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Eucharistic sharing
Q. Why is it that in some churches non-Catholic dignitaries and visiting Protestant choirs are permitted to receive holy Communion at Mass, while regular non-Catholic Christians are not allowed the same privilege? Does the Church maintain a double standard on Communion?
— R.L, Jacksonville, Fla.
A. Here’s a reply from OSV columnist Msgr. M. Francis Mannion:
The Church does not maintain a double standard. Normally, only Catholics in a state of grace may receive Communion. No exceptions are properly made for non-Catholic dignitaries or Protestant choirs.
The Catholic Church does allow Orthodox Christians to receive Communion at Mass; however, Orthodox churches do not, for the most part, allow their members to avail themselves of this possibility. The Catholic Church also allows Catholics to receive Communion on occasion in Orthodox churches; but again, Orthodox churches do not permit Catholics to participate in this way in their Eucharist.
The fundamental Catholic principle against intercommunion is that the reception of Communion involves union with the Catholic Church itself. In the Eucharist we not only receive Christ, but we express the truth that we are in full communion with all that the Church is, professes and believes.
For a Protestant to receive Communion at Mass is tantamount to saying that he or she fully believes and accepts the whole range of Catholic faith and morals (including the papacy, the Marian doctrines, Church authority), and, generally, no Protestant would wish to make such a statement. (One who would is ready to be received into the Church.)
That Protestants are not invited to receive Communion in the Church is in no way a moral judgment on the state of the souls of other Christians or an act of ecumenical rudeness. Catholics and Protestants are not yet in full communion of faith; receiving Communion would be a false sign. Protestants who understand this principle (though they may disagree with it) do not feel slighted.
Minor Orders in the 1960s
Q. During the early 1960s, I received tonsure and the four minor orders. These orders no longer exist in the Church. Even though these orders leave no indelible mark on the soul, am I still considered a porter, lector, exorcist and acolyte in the post Vatican II Church, or were they always just quaint rituals with no lasting meaning or effect?
A. Here’s a reply from Father Reginald Martin:
Until 1972 the rite of tonsure introduced a man into the clerical state (see Code of Canon Law, Canon 207). Tonsure was followed by the so-called minor orders of porter, lector, acolyte and exorcist.
In 1972, Pope Paul VI abolished minor orders, replacing them with the ministries we find in the Church today. Canon law observes, “Lay men who possess the age and qualifications … can be installed … in the ministries of lector and acolyte … the conferral of these ministries, however, does not confer on these lay men a right to obtain support … from the Church” (Canon 230). The repetition of “lay” is deliberate; ministries do not confer sacred orders, and the introduction to the clerical state now occurs with ordination to the diaconate.
By the 1960s, the rite of tonsure was reduced to a token gesture, and the minor orders had long since ceased to have much real significance in the Church. For example, few porters unlocked doors or rang bells, and only qualified experts undertook exorcisms. Nevertheless, an order legitimately conferred remains legitimately conferred. One who received them should treasure them; they represent important steps on a journey — abandoned, perhaps — but once extremely significant.
Dominated by Satan
Q. Apart from grace we would be completely dominated by Satan. If this is true, then how concerned should we be for the unbaptized? And aren’t the baptized only protected if they live out their baptismal promises? I know some very good people who seem to be “naturally nice” who haven’t been baptized.
A. Here’s a reply from TCA columnist Father Ray Ryland, Ph.D., J.D
It is probably true that if we were totally without grace we would be “completely dominated” by Satan. But even though the sacraments are channels of special graces, other kinds of grace can come to people in various ways.
I take it that when you say “dominated” by Satan you mean being possessed by him. But those who are possessed somehow must have laid themselves open to satanic control.
We are all subject to continual temptation by Satan. Baptismal grace is a great benefit to us in our struggle to resist.
It’s true there are many unbaptized people who live outwardly good lives. But wherever goodness appears, it’s always a gift of God, regardless of whether the person realizes that fact. So, unbaptized as well as baptized people do an enormous amount of good in this world.
Approval of Lay Apostolates?
Q. How can I find out whether a particular lay apostolate has received Vatican approval, or where the group is along the journey to Vatican approval?
T.P, via e-mail
A. Here is a reply from Father Francis Hoffman, J.C.D.:
First, ask the leaders of the group if their apostolate has received any official approval by the Church. Usually a group seeks approval from the local bishop, and then, if their apostolate is to expand beyond the boundaries of the diocese, they seek approval from the Holy See.
Alternatively, you could investigate the group online and see what their website says. You could also see whether the group is listed in your local diocesan directory or in the Kennedy Directory — that is, “The Official Catholic Directory” — which is the national directory of Catholic dioceses, religious orders and all Catholic groups and organizations.
Some groups are private associations of the faithful, others are public associations of the faithful, and still others are not quite sure where they fit into the structure of the Church. But all groups in the Church, whether a lay apostolate or an association of clerics, should seek to serve Christ by being faithful to the Magisterium, united to the local bishop and under the protection of the Blessed Mother. If the group has those characteristics, you are in good company.
If you still have doubts about the lay apostolate, ask your local bishop, or ask the leader of the organization to show you an official document of approval, which, at the very least, should have the bishop’s embossed seal on it.
Annulment and Remarriage
Q. If a Catholic young man marries a girl who had been married and divorced, and they get married at courthouse, can they be married later in a Catholic church, after her annulment?
Before considering remarriage, we ought to consider marriage itself, which, the Catechism of the Catholic Church reminds us, has God as its origin and end (see No. 1602) and calls man and woman to become “an image of the absolute and unfailing love with which God loves man” (No. 1604).
The Church’s Code of Canon Law states that if, at the time of the marriage, one or both parties can be proven incapable to undertake the responsibilities of marriage, “the Church, after an examination of the situation by the competent ecclesiastical tribunal, can declare the nullity of a marriage, i.e., that the marriage never existed” (see Canons 1095-1107). In addition, “in this case, the contracting parties are free to marry” (Canon 1071).
The process that declares a marriage invalid is called “annulment.” It is a serious, time-consuming matter, and the outcome is by no means guaranteed. Opponents of annulment call it “Catholic divorce,” but an annulment is far more demanding than divorce, which simply ignores a marriage bond and allows a couple to remarry. The result of annulment, as we noted above, is to render parties free to marry or, if they have contracted civil unions, to have those “convalidated” (officially witnessed) by a priest or deacon.
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