Roman Catholicism says the Blessed Eucharist or the Mass
is an act of worship wherein the bread and wine are turned
by the priest, who uses the power of God, into the body and blood of Jesus Christ
who is true God and true man.
The Christians forbid
notorious sinners to come to the Lord’s Table for Holy Communion. People who live together in a state of
adultery or fornication are barred. Heretics who are not ashamed to let the world know what they are,
are not wanted either.
The Catholic Church tells
such people that they must not come to communion. People have been turned away from the altar for selling
contraceptives and for campaigning for abortion. Most priests will give communion and meet
with persons later to tell them to stay in their seats from now on. Many will bluntly refuse to give communion
and make a scene.
The Church is clear that
when it won’t make a scene that scandalises the people that communion must not
be given to people with whom she finds major faults.
This is a very judgmental
attitude. Some people who live in a
state of “sin” cannot be guilty of serious sin for they are too weak to
stop. The Church is wrong to judge
them. The unfairness of the whole thing
is more than plain when it is seen that the Church teaches that it is wrong to
judge. To do it herself is to sanction
hypocrisy and hypocrisy is a very nasty insult against people who do judge and
those who need to do it but are told not to.
The priest who obeys the
It is evil to tell anyone,
“You can’t receive our Lord so go away.”
According to Catholic and Christian doctrine: “To consume Holy Communion in a state of grave sin is a sacrilege and another grave sin. It is receiving Jesus into a pit of abominations.” Hence, if a priest knows that a person is a grave sinner and gives them communion he is desecrating the body of Jesus. He is being a partner in the crime of sacrilege.
Some Catholics argue that though the priest does not know all the circumstances and judges nobody, there is a probability that, say, a cohabiting homosexual, is in a state of grave sin which means he can’t give communion just in case.
Some may say we must assume the best to be on the safe side. We must assume the person is holy despite outward appearances. They would see the ban on the homosexual as based on cynicism. But in certain cases the priest will have a good idea of what is going on. If he sees two gays having sex and then coming up for communion he can refuse. Also, if we assume people are always good where do we draw the line? Do we pretend that the murderer is really a good person but was just misguided?
The Church says it can ban divorcees and homosexuals from communion not
necessarily because it judges them but because it judges their lifestyle as
unchristian and wants them to think about what they are doing and fix it and
not give example to others to live the same way. You can judge a person as doing wrong without
accusing that person of sin for the person could be mistaken. If people cannot accept this treatment then
it is clear that they don’t care if they are right or wrong and/or want the
Church to change what it believes just for them. But many beliefs cannot be changed without
the Church ceasing to be the Church.
But suppose it is right to
keep the body of Christ away from some people.
Are the reasons the Church gives for not doing this all the time valid?
If the Church gives
communion to people she disapproves of would she be giving the message that she
approves? Would it be making others feel
better about sinning seriously or that this or that is not a serous sin at
all? It would be but it is up to the
Church to instruct them properly. She
has no right to argue that she must refuse communion in case it leads people
astray.
The priests cannot argue
that they have to give communion in case the congregation are upset and
alienated if they don’t. The Christian
is supposed to do right regardless of how others feel so the reaction of the congregation
is irrelevant.
Perhaps it is wrong to
refuse a sinner for it will hurt them and make them despise the Church. The sinner should not be resentful for they
deserve it. The sinner should not have
approached the altar. God can prevent
the pain and the hatred and if they happen it is the
sinner’s fault or God’s will that they feel this way.
There is no excuse for
sending anybody who is in a grave state of sin away from the altar without
communion if it is ever right at all.
The Holy Spirit if good is not inspiring the
The Bible directs that
sinners are not allowed to take communion and that those who do, eat and drink
condemnation to themselves for they are profaning the Lord’s body and blood (1
Corinthians 11). It does God no harm to
let them eat him. If you take the
sacrament of confirmation in a state of serious sin it will not affect you and
the grace it gives will not be conferred until you repent. It should be the same with the
Eucharist. To bar anybody from communion
is wrong. The Catholic Church has no
right to call itself Catholic and the true Catholic Church for it is not
catholic, that is universal, that is for all people.
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http://www.geocities.com/christian_apologist2001/
BIBLE QUOTATIONS FROM:
The Amplified Bible
Friday, 07 December 2007