If audacious journalists or non-Catholics in general deign to approach the altar at mass and receive the Eucharist for the sole purpose of saying "I can do as I please" or to make the statement "Jesus is bigger than your church" then fine, there is no moral police present who are going to screen you or deny you your decision (with rare exception). But that has nothing to do with whatever arguments many want to challenge the magestirium in Rome for passing strict liturgical rules or abiding by Canon law.

You have done nothing to make a case against it being reserved for law abiding and mass attending Catholics only. (and so the author here agrees as well)

People and scholars and leaders of other faiths can attack the Catholic Church all they want because they deem us in error or in bed with the devil or for being bigoted, etc. Fine again. But to be indignant because Rome does not acquiesce and change their ways for your reasons is brazen.

Too lazy to look it up, but St. Paul in one of his epistles makes clear that to receive the body and blood of Christ in a state of serious sin or for whimsical or contemptible reasons is a most egregious act. Not only will the soul receive no divine benefits from consuming the host, it will invariably make them ill, either physically, or more often spiritually.

Protestants are good people --- even JWs, Mormons, and pagans. But as far as I am concerned they still have to go through some real apologetic gymnastics to try to get around the real presence of Christ in the bread and wine once consecrated by a priest at the mass. The real presence was there at the Last Supper, and it was clearly put forth by Jesus in John Chapter 6. Given that premise, treating it lightly (as many, if not most, church going Catholics do) is a sacrilege and very consequential.

And I will not bore the skeptics with numerous Eurcharistic miracles because I am slowly coming to realize that these miracles and manifestations are meant for the faithful, not the unbeliever.

meh.

Based on the 30 or so Catholics I know the vast majority are phonies; By phonies I mean that their behavior and values are NOT in line with the dogma of the RCC.

In fact most of them don't even know the dogma of the RCC. As an agnostic I often have to tell them what the current views of the RCC are (the Internet is a great tool) and what the Pope has said \ didn't say. Again, most are clueless.

For example, I know a guy that is divorced (with RCC blessing), and has a girlfriend that he has sex with very often, and they use birth control.

He was a little too honest with the Priest at his local church and he was told he shouldn't take communion. Well, now he goes to another church and keeps his mouth shut!

Dem polls like Pelosi are the biggest phonies on earth. So tell these fellow so called Catholic to stay out of the church and stop taking communion.

Of course that would mean less money for the RCC to pay off all those people their priest molested. Oh well!

And I will not bore the skeptics with numerous Eurcharistic miracles because I am slowly coming to realize that these miracles and manifestations are meant for the faithful, not the unbeliever.

I agree. It seems that many of the joys and delights of GOD are meant only for those who follow HIM.

1Co 2:14 But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.

Au contraire,

Others may also participate.

Yes, we do. I have seen the land beyond the Gate; I have heard the waves against the Ring of Meekachelly; tasted the salt upon the winds blowing over the Tiazia Ocean and with these eyes have seen the star ships glide with bejeweled lights against the sunset toward the city of Gale Harbor so far away. And it was good, what I saw in the Gate; verily, it was good. Peace.

Written by Paul to the church in Corinth.

"Therefore, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord."

Scripture is very clear on the matter of the bread being the body and the wine the blood of Christ, and they exist as such in the heart of the believer.

I think it is the same for the Baptist as the Catholic, or it should be.

I have seen people turn down Communion because their heart was not in the proper place. Perhaps I should have turned away from the cup and bread at times past. As I have grown in understanding, I have learned to examine myself before taking the sacrament He said was so important.

good post, JV

And I will not bore the skeptics with numerous Eurcharistic miracles because I am slowly coming to realize that these miracles and manifestations are meant for the faithful, not the unbeliever.

*nod*.

:-)

My father was a devout catholic all his life and for about 15 years he never received communion because he did not feel worthy. There is nobody forcing you to take comunion if you are in a catholic church and no-one will look at you funny if you stay sitting down. He would have been deeply insulted by this 'review' of communion.

I say this as someone who does not necessarily believe what my father did and certainly not as deeply but I do understand how a lot of catholics are insulted by this.

Hello? So your friend told his priest about his behavior, and the priest told him NOT to take communion (until he repented of his behavior, although you didn't say that part, it would have been part of it), and your friend moved to a different parish and is living a lie.

How exactly is this the church's fault? If anything it shows the seriousness of the Eucharist and "taking communion" in the church. It's your friend with the problem, he's unwilling to stop his behaviors, and unwilling to stop taking communion.

It baffles me how you think this is the church's fault and not his.