my (Methodist) grandma used to say, “Tell the truth and shame the devil!” God is not honored by people who lie about their Faith in order to receive His Body and Blood. Just make a spiritual communion and offer it for the reunion of the churches!

Very well explained especially about extreme situations in fact i did have one of those extreme situations several years ago when i was having a complete hysterectemy because of cervical cancer i am cancer free have been for 15 years The Catholic priest at this hospital had to leave for a family emergency and the only other priest was the russian orthodox bishop he knew that i was Catholic and that I did not have access to my catholic priest so he came to vist me and asked me if i would be okay in receiving the sacrament of the sick from him and also communion because my Catholic priest had informed him that I was in need of both but that he had to leave on a family emergency I later heard that My priests mother had passed away but that is the only and i hope the last time I would ever have to do that.And i certainly would not receive in a protestant church .

 

[ConstantineTG]

Very well explained especially about extreme situations in fact i did have one of those extreme situations several years ago when i was having a complete hysterectemy because of cervical cancer i am cancer free have been for 15 years The Catholic priest at this hospital had to leave for a family emergency and the only other priest was the russian orthodox bishop he knew that i was Catholic and that I did not have access to my catholic priest so he came to vist me and asked me if i would be okay in receiving the sacrament of the sick from him and also communion because my Catholic priest had informed him that I was in need of both but that he had to leave on a family emergency I later heard that My priests mother had passed away but that is the only and i hope the last time I would ever have to do that.And i certainly would not receive in a protestant church .

Why not? I think its awesome that a Bishop was there for you. He’s Orthodox so you know he’s a valid and true Bishop.

I was reading our local Catholic paper and they are starting this drive for people to have cards in their wallets that say, “I’m Catholic. In case of emergency, please call a priest.” I thought that I’d add to it that, “if there are no Catholic priests available, please call an Orthodox priest.”

 

[ukrrom]

Hello, I believe my posts have led you to believe I am a terrible Catholic. Yes I was baptised in the Ukranian Catholic church in November. I am as one priest described me a deeply religious and well versed in the faith. I attend a church that contains mostly older individuals some of these individuals are Roman Catholics as well as Eastern Catholics. In my church not many people do to confession however I do at least one every two weeks. No one else to my knowledge does this.I can for sure say that I am the youngest member that is a regular parishoner. I also sing in the choir and sit right up front. I do not mean to sound disrespectful by saying what would happen if you took the EO communion without them knowing. I do know that sometimes theirs more than one way to cross the barn so I was just asking. Sorry for all those I affended by my comments Yours in christ Ukrrom

 

[TrueLight]

Hello, I believe my posts have led you to believe I am a terrible Catholic. Yes I was baptised in the Ukranian Catholic church in November. I am as one priest described me a deeply religious and well versed in the faith. I attend a church that contains mostly older individuals some of these individuals are Roman Catholics as well as Eastern Catholics. In my church not many people do to confession however I do at least one every two weeks. No one else to my knowledge does this.I can for sure say that I am the youngest member that is a regular parishoner. I also sing in the choir and sit right up front. I do not mean to sound disrespectful by saying what would happen if you took the EO communion without them knowing. I do know that sometimes theirs more than one way to cross the barn so I was just asking. Sorry for all those I affended by my comments Yours in christ Ukrrom

Why did you create a new thread for this when you could have stated it in your communion thread?

 

[puzzleannie]

Hell. In my church not many people do to confession however I do at least one every two weeks. No one else to my knowledge does this

I still don’t know what is the issue you are complaining about. If the Orthodox have a problem with communion, that is not our problem, this is a Catholic forum.

Not everybody needs confession as often as every two weeks, and NONE of us knows who needs confession, and how often other parishioners confess. Unless you are the priest you do not have that knowledge, and you do not need that knowledge. You cannot judge the state of another person’s soul.

 

[ukrrom]

I dont however I have heard people say that they dont need to go to confession because they dont commit any sins. The local bishop even says go to confession this is a holy action and should count for something.How dare you say that I judge I dont but the bare minimum is at least once a year and I bet its been 30 for some.I made a new thread because some dont read the full thread so I just wanted to get this out there.I also will respect the Orthodox wishes and not take communion, I was only inquiring because I didnt really know how the Orthodox and our churches felt I only wanted ask.Again I am sorry I thought this was a form that was free for people to ask questions.

 

[Trishie]

Please be at peace. You don’t have to justify yourself to others.
And no one is right to judge you.
Sometimes people are vigorous in defending their positions, but all are actually required to act and speak in Christian charity.

If anyone is uncharitable on the CAF forums, then they are likely to find themselves suspended.

I think that sometimes people can be untactful in how they express their opinions,
or they seem abrupt in defending some idea or truth, without intending to be personal.

As on the Internet we cannot assess each others’ facial expressions, body language, and our voice tones, we need to be particularly careful in our expressing ourselves in posts.
Please don’t take others’ comments personally. I gather that others disagreed, but that is a critism of the idea, not of you personally. It is regretful that you have felt hurt and rebuffed. Hopefully we can all become more sensitive to using respectful ways to respond when we disagree.

God grant you peace. :heaven:

You are not alone, by the way. Many of us do far more than the prescribed minimum.

God’s kindest blessings to you

 

[theistgal]

I dont however I have heard people say that they dont need to go to confession because they dont commit any sins. The local bishop even says go to confession this is a holy action and should count for something.How dare you say that I judge I dont but the bare minimum is at least once a year and I bet its been 30 for some.I made a new thread because some dont read the full thread so I just wanted to get this out there.I also will respect the Orthodox wishes and not take communion, I was only inquiring because I didnt really know how the Orthodox and our churches felt I only wanted ask.Again I am sorry I thought this was a form that was free for people to ask questions.

Perhaps it is a problem of you not having English as your first language. It did not seem to some of us that you were asking a question, but rather stating that you intended to receive the Eucharist at an EO church without telling them you were Catholic. If you did not mean to say that, then sorry for the misunderstanding.

 

[Stephentlig]

Why did you create a new thread for this when you could have stated it in your communion thread?

Why cant you just leave him/her alone and forget about the whole multiple thread thing and accpet his/her apology? It is possible he is like my dad who probably is not well versed in internet communication and finds it rough to type and gather words. St.Anthony the great was unlettered but was a far cry holier and wiser than his greek philosopher visitors.

I’ve already said too much.

God bless you Ukrrom. You sound like you are doing a far better job at your faith than I am. New converts to the faith like yourself really do show us how we’ve lost the will and desire to know and Love God better.

Pax Christi
Stephen