Why Non-Catholics cannot receive Communion?

[SWTHRT]

I am a Catholic, and my husband was brought up as a Lutheran in Sweden. He is currently attending RCIA classes. The thing he most disagrees about concerning the Catholic Church is why do we “exclude” non-Catholics from Holy Communion? I’ve tried to explain why in every way possible, but my explanations don’t seem to convince him. He often says that he feels the Catholic church is like a “Country Club” since we don’t include everyone. I’ve tried to explain to him that most Protestant churches teach that Communion is just a SYMBOL of God’s body and blood but that we Catholics believe it IS the body and blood of Christ. Therefore, we can’t allow people who only see it as a symbol to partake in our Communion. I’ve often told him that as a Catholic, I don’t even understand WHY a non-Catholic would want to take part in our Communion if it represents something they don’t believe in. I know that I would have no desire to partake of Communion in a Protestant setting because I don’t believe as they do. Can you think of a better way to explain this to my husband?

 

[Devon_Caffran]

These links should be helpful for understanding why there is no intercommunion with non-Catholics. If you have any further questions or concerns that are not answered by these links, please [contact Catholic Answers (http://www.catholic.com/home/contact.asp) directly.
**Recommended Reading:
**

• Who Can Receive Communion?
• Ecclesia de Eucharistia(Note especially sections 43-46)