Yes, how weird to treat the most precious gift in the world as something precious.

It is not God that needs protection, but our ability to separate the sacred.

When we lose that ability, we lose our access to the sacred.

Yes, how weird to treat the most precious gift in the world as something precious.

I recall a year or so ago hearing about some cutesy minister giving communion to a dog to make it feel included. I don’t think anyone thought that God was thereby “injured,” but I do believe that such an action reveals a shocking lack of reverence, piety, and love that we should have towards Our Lord whose death on the cross for our sins was the cost of this gift of his Body.

Avoiding the desecration of the Blessed Sacrament is an act of love towards God, but also towards those who love God.

There is one verse in the Bible that warns people that taking the Eucharist inappropriately could be a bad thing.
– Crowhill

Nobody’s really sure what constitutes receiving inappropriately, and the evidence that the bad things that happened in Paul’s time still happen now is somewhere between slim and none — trending strongly towards none.
– Crowhill

The Real Presence is the same now as it was in the beginning. If it was a serious matter to receive unworthily then, it is now. Our perception of whether or not the consequences of receiving unworthily are the same is not really the point. I suspect there are still negative consequences to receiving unworthily.

Actually, some non-Catholics can, under certain circumstances (canon 844 § 4). I am not a Canon lawyer, but I would read that canon as saying that these are (generally) the non-Catholics whom we also happen to admit to our communion, if they request it: Orthodox, Assyrian Church of the East, and the Polish National Catholic Churches. Possibly, a Protestant could, but the canon requires the Catholic faith with respect to this sacrament, and I doubt many Protestants hold to that.

Very true.

And not just incidentally, when you happen to be around, but all the time.

I think I recall a priest saying that from time to time a non-Catholic would show up and confess their sins, and instead of saying the usual words of absolution he’d say something like – God has heard your plea for forgiveness, and no sin is too great for his mercy. Or something like that. But I don’t think that it “counted” as a sacrament, did it?

Of course, a priest won’t say to Joe McPew, “Joe, I haven’t seen you at confession for quite a while, you missed Mass all last August, and the grapevine tells me you’ve been hanging around a young lady who isn’t your wife. Sorry, no Jesus bread for you!” Likewise, if a Protestant approaches, the priest probably won’t know, most Catholics probably won’t notice, and many who do won’t care. Those who do notice will likely say something quietly, rather than make a scene.

That said, unless you’re willing to go to a Catholic priest and make a confession of your sins, which is what we’re supposed to do, and with good reason (someone else already cited St. Paul, though with different intent, I suppose), complaints that you feel excluded aren’t well-founded. If you want to feel included, then get busy including yourself in the fullness of faith!

I did not understand that Peter Leithart’s (sp?) point to be about this kind of neighborliness though – I thought he was saying that it’s simply wrong theology for a Church to have any restrictions on who should receive communion. So even if he didn’t know anyone at the Church, he should be able to walk in and go to communion as his right as a Christian.

But as a Catholic, it would make me feel like I was lying if I lined up and went to communion or the Lord’s Supper ceremony at some other Church. I’d rather have the momentary discomfort of skipping reception than the lingering doubt about what it was I just said “Amen” to. (assuming they say Amen – I really don’t even know the logistics of how it works).

Would you want to go to an Anglican church if your mom wasn’t there and go to communion?