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In reference back to the post about Jesus welcoming all and eating with sinners, in Benedict's recent address about the Apostle Matthew, many rightly suggested that a conversion was involved. This is true but was the conversion before or after Jesus shared a meal with them and did the meal contribute to the conversion as healing food and is this not what the Eucharist is.

We have all heard priests tell non-Catholics not to come to communion and if we listen to the remarks of guests after a Wedding or funeral we know how unwelcome they felt and in many cases downright insulted. I much better like the remarks of a truly pastoral priest who before communion said words to the effect. "Catholics believe that Holy Communion is what Jesus said it was - His body and blood , really and not symbolically. If you share that belief you are most welcome to receive, if you find this difficult to accept, honesty might suggest you not approach the table at this time but join in a prayful mood in your pew "
Many Catholics do not realize that many Protestants believe in the real presence, especially Lutherans and Anglicans and to tell them not to come forward is easily taken as an insult and hardly what Jesus intended. What think you?

Many Catholics do not realize that many Protestants believe in the real presence, especially Lutherans and Anglicans and to tell them not to come forward is easily taken as an insult and hardly what Jesus intended. What think you?

Lutherans believe in Consubstantiation, we Transubstantiation. Anglicans, from what I understand, totally reject Transubstantiation, and Low church Anglicans don't believe in the Real Presence at all.

Further, Jesus meant us all to be One, so when they seperated from us during the Reformation that was a choice of their own making, not ours.

They can not now expect to come into our churches, disagree with just about every single thing we stand for and then have the nerve to be insulted because they are denied Holy Communion.

We have all heard priests tell non-Catholics not to come to communion and if we listen to the remarks of guests after a Wedding or funeral we know how unwelcome they felt and in many cases downright insulted.

Whatever. If one can't respect other people's culture (and religion falls under culture), then they're rude and boorish. They also need to grow up. The end.

If you're a guest in someone's home and they ask you not to smoke, you don't light up.

This is harsh, but they are apostate and if they haven't confessed they should not receive communion. They can have their nibbles in their own churches. The Episcopal church did not used to be an open table...

You wrote: " I much better like the remarks of a truly pastoral priest who before communion said words to the effect." 'Catholics believe that Holy Communion is what Jesus said it was - His body and blood , really and not symbolically. If you share that belief you are most welcome to receive, if you find this difficult to accept, honesty might suggest you not approach the table at this time but join in a prayful mood in your pew '

What you call a truly pastoral priest, Catholics who know their faith call a heretic. Communion is not a feel good, get together with the neighbors kafee klatch. To Catholics it is the receiving of the Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To reduce it to anything less is an insult to the very Person of Christ.

The priest might have meant well but he was in grave error.
Even though others present might believe in the real presence there is no general allowance for them to recieve the Eucharist in a Catholic Church. There may under canon law be specific occasions but I would have to research such exceptions from the norm.