Communion with Non-Catholic Christians: Risks, Challenges, and Opportunities

by Jeffrey Vanderwilt

Overview

Is it ever appropriate for non-Catholic Christians to receive Holy Communion at a Catholic Mass? What should a pastor do to preserve the holiness and the purpose of Communion? What happens when a non-Catholic receives Holy Communion? How should a Catholic pastor respond to non-Catholics who wish to have communion without conveying harshness, scrupulosity, legalism, or rudeness? Intended to help Christians recognize the present provisional norms and to see new possibilities in eucharistic sharing, Communion with Non-Catholic Christians examines the risks, challenges, and opportunities involved in the admission of communion to non-Catholic Christians.

Communion with Non-Catholic Christians begins by defining eucharistic sharing. It assists Catholics and non-Catholics in understanding the present discipline of eucharistic sharing or receiving Holy Communion outside of one's own church. Secondly, it looks at what caution should be taken in eucharistic sharing, the values at stake, and the reasons for more open eucharistic sharing for Christian unity. Finally, it looks at the opportunities in eucharistic sharing and the possibility of full communion. By focusing on liturgical law and pastoral practices, this book moves the discussion of the admission of communion forward to new possibilities for growth in communion.

Chapters are: "What is Eucharistic Sharing?" 'Risks, or Some Reasons for Caution in Eucharistic Sharing,' 'Challenges, or Some Reasons for a More Open Eucharistic Sharing,' and 'Opportunities, or Sharing the Eucharist in Hope for Full Communion.'

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780814628959
Publisher:	Liturgical Press
Publication date:	06/01/2003
Series:	Virgil Michel Ser.
Pages:	240
Product dimensions:	6.10(w) x 9.04(h) x 0.60(d)

About the Author

Jeffrey VanderWilt, PhD, teaches liturgy, sacraments, and Christian theology at Loyola Marymont University, Los Angeles. He is the author of A Church without Borders: The Eucharist and the Church in Ecumenical Perspective.

Table of Contents

	Acknowledgments	viii
	Abbreviations	ix
Chapter 1	What Is Eucharistic Sharing?	1
	To Define Eucharistic Sharing	2
	Some Important Terms and Distinctions	11
	Christian Ecumenism	16
	Several Types of Communion	22
	Types of Eucharistic Sharing	31
	A Variety of Perspectives	33
	Norms for Eucharistic Sharing in the Catholic Church	35
	Questions for Reflection and Dialogue	49
	For Further Reading	49
Chapter 2	Risks or Some Reasons for Caution in Eucharistic Sharing	51
	Risks	53
Risk 1	Failing to Agree in Eucharistic Doctrine	54
Risk 2	Failing to Unite in the Church of Christ	65
Risk 3	Failing to Maintain the Apostolic Succession	81
Risk 4	Expressing a Nonexistent Unity	98
Risk 5	Indiscriminate Reception of Holy Communion	110
	Conclusions	120
	Questions for Reflection and Dialogue	121
	For Further Reading	122
Chapter 3	Challenges or Some Reasons for a More Open Eucharistic Sharing	123
	Challenges	125
Challenge 1	To Share Communion Because of Christian Baptism	127
Challenge 2	To Serve the Pastoral Needs of All Christians	136
Challenge 3	To Effectively Signify the Grace of Unity	142
Challenge 4	To Discern the Body of Christ in One Another	149
Challenge 5	To Share Genuine Christian Hospitality	162
Challenge 6	To Avoid Further Hurts and Injuries	173
	Conclusions	182
	Questions for Reflection and Dialogue	184
	For Further Reading	184
Chapter 4	Opportunities or Some Reasons for Sharing the Eucharist in Hope for Full Communion	187
	What Do We Do in the Meantime? Some Future Directions	188
	The Problem in Blessing Noncommunicants	191
	The Problem in Ecclesial Disobedience	196
	The Opportunity to Embrace One Another	201
	The Opportunity to Receive Communion as a Gift of God	205
	Eucharistic Sharing and Our Salvation	208
	Conclusions	211
	Questions for Reflection and Dialogue	212
	For Further Reading	213
Appendix 1	Canon 844, Code of Canon Law 1983	214
Appendix 2	Guidelines for the Reception of Communion in the United States, 1996 (U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops)	217
	Selected Links to Internet-Based Resources	217
	Index of References to Scripture	221
	Index of References to Persons	222
	Index of Subjects	224

Editorial Reviews

The book will be of great interest to those who teach the Church's law and the theology of sacraments, as well as to those involved in ecumenical endeavors and those who minister to interchurch families. The style and content are clearly accessible not only to professionals but also to anyone interested in the topic and willing to engage the various issues at stake. Indeed, there are concrete examples and a teaching method which is engaging, pastorally sensitive, and invites further reflection and investigation.
Studia Canonica


All Christians who thirst for unity and for honesty should welcome this book. It should be widely read and discussed. With an utterly clear, fair, and refreshing voice—and yet with detailed attention to Catholic theology, magisterial pronouncements, and canon law? VanderWilt weighs the genuine (rather than the false) risks of eucharistic sharing, calls his own Roman Catholic Church to a more open practice at the Holy Table, and illumines the ecumenical significance of the eucharist for us all.
Gordon W. Lathrop, Charles A. Schieren Professor of Liturgy, Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia


He examines 'eucharistic sharing' from many angles. He looks at the risks to eucharistic doctrine, church unity, apostolic succession, and the indiscriminate reception of communion. He suggests reasons for more open sharing: pastoral needs, signifying unity, discerning the body of Christ in one another, hospitality, and avoiding further hurts and injuries.
Theology Digest

From the Publisher