| Author | Post |
|---|
BodRod
Member
| Joined: | Mon Oct 2nd, 2006 |
| Location: | Apple Valley, California USA |
| Posts: | 840 |
| First Name: | Cliff | | Gender: | Male | | Faith History: | Raised an SDA, then Generic Christian, finally at home with ... |
| Status: |
Offline
|
|
Posted: Mon Jan 1st, 2007 11:19 pm |
|
I just watched The Journey Home TV program (One of my favorites.) and a concept popped into my head. Looking back to my protestant days, we "took communion" as a matter of routine. I never gave it a second thought nor did I have any special feelings about it. After all, it was just a symbol of what happened 2000 years ago. NOW however, I look forward to each Mass. I have feelings about communion. I focus on the priest as he does his work on the alter. I look forward to receiving the Body and Blood and later sharing the elements with my friends and other members of the church community.
Has anyone else felt a difference between their protestant days communion service and their current receiving of the Catholic elements of communion? if so, what is it like for you? 
____________________
Gratias agamus Domino Deo nostro.
|
|
|
beachmoss
Member
| Joined: | Mon Nov 13th, 2006 |
| Location: | Simpsonville, South Carolina USA |
| Posts: | 296 |
| First Name: | Beth | | Gender: | Female | | Faith History: | Catholic (raised Baptist) |
| Status: |
Offline
|
|
Posted: Tue Jan 2nd, 2007 07:57 pm |
|
That's an interesting question, BodRod!
I was raised Southern Baptist, but we never actually went to church much. The only time I remember communion being offered was when I was very young and I was with my parents at the Easter service. They passed around a plate of saltine cracker crumbs and tiny cups of grape juice down each pew. I was told rather sternly by my mom not to take any. She (and I'm not sure about my dad because he had never transferred his letter to her church) took a crumb and cup. I just remember that I was starving and she was depriving me of a snack. And that's the only time I remember going to a communion service in that church.
Now, being a Catholic, I realize that there is so much to Communion! It's funny--my kids understand the specialness of Communion. They never insist on wanting the bread or wine. They don't see it as a snack that I did at their age. Of course I guess some of the difference is in presentation.
I guess I would have to say that as a Protestant, and a young girl at that, I viewed communion as a snack reserved for some in the congregation, and at only a few times during the year. But now as a Catholic I see that the Eucharist is a full meal given abundantly to those who believe whenever they can consume it.
|
|
|
BodRod
Member
| Joined: | Mon Oct 2nd, 2006 |
| Location: | Apple Valley, California USA |
| Posts: | 840 |
| First Name: | Cliff | | Gender: | Male | | Faith History: | Raised an SDA, then Generic Christian, finally at home with ... |
| Status: |
Offline
|
|
Posted: Tue Jan 2nd, 2007 08:13 pm |
|
<<<But now as a Catholic I see that the Eucharist is a full meal given abundantly to those who believe whenever they can consume it.>>>
That brings another thought to mind. I go to early Mass (7:30am) and so, without having breakfast, I feel like I am starving as we proces in and take our seats. Now that you mention it, I realize that I am no longer hungry after Holy Communion. My wife (not a Catholic) has noticed my puttering around the house after I get home and has mentioned to me a time or two that I should be starving and why am I not out in the kitchen getting something to eat.
I am glad you mentioned that. I am going to listen around and see if others in my servers group have similar feelings.
____________________
Gratias agamus Domino Deo nostro.
|
|
|
Liza
Member
| Joined: | Thu Dec 28th, 2006 |
| Location: | Naples, Florida USA |
| Posts: | 25 |
| First Name: | Liza | | Gender: | Female | | Faith History: | Roman Catholic |
| Status: |
Offline
|
|
Posted: Wed Jan 3rd, 2007 03:03 am |
|
Even as a former protestant I always took communion seriously even though it was once a month in the Methodist church. I remember confessing my sins to Christ before partaking. But it is different now as a Roman Catholic. I receive Christ every week and it is supperior in meaning to me especially after going to confession. It was meaningful before but only partook once a month. I do not count myself special at all but thank the dear Lord he has opened all this up to me with great and new meaning.
|
|
|
BettyBoopToo
Member
| Joined: | Mon Oct 9th, 2006 |
| Location: | Camas/Washougal, Washington USA |
| Posts: | 538 |
| First Name: | Betty | | Gender: | Female | | Faith History: | Fist Baptist/Calvary Babtist/Secular Confusion/ Roman Catholic |
| Status: |
Offline
|
|
Posted: Thu Jan 4th, 2007 02:31 am |
|
I had a strage experience with communion in a Baptist church, When I asked about it I was told, "Some people believed that it was really Christ body & blood, But others believed that is was just simbolic". Personally I did not receive. I thought If all these other folks could not determine whether it was or not? Then I was not going to partake until I knew for sure. I thought It was quite clear in scripture. And St Paul said that we needed to examine ourselves, I felt there was some kind of preparation that I needed to do, Yet no one could tell me what that was?
I felt very insecure with everything Christ did or taught, or his deciples taught being reduced to simbolism. I wondered, Did he even die on the Cross or was that just simbolic too?
I have found receiving the sacraments anything but simbolic, And receiving the Blessed Sacrament a life changing communion that I'd die without. And never again want to even consider living without.
Peace
Betty
____________________
Patience
"Whenever anything disagreeable or displeasing happens to you, remember Christ crucified and be silent."
St. John of the Cross
|
|
|
Steven Barrett
Member
| Joined: | Tue Nov 14th, 2006 |
| Location: | Hadley, Absurdistan, AKA , Massachusetts USA |
| Posts: | 1462 |
| First Name: | Steven | | Gender: | Male | | Faith History: | Catholic, Episcopal communicant, Baptist, Catholic |
| Status: |
Offline
|
|
Posted: Sat Jan 6th, 2007 04:32 am |
|
 It depends on the Protestant denomination. Episcopalians and their mroe conservative Anglican cousins, and more traditional Lutherans believe in a Real Presence of Christ in their Communion, particiularly the Anglicans. And, there's one notion the Episcipalians have that whatever one chooses to call it, (or try to understand it from a limited layman's perspective), transubstantiation, consubstantiation, ... just believe Jesus' Body and Blood are there for you at the altar rail.
Or, perhaps in language only a diehard evangelical might appreciate: "I believe it, I took it, and that settles it."
Besides, trying to explain transubstantiation to a "Bible Christian" who's hung up on why Catholics, etc. don't "get it" that Jesus' death on the cross was a "one shot deal." -- is akin to explaining the infield fly rule to a horse rider in Mongolia, or how Bush got "elected" in 2000 to an election official in Iceland. Ciao!
____________________
James Michael Curley to a young Thomas “Tip” O’Neill -- “Son, it’s nice to be important, but it’s more important to be nice.”
|
|
|
BettyBoopToo
Member
| Joined: | Mon Oct 9th, 2006 |
| Location: | Camas/Washougal, Washington USA |
| Posts: | 538 |
| First Name: | Betty | | Gender: | Female | | Faith History: | Fist Baptist/Calvary Babtist/Secular Confusion/ Roman Catholic |
| Status: |
Offline
|
|
Posted: Sun Jan 7th, 2007 02:30 am |
|
Thank You Steve!
That explain's it better for me.
I really enjoy having Sacraments, doctrines & dogma's all spelled out for me. I've just never trusted in my own personal ability to interpret scripture and come to my own decisions, When It came to Christianity.
I also felt that what was going on all around me in the Christian World, Was kind of like a disfunctional Family of believers. It also occured one day to me that what I was doing basically was telling God which of his teaching's I was going to except and which one's I was rejecting.
I know other people feel more comfortable with their own decisions, But I just don't.
Thank You again for the explanation
God Bless,
Betty
____________________
Patience
"Whenever anything disagreeable or displeasing happens to you, remember Christ crucified and be silent."
St. John of the Cross
|
|
|
curmudgeon66
Member
| Joined: | Mon Jan 8th, 2007 |
| Location: | Wisconsin USA |
| Posts: | 2 |
| First Name: | Andy | | Gender: | Male | | Faith History: | Lutheran --> Catholic |
| Status: |
Offline
|
|
Posted: Tue Jan 9th, 2007 08:57 am |
|
I am a former Lutheran, and joined the RC church about 20 yrs ago. But this topic reminds me of something which my mother told me when I was attending confirmation class in the Lutheran church when I was in 8th grade. Of course we had spent two years of Saturday mornings studying Luther, and the doctrines of the church before being accepted into full communion. And the plan was that after confirmation we would each receive our "first communion". {In some ways this seems to me now as if it were almost a Catholic approach.} In any case, I can clearly remember my mother telling me many times as confirmation came close, that I should not expect to feel anything special when I received communion. After all the work that our pastor had done to teach us that it was the real presence of Christ (consubstantiation). Here was my mom, a life long Lutheran, telling me that I would not feel anything!
True to what she had told me, I didn't "feel" different. At least not then, not in the Lutheran church where I stayed for at least another 10 or 15 years.
Now in the Catholic church I still don't "feel" different, but what I do have now is a knowledge that thist time it realy realy IS the presence of Christ. And that knowledge is much more satisfying to me.
The sacrement which gives me the "feeling" of differnece is reconciliation / confession. After that I both Know and Feel that something is differnent in me.
Andy
|
|
|
CajunRick
Guest
| Joined: | |
| Location: | |
| Posts: | |
| First Name: | | | Gender: | | | Faith History: | |
| Status: |
Offline
|
|
Posted: Tue Jan 9th, 2007 01:23 pm |
|
curmudgeon66 wrote: I am a former Lutheran, and joined the RC church about 20 yrs ago.
Welcome, Andy, we're glad to have you with us.
|
|
|
steppenwolf1218
Member
| Joined: | Wed Jan 3rd, 2007 |
| Location: | Abingdon, Maryland USA |
| Posts: | 16 |
| First Name: | Dennis | | Gender: | Male | | Faith History: | Roman Catholic |
| Status: |
Offline
|
|
Posted: Wed Jan 17th, 2007 01:54 am |
|
I can't speak as a convert since I'm a cradle Catholic but in a sense I can. I am one of those ones who "survived" the changes implemented by Vatican ll. I can remember friends having to memorize Latin in order to become altar boys. I remember having to memorize some Latin myself for certain hymns we sang in the choir. That was a time of much symbolism, rules and regulations. The changes I remember as not being taken so well by the older members of the congregation. Being young, I had a much less difficult time and actually welcomed some of those changes. Probably the most difficult change had to be when lay people were first permitted to distribute communion during the Mass. I believe they were called Sacristans back then if my memory is serving me correctly or at least that's what they were called in my parish. Quite a few of the older parishoners would make special efforts to get in the line where the priests were distributing communion because they honestly felt that receiving the sacrament from a fellow parishoner wasn't really receiving communion. We were so much into symbolism and ritual that we didn't realize what it was all about in the first place. For us older cradle Catholics, the times following Vatican ll was a conversion time for us. Conversion from the old structure ritualistic ways to the new where Faith is a personal willing commitment from each and every one of us. Each and every time I receive communion, for that brief moment when I hold the gift of life from our Savior, the decision is literally in my hands to accept or reject that gift. Each time I say to myself...God I believe in all You say and all You stand for. I do this willingly because that is how I want my life to be. I am also a Eucharistic Minister at my church. I volunteer for as many weeks as I can. Doing this has brought a new level of meaning to me. I also distribute communion and hold prayer services at a local nursing home around here. I was quite nervous at first but now I love doing that. My faith is shaped around the Eucharist. I can't receive it without hearing the words of Christ in the Gospel. It is the most perfect gift from God to us. There is only one gift we can give Him back in return that would be equally as pleasing to Him. That gift is our love and devotion given to Him freely and openly. It is the only gift He's ever wanted from us from the very day He created us.
Take care
Dennis
____________________
Logic demands explanations. God defies explanations yet God is logical and it is logical to believe in God. Therein lies the conundrum for the atheist.
|
|
|
CajunRick
Guest
| Joined: | |
| Location: | |
| Posts: | |
| First Name: | | | Gender: | | | Faith History: | |
| Status: |
Offline
|
|
Posted: Wed Jan 17th, 2007 02:10 am |
|
steppenwolf1218 wrote: I can remember friends having to memorize Latin in order to become altar boys.
I remember doing it! And I had to learn the Latin hymns to sing in the choir as well.
Probably the most difficult change had to be when lay people were first permitted to distribute communion during the Mass. I believe they were called Sacristans back then if my memory is serving me correctly or at least that's what they were called in my parish.
The "sacristan" is the person who sets prepares the church for mass. Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion were once known as Eucharistic Ministers or Lay Ministers, but the current title is more accurate. At one time, lay people were not permitted to touch the empty sacred vessels; it was required that a sacristan have his hands consecrated by a bishop. Mine were consecrated when I was 14 years old, in 1965, and again when I was instituted to the ministry of acolyte in 1982.
Quite a few of the older parishoners would make special efforts to get in the line where the priests were distributing communion because they honestly felt that receiving the sacrament from a fellow parishoner wasn't really receiving communion.
Many still do. In our parish, the priest always stands in a certain spot so those who wish to receive only from him may do so. Every parish should arrange their communion procedures so that those who wish to receive from the priest may do so.
|
|
|
Current time is 08:54 pm | |
|
|
