Yvonne
Graham
wrote:
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Hi, guys —
I was a convert to the Catholic Church over 40 years ago,
when I was 20, and although I never truly believed in Transubstantiation,
I did try to and constantly prayed about it. Because
I thought it was really between me and God, I figured it
was fine to go to Communion each week.
Over the last several years, I have had time to study
the Church laws and read a great deal of God's Word, and
after a lot of prayer, I felt it was not right for me to
continue to receive Communion in the Catholic Church. I
had also been a Eucharistic Minister which, of course,
I gave up as well. I continue to go to Mass each Sunday
with my husband, and sometimes with my adult children.
My husband and my friends think I am wrong to not go to
Communion, but according to the Catechism, I am committing
a grave sin if I do. I have read the laws of the Church
and if I do not believe that the bread and wine are indeed
changed into the flesh and blood of Jesus, then I am
anathema, and therefore excommunicated.
- Am I correct in deciding not receiving Communion
and that I am excommunicated because of my doubts about the Eucharist?
One priest has told me this is so, and that I shouldn't
receive Holy Communion any more, although another priest
has said it is between me and God and I should continue to receive
Holy Communion.
- Could you please tell me what is the truth in this situation?
Thank you and God bless you,
Yvonne Graham
Berowra Heights. Australia
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{
If
I have doubts about the Eucharist should I receive
Holy Communion and am I excommunicated? }
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Mary
Ann replied:
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Dear Yvonne,
I fear your are torturing yourself needlessly, though
I admire your sincerity and your desire to do the
right thing. Believing doesn't mean you understand,
or know how, or know. The knowledge that we call
faith is simply a an acceptance of God's Word.
It means you accept the Word of Christ about the
presence of His Body and His Blood, you accept the
Word of Christ in the Scriptures, and through the constant
teaching from the Apostles. Don't worry about the
how.
- By the way, all
of the other things you say are based on accepting
God's Word in some way so, why accept it on the
other things, and not this issue?
I think
you do accept it, but are confusing lack
of belief with some sort of lack
of certainty that is based
on something other than faith (perhaps seeking a
sense-certainty, an emotional certainty, or a scientific
certainty).
The scientific properties of the bread and wine remain
and they keep on impressing us with their reality
through our senses. No matter how deep you go with
the senses, the physics and chemistry of the forms
remain the physics and chemistry of bread and wine.
Yet the what-it-is has changed. Christ Himself takes
possession of the qualities of the bread and wine.
Sometimes God works a miracle and allows the physics
and chemistry of His flesh and blood to manifest,
but He wants to be present to us in the way of bread
and wine.
As for doubts, anyone can have doubts. As the
hymn says, your eyes, your taste, your touch, and
your smell are all to be doubted when it comes to
the Eucharist
(and they do prompt doubts!) —
but it is the ear
that is to be trusted, the ear that hears the Word
of God.
Finally, don't worry about excommunication: as for
being anathema or excommunicated if you don't believe
something, that applies to people who rejected a
belief and substituted their own belief for the Word
of Christ, not for someone
who sincerely has doubts.
Mary Ann
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Yvonne
replied:
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Dear Mary Ann,
Thank you for your reply and advice.
Your words
were very kind and gentle, thank you for your time.
God bless you,
Yvonne
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