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Kathleen
Francek
wrote:
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Hi, guys —
I have been a practicing Catholic most of
my life. My husband, however, has only recently
began re-attending Mass and receiving the
sacraments regularly; the first time since
his childhood.
He enjoys going to Mass and Holy Communion,
but there's a few beliefs that he holds that I'm concerned about:
- He rejects the teaching that the Eucharist
is changed into Christ's body (he believes
that it is only a 'symbol' of
Christ.)
- He believes that artificial contraceptives
are okay to use (we have been having
some issues lately because I believe that
it is absolutely not okay to use them,
so
I refuse to do so).
- Overall, he holds a philosophy that all
religious teaching is open to interpretation,
and that there are no absolutes in
life. That everyone should be free to believe
what they want and to reject what they
do not believe.
- Can he receive Holy Communion while
holding these beliefs?
- If he shouldn't, am I obligated
to tell him that?
I've tried to discuss these matters with him
but he gets pretty defensive about it. I'm afraid
that if I really push these issues, he might stop
going to Mass and I would hate to see that happen.
Kathleen
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{
Can
he receive Holy Communion while holding these
beliefs and am I obligated
to tell him? }
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Mike
replied:
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Hi, Kathleen —
Thanks for the question.
Because he is not in full communion
with the Church, he should not be
receiving Holy Communion, especially
since he does not believe what Catholics
believe about Holy Communion. Instead,
you should encourage him to attend
Confession on a Saturday afternoon.
You should also encourage him to
attend Sunday Mass with you on a
regular basis and have him ask the
Lord for understanding in those areas
that he disagrees with the Church
on.
The Real Presence in the Church will
help him, even if he doesn't believe
the Real Presence is there. During
the distribution of Holy Communion,
he should just kneel and pray in
the pew until everyone has received.
The portion of the Mass where Holy
Communion is distributed to the faithful
should not be looked at as a social
have to do thing. If it is,
the pastoral needs of individual
Catholics can be compromised, ending
up in Catholics going to Holy Communion
who should first be going to Confession.
Yes, you have the obligation to share
with him what I and my colleagues
may have to say on this topic. It
is in your husband's best interest.
Questions:
- Has he study or read the Catechism
of the Catholic Church?
- Does he know what Catholics
believe? <I'm assuming he is Catholic.>
This is what the Catechism states:
The fruits of Holy Communion
.
.
1395 By the same charity that
it enkindles in us, the
Eucharist preserves us from future
mortal sins. The more we
share the life of Christ and progress
in his friendship, the more difficult
it is to break away from him by
mortal sin.
The Eucharist is not ordered to
the forgiveness of mortal sins
- that is proper to the sacrament
of Reconciliation.
The Eucharist is properly the
sacrament of those who are in
full communion with the Church.
1396 The unity of the Mystical
Body: the Eucharist makes the
Church. Those who receive the
Eucharist are united more closely
to Christ. Through it Christ unites
them to all the faithful in one
body - the Church. Communion renews,
strengthens, and deepens this
incorporation into the Church,
already achieved by Baptism.
In Baptism we have been called
to form but one body. The Eucharist
fulfills this call:
"The cup of blessing which
we bless, is it not a participation
in the blood of Christ? The
bread which we break, is it
not a participation in the
body of Christ? Because there
is one bread, we who are many
are one body, for we all partake
of the one bread:"
1 Corinthians 10:16
If you are the body and members
of Christ, then it is your
sacrament that is placed on
the table of the Lord; it is
your sacrament that you receive.
To that which you are you respond "Amen" ("yes,
it is true!") and by responding
to it you assent to it. For
you hear the words, "the
Body of Christ" and respond "Amen." Be
then a member of the Body of
Christ that your Amen may be
true.
St. Augustine
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Hope this helps,
Mike
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Kathleen
replied:
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Thanks for replying, Mike.
I've been encouraging my husband
to go to Confession at least a couple
times a month with me. He understands that you can't receive Communion
unless you're free of mortal sin
and in a state of grace, but in some
instances, he ignores Church teachings
and thinks he can decide for himself
what is and what isn't a mortal sin.
I think a lot of his ideas have stemmed
from not having a very solid religious
upbringing.
He's a baptized Catholic who has
been through Catechism classes although
I'm pretty sure it wasn't a very
thorough one, because he seems very
unaware of the most fundamental Catholic
beliefs: e.g. First Communion, and
Confirmation. Once he reached Confirmation,
his family stopped going to Church.
I appreciate your help. This has
been a difficult issue for me. I
don't want to make him feel discouraged
from taking interest in practicing
the faith but I definitely don't
want to encourage him to keep doing
something this is wrong, such as
receiving Communion when he's not
in a proper state to do so.
Kathleen
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Mike
replied:
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Hi, Kathleen —
My brother's family is in a similar
situation.
I think many have never heard what
it means to be in communion
with the Church and how when
we receive Holy Communion in a state
of grace we are publicly manifesting
our Communion with what the Church
teaches on faith and morals.
Like CCC 1395 stated above:
The Eucharist is properly the
sacrament of those who are in
full communion with the Church.
You said:
. . . but in some
instances, he ignores Church teachings
and thinks he can decide for himself
what is and what isn't a mortal sin.
This is a great problem that has permeated many lukewarm Catholics in our Church.
It is called Moral Relativism. With this deadly heresy, there is no objective truth. Truth is defined by each individual and varies among individuals. For example, my sister-in-law tells me, she doesn't need to go to Sunday Mass because she can talk to God privately by herself.
Because of her false notion of the truth, she is missing out on the many graces one receives when going to Mass and receiving the Blessed Sacrament, in a state of grace, and even if she can't receive on a specific Sunday, she would still receive many blessings at the consecration of the Mass and at the end of Mass when the priest blesses the congregation. These graces give us the ability to make [and discern] good sound decisions from bad ones during that week.
I'll keep your husband in my prayers
if you keep my brother, his wife,
and four kids in your prayers.
Deal?
Take care,
Mike
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Kathleen
replied:
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Deal.
Thank you! : )
Kathleen
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