Clinton receiving Communion

greenspun.com : LUSENET : Catholic Pages Forum : One Thread

Someone sent me an email with the question below. What do you think?

>Please cite the chapter and verse of the Bible in which Jesus said that >only a member of the Roman Catholic Church may take Communion. >I beleive that jesus was the Son of God and died fir our sins but I do >not beleive that relious elitism has a place in the worship Cardinal O'Connor >should be rejoicing that the President of the United States takes >Communion in any Church. Relious elitism is the cause of strife in Ireland >and the Middle East.

-- Anonymous, April 08, 1998

Answers

I personally think the guys whole question is off-based. I think he should first show in the bible where it says the bible says it is the final authority on such matters and not the Church. Unless he can prove that, the whole question is a red herring.

But back to the his question ... where does Jesus say that only particular people may receive it (I guess the guy has a red letter bible) ... Jesus doesn't explicitly say this. Paul does write the following about unworthy reception:

1 Corinthians 11: 27-30 "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. That is why many of you are weak and ill, and some have died."

So Paul is saying that it can be dangerous to receive the Eucharist in an unworthy manner. This is one reason the Church will not allow (even Catholics) who are in a sinful state to receive it ... for the persons protection and so that the body will not be profained.

Here what an early Church father (Justin the Martyr) said:

"We call this food Eucharist, and no one else is permitted to partake of it, except one who believes our teaching to be true and who has been washed in the washing which is for the remission of sins and for regeneration [i.e., has received baptism] and is thereby living as Christ enjoined. For not as common bread nor common drink do we receive these; but since Jesus Christ our Savior was made incarnate by the word of God and had both flesh and blood for our salvation, so too, as we have been taught, the food which has been made into the Eucharist by the Eucharistic prayer set down by him, and by the change of which our blood and flesh is nurtured, is both the flesh and the blood of that incarnated Jesus" (First Apology 66 [A.D. 151]).

Here you have the unity of beliefs addressed and the apostloic teaching that had been handed down (oral Tradition).

Holy Communion as a Symbol of Unity

-- Anonymous, April 09, 1998


The Catholic Church's view on this matter is clear. Ref. to news report at Web address: ___________ http://www.cwnews.com/news/viewrec.cfm?RefNum=7317

-- Anonymous, April 25, 1998

I perhaps am in the wrong discussion here as a "non-catholic" but am compelled to reply.

As I am sure you know Christ commited all the keys of the kingdom to Peter and the apostles. Whatever they bound on earth is bound in heaven and whatever losed on earth is losed in heavan.

If you are Catholic then I assume you believe in the magesterial teaching authority of the Church.These are the keys confered upon Peter and the Apostles. So even if there were no scripture it would not matter. Sola Scriptura is not a sound doctrine.

However I would like to leave you with this

"Wherefore whosoever shall eat this bread and drink this cup unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord" I Cor 11;27

"For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lords Body" I Cor 11;29

I hope I have made no offence. I'm quite aware as a Mormon Elder Im in someone elses camp here but could not resist responce. I hope this may help the brother question. I was quite dumb struck when Clinton took the Sacrement.

QUESTION FROM A MORMON???

Can a Catholic Priest withold the sacrement from one he absolutely knows to be unworthy?

-- Anonymous, June 28, 1998


Yes he could, however most follow the norm of giving communion if approached in public and then talking with that person in private.

-- Anonymous, June 28, 1998

Moderation questions? read the FAQ