Why don't Catholics have Open Communion?

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KathleenGee said:
One of the works … of the economy of salvation…here we go, is that we have to ‘work’ at the liturgy. I have been blessed with faith in the Lord that He is truly present to me in HIs Divine Presence here on earth: The Eucharist.

However – I have been guilty of going to Mass where it becomes routine and I am not fully conscious of properly disposing myself in worshipping HIm. I have to fight my own tiredness, or distractions, or lack of fervor by praying to the Holy Spirit to properly prepare me to receive Him, and to always study what the Mass means.
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The beauty of knowing Christ, is that you can call upon Him at any time, anyplace, no matter the stuation! Imagine if you had to go to mass to meet Him? You would miss out on a lot of blessings, by not meeting Him right where you are!👍
 
1beleevr said:
Well, of course not; does one sin disqualify you from being saved?
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It depends. If that one sin is murder, then I suppose so. Until you repent and receive the sacrament of forgiveness, of course!
From being a believer?
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No. One sin does not disqualify you from being a believer.
Someone said the pope was at the Last Supper and I said, the pope had not been assigned yet; and if he had, would he deny his King that quickly?😛
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But you also said that Peter could not be a pope since he denied Christ. I asked if his denial did not eliminate him from being an apostle, why would it eliminate him from being the pope.

You have not yet answered this–how could his sin eliminate his being pope yet still retain his apostolic ministry?
 
1beleevr said:
The beauty of knowing Christ, is that you can call upon Him at any time, anyplace, no matter the stuation! Imagine if you had to go to mass to meet Him?
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Again, 1beleevr, you are creating a religion of your own imagination, because the real Catholic religion has nothing you could object to.

Catholicism does not state you have to go to Mass to meet Him.
 
1beleevr said:
You have no idea of the intensity of my relationship with Christ; W-O-W!
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I have never denied that you have an intense relationship with Christ. I am humbled by it. Your love of Jesus is quite apparent.

However, as I have stated MANY times, you have no way of consummating this relationship. You have no ONE FLESH UNION with your Beloved.

You and your Beloved are best friends. Or a couple living together continently. And you, sadly, lack the intimacy of the marital embrace.
And in spite of your insistence, I do not believe it could get better if I became a catholic!
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As you wish. 🤷

I’m just saying you’re like that couple living continently saying, “What more could we have? We’re happy just the way we are, thank you very much!” WOW! What you are missing if you don’t have the marital embrace! :sad_yes:
 
Alright. I’m not feeding the troll anymore. I’ll only say that Jesus ALSO said to none less than Peter: "“Get behind Me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to Me; for you are not setting your mind on God’s interests, but man’s.”

How much more are today’s heretics following their own interests in denying the reality of Christ in favor of their own ideologies. This thread, bizarrely though not at all unforeseeably, is a perfect example of why all churches who care at all about the apostolic Christian faith MUST maintain closed communion. Heresies abound masquerading as the equals or betters of Christianity, and I for one would rather commune with no one than approach the holy table alongside those who deny that Christ is really and truly present in the Eucharist.
 
Jeremy, Jeremy, calm down muh bruthah! :p:cool:
dzheremi said:
Alright. I’m not feeding the troll anymore. I’ll only say that Jesus ALSO said to none less than Peter: "“Get behind Me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to Me; for you are not setting your mind on God’s interests, but man’s.”

How much more are today’s heretics following their own interests in denying the reality of Christ in favor of their own ideologies. This thread, bizarrely though not at all unforeseeably, is a perfect example of why all churches who care at all about the apostolic Christian faith MUST maintain closed communion. Heresies abound masquerading as the equals or betters of Christianity, and I for one would rather commune with no one than approach the holy table alongside those who deny that Christ is really and truly present in the Eucharist.
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1beleevr said:
You have no idea of the intensity of my relationship with Christ; W-O-W! And in spite of your insistence, I do not believe it could get better if I became a catholic! Jesus really manifested Himself in my life, during my wife’s recent experience with cancer. The peace we both had during this ordeal, is beyond all understanding! The good news is, the cance was removed, and there was no cancer in her lymph nodes! Thank You Jesus Your indwelling in me, and being with me everyday, not just on Sunday!👍
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I have no wish to run down your experience in your relationship with Christ. In fact I can say I would understand very well such experience because I’ve been there done that. I am a Charismatic Catholic and still having that as spirituality. I have witnessed miracle healings and how people are converted through them. It can be a very profound experience for them and the conversion and the subsequence intense practice and love of the faith is no doubt very authentic.

I take part in a regular (fortnightly) inter-churches ecumenical fellowship group which is made up of people of different denominations. As a Catholic I feel sort of out of place there but people there on the personal levels are friends and so are very nice.

What I want to tell you is that everything that the non-Catholics have, we do have them as Charismatic. And yet I sense and feel the hollowness of their spirituality without the Eucharist and the Sacraments and the intercession of the saints. In the fellowship that I mentioned we have the praise and worship, testimonies, Bible sharing, preaching and good fellowship and support. Nevertheless, there is always a feeling of unfulfillment at the end of it all. Nothing beats the true communion with Christ in his true body and blood; the adoration of the Blessed Sacrament and in solidarity with the saints, dead and alive. I can only long for my bro and sis non-Catholics that by the grace of God, they would too experience the awesome communion with God as his Body and Blood being assimilated literally and spiritually into our body system.

I can understand why you should say that you do not need the Eucharist but perhaps that’s because you have not experienced and believed that God can be experienced this way. And believe me, it could always get better.

God bless.
 
I too lost my dad to cancer while at such a tender age of twelve years old. Dad was a chain smoker and it caused him his life – a cancer of the lung. 1beleevr is testifying about the Lord’s presence and intervention during their experience of going through cancer (albeit his wife). However we do not know the ultimate plan of God for each of us other than that it should be to be with him forever in heaven.

His wife could be healed of cancer today but in the years to come we may never know. It can recur and metastases or it may not. Nevertheless the ultimate healing would be the healing of the entire person – the body, mind and spirit. The healing of the body is merely physical. Sometimes God is so gracious and merciful, he allows that but that may be to trigger start us to move on into a deeper relationship with him. The deepest relationship with the Lord no doubt is the one he calls us to – to partake in his Body and Blood so that we can truly be one with him.

When Jesus ask us to “take this, for this is my Body …” and when we refuse we could be rejecting that invitation. The greatest thanksgiving one could make is to accept this invitation and so be healed thoroughly as a person.

So often in my experience, as we pray for those who were dying in the hospitals or at homes, well, some did get well and thankfully discharged an went home but there were many who did not make it and died. Many of those were non-believers or non-practicing Catholics and when they died none of the relative blamed us that we could not heal them through prayers. But there were those who were converted at the last minute and asked to be baptized; in which case a priest would be called to perform the rite of Baptism. It is with these cases that we could see how grateful their families were and that the deceases were truly healed at last.

This is perhaps for 1beleevr to ponder. How far he would go for the thanksgiving for the love and the mercy that God had showered upon his wife?
 
If you were paying attention, you would have noticed that I was speaking about MY relationship with Christ, and not demeaning or questioning anyone else’s! pr merger seems to believe(as do others) that if you aren’t catholic, than your relationship with Christ is lacking! This is an arrogant and separationist view, one meant to make any other follower of Christ feel less than valuable to our Saviour! And thanks for the heartfelt words for our trial; which because of our intense relationship with Christ, made it easier to deal with!👍
 
Reuben_J said:
I too lost my dad to cancer while at such a tender age of twelve years old. Dad was a chain smoker and it caused him his life – a cancer of the lung. 1beleevr is testifying about the Lord’s presence and intervention during their experience of going through cancer (albeit his wife). However we do not know the ultimate plan of God for each of us other than that it should be to be with him forever in heaven.

His wife could be healed of cancer today but in the years to come we may never know. It can recur and metastases or it may not. Nevertheless the ultimate healing would be the healing of the entire person – the body, mind and spirit. The healing of the body is merely physical. Sometimes God is so gracious and merciful, he allows that but that may be to trigger start us to move on into a deeper relationship with him. The deepest relationship with the Lord no doubt is the one he calls us to – to partake in his Body and Blood so that we can truly be one with him.

When Jesus ask us to “take this, for this is my Body …” and when we refuse we could be rejecting that invitation. The greatest thanksgiving one could make is to accept this invitation and so be healed thoroughly as a person.

So often in my experience, as we pray for those who were dying in the hospitals or at homes, well, some did get well and thankfully discharged an went home but there were many who did not make it and died. Many of those were non-believers or non-practicing Catholics and when they died none of the relative blamed us that we could not heal them through prayers. But there were those who were converted at the last minute and asked to be baptized; in which case a priest would be called to perform the rite of Baptism. It is with these cases that we could see how grateful their families were and that the deceases were truly healed at last.

This is perhaps for 1beleevr to ponder. How far he would go for the thanksgiving for the love and the mercy that God had showered upon his wife?
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I am fully aware that this cancer could have been much worse, and am grateful beyond words that my God was with us the whole way! Every day that I wake up, I thank God for who He is, what He has done and will do for me, my wife, my family,etc.,etc.,etc.! You are catholic, I am not. You believe what you believe, and I believe what I believe. We have both come from different places, to reach the place that we are in the Lord! I serve others in His name, not out of duty or obligation, but rather out of intense joy, and gratitude! I can’t tell you you’re not saved or aren’t going to Heaven, anymore than you can! But, believe it or not, I love and respect you!👍
 
Reuben_J said:
I have no wish to run down your experience in your relationship with Christ. In fact I can say I would understand very well such experience because I’ve been there done that. I am a Charismatic Catholic and still having that as spirituality. I have witnessed miracle healings and how people are converted through them. It can be a very profound experience for them and the conversion and the subsequence intense practice and love of the faith is no doubt very authentic.

I take part in a regular (fortnightly) inter-churches ecumenical fellowship group which is made up of people of different denominations. As a Catholic I feel sort of out of place there but people there on the personal levels are friends and so are very nice.

What I want to tell you is that everything that the non-Catholics have, we do have them as Charismatic. And yet I sense and feel the hollowness of their spirituality without the Eucharist and the Sacraments and the intercession of the saints. In the fellowship that I mentioned we have the praise and worship, testimonies, Bible sharing, preaching and good fellowship and support. Nevertheless, there is always a feeling of unfulfillment at the end of it all. Nothing beats the true communion with Christ in his true body and blood; the adoration of the Blessed Sacrament and in solidarity with the saints, dead and alive. I can only long for my bro and sis non-Catholics that by the grace of God, they would too experience the awesome communion with God as his Body and Blood being assimilated literally and spiritually into our body system.

I can understand why you should say that you do not need the Eucharist but perhaps that’s because you have not experienced and believed that God can be experienced this way. And believe me, it could always get better.

God bless.
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Unfortunately for me, 95% of catholics that I have come into contact with over the years, have given me a less than positive view of the catholic church! They are arrogant, belittling, and unabashedly speak of drunken parties they attend, and cheating on their wives/husbands(many having children from those unions! Since coming on this forum, I have encountered many level-headed, compassionate and helpful catholics, who do respect our point of view, and wish us Godspeed in our Christian walk! To say that someone is less than a Christian, or is missing something in their relationship with Christ, is like saying,“If you don’t drive a Toyota, we don’t want you around!” In spite of my humaness, I have been able to follow the Second greatest Commandment! So, let the debating continue; love all you Christians!👍
 
1beleevr said:
pr merger seems to believe(as do others) that if you aren’t catholic, than your relationship with Christ is lacking!
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There is this fact, 1beleevr, that even you can’t dispute: you do not have a ONE FLESH UNION with your Beloved.

Therefore, just based on that fact alone, your relationship with Christ is lacking.

(BTW, I’ve never said that if you aren’t Catholic, your relationship with Christ is lacking. The Orthodox, also, have the fulfillment of intimacy with our Lord in the Most Sublime Holy Eucharist.)
 
diana_leslie said:
The question was posed to me by a friend of mine. I know the answer from a Catholic perspective–it is a sign of unity of Faith and if you don’t believe what all the Catholic Church teaches then you should not partake, because “anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body, eats and drinks judgment on himself.” --1 Cor. 11:29

This friend in a Lutheran, and he believes in the True Presence, yet they have open communion at his church. He believes that if someone were to go to Communion and believe, Jesus would be present, but if they didn’t believe, He would not be.

My response to this was to say Jesus is present no matter what because it is a real presence, just as a tree in a forest is real whether or not a person goes to see it or even knows its there.

But his frustration remains. The argument is that the Catholic Church claims that we are trying to unify all churches into one, yet we are being divisive by excluding others at our communion. My friends stance is he would never be a part of a church that was so exclusive.
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I would reply that… allowing people to receive Communion without Confession (which non Catholics don’t receive) - is leading them into a very dangerous situation spiritually. (in fact, a sin).
 
1beleevr said:
Unfortunately for me, 95% of catholics that I have come into contact with over the years, have given me a less than positive view of the catholic church! They are arrogant, belittling, and unabashedly speak of drunken parties they attend, and cheating on their wives/husbands(many having children from those unions! Since coming on this forum, I have encountered many level-headed, compassionate and helpful catholics, who do respect our point of view, and wish us Godspeed in our Christian walk! To say that someone is less than a Christian, or is missing something in their relationship with Christ, is like saying,“If you don’t drive a Toyota, we don’t want you around!” In spite of my humaness, I have been able to follow the Second greatest Commandment! So, let the debating continue; love all you Christians!👍
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It’s a pity that you met such Catholics. Honestly I think the 95% figure is your personal experience and as I say, it is unfortunate. They should do much better than that as also non-Catholics too.

I was merely responding to your statement where you said your relationship with Christ could not be any better. Then I offer you my personal experience as a Charismatic and my association with Protestants in a fellowship grouping. Honestly, I believe the statement that one’s relationship with Christ cannot get any better is a mis-statement and therefore not true. All relationship with the Lord can have room for improvement and the Lord offers us nothing less.

The ultimate relationship is not just being friends with Jesus or a brother or being under his Lordship but he also wants us to be one with him. The proverbial John 15 where he likens himself as the vine and we the branches and that we get our nourishment from him as the branches get their sap from the vine to live, is more than just living out his word but it can be literally as the Bible shows. I believe the Eucharist is the ultimate that demonstrates this saying. I know you don’t believe in it but I am glad that you are a feeling person. You feel the presence of the Lord in your life; you felt him with you during your trial. Thus I would think the concept of the Eucharist would not be alien to you if you believe in it; for it is the tangible presence and the communion with the Lord too.

I could imagine how ecstatic you are experiencing the presence of the Lord in your life; you can imagine then for me – I can say I do have your experience but when I have the Eucharist everything else is pale in comparison. When we want to go deeper in relationship with the Lord we want everything of him. We want to be as much with him as possible. Can you imagine then that this could actually happens in the Eucharist where we communion with the Lord in his substance? Again I want to make it clear here, I am not saying that my faith is superior to yours nor my experience too. It is just that I think the Lord has more in store for us; not just the feeling good for it can go away but knowing that we have tried to do everything that he had asked of us not just a selective few because we think these are enough.

God bless.
 
1beleevr said:
I am fully aware that this cancer could have been much worse, and am grateful beyond words that my God was with us the whole way! Every day that I wake up, I thank God for who He is, what He has done and will do for me, my wife, my family,etc.,etc.,etc.! You are catholic, I am not. You believe what you believe, and I believe what I believe. We have both come from different places, to reach the place that we are in the Lord! I serve others in His name, not out of duty or obligation, but rather out of intense joy, and gratitude! I can’t tell you you’re not saved or aren’t going to Heaven, anymore than you can! But, believe it or not, I love and respect you!👍
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Thanks. It is very Christian of you to say that.

God bless.
 
1beleevr said:
Unfortunately for me, 95% of catholics that I have come into contact with over the years, have given me a less than positive view of the catholic church! They are arrogant, belittling, and unabashedly speak of drunken parties they attend, and cheating on their wives/husbands(many having children from those unions!
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Gee, that’s funny. 95% of protestants that I have come into contact with over the years have given me a less than positive view of the protestant groups! They are arrogant, belittling, and unabashedly speak of drunken parties they attend, and cheating on their wives/husbands (many having children from those unions), not to mention using birth control, and speaking uncharitably of other Christians.
 
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