Communion

[gparker]

Hey Brother Mike,
This site is Great! Can't wait to spend a lot of time learning. Thanks for putting it out.

My question is regarding communion in a Catholic school. My daughter and several of her Baptist friends attend a Catholic high school. One of her friends feels like she has to take Communion and make the sign of the cross. She doesn't feel right doing so since she takes the Lord's Supper at her own church.

What advice would you have for this precious gift from God? Thanks.

[Mike Miller]

Hey, Georgia. All I can tell you is how I would handle this with my family. Catholics teach that communion is necessary for salvation. I consider that to be a false gospel. In addition, they teach the docrtine of transubstantiation, which is the belief that the bread and wine literally become the body and blood of Jesus when consecrated by the priest. That is an errant doctrine. Therefore, I will not take Catholic communion, nor will I allow my children to do so.

Of course, this is a matter of conscience for each family, and I would not presume to tell someone how they should handle it. I'm only sharing my convictions. The funny thing is that I was under the impression that non-Catholics were not allowed to take Catholic commuion.

This is a great topic for discussion, so perhaps others will chime in. But remember, everyone--since this topic has the potential to be emotional, let's keep our comments civil.

[gparker]

Brother Mike,

I can't believe I said the same thing as you. Non-Catholics are not supposed to take Catholic communion as far as I know. I'm glad you brought that up. That is something they might want to address to the girls in their religion class. Thanks

Thank you so much for this forum.

[aaron]

When I went to a catholic school we (non-catholics) went to mass with the other students. When communion was served it was our option, they( the priests) did not encourage but they did not discourage protestants taking communion either. I myself took communion a couple of times in the eigth grade until my older brother stopped me and told me not to do it any more. I think this was kind of an unspoken thing among the protestants.

[gparker]

In Hannah's situation the Protestants are kind of looked down on for not taking it. Hannah is like her Dad and firmly grounded in what she believes. Her sweet friend worries more about what the peers think. Even the teachers (from what I hear from a teenager) look down on them. When I attended a mass there and didn't take communion, the teachers who had been sitting by me sat away from me upon their return and then I felt were looking down on me. You know the only solution don't ya? Pray,pray,pray.

[stevelitt]

I can understand how awkward of a situation this puts Protestant kids into. Praise God for kids who are being salt and light by standing firm in their beliefs despite peer pressure. Who knows, she just might be what some other kid needs to see--someone that has and is not afraid to express true faith.

[gparker]

Thank you for saying that, that was very kind. I hope it turns out that way.