should a non baptised person eat the wafer and drink the wine?

Question

i went to a christmas church service & they were doing the sacrament, but i thought i shouldn't take it as i am not baptised as a christian.

is this the correct thing to do or would it not matter if i had done it?

i kind of felt it would be rude and insulting if i had done it.

well it was a roman catholic church and my own beliefs tend more towards paganism, but i like to hear the christmas songs and to hear the bible readings at that time :~)

Answer 1

Only if you didn't eat breakfast...

Answer 2

If you are in a church where the bread and wine are REALLY the body and blood of Christ, no you should not. We have a note in our bulletin to tell people that. In the Orthodox Church you must also be Orthodox and have gone to confession first. In the RC it is the same except under certain circumstances. In the Episcopal church any BAPTIZED Christian can receive. Now if it is a church where it is not the body and blood of Christ, and is just a remembrance, I don't think it matters, since it isn't real anyway.

After reading the other answers above this I want to add this: In the Liturgical Churches your baptism is the most important thing. And yes, if you "eat and drink unworthily, you bring condemnation onto yourself". In the RC church you must also be confirmed. In the Orthodox and Episcopal church young children who are not yet confirmed can receive. In fact they give communion to babies in the Orthodox church with a little spoon.

Answer 3

It was fine for you to be there, but as a catholic you first have to be baptised then make your first holy communion which is around 8 years of age. Confirmation usually follows at age 15-16 years. Anyone can go for a blessing but not communion as we are not in full communion with other christians yet. Sadly that's the way it is at the moment. If you did not know and took communion, don't worry, not your fault.

Answer 4

You made the correct choice.

Non Catholics, for a number of very good reasons, are never permitted to partake of holy communion in the Catholic Church, the main reason being that in the Catholic Church, the bread and wine actually becomes the body and blood of Christ, and receiving him with insufficient spiritual preparation, or while in a state of serious sin, would profane God, and bring only condemnation on the individual.

Answer 5

I am not a Christian. As President of an InterDialogue Association, I wished to be present at a memorial meeting for a Holy Pope. My catholic friends in the Association promised to manage my presence. An ordained Father sat by my side. Among the gestures which I was not advised to make, the biscuit and the wine was one. Hope that an able Catholic answers this question. Waiting to read that...

Answer 6

The elements are reserved for the saints. If you are not a believer, then it has no real meaning. For the believer, it is a remembrance of what Christ has done for us, and is considered sacred (which is where we get the term "sacrament.")

If aren't a believer, and you had taken the elements, it would be a meaningless exercise.

Some churches offer an open communion, where anyone who wants to go can, and others only open it to Christians, while still others restrict it to members only.

If they didn't make a qualification, then you could have gone and no one (except God) would be the wiser.

Answer 7

If you aren't Baptized you aren't suppose to take the Sacraments. You can go up for a special blessing however. Instead of holding your hands out to receive the wafer/bread you simply cross your hands across your chest so the priest/minister will know to bless you instead. I don't think God will get mad at you and condem you or anything because you did.

You should really consider setting up a Baptism, though. Find a church with a congregation & minister you like. Talk to the minister. They will be highly in favor of doing it.

Answer 8

I wouldn't mind trying the wine and wafer just to see what its like. Anyway there's no way of them knowing if you're baptised or not. They just have to take you're word for it.

I'm going to go to a Catholic Church in a different area from where i live, tell them im a baptised Catholic and new in the area, hence why ive not been to church before. Once ive tried the wine and wafer no more visits to church. I just want to see if i can get away with it.

Answer 9

No, you should be confirmed into that church. Baptism is irrelevant for communion. When following everyone up to take communion, cross your arms over your chest and you will receive a special blessing instead of a host. Also keep in mind that it is not customary to take communion in a church of a different religion than that which you are confirmed. For example, United Church should not take communion in a Roman Catholic church, etc. God Bless.

Answer 10

We believe that the sacrament is a renewal of our baptismal covenants. If you have made no covenants, you cannot rewnew them. Just the same, I, myself never take communion when I go to Mass with my grandma because I'm not Catholic and I don't take the other communion-type things in other faiths. Since I have my own, I believe that it is insulting to their beliefs and not appropriate.

Answer 11

You are correct. Communion is a Christian rite, and is to be celebrated by Christians only. I believe that some denominations even take it finer-if you are not baptised into their particular denomination, they do not expect you to take part. You were showing respect to their faith by not taking part; that being said, I think it would not have mattered if you had done it. I have taken the bread and grape juice in ceremony in an ecumenical meeting--but I also ate Shabboth bread and prana. The idea there was to share and celebrate rites from different faiths, and it felt wonderful to do those things.