Why can't I receive communion at a Catholic Church?

Question

I just asked a question about what I needed to know about going to a catholic service, and by overwhelming reply, I was told I cannot receive there Holy Communion. This bothers me. Why can I not receive the blood and flesh of MY savior... the same savior for all of us... not souly the catholics savior. Am I not fit to worship the same God? It just bothers me that I cannot partake in the event when we all are praising the same God (as far as I know). To me this isn't very Christian...but I suppose Catholics aren't really Chrisitans any way... they are Catholics, ha. I can assure all you Catholics, if you come to ANY Protestant service you can recieve HOLY communion, even if you are not baptised in that denomination or any denomination. If you want to recieve Christ in you heart physically, you should be able to...and from what I understand... Catholics don't believe so.

I am not trying to stir up a fight... but this really was layed on my heart to ask.

It is not that I just want to have the communion, but be aloud to...it is more the principle of the fact. THe "what they dont know wont hurt them answers" are not going to cut it for me"

I by no means hate Catholics, I would not be intereseted in attended a Catholic Church if I hated them. It just, as I have said, bothers me that one cannot recieve Communion of My Savior, he is both mine and your savior, is he not, so I should be able to recieve his blood and body into mine.

Answer 1

Catholics will be Catholics

Answer 2

The reasons for this have been explained to you rather well.

I am a convert to the Catholic faith from an evangelical/ fundamentalist denomination. As such, I'm well aware that participating in the "Lord's supper" or communion observance is not even close to the high point of the worship service; in fact, many do not observe it every Sunday but only monthly or even quarterly. You and I both know that communion is considered a symbolic remembrance -- like baptism, it is done because the Lord said to do so, but is carefully held apart from having any greater significance.

Even in the Protestant denominations which do observe a weekly communion, it is still a remembrance -- prayerful, yes, but the elements remain bread and wine (or grape juice).

Forgive me, but your petulant objection to being excluded from the Catholic sacrament of Holy Communion has a bit of a false ring to it, seeing that it does not have anything close to the same meaning to non-Catholics. If it were just a matter of symbolically breaking bread together, then we'd all be passing around the little cups of grape juice. However, if you do in fact believe that in receiving the consecrated Host we are receiving the body and blood of Christ, then you should investigate conversion.

It is also untrue that Catholics don't believe they can receive Christ into their hearts apart from Holy Communion. Many are unable to receive the Eucharist for one reason or another, and in such cases we are encouraged to make a spiritual communion with the Lord in prayer. We can do this at any time, not just during Mass.

Your comment about Catholics not being Christian is a gratuitous toss-out, and says much about the actual intent of your question. Objecting to being excluded from Holy Communion from a church that you don't consider to be Christian is a bit contradictory, don't you think?

Answer 3

Catholics would possibly handiest acquire Communion within the Orthodox Church with earlier permission from the priest. As a rule such a lot Orthodox clergymen is not going to oblige you. Reception of the communion in a non Catholic church implys that you simply take delivery of their ideals. If you have got performed this already you'll have to endure the Sacrament of Reconciliation earlier than receiving the Eucharist once more.

Answer 4

The request of non-Catholics to not recieve Holy Communion is about respecting the Blessed Sacrament and respecting yourself; it has nothing to do with you personally.

Catholics believe in the real presence of Jesus Christ in the Eucharist. For this reason, non-Catholics are asked not to recieve it; even practicing Catholics not in good standing with the Church (mortal sin) cannot recieve communion.

FYI (no offense), Catholics cannot and WILL not recieve communion at non-Catholics churches. This is because the sacrament is not valid there. The reason for this is that Jesus gave special power and authority to the apostles for the sacraments. That power has been passed down through the ages through the Church's sacred Tradition and authority.

Protestants removed themselves from that authority 500 years ago when they left the Church, which therefore means they do not have the power to consecrate the Host, which means their sacrament is invalid. You may not like reading this but it is the truth. This is why Catholics cannot recieve communion at non-Catholic churches.

God bless.

Answer 5

I'm surprised this bothers you. Many Protestant churches require one to be a member, and to be in good standing, prior to celebration of the Eucharist. Perhaps not all; Baptists and other low-church Protestants might not care as much. Presbyterian churches, such as the OPC branch, regularly excommunicate members considered in an impious and sinful state, and that excommunication also involves denial of communion. The Catholic Church doesn't hold to anything unique in that regard, it simply follows the tradition descending to the very earliest Christian Church whereby only real Christians could partake of the body and blood of Christ. Since, technically, the Catholic Church does not consider Protestantism a real Christian church (or a church at all), it cannot celebrate the Eucharist with Catholics. Eastern Orthodox people can celebrate it, as far as I know, as long as they hold to the beliefs of the Catholic Church (as they are considered still part of Christendom and their sacraments are still considered valid).

Answer 6

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.

For more information, see the Catechism of the Catholic Church, sections 1322 and following: http://www.usccb.org/catechism/text/pt2sect2chpt1art3.htm

With love in Christ.

Answer 7

You obviously have a hate on for Catholics even though you say you don't want to fight, but I will try to explain it anyway.

Where the protestant religions believe that the bread and wine are "symbolic" of the body and blood of Christ, the Catholic church believes that it is literally the body and blood of Christ.
To recieve the body and blood of Christ while not in a state of grace is harmful to one's soul and therefore cannot be recieved unless you are first Catholic and second, you must have partipated in the sacrament of reconciliation (confession). (The reason you need to be Catholic is because you have to believe that you are truly recieveing the "literal" body and blood of Christ).
It is out of protection not hatred that the church denies the Eucharist.

Answer 8

If you really believe that it is the blood and flesh of your Savior, you should talk to the priest in your local parish about becoming a Catholic. All you are getting in the protestant church is grape juice and bread.

God bless you on your journey.

Answer 9

Technically the Catholic church only allows communion to those that belong to the church and that have been to confession prior to it. However many priests follow a "don't ask, don't tell" policy. I personally have never seen anyone turned away from communion in any church.

Answer 10

1 Corinthians 11:27-28 says, "Wherefore whosoever shall eat this bread, and drink this cup of the Lord, unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup."

Notice the Bible says that each person is to EXAMINE HIMSELF. Instead the Catholic church, and a few others, have taken this upon them to examine others, and they forbid communion to those they believe are not worthy to partake.

Actually, no one is worthy to partake of the communion! We have all sinned! (Romans 3:23) If you look at these verses closely, we are to examine ourselves to make sure we can partake of it in a worthy manner. "Whosoever shall eat... and drink... unworthily..."

There is, however, no scriptural basis for a "closed communion".

Answer 11

I can't understand why you would want to go to a catholic church to partake in communion if you are a protestent. Maybe you are trying to stir them up, good on you.