True. I'm reminded of the Catholic attitude toward us Prods every time I attend a Catholic service and am denied communion, but he didn't need to rub our noses in it.
(BTW, all my Catholic friends are quite welcome to take communion with me at my church.)
Can’t you take communion anyway? They don’t ask when you go up there, do they?
Hang on. I'm a Catholic-basher but I have to defend them here. They believe that the Eucharist is the actual body of Christ, not a symbol. It would be disrespectful to take the Eucharist under those terms.
But do you understand the Catholic position on receiving Holy Eucharist?
Do you believe that the bread and wine become the body and blood of Christ? If not, how can you say "Amen" when it is pronounced as such?
Are you in communion with the Catholic church? Then how can you participate in an expression of unity, when unity does not exist? That's why it's often recommended that non-Catholics at Mass pray for Christian unity during communion.
Why is it so hard to respect the beliefs of Catholics and the Church? It's not just an "attitude" -- the sacrifice of the Mass is serious and holy.
If you do not believe that the sacrament is what the Church says it is, why would you partake in it?
all my Catholic friends are quite welcome to take communion with me at my church
What a lovely invitation to apostasy.
Not at my church. I don't take communion at their church, because I don't share their beliefs about the elements, and they shouldn't share in the Lord's Supper at my church for the same reasons.
Have you really been refused communion at a Catholic church? Most of the ones I've been in, the servers have allowed anyone in the line to partake.
You are denied Communion because you are not in communion with the Catholic Church. Catholics believe that, through the power of the Holy Spirit, unleavened bread becomes the body and blood, soul and divinity of our Lord Jesus Christ. Since you don’t believe that why would you want to partake of an outward sign that said you do believe? For us Catholics communion (more correctly called Holy Eucharist) is not a symbolic gesture but a sacrament.
As other posters have pointed out, Protestants do not believe that communion is actually the body and blood of Christ - they believe it is just some "symbolism".
Jesus had this to say about it:
"Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of man and drink his blood, you have no life in you; he who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. For my flesh is real food, and my blood is real drink. He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him. As the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so he who eats me will live because of me. This is the bread which came down from heaven, not such as the fathers ate and died; he who eats this bread will live forever" (John 6:53–58).
I find it odd that Fundamentalist Christians who believe the Bible is LITERAL truth and not open to interpretation somehow seem to totally ignore these verses. They say, "What it REALLY means is....blah blah blah".
If the Bible means exactly what it says and Jesus meant exactly what He said - then these verses mean EXACTLY what they say.
Likely because they know it is a symbol for you, NOT the Real Presence as it is in the Catholic Church. Since you have no desire to accept Catholic teachings, and,I assume, don't believe that in Holy Communion in the Catholic Church, you are taking into your body the Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus, why would you be offended that you are not included? It's not just a 'feel good' thing for us.
Colorado,
Sorry to burst your bubble here but most communions around the world practice closed communion, i.e. no Body and Blood without agreement in doctrine. Open communion is a relatively new practice. At my Lutheran church you would most likely not be able to commune. We even make our children wait until they are confirmed (6th grade), so we certainly are not going to give the Body and Blood of Christ to those we don’t know!
I don’t remember Jesus, excluding anyone at the table.
Then he took the cup, gave thanks and offered it to them, saying, (”Drink from it, all of you.) This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many For the forgiveness of sins.