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Question Title	Posted By	Question Date
Communion	claire	Tuesday, January 4, 2005
Question: Hello Br. Ignatius, I have an elderly Protestant friend very dear to me. Recently she told me that she has started to have (what she calls communion) every morning. She gets her crackers and juice and reads scripture over them and believes that it is very powerful and has "communion" with the Lord. She is a devout and prayerful person with such a deep love for the Lord. Yet, I don't know what to say to her in regard to her "communion" ritual. I know that it is not truly consecrated, but she believes in what she is doing. Should I say anything to her and if so, what??? Thank you and God bless you, from Claire
Question Answered by Bro. Ignatius Mary, OLSM Dear Claire: What she is doing is no different than what her Protestant parish does. Communion is not "consecrated" in most Protestant parishes. It is merely prepared for distribution during their communion rituals. With that said, most Protestant denominations would probably not agree with what she is doing. Communion is a act of communion not only with God, but with our fellow believers. How is she offering communion with fellow believers by herself. Communion, by its nature, is best expression in community -- though we Catholics do offer private communion to the sick and infirmed. If this women is doing this to the exclusion of attending church, then you might mention that the Bible tells us to come together as a community (Heb. 10:25). We are not an "island". The people of God are community. Otherwise, it really does not matter what she does with her crackers since her crackers are just crackers. For her, this practice may have a similar significance as our praying using medals and other sacramentals. God Bless, Bro. Ignatius Mary Footer Notes: This forum is for general questions on the faith. See specific Topic Forums below: Spiritual Warfare, demons, the occult go to our Spiritul Warfare Q&S Forum. Liturgy Questions go to our Liturgy and Liturgical Law Q&A Forum Liturgy of the Hours (Divine Office) Questions go to our Divine Office Q&A Forum Defenfing the Faith Questions go to our Defending the Faith Q&A Forum Church History Questions go to our Church History Q&A Forum

Question Title

Posted By

Question Date

Communion

claire

Tuesday, January 4, 2005

Question:

Hello Br. Ignatius,

I have an elderly Protestant friend very dear to me. Recently she told me that she has started to have (what she calls communion) every morning. She gets her crackers and juice and reads scripture over them and believes that it is very powerful and has "communion" with the Lord. She is a devout and prayerful person with such a deep love for the Lord. Yet, I don't know what to say to her in regard to her "communion" ritual. I know that it is not truly consecrated, but she believes in what she is doing. Should I say anything to her and if so, what???

Thank you and God bless you,
from Claire

Question Answered by Bro. Ignatius Mary, OLSM

Dear Claire:

What she is doing is no different than what her Protestant parish does. Communion is not "consecrated" in most Protestant parishes. It is merely prepared for distribution during their communion rituals.

With that said, most Protestant denominations would probably not agree with what she is doing. Communion is a act of communion not only with God, but with our fellow believers. How is she offering communion with fellow believers by herself. Communion, by its nature, is best expression in community -- though we Catholics do offer private communion to the sick and infirmed.

If this women is doing this to the exclusion of attending church, then you might mention that the Bible tells us to come together as a community (Heb. 10:25). We are not an "island". The people of God are community.

Otherwise, it really does not matter what she does with her crackers since her crackers are just crackers. For her, this practice may have a similar significance as our praying using medals and other sacramentals.

God Bless,
Bro. Ignatius Mary

Footer Notes: This forum is for general questions on the faith. See specific Topic Forums below:
Spiritual Warfare, demons, the occult go to our Spiritul Warfare Q&S Forum.
Liturgy Questions go to our Liturgy and Liturgical Law Q&A Forum
Liturgy of the Hours (Divine Office) Questions go to our Divine Office Q&A Forum
Defenfing the Faith Questions go to our Defending the Faith Q&A Forum
Church History Questions go to our Church History Q&A Forum