|
|
 |
Al
Foytek
wrote:
|
|
Hi, guys —
- Is a Catholic required to believe all
that the Church proposes for belief?
i.e. Is a mortal sin not to believe in a teaching or doctrine?
- Where is this stated?
- Can a Catholic receive Holy Communion
if they do not believe all that the Church
proposes for belief, e.g.
- all the Catechism
- all the Church's doctrines
- all of what the Magisterium teaches
- and what Bishop says, etc.?
Al
|
|
{
Can
a Catholic receive Holy Communion if they
don't believe all that the Church proposes? (Part 1) }
|
|
John
replied:
|
Hi, Al —
Thanks for your question.
Catholicism is not a buffet or a
cafeteria faith. One cannot be 99% Catholic,
just as one cannot be 99% pregnant.
It is a binary proposition; one
is either Catholic, or not. That
means one must believe all that the
Church proposes in matters of faith
and morals.
- That doesn't mean one has to fully understand everything.
- It doesn't mean one isn't expected
to struggle with certain doctrines.
Faith, often times, seeks understanding.
That's what mature faith does. In
those matters where one struggles,
one must at least submit and acknowledge
that, despite any personal struggle
with the doctrine, we acknowledge
Holy Mother Church is infallible
in these matters and therefore She
is right even though we don't see
it.
Heresy, is the obstinate post
baptismal denial of a truth necessary
to believe for our salvation;
so if one refuses to submit to a
doctrine, one is in heresy and therefore
in grave sin. In this case, one should
abstain from receiving the Eucharist.
That doesn't mean you can't:
- have
doubts, or
- struggles, or
- lack of
understanding
but you can't deny
a matter of faith and morals and
you certainly can't openly dissent so for example, those who believe:
- in legal abortion
- same sex marriage, or
- dissent from the Church's teaching
on the artificial contraception
should abstain from receiving the
Eucharist. Communion is a sign of
unity with the Church.
One can't be in unity if one dissents
in matters of faith and morals. Nevertheless,
they should still go to Sunday Mass
and pray for guidance in the
areas where they struggle with the
Church's teachings.
John
|
Al
replied:
|
Thank you,
I was afraid that was the answer.
I was baptized as a baby into the
Church, received my First Communion,
and was an altar boy
fifty years ago. I stopped going
to Mass when my parents did; I was
twelve then. It has been a circuitous
route back to Her doors. I know many
Catholics, but none who know all
of what the Church teaches and none
who believe all it teaches. They
think it is OK not to believe all the
Church teaches, however, I heard
Father Corapi say one must believe
all the Church teaches or be in sin.
- How can one believe what they
do not know?
My Bible study led me to study the
teachings of Catholicism. I found
myself in agreement with many of
its doctrines and positions contrary
to those in Protestant churches. I
have been reading for about nine
months now and still do not know
all that the Catholic Church proposes
for belief in faith and morals.
I
have no problem with any of the moral
teachings. It is more the rules,
rites, and other areas that bring
up questions.
I have come across a few areas where
there seems to be a divergence. I
cannot get a good answer anywhere
to support certain practices in the
Church. e.g.
- Why is water put into the wine,
to be changed into the blood of
our Savior?
I know Saint Justin mentions water
being combined with the wine in his
first Apology, but that was about
100 years into the life of the Church
and he does not say why it is done.
Jesus did not dilute the wine before
commanding the disciples to drink.
- Why doesn't the Church offer
the blood of our Savior to those
receiving Holy Communion?
Jesus said the blood is His life,
but I have yet to see a Church do
this, though I have heard some
do. I also see the priest and
deacons doing this.
Al
|
John
replied:
|
Hi, Al —
First of all, if you don't
know what the Church teaches, you
can't be held responsible to believe
it.
Secondly, you need to separate official
Church teachings in matters of faith
and morals from practices, disciplines,
and Rites within the Church.
Mingling water with wine as part
of the Liturgy is not an essential
matter of faith. If it's not done,
it doesn't invalidate the sacrament,
although it is illicit.
The water represents us and the mingling
of water and wine symbolizes our
uniting ourselves to Christ in His
Sacrifice, by offering Him ourselves.
The Church does, in fact, offer both
the Body and the Precious Blood at
many Masses. In the Eastern Rite,
it's at every Mass by intinction;
however, it's not necessary.
The Body is not just the Body, it
is the Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity,
sacramentally present.
In other words, if you receive (either or both) the
Body and Blood, you receive Jesus
(Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity).
That's why at many Masses, only one
species is offered for convenience
sake.
But again, this is a practice. It's
fine to offer one species, just as
it's fine to offer both species.
What we must believe is that both
are sacramentally Jesus.
It's also perfectly fine if you prefer
to receive both consecrated species (the
consecrated host and consecrated
wine|the body and blood of Our Lord),
so long as you don't deny that Jesus
is fully present in both.
John
|
Al
replied:
|
Yes, thank you very much.
Your prior answers were also helpful.
I do accept that I cannot understand
everything, and in some areas, without
an authority. I would not even have
an answer I could depend on.
I am going to share this with my
wife. She is even more confused than
I. We want to go to true Communion,
but do not want to violate Church
teaching.
God Bless You All and have a wonderful
weekend.
Al
|
John
replied:
|
Al —
I wouldn't get too scrupulous about
this. The fact is, you seem to be
accepting of the Church's authority
to teach in the area of faith and
morals. That is sufficient for you
to receive Communion with a clear
conscience.
The standard is that you are not
willingly and obstinately denying
a truth of the faith. This applies
to serious matters of faith.
- You don't deny anything in the
Creed do you?
- You don't deny the Church's moral
Teachings on matters such as:
- abortion
- artificial contraception,
or
- same sex marriage
do you?
That's about all that can be expected
from the average Catholic who has
a fundamental faith formation. No
one expects you to understand the
nuances of the Dogmatic Constitutions
of the Council of Trent
so relax and go to Communion, so
long as you don't have a mortal sin
to confess.
John
|
Eric
replied:
|
Hi, Al —
You said:
I was baptized as a baby into the
Church, received my First Communion,
and was an altar boy fifty years ago. I stopped going
to Mass when my parents did; I was
twelve then. It has been a circuitous
route back to Her doors. I know many
Catholics, but none who know all
of what the Church teaches and none
who believe all it teaches. They
think it is OK not to believe all the
Church teaches, however, I heard
Father Corapi say one must believe
all the Church teaches or be in sin.
Canon Law sets out the laws that
apply to Catholics. This is what
it says:
| Canon
205 Those baptized are
fully in the communion of the
Catholic Church on this earth
who are joined with Christ
in its visible structure by
the bonds of the profession
of faith, the sacraments, and
ecclesiastical governance. |
Communion is a concept
that means, among other things, sharing
in the faith received from the Apostles,
that is, the faith as articulated
and proclaimed by the teaching office
of the Church.
See the Catechism
paragraph 949. Fully
in the communion of the Catholic
Church means having
faith in everything the Catholic
Church proposes as worthy of faith.
The Eucharist, or Communion, is an
external sign that one accepts and
is in full communion with the Catholic
Church. (Acts 2:42)
| Canon
209 §1. The Christian
faithful, even in their own
manner of acting, are always
obliged to maintain communion
with the Church. |
In other words, the Christian faithful
are always obliged, among other things,
to accept with faith that which the
teaching office of the Church proposes
as worthy of faith.
Canon
209 §2. With great diligence
they are to fulfill the duties
which they owe to the universal
Church and the particular church
to which they belong according
to the prescripts of the law.
Canon
212 §1. Conscious
of their own responsibility,
the Christian faithful are
bound to follow with Christian
obedience those things which
the sacred pastors, inasmuch
as they represent Christ, declare
as teachers of the faith or
establish as rulers of the
Church.
Canon
748 §1. All persons are
bound to seek the truth in those
things which regard God and his
Church and by virtue of divine
law are bound by the obligation
and possess the right of embracing
and observing the truth which
they have come to know.
Canon
749 §1. By virtue
of his office, the Supreme
Pontiff possesses infallibility
in teaching when as the supreme
pastor and teacher of all the
Christian faithful, who strengthens
his brothers and sisters in
the faith, he proclaims by
definitive act that a doctrine
of faith or morals is to be
held.
§2. The college of bishops
also possesses infallibility in
teaching when the bishops gathered
together in an ecumenical council
exercise the magisterium as teachers
and judges of faith and morals
who declare for the universal
Church that a doctrine of faith
or morals is to be held definitively;
or when dispersed throughout the
world but preserving the bond
of communion among themselves
and with the successor of Peter
and teaching authentically together
with the Roman Pontiff matters
of faith or morals, they agree
that a particular proposition
is to be held definitively.
Canon
750 §1. A person must
believe with divine and Catholic
faith all those things contained
in the word of God, written
or handed on, that is, in the
one deposit of faith entrusted
to the Church, and at the same
time proposed as divinely revealed
either by the solemn magisterium
of the Church or by its ordinary
and universal magisterium which
is manifested by the common
adherence of the Christian
faithful under the leadership
of the sacred magisterium;
therefore all are bound to
avoid any doctrines whatsoever
contrary to them.
§2. Each and every thing
which is proposed definitively
by the magisterium of the Church
concerning the doctrine of faith
and morals, that is, each and
every thing which is required
to safeguard reverently and to
expound faithfully the same deposit
of faith, is also to be firmly
embraced and retained; therefore,
one who rejects those propositions
which are to be held definitively
is opposed to the doctrine of
the Catholic Church.
Canon
751 Heresy is the obstinate
denial or obstinate doubt after
the reception of baptism of
some truth which is to be believed
by divine and Catholic faith;
apostasy is the total repudiation
of the Christian faith; schism
is the refusal of submission
to the Supreme Pontiff or of
communion with the members
of the Church subject to him.
Canon
752 Although not an assent
of faith, a religious submission
of the intellect and will must
be given to a doctrine which
the Supreme Pontiff or the
college of bishops declares
concerning faith or morals
when they exercise the authentic
magisterium, even if they do
not intend to proclaim it by
definitive act; therefore,
the Christian faithful are
to take care to avoid those
things which do not agree with
it.
Canon
753 Although the bishops
who are in communion with the
head and members of the college,
whether individually or joined
together in conferences of
bishops or in particular councils,
do not possess infallibility
in teaching, they are authentic
teachers and instructors of
the faith for the Christian
faithful entrusted to their
care; the Christian faithful
are bound to adhere with religious
submission of mind to the authentic
magisterium of their bishops.
Canon
754 All the Christian faithful
are obliged to observe the
constitutions and decrees which
the legitimate authority of
the Church issues in order
to propose doctrine and to
proscribe erroneous opinions,
particularly those which the
Roman Pontiff or the college
of bishops puts forth. |
You said:
- How can one believe what they
do not know?
My Bible study led me to study the
teachings of Catholicism. I found
myself in agreement with many of
its doctrines and positions contrary
to those in Protestant churches. I
have been reading for about nine
months now and still do not know
all that the Catholic Church proposes
for belief in faith and morals.
I
have no problem with any of the moral
teachings. It is more the rules,
rites, and other areas that bring
up questions.
Well rules and rites are human things,
and don't pertain to faith. While
you are required to observe them,
you are not necessarily required
to agree with them.
You said:
I have come across
a few areas where there seems to
be a divergence. I cannot get a good
answer anywhere to support certain
practices in the Church. e.g.
- Why is water put
into the wine, to be changed into
the blood of our Savior?
I know Saint Justin
mentions water being combined with
the wine in his
first Apology, but
that was about 100 years into the
life of the Church and he does not
say why it is done. Jesus did not
dilute the wine before commanding
the disciples to drink.
This symbolizes the two natures of
Christ: divine and human. It can
also be said to represent the blood and water that flowed from Jesus's
side after his death. (John 19:34)
You said:
- Why doesn't
the Church offer the blood
of our Savior to those receiving
Holy Communion?
Jesus said the
blood is His life, but I have
yet to see a Church do this, though
I have heard some do. I also
see the priest and deacons doing
this.
I'm surprised you haven't seen this.
It is quite common in Catholic parishes
to offer the Precious Blood. In any
case, Jesus is fully present, Body,
Blood, Soul, and Divinity, in either
the Precious Blood or the Host, so
doctrinally, it doesn't make a difference.
There may be various reasons why
it isn't done:
- It requires employing many Extraordinary
Ministers of Holy Communion, an
idea strongly frowned upon by
Rome, (though more excusable for
purposes of administering the
Precious Blood).
- There is more of a danger of
sacrilege (through spillage).
- There is a danger of spreading
disease, and during the SARS scare,
a while back, some dioceses forbade
it.
- There is also the danger that
people will get the erroneous
impression that they
need to receive both the Precious Blood and the Host
in order to receive the whole
Christ.
(This reason is why the
practice was abandoned for centuries.)
- Or, it could be as simple as
that the priest is grossed out
by having to drink afterward, all
the remaining Precious Blood that
everyone has drunk from.
Hope this helps,
Eric
|
Al
replied:
|
Eric,
Thank you so much for your work in
providing me with canonical references
from the Church.
I will study this and try to digest
it fully. I see where Father Corapi
is coming from.
- Can you suggest an online source
for Cannon law?
One thing puzzles me.
- If people
must believe fully in Catholic
teaching to participate in Communion
services, why is it that the Catholic
Church allows Orthodox Christians
communion when they do not believe
all the Catholic Church teaches?
Thank You All for your expert help.
May God Bless you this day!
Al
|
Eric
replied:
|
Hi, Al —
You said:
- Can you suggest an online source
for Cannon law?
The Holy See has it available:
You said:
One thing puzzles me.
- If people
must believe fully in Catholic
teaching to participate in Communion
services, why is it that the Catholic
Church allows Orthodox Christians
communion when they do not believe
all the Catholic Church teaches?
One can argue whether this discipline
is a wise one or not, but the reason
is because what we believe is so
close to what they believe if:
- they opt on their own initiative
to receive Communion, and
- have permission from their bishop
they can receive The Sacrament.
Eric
|
Al
replied:
|
Thank you so much for the clarifications.
Yes, I know a lot of Catholics who
know what the Church teaches but
do not agree with her, because I
used to ask some of those people the same questions
I have posed here.
I have issues with the practice of
the Church declaring sins not supported
by Scripture or supported by the
Early Church Fathers, like not going
to Church on Sunday. I always try
to go to Church on Sunday but do
not think it a sin, not to.
I listen to preachers all week
long, love to listen to and watch EWTN, read my Bible, pray daily, and read about the saints. (they
are my heroes, I so want to be
like them.)
Nevertheless, I think I need the
grace of Confession, Holy Communion,
and all the other graces
I can get, to even begin to approach
the life of a saint.
I get a lot of spiritual input and
inspiration all week long. I love
the Mass; it is the most meaningful
worship service I know. I sometimes
go during the week when I can. Not
going to Church on Sunday would be
a strange thing to me, but not one
I'd consider a sin. I guess I would
classify it as a bad choice and if
done consistently; a choice that
can certainly lead to sin if there
were not offsetting influences, like
going to Church on Wednesdays.
Since I don't know all the Catholic
Church has taught, I don't know if
I would disagree with other teachings
I haven't learned yet. I do understand
the need for authority in teachings.
In regards to Mary, indulgences and
infallibility, I can accept that
I may be wrong. With things like
going to Church on Sunday, I do not
believe it is a mortal sin.
- Would it be okay to receive Holy
Communion with my thinking?
I am not being flippant. I honestly
want to understand what the Church
wants from a communicant. I do not
want to disrespect Christ in the
Eucharist. I have been told I am
Catholic, just a bad one. I am trying
to be good by being honest, respecting
the Catholic Church by not violating
Her rules, and, yet, not live a lie
— which I see many doing. As
much as I want to receive Holy Communion,
I will not disrespect this sacrament
by partaking, when I should not.
May God Bless each one of you,
Al
|
Mary
Ann replied:
|
Al —
A child of 8 obviously doesn't know
all that the Church teaches, and
yet can receive Communion.
Most adults these days don't know
a lot of what the Church teaches,
and might not like it if they did!
It is not necessary for a communicant
to both know and accept everything.
It is necessary that one not reject
a Church teaching that has been declared
part of Revelation, or reject the
Church as Teacher.
One can have doubts, problems, not
understand, be praying about certain
teachings, and not like some authentic
teachings without sinning. There
may also be some teachings people
think are teachings of the Church,
but are only teachings of
a particular pastor, nun or individual.
In addition, one can certainly reject
teachings that pertain to prudential
matters only, and are not part of
the Deposit of Faith, though one
may err in doing so.
Anyway, that's why a Catechism is
a good resource for an adult. The
point is, not that Eucharist is restricted
to those who know and believe everything,
but that it is restricted to those
who share the one Faith revealed
to the Apostles by Jesus and passed
down by the Church.
One must not be in a state of adamant
refusal, truth of doctrine, or a
truth of morality.
Mary Ann
|
Mike
replied:
|
Hi, Al —
First, I applaud you that you get
so much spiritual input and inspiration
all week long.
You said:
I have issues with the practice of
the Church declaring sins not supported
by Scripture or supported by the
Early Church Fathers, like not going
to Church on Sunday. I always try
to go to Church on Sunday but do
not think it a sin, not to.
The
Ten Commandments are not the ten
suggestions. The Catechism of the Catholic
Church and most of our brother Christians
throughout the world believe, when
the Lord gave Moses the
third commandment, it wasn't because
God wanted to be a pain in our side,
but gave it for our own good. In obedience
to Our Blessed Lord, receiving the
Blessed Sacrament in a state of grace
at Sunday Mass, is for our own good.
By receiving the Eucharist on Sunday,
we are able to discern good, holy
choices from ones that are not good
and unholy for the entire week.
If you want to ensure you believe
all that the Church wants you to
believe, read the Catechism of the Catholic Church from cover
to cover.
After that read the Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church. This is a great second
read because, similar to the work
we do at AskACatholic.com, it is
all in a question and answer format.
As my colleagues have said, in order
to receive the Blessed Sacrament
in a state of grace you should believe
all that the Church teaches. If you
disagree with the Church on an issue
of faith or morals, still make your
Sunday obligation by going to Mass, but
without receiving Holy Communion. As a suggestion, spend some
extra time that day going over the
issues you are struggling with.
If you are having difficulties with
a teaching on faith or morals but
trust that the Church is right, in
your mind and by your actions, you
may receive Holy Communion.
Remember
what John Henry Newman said:
ten thousand difficulties do not
make one doubt.
Hope this helps,
Mike
[Dialogue continued on this page.]
|
|
|
|
