Now very shortly I will pour out My wrath upon thee, and I will accomplish My anger in thee: and I will judge thee according to thy ways, and I will lay upon thee all thy crimes.
We have been blessed in our parish with a priest that announces at every funeral, wedding, baptism and even at yesterday’s children’s Christmas program, that all who are not Catholic or have been separated from the Church for some time should not come forward to receive communion.
This makes your parish "blessed" ??? No wonder our Catholic Church is dying away. Let's call out NOT the people who are NOT here but are out somewhere else pursuing secular interests, let's call out some of the people who are here to pray with us and let's identify them as less than worthy of full Communion with us, unqualified to receive God's sanctifying grace, and actually in imminent jeopardy of eternal damnation. How can you not see how haughty, howpublican. And really Calvinistic such behavior is. Jesus tells us clearly which worshiper is justified in His eyes, the one who prays " Thank you , Lord, for not making me like that publican " or the publican who beats his breast praying " O Lord I am not worthy ". At your "blessed" parish, SO important to call out those publicans.
I had a non-Catholic friend ask why he couldn’t receive communion. As I struggled for an answer he said you can come to our church and get a cookie, we’ll let you get some juice you’re welcome to get a snack.
There, in that statement is the answer to his question. I believe in the Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church.
I also live in the Midwest and priests in this area always make these announcements when there are mixed attendees. In fact we had it last night at a Christmas Mass. As you point out this catechesis during Mass is helpful for everyone.
Our Holy Father emphasizes that the Eucharist is not a gift for the perfect but a medicine for the sick. This is not to excuse unworthy reception, bit to encourage a pastoral approach based on mercy.
Thanks for the thoughtful comment Thomas. I love this saying: medicine for the sick and not a gift for the perfect. Totally agree. To your point, it’s not for for the spiritually dead, however, which is what prompted me to write the article. A Merry Christmas to you and yours!
Thankfully in our church (ICKSP), the priest at funerals always says, ‘if you are a Catholic in a state of grace and would like to receive Holy communion, please note that in this church we only serve Holy communion on the tongue and would ask you to kneel to receive Our Lord unless you are unable to do so. If you are a Catholic in a state of sin or of no religion, you are still very welcome to come and kneel down with your hands across your chest to receive a blessing.’
Would that people would put a fraction of the amount of energy that they put into judging others and denying them the grace of the Sacraments into avoiding sin themselves and with heads bowed, not judgementally observing others, just beat their breasts and pray repeatedly " O Lord I, I, I, I am not worthy ". THAT is the man the Lord tells us went home justified
This has nothing to do with judging anyone. It’s to do with observing church doctrine and ensuring that to receive Jesus Christ we are in a state of grace. It is a sin to receive Our Lord in a state of mortal sin.
It has EVERYTHING to do with judging others. Why do you think we pray " Lord, I am not worthy" . . . right before we receive Eucharist ???? NONE of us is worthy, even if you made a perfect contrition Confession right before Mass you say that same prayer. When you concern yourself with others' worthiness you step right into the shoes of the haughty, bragging worshiper in Jesus parable who looks down on the publican, who is only concerned with his OWN unworthiness. It is that publican, says Our Lord, who goes home justified
No my point is only about observing true church doctrine. I know I am never worthy to receive Our Lord, no one is, but in His goodness He allows it however there are certain obligations upon me if I wish to receive Him, specifically that I have made a recent confession and am not in a state of mortal sin. I don’t know why you are approaching this from the angle of ‘judging’.
With respect I believe we should go a little deeper into our Eucharistic faith than just reciting the " conditions for reception " that have now become commonplace in church bulletins and announced dramatically at weddings and funerals, as if protecting Jesus from defilement by "unworthy" people receiving His Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity were our sacred duty as "good" Catholics. For example, as a Catholic Theology teacher for 50 years I would sincerely ask, what percentage of 7 year old communicants, or 8, 9, 10 year olds have the intellectual maturity to actually understand the Thomistic highly nuanced theology of the Real Presence, including the crucial Aristotelian distinction between accidents and substance. For that matter, how many MILLIONS of Catholics of limited education worldwide have that understanding capability ? What, to them, is the meaning of the word "Real" ? For that matter, what did " This is My Body " mean to the completely illiterate Apostles, who had heard Jesus speak in metaphors almost constantly for 3 years ( i.e.,inter magna alia " I am the good shepherd, I am the sheep gate, I am the alpha, The kingdom of heaven is like a . . . ). And, as a victim of rape by a Jesuit at age 11, though I know the doctrine of valid vs licit, I have to ask why we would ever believe that a priest with child defilement literally on his hands still makes the Lord present under bread appearances, yet a communicant who has not fasted before receiving or been to confession in more than a year, commits mortal sin ? I would welcome response from any and all sincere seekers of truth.
Ger I’m so sorry for you. I’m sure you are familiar with the heresy of Donatism, a movement that arose in North Africa during the early Christian Church. It was initiated by a group led by Bishop Donatus, who rejected the legitimacy of the ordination of Cecilian, the bishop of Carthage, claiming that he was unworthy due to his alleged betrayal during the persecution of Christians. The Donatists believed that the validity of the sacraments depended on the moral character of the minister administering them. Therefore, they held that sacraments performed by bishops or priests who were considered sinful or unworthy were invalid. St. Augustine played a crucial role in opposing Donatism. He argued that the validity of the sacraments does not depend on the moral state of the minister but rather on the grace of God. Augustine maintained that even if a minister is in a state of sin, the sacraments remain valid because they are acts of Christ and not merely of the individual minister. The Donatist controversy highlighted the Church's understanding of grace.
You should read oldest papal decretal we have, from Pope St Siricius. A priest who avoids his duty takes the punishment of them who he has failed onto himself and will share it with them, but there will be no camaraderie in hell to at least partially make up for the loss of heaven. Is there any charity in that? I doubt it.
Also, if one were to dispose oneself as you have recommended they would no longer be at odds with the Church, and both desire to be reconciled and probably not want to receive communion in that moment to be sure not to offend God, and thus your worry about not judging others wouldnt matter or apply to such a person. What worry ought I have that someone else may judge me, apart from a concern for them? I am surely guilty in some way, even if they have not expressed how I am guilty exactly correctly in their words or in their hearts. To avoid educating others about their disposition to receive communion out of a fear of being perceived as judging, or out of a fear of actually judging, is a rationalization for some reason (I cannot read hearts to know which reason and it nonetheless likely varies) to avoid one’s duty.
I don’t think this announcement is judgemental at all. It simply clarifies the conditions for receiving the Eucharist according to church doctrine, while leaving it still up to each individual to determine for himself whether he should receive or not. This seems to me to be simple charity, in cautioning those who should not receive so they are aware of the fact. Allowing people to receive in an unworthy manner due to their own ignorance is placing one’s own comfort above their spiritual (and possibly physical, if one takes St. Paul at his word) well-being. That isn’t charitable, but rather misguided at best, and selfish at worst.
Exactly Elizabeth. Before my conversion I would have received the Eucharist if at for example a family wedding or funeral unknowingly. I wish someone had told me in their charity at the time.
I'm kinda feeling like your reply is a bit judgmental on the author. We'd also have to rebuke Jesus and St. Paul and all the Apostles for being judgmental, not to mention the Fathers of the Church, who were relentless on this point.
Did the friend who asked the deacon whether there would be an announcement (and received the response that he expected Jesus to simply take care of it) write a letter afterwards to the pastor or to the bishop or perhaps both? That is the approach I would take if it was not my parish (if it was my parish, I would ask to schedule a meeting with the deacon and the pastor together, I guess). A person would have to pray for a supernatural degree of charity before writing the letter or speaking at the meeting, but God will give us help of that kind if we ask.
Thanks for the comment Bridget. I can't speak to what my friend did as a follow up measure, but I think what you suggested would have been the perfect way to proceed
Very good points, I think most concerning are the abuses by Catholics themselves. I received unworthily through most of my life until I took my faith seriously. I don’t think that the Church should ever discontinue offering the Eucharist at funeral or wedding services, as they would not be a Mass at all if we were to do so. Your point is valid though. Great post!
It would still be a mass, just only the priest (and possibly also the people getting married in the case of a wedding, or maybe also the servers in either case) would communicate. This is done when a priest can expect a lot of sacrilege if he were to distribute communion, particularly (or only? Idk) if not on a sunday or holy day of obligation.
You nailed the issue of human respect as a reason for priests’ timidity in protecting the Eucharist from profanation. So few priests are equipped by seminary or clerical culture to address this. Oftentimes it’s more their own priest peer group that they’re afraid of than the people. It is really the elephant in the room. Well done.
I am not a Catholic but I love Jesus. From a Biblical perspective, the post reads as sorrow wrapped in confusion. I am sorry your tradition and mechanisms are breaking down. It seems the whole world is suffering through nihilistic pain. I pray for Jesus to return.
Osis, I can feel the compassion in your comment and it is much appreciated. You correctly perceive the sorrow, though confused I do not feel. I am confident the Church will persevere, despite the fact that it is difficult to see Her in crisis. I wish you a joyful Christmas season!
While I can agree with many of the things you say in this article, it is not for me to judge whether a particular person is “ worthy” of the Eucharist. It is the Eucharist which makes us worthy; Pope Francis says it is powerful medicine for the spiritually weak. Do we need better catechesis on the Eucharist? Absolutely.
You’re absolutely right Karen. We can’t presume anybody is unworthy, i.e. not in a state of grace. That’s between them and our Lord. I’m simply pointing out the widespread poor catechesis on this subject. Thanks for taking the time to read!
Patrick when "Do thou as thou wilt" becomes the defacto "whole of the law" within the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church, one has to ponder how very close we are to Chapter 10, 11, 12 of Revelation. My take is that this is the clock ticking to midnight (and it's the minute hand, not hours, days, weeks, months nor years).
Mike, it is certainly bleak right now, though I like to remember that we were made for times such as these. Never a better time to be a saint. Merry Christmas brother!
You don’t mention evangelism. What about inviting people to come to faith? Seems to me that’s the first thing the church should think about, not whether or not people observe church traditions. The Muslims you mention are headed to hell without faith in Jesus, the Messiah. Shouldn’t they be told about that when they attend a Christian service? Serious question.
Sue, thanks for engaging with the article. Yes, we absolutely have to evangelize. Totally agree with you there. It is important to remember, however, that the Mass is primarily a Sacrifice - this is the Mass's primary end and not evangelization. Cheers!
We have been blessed in our parish with a priest that announces at every funeral, wedding, baptism and even at yesterday’s children’s Christmas program, that all who are not Catholic or have been separated from the Church for some time should not come forward to receive communion.
Praise God for courageous priests. Merry Christmas to you Jeff
This makes your parish "blessed" ??? No wonder our Catholic Church is dying away. Let's call out NOT the people who are NOT here but are out somewhere else pursuing secular interests, let's call out some of the people who are here to pray with us and let's identify them as less than worthy of full Communion with us, unqualified to receive God's sanctifying grace, and actually in imminent jeopardy of eternal damnation. How can you not see how haughty, howpublican. And really Calvinistic such behavior is. Jesus tells us clearly which worshiper is justified in His eyes, the one who prays " Thank you , Lord, for not making me like that publican " or the publican who beats his breast praying " O Lord I am not worthy ". At your "blessed" parish, SO important to call out those publicans.
I had a non-Catholic friend ask why he couldn’t receive communion. As I struggled for an answer he said you can come to our church and get a cookie, we’ll let you get some juice you’re welcome to get a snack.
There, in that statement is the answer to his question. I believe in the Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church.
I also live in the Midwest and priests in this area always make these announcements when there are mixed attendees. In fact we had it last night at a Christmas Mass. As you point out this catechesis during Mass is helpful for everyone.
Our Holy Father emphasizes that the Eucharist is not a gift for the perfect but a medicine for the sick. This is not to excuse unworthy reception, bit to encourage a pastoral approach based on mercy.
Thanks for the thoughtful comment Thomas. I love this saying: medicine for the sick and not a gift for the perfect. Totally agree. To your point, it’s not for for the spiritually dead, however, which is what prompted me to write the article. A Merry Christmas to you and yours!
Thankfully in our church (ICKSP), the priest at funerals always says, ‘if you are a Catholic in a state of grace and would like to receive Holy communion, please note that in this church we only serve Holy communion on the tongue and would ask you to kneel to receive Our Lord unless you are unable to do so. If you are a Catholic in a state of sin or of no religion, you are still very welcome to come and kneel down with your hands across your chest to receive a blessing.’
Would that people would put a fraction of the amount of energy that they put into judging others and denying them the grace of the Sacraments into avoiding sin themselves and with heads bowed, not judgementally observing others, just beat their breasts and pray repeatedly " O Lord I, I, I, I am not worthy ". THAT is the man the Lord tells us went home justified
This has nothing to do with judging anyone. It’s to do with observing church doctrine and ensuring that to receive Jesus Christ we are in a state of grace. It is a sin to receive Our Lord in a state of mortal sin.
It has EVERYTHING to do with judging others. Why do you think we pray " Lord, I am not worthy" . . . right before we receive Eucharist ???? NONE of us is worthy, even if you made a perfect contrition Confession right before Mass you say that same prayer. When you concern yourself with others' worthiness you step right into the shoes of the haughty, bragging worshiper in Jesus parable who looks down on the publican, who is only concerned with his OWN unworthiness. It is that publican, says Our Lord, who goes home justified
No my point is only about observing true church doctrine. I know I am never worthy to receive Our Lord, no one is, but in His goodness He allows it however there are certain obligations upon me if I wish to receive Him, specifically that I have made a recent confession and am not in a state of mortal sin. I don’t know why you are approaching this from the angle of ‘judging’.
With respect I believe we should go a little deeper into our Eucharistic faith than just reciting the " conditions for reception " that have now become commonplace in church bulletins and announced dramatically at weddings and funerals, as if protecting Jesus from defilement by "unworthy" people receiving His Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity were our sacred duty as "good" Catholics. For example, as a Catholic Theology teacher for 50 years I would sincerely ask, what percentage of 7 year old communicants, or 8, 9, 10 year olds have the intellectual maturity to actually understand the Thomistic highly nuanced theology of the Real Presence, including the crucial Aristotelian distinction between accidents and substance. For that matter, how many MILLIONS of Catholics of limited education worldwide have that understanding capability ? What, to them, is the meaning of the word "Real" ? For that matter, what did " This is My Body " mean to the completely illiterate Apostles, who had heard Jesus speak in metaphors almost constantly for 3 years ( i.e.,inter magna alia " I am the good shepherd, I am the sheep gate, I am the alpha, The kingdom of heaven is like a . . . ). And, as a victim of rape by a Jesuit at age 11, though I know the doctrine of valid vs licit, I have to ask why we would ever believe that a priest with child defilement literally on his hands still makes the Lord present under bread appearances, yet a communicant who has not fasted before receiving or been to confession in more than a year, commits mortal sin ? I would welcome response from any and all sincere seekers of truth.
Ger I’m so sorry for you. I’m sure you are familiar with the heresy of Donatism, a movement that arose in North Africa during the early Christian Church. It was initiated by a group led by Bishop Donatus, who rejected the legitimacy of the ordination of Cecilian, the bishop of Carthage, claiming that he was unworthy due to his alleged betrayal during the persecution of Christians. The Donatists believed that the validity of the sacraments depended on the moral character of the minister administering them. Therefore, they held that sacraments performed by bishops or priests who were considered sinful or unworthy were invalid. St. Augustine played a crucial role in opposing Donatism. He argued that the validity of the sacraments does not depend on the moral state of the minister but rather on the grace of God. Augustine maintained that even if a minister is in a state of sin, the sacraments remain valid because they are acts of Christ and not merely of the individual minister. The Donatist controversy highlighted the Church's understanding of grace.
You should read oldest papal decretal we have, from Pope St Siricius. A priest who avoids his duty takes the punishment of them who he has failed onto himself and will share it with them, but there will be no camaraderie in hell to at least partially make up for the loss of heaven. Is there any charity in that? I doubt it.
Also, if one were to dispose oneself as you have recommended they would no longer be at odds with the Church, and both desire to be reconciled and probably not want to receive communion in that moment to be sure not to offend God, and thus your worry about not judging others wouldnt matter or apply to such a person. What worry ought I have that someone else may judge me, apart from a concern for them? I am surely guilty in some way, even if they have not expressed how I am guilty exactly correctly in their words or in their hearts. To avoid educating others about their disposition to receive communion out of a fear of being perceived as judging, or out of a fear of actually judging, is a rationalization for some reason (I cannot read hearts to know which reason and it nonetheless likely varies) to avoid one’s duty.
I don’t think this announcement is judgemental at all. It simply clarifies the conditions for receiving the Eucharist according to church doctrine, while leaving it still up to each individual to determine for himself whether he should receive or not. This seems to me to be simple charity, in cautioning those who should not receive so they are aware of the fact. Allowing people to receive in an unworthy manner due to their own ignorance is placing one’s own comfort above their spiritual (and possibly physical, if one takes St. Paul at his word) well-being. That isn’t charitable, but rather misguided at best, and selfish at worst.
Exactly Elizabeth. Before my conversion I would have received the Eucharist if at for example a family wedding or funeral unknowingly. I wish someone had told me in their charity at the time.
I'm kinda feeling like your reply is a bit judgmental on the author. We'd also have to rebuke Jesus and St. Paul and all the Apostles for being judgmental, not to mention the Fathers of the Church, who were relentless on this point.
Did the friend who asked the deacon whether there would be an announcement (and received the response that he expected Jesus to simply take care of it) write a letter afterwards to the pastor or to the bishop or perhaps both? That is the approach I would take if it was not my parish (if it was my parish, I would ask to schedule a meeting with the deacon and the pastor together, I guess). A person would have to pray for a supernatural degree of charity before writing the letter or speaking at the meeting, but God will give us help of that kind if we ask.
Thanks for the comment Bridget. I can't speak to what my friend did as a follow up measure, but I think what you suggested would have been the perfect way to proceed
Very good points, I think most concerning are the abuses by Catholics themselves. I received unworthily through most of my life until I took my faith seriously. I don’t think that the Church should ever discontinue offering the Eucharist at funeral or wedding services, as they would not be a Mass at all if we were to do so. Your point is valid though. Great post!
It would still be a mass, just only the priest (and possibly also the people getting married in the case of a wedding, or maybe also the servers in either case) would communicate. This is done when a priest can expect a lot of sacrilege if he were to distribute communion, particularly (or only? Idk) if not on a sunday or holy day of obligation.
You nailed the issue of human respect as a reason for priests’ timidity in protecting the Eucharist from profanation. So few priests are equipped by seminary or clerical culture to address this. Oftentimes it’s more their own priest peer group that they’re afraid of than the people. It is really the elephant in the room. Well done.
I am not a Catholic but I love Jesus. From a Biblical perspective, the post reads as sorrow wrapped in confusion. I am sorry your tradition and mechanisms are breaking down. It seems the whole world is suffering through nihilistic pain. I pray for Jesus to return.
Osis, I can feel the compassion in your comment and it is much appreciated. You correctly perceive the sorrow, though confused I do not feel. I am confident the Church will persevere, despite the fact that it is difficult to see Her in crisis. I wish you a joyful Christmas season!
Great post.
We can blame the Vatican modernists for the faithful’s lack of catechism. It’s been going on for over 50 years.
While I can agree with many of the things you say in this article, it is not for me to judge whether a particular person is “ worthy” of the Eucharist. It is the Eucharist which makes us worthy; Pope Francis says it is powerful medicine for the spiritually weak. Do we need better catechesis on the Eucharist? Absolutely.
You’re absolutely right Karen. We can’t presume anybody is unworthy, i.e. not in a state of grace. That’s between them and our Lord. I’m simply pointing out the widespread poor catechesis on this subject. Thanks for taking the time to read!
REPORT THIS SACRILEGE TO YOUR BISHOP 😭😭😭😭😭
Patrick when "Do thou as thou wilt" becomes the defacto "whole of the law" within the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church, one has to ponder how very close we are to Chapter 10, 11, 12 of Revelation. My take is that this is the clock ticking to midnight (and it's the minute hand, not hours, days, weeks, months nor years).
Seventh Trumpet?
Mike, it is certainly bleak right now, though I like to remember that we were made for times such as these. Never a better time to be a saint. Merry Christmas brother!
Many devout Christians believe in spiritual, real presence…but not transubstantiation.
You don’t mention evangelism. What about inviting people to come to faith? Seems to me that’s the first thing the church should think about, not whether or not people observe church traditions. The Muslims you mention are headed to hell without faith in Jesus, the Messiah. Shouldn’t they be told about that when they attend a Christian service? Serious question.
Sue, thanks for engaging with the article. Yes, we absolutely have to evangelize. Totally agree with you there. It is important to remember, however, that the Mass is primarily a Sacrifice - this is the Mass's primary end and not evangelization. Cheers!