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Ruthie
Member
| Joined: | Mon Nov 13th, 2006 |
| Location: | Houston, Texas USA |
| Posts: | 99 |
| First Name: | Ruthie | | Gender: | Female | | Faith History: | nominal Presbyterian, aetheist, evangelical Christian/Episcopalian, Catholic |
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Posted: Mon Mar 5th, 2007 12:05 am |
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If a person is not Catholic but truly believes in the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist, may that person receive communion? Why or why not?
Would this constitute receiving the body and blood of the Lord in an unworthy manner as Paul talks about in Corinthians 11:27 and on?
If this person receives communion in a very small community where it is well-known that the person is not Catholic, can or should the priest refuse to give communion to this person?
Ruthie
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Truly I tell you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will never enter it. (NRSV, Luke 18:17)
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CajunRick
Network Helper
| Joined: | Fri Sep 29th, 2006 |
| Location: | Houma, Louisiana USA |
| Posts: | 5458 |
| First Name: | Rick (& Kermie) | | Gender: | Male | | Faith History: | Lifetime Catholic, Latin Rite |
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Posted: Mon Mar 5th, 2007 12:57 am |
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Ruthie wrote: If a person is not Catholic but truly believes in the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist, may that person receive communion? Why or why not?
In 1996, the Bishops of the United States approved the following, taken from the Guidelines for the Reception of Communion, which are to be published in all missalettes and worship aides used in the United States:
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 that these will lessen and finally disappear, in keeping with Christ’s prayer for us “that they may all be one” (Jn 17:21).
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 (canon 844 § 4). 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 (canon 844 § 3).
(Boldface emphasis added.)
So the answer is no, and the reason is in bold type above. Note that Catholics who do not fully accept the teachings of the Church are also instructed to refrain from receiving Holy Communion, but that's in a different document.
Would this constitute receiving the body and blood of the Lord in an unworthy manner as Paul talks about in Corinthians 11:27 and on?
Possibly, but we cannot judge the sinfulness of another.
If this person receives communion in a very small community where it is well-known that the person is not Catholic, can or should the priest refuse to give communion to this person?
Theoretically, yes. However, it is left to the pastor's discretion to determine how to handle such an issue. The real problem comes in when that person presents himself to an Extraordinary Minister of Holy Communion, who does not really have the authority to decline communion to anyone.
One way a priest could handle it would be to offer the person a blessing and whisper "Talk to me after mass" at which time he could explain why the person should not receive communion, but the pastor has to decide the right way to deal with it.
You say it is "well known" that the person is not Catholic, but it is my experience that many things that are "well known" in small communities are not known by the priest, who most likely is not a native or long-term resident of that community. It is quite possible that if no one has told him, he doesn't know. It is also possible that the person may have been privately received into the Church because of family or other reasons that would make a public reception impractical, or may have joined the Church in another location and be concealing it from family, perhaps due to the health of an elderly parent or grandparent. (I also live in a small community.)
Unless you have personally told the priest that you don't think this person is Catholic, don't assume that he knows. And if you have told him, you should then assume that the priest knows what he's doing. Once you have given him the information, the matter has been taken from your hands.
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Understanding is the reward of faith. Therefore seek not to understand that you may believe, but believe that you may understand. - Augustine
Rick Luquette
Luquette Lane
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Ruthie
Member
| Joined: | Mon Nov 13th, 2006 |
| Location: | Houston, Texas USA |
| Posts: | 99 |
| First Name: | Ruthie | | Gender: | Female | | Faith History: | nominal Presbyterian, aetheist, evangelical Christian/Episcopalian, Catholic |
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Posted: Mon Mar 5th, 2007 02:56 am |
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Rick, thanks for your very complete and thorough answer, even though I left out so many particulars.
Ruthie
____________________
Truly I tell you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will never enter it. (NRSV, Luke 18:17)
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