When a Catholic accepts communion at a Protestant Church

[Bennie_P]

I can some up where I am with my conversion process. HAve you ever read GK Chesterton view of the Catholic convert? He ralates it to 3 stages.His words spring so true to where I was,am,and going. I am in Stage 3 now. Trust me. i am going through this. I have no reservations in me. It may appear that I am on the fence. To sum up where I am with the Church: I will die a Catholic. .

That is beautiful, I really love GK… The Church “is” large and the body has many members, and some parts are not as strong and clear headed as other parts. When in doubt pray for guidence from the Holy Spirit and look toward Rome. I have to remember that Christ has freed us from the Law yet without the law we wouldn’t know that we are free. Because without Chirst we are unable to live up to the law. When I started my conversion process (TOWARD FULL COMMUNION) I thought I would have to give up my protestant friends, I have found that my relationships with many of them have grown, and I have become an attraction to some and a distraction to others within my parish among my Catholic brothers and sisters. We do have to be selective in how much and with who we participate as it comes with our separated brethern, but if IT wasn’t for the love of Christ which is truly evident in my former protestant pastor (he told it was Ok to be Catholic for they {now we} are Christians too), I MAY NOT have followed the Holy Spirit as He (HS) nudged me (really he pushed me in ) to take the swim across the Tiber. Just because the fullness of the faith is not in non-Catholic churches doesn’t equate to full absence, for the Holy Spirit is evident in many. For example the most Catholic of our president candidates just happens to be a Baptist minister, go figure that.

Ecclesia de Eucharistia fills in the necessary background to the statement of the U.S. conference of bishops that is to be found in the Mass guides or bulletins of Catholic parishes:

We welcome our fellow Christians to this celebration of the Eucharist as our brothers and sisters. We pray that our common baptism and the action of the Holy Spirit in this Eucharist will draw us closer to one another and begin to dispel the sad divisions which separate us. We pray these will lessen and finally disappear, in keeping with Christ’s prayer for us “that they may all be one.” Because Catholics believe that the celebration of the Eucharist is a sign of the reality of the oneness of faith, life, and worship, members of those churches with whom we are not yet fully united are ordinarily not admitted to Holy Communion. Eucharistic sharing in exceptional circumstances by other Christians requires permission according to the directives of the diocesan bishop and the provisions of canon law. Members of the Orthodox Churches, the Assyrian Church of the East, and the Polish National Catholic Church are urged to respect the discipline of their own Churches. According to Roman Catholic discipline, the Code of Canon Law does not object to the reception of Communion by Christians of these Churches. More

 

[teadough]

"if you are unable to engage in civilised debate then don’t try to

".

I don’t know what is more funny. The part where you thought you were engaging in debate or the part where you take yourself to seriously.

Relax. We are on the same team.

 

[Eric_Olsen]

I guess it depends on how orthodox the protestant church is IMHO. The ELCA is out. They are almost as bad as the Episcopalians with their gender inclusiveness and their views on sexual morality.

This bothers me. It bothers me alot. Hurts, actually.
Why can’t you (Catholics) pray with us (protestants)?
Same God, going through the Son, asking forgiveness and blessings on all.
No singing? If the song doesn’t contradict Catholic teachings, why not? It’s a form of worship.
Recitations? From the Bible? Maybe you won’t agree with the interpretation of scripture, or the sermon based around the passage, but then, we don’t always, either.

 

[snhs]

I don’t know what is more funny. The part where you thought you were engaging in debate or the part where you take yourself to seriously.

Relax. We are on the same team.

I was using the term loosely in this case, especially given that all you had been doing was trying to demean my view.

You can disagree with me if you like but I think religion is a serious subject and therefore it should be discussed in such away, as you are obviously unable to do so I won’t be continuing to respond to it.

The fact stands that just about all Protestants and those of other faiths in the West have access to the truth through various media. If they choose not to use that access then it is their responsibility.

 

[jmcrae]

True.

The questions on the Examen that I have for teenagers, on the seriousness of the sin committed (whether it was mortal or venial) asks:

**Full Knowledge: **

Did I know that what I was doing was wrong?

Should I have known that what I was doing was wrong - did I deliberately neglect any opportunity (parents’ advice, Religion class, advice from a priest, books I own but haven’t read, etc.) to learn about this?

 

[teadough]

True.

The questions on the Examen that I have for teenagers, on the seriousness of the sin committed (whether it was mortal or venial) asks:

**Full Knowledge: **

Did I know that what I was doing was wrong?

Should I have known that what I was doing was wrong - did I deliberately neglect any opportunity (parents’ advice, Religion class, advice from a priest, books I own but haven’t read, etc.) to learn about this?

I am glad you posted that for many reasons. Thank you.

Today I have been reflecting on whether or not I am at a stumbling block or is this a sort of period of “growing pains” in regards to the subjects presented in this thread. I can also add that there is a part of me that wants to stop asking questions. Knowing that there is no loop hole,I can’t help but feel that I am moving forward by the mere fact that I want to continue growing.