Can or Should I take Communion in a Catholic Church?

Question

I was raised Catholic and had my First Communion. But later in life, I converted to Lutheran because I do not agree with many Catholic Beliefs.

If I'm in a Catholic church, like for a wedding or funeral, and they offer communion, should I participate? I think that 'technically' I can, because I had my Catholic First Communion. But, I also think that I shouldn't, because I am no longer Catholic.

Does anyone the Catholic church's official view on this? (not just personal opinions)

BTW, I don't even know if I'm considered Catholic by the church. I was baptized, then had my first communion, but was never confirmed.

Answer 1

You should not partake of communion in the Catholic Church.

When we receive communion, not only are we saying that we agree it is the true body and blood of Christ....but we also are agreeing to all that the Holy Catholic Church teaches and professes to be true.

You are not in communion with us because you are not in communion with the Church of Rome and the Pope...and because you do not share our beliefs.

Also, you do not participate in the Sacrament of Reconciliation, which is an integral part of being eligible to receive the Eucharist.

Answer 2

You should wear something nice. A nice pair of slacks and nice shirt/blouse would be fine. However, a nice pair of jeans is acceptable. What's in your heart is more important than what covers your body. The left hand goes on top, then you take the Eucharist with your right hand. However, you probably shouldn't take Communion. I'm going to guess you've been away from the Church for several years, right? Because you've been away, you should go through the Rite of Reconciliation (confession) before taking Holy Communion. Otherwise, you would be taking Communion in a false state of mind, and that is a sin.

Answer 3

Dear P M G,

Biblicaly I don't believe that there is any problem. However us Lutherans and our Roman brothers are always trying to do what is best in the light of Scripture. Therefore the Church of Rome and Confessional Lutheran Churches have and will continue to practice "Closed" communion. Each Church does this not to exclude any one, but for their protection. They do not want to cause any one with a "wrong understanding" or someone without belief from sinning against the body and blood of our Lord.

There have been exceptions. Talk to your Pastor, and also talk to the officiating Priest.

I'm Lutheran. I became good friends with a Catholic Priest through the funeral business. We often discussed theology at length. I attended a wedding at his Church and after the service Father admonished me for not receiving communion. I told him I was not allowed. He told me that the Lord allows me to receive in the Lutheran Church. The Catholic Church has the same Lord. I continued to abstain in his Church, we remained friends until he died. He always respected me and my faith.

Mark

Answer 4

There are several reasons why you can't partake of the Eucharist. Here are some of the official reasons given by the Catholic Church.

"[The Eucharist is called] Holy Communion, because by this sacrament we unite ourselves to Christ, who makes us sharers in his Body and Blood to form a single body." (CCC 1331) By definition, Protestants do not claim to form a single body with Catholics, and to receive the Eucharist would be to make a statement to the contrary. Why would a person wish to publicly profess beliefs which they do not have? Receipt of the Eucharist is, among other things, a profession of faith.

CCC 1362 to 1368 reflect the Catholic view that salvation is a process and that the re-presentation in the Eucharist of the Christ's sacrifice are part of this ongoing process. Thus, participation in the Sacrament is contrary to many Protestant theologies that view salvation as a one time event, a switch to be flicked. Again, receipt of the Eucharist would be antithetical to many Protestants' beliefs.

"To respond to this invitation we must prepare ourselves for so great and so holy a moment. St. Paul urges us to examine our conscience: "Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of profaning the body and blood of the Lord. Let a man examine himself, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For any one who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment upon himself." Anyone conscious of a grave sin must receive the sacrament of Reconciliation before coming to communion." (CCC1385). The Church has rightly recognized heresy as a grave sin. Those separated from the communion of the body of the Christ through heresies do grave harm to the Body (See Matt. 12:25). One would not want to take part in Holy Communion while a Protestant if they heed the warning of 1 Cor. 11:27-29. At the very least, they might respect Catholic custom as a matter of social courtesy

Lastly, CCC 1410, "It is Christ himself, the eternal high priest of the New Covenant who, acting through the ministry of the priests, offers the Eucharistic sacrifice. And it is the same Christ, really present under the species of bread and wine, who is the offering of the Eucharistic sacrifice." One cannot simultaneously accept the real presence and deny the validity of the Church!

Hope this helped you some
God Bless
Robin

Answer 5

I wish I had a Missal here, because it's pretty clear. There's something about "significant liturgical differences" that would prevent you from participating in Catholic communion. And what everyone else said about you needing to participate int he sacrament of reconciliation.

That being said, you are still nominally a catholic. Even had you been baptized Lutheran and not Catholic, the catholic church recognizes Lutheran Baptisms. Some people jokingly refer to Lutherans as "non-papist Catholics".

Answer 6

Technically, you CANNOT receive the Eucharist when you are visiting a Catholic Church. This is in the Canon Law of the Catholic Church.

For one, you've formally joined the Lutheran church, so that's your official exit from Catholicism. But even if you didn't join officially and were just going to the Lutheran church regularly, you couldn't receive the Eucharist unless you went to confession first, because you'd be in a state of mortal sin for not meeting your Mass obligation on Sundays and Holy Days for all this time.

Thirdly, if you don't believe in what the Catholic Church teaches and if you don't want to be Catholic, you ought to not receive the Eucharist just on principle. Why pretend to be in communion with the Church you don't agree with?

Answer 7

No you should not particpate in communion. To partake in communion when not in a state of grace can endanger ones soul. If you are no longer Catholic then you have not particpated in the sacraments (confession specifically) and you are therefore not in a state of grace. You should not partake in communion on those grounds. There is no shame in that. I am Catholic and I have had to skip communion on more than one occassion.

If you wish however, you can approach the priest with your arms crossed across your chest at communion time and recieve a blessing.

EDIT: Hogie "The official view of the Catholic church is that only Catholics can be saved. If you are no longer a Catholic, you are doomed and cannot participate in communion."

Sorry but you are way off base. Quote me one source that says that is the Catholic churches "official view".

Answer 8

Holy communion is open to all who accept transubstantiation and are in a state of Grace.

Missing mass is in itself a sin, so until you go to confession, you should not receive holy communion.

It does not sound like you were ever taught much about Catholicism, maybe you should give it another objective look now that you are an adult.

For some easy information, find EWTN (Catholic television) you might just be surprised how the things that made you leave make much more sense when explained.

Good Luck and Peace be with you!

And Hogie (above) you are wrong. it is NOT the official teachings of the Catholic Church that only Catholics can be saved. The Pope was grossly mis-quoted last month by the AP. you can go to www.Catholic.com to find out the truth.

Answer 9

No, you cannot receive Holy Communion in the Catholic Church. Receiving Holy Communion implies acceptance of all of the teachings of the Church and unity with Catholics throughout the world. Since you are not Catholic, you are not in union with the Church; thus, you cannot receive Holy Communion.

Answer 10

If you do not consider yourself Catholic, you should not receive the Eucharist. The Eucharist is not only the literal body and blood of Christ (receiving without believing this would be sacrilegious), but it is also the central symbol of Catholic unity, and the principle expression of that unity. To receive the Eucharist is to say "I am Catholic. I accept and embrace the teaching of the Holy Catholic Church". If you cannot say that in words, you should not indicate it by your actions either.