Protestant receiving eucharist (communion) in Catholic Church?

Question

Being great friends with both Catholics and Protestants alike, I often worship with many of my Catholic friends at their masses and often participate in the celebration of the sacrement of the eucharist. My friends are accepting but I know that church officials would disagree! Any believer at our home church can particpate, Catholic or Protestant, as long as they believe in the Lord's Supper. My question (I am aware of the doctrinal differences between Catholic eucharist and Protestant Communion) is why they are so exclusive on a very important element of Christian worship???

Always puzzled me.

I am not trying to be disrespectful to the Catholic Church nor church traditions, but, did Jesus not say to the disciples "do this in remembrance of me"?

Would the Lord's disciples be able to participate in the Catholic Eucharist? Just something to think about.

Answer 1

Catholics believe in the transsubstantiation: that the host and wine BECOME the body and blood of Christ. Protestants think that the bread and wine only symbolise Jesus's body and blood. You should be aware that this is what you are saying that you believe when you take the Eucharist in a Catholic church.

Answer 2

Catholics believe in the literal Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist--that is, during the Mass, they believe that the host has been quite literally changed into the actual body and blood of Christ. However, many (or even most) Protestant groups feel that the Eucharist is merely a symbolic gesture, rather than a literal one. For this reason, the Catholic Church keeps their communion closed. They do not wish to degrade the host by dispensing it to people who aren't willing to view it as the literal body and blood of Christ. Also, it implies a Catholic/Protestant union which does not currently exist (this was told to my by a priest).

I am Protestant; my spouse is a Catholic convert (who was for many, many years, not a Protestant, but a complete unbeliever). Upon full converson, communion was finally given...but not a moment before. Contrast that to my church, in which anyone can receive Communion. It's just a different way of understanding the Holy Eucharist.

Answer 3

At the Last Supper, Jesus said, “Take this bread. It is my body.” The he said, “Take this and drink. This is my blood. Do this in memory of me.”

Catholics believe this was the First Eucharist, that through some miracle the bread and wine actually became the body and blood of Jesus Christ.

Catholics reenact the Last Supper during every Mass, where the priest, acting in place of Christ, changes the bread and wine into the body and blood of Jesus Christ.

This is a great sacrament of thanksgiving and unity of Catholics.

Anyone who does not believe in the actual presence of Christ and is not united with the Catholic faith is asked, out of respect, not to receive the Eucharist.

Catholics, out of respect for other Christian faiths, do not receive Communion in non-Catholic churches.

We pray that one day Christian unity will succeed and we will all be called to the same table.

With love and prayers in Christ.

Update: Would the Lord's disciples be able to participate in the Catholic Eucharist?

Yes, early Christian writings in the Bible and without point to the conclusion that the early church believed in the true presence of Jesus Christ in the Eucharist.

Answer 4

Because Catholics do not believe that it's a symbol. Catholics believe that it is LITERALLY the flesh and blood of Jesus, The Christ.

For you to participate in this is to imply that you are in communion with the Catholic Church in this doctrine. Since you are protestant, it's highly likely that you do not accept the doctrine of the transubstantiation, and thus are in fact not in communion with the catholic church.

While I understand that you view it as a community event, it is not just that. It is also the deeply personal reception of Christ's flesh and blood. Since you do not appreciate it as such, to receive communion at a catholic mass is deeply offensive in the eyes of the Catholic Church.

Even being an atheist, I would humbly request that instead of receiving the eucharist, simply approach the priest with your arms across your chest. This will indicate that you are not receiving the eucharist, and most priests will say a short blessing over you. This will best emphasize both your devotion to Jesus as well as your respect for the traditions of the church you are attending.

Answer 5

Doctrinal differences only.
I grew up Catholic, and now am a Protestant.

The Catholic Church teaches that through the miracle of Tran-Substantiation, the water and wine are miraculously turned into the actual blood of Jesus, and the unleavened wafer is turned into His actual Body.
When served Communion in a Catholic Church, the priest says, "Body of Christ." An before receiving the wafer, the recipient is required to say, "Amen." , or in essence, "I agree."

The Protestant Church teaches that the bread and wine are symbolic of Jesus' Body and Blood.

Therein lies the "great controversy."

However, official Catholic teachings state that if you receive Communion without believing that Tran-Substantiation has occurred, then you are partaking of communion to your own condemnation.

If you can parttake of Catholic Communion with a clear conscience, then you do yourself no harm from a Protestant point of view.

Answer 6

What is the point in doing anything in rememberance of anyone if you do not possess a proper understanding and appreciation for what you are doing?

Catholics believe in the Real Presence. There's nothing figurative or symbolic about Jesus's words in connection to the Eucharist.

Even now you are being disingenuous. You are very fond of Jesus having said, "Do this is rememberance of Me.", but exactly what is Jesus referring to when He says "this"?

"This" refers to Jesus saying, "This is my body, which will be given up for you." And then there's Jesus saying, "This is my blood, the blood of the New Covenant, which will be poured out for many."

Taking to heart "Do this in memory of me" means little if nothing at all, if you do not also take to heart that which He also said during the Last Supper.

The Catholic Church frowns on non-Catholics receiving Communion because they typically believe they are simply receiving a piece of bread and a sip of wine, only. That is to say, they symbolize the Body and Blood of Christ despite the fact there is nothing is Sacred Scriptures that eludes to any symbolism, as it concerns the Eucharist.

If you believed that consecrated bread and wine really was the Body and Blood of Christ, wouldn't you treat it with a little bit more reverence, going so far as to possibly denying it to anyone who does not understand the Eucharist for what it is?

It's not nearly as puzzling as you think it is.

Answer 7

Here's a good article explaining why Catholics have closed communion

http://home.nyc.rr.com/mysticalrose/closed.html

In the meantime, please, out of respect for Catholicism, do not take communion when you attend Mass. I'm sorry that your Catholic friends misinformed you about this - but it isn't OK, no matter how cool your friends are about it. You may disagree with the Catholic Church's views about communion and it may seem hurtful, but please be respectful of it when you attend Mass. That's part of being tolerant of other religions and beliefs. When you choose to attend the worship services of another religion, you respect their rules, even if you think the rules are wrong.

Answer 8

We Catholics hold the sacraments to be more sacred than Protestants.

If a Christian receiving communion only believes the host is a symbol of Christ and do not believe in the Transubstantiation of the host and wine into the actual body and blood of Christ than it is wasted.

We value Jesus' sacrifice far more than that.

Answer 9

If a Protestant were to take commuunion at a Catholic Church it would be symbolic that he is in communion with the church, when in fact he is not. If he were interested, he would need to take classes to learn what it truly means to be in communion with the church.

Catholics are prohibited by the Catholic Church from receiving communion at Protestant churches for the same reason.

Answer 10

I dated a Catholic guy as a teenager. His entire family is Catholic, and my entire family is Protestant. When I would go with him and his family to their Catholic church for Saturday night mass, his mother always insisted I sit in the pew and not go up with them for Communion. They also grabbed their jackets every week and kept right on walking after receiving Communion/Eucharist, and never waited for the mass to end. So did half of the people there.

Of course sometimes they just went and put the offering envelope (with their name on it) in the collection basket and didn't stay for any part of the mass! And their explanation: "Who cares about staying for the mass? We just want our children to marry here someday, and the priest won't allow it unless the family tithes every week for two years straight."

Face it, we're just different!

Peace! *from the merry old Lutheran church*