Christians observe Communion many times throughout their lives. Communion is a holy time of worship in which the body of a church comes together to remember and celebrate what Jesus Christ did for us in his life, death, and resurrection. The observance is in obedience to Christ's command (1 Corinthians 11:24 "Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me."
When observing Communion, it is important that as a Christian we examine ourselves (1 Corinthians 11:28), for observing Communion is a statement of faith (1 Corinthians 11:26). In Communion we are proclaiming that His life is our life by partaking of the bread and wine, but understanding that they are unchanged elements, used as symbols, representing Christ's body and blood, in remembrance of his enduring sacrifice.
There are some variations based on tradition or preferences of a religion. In the Catholic Church, for example, rather than taking the element of bread and eating it yourself, the priest places the element on the tongue of the parishioner. Some Catholics, and Orthodox Christians, also believe that when the bread and wine is consumed it becomes the actual body and blood of Christ. The Catholic term for this is Transubstantiation. Transubstantiation is not Scripturally supported, so I am not one to accept that as biblical truth, but such a disagreement in doctrine is not the point of this article.
Patrick J. Kennedy has been barred from partaking in Communion at his Catholic Parish.
Regarding the situation, Kennedy explained, "The bishop instructed me not to take Communion and said that he has instructed the diocesan priests not to give me Communion."
The penalty for not being able to participate in Communion, according to Kennedy, was explained to him as being the result of Kennedy being ". . . not a good practicing Catholic because of the positions taken as a public official." The position in particular that has the Catholic Church denying Kennedy's participation in Communion is his position as a pro-abortion politician.
On the surface, as a pro-life individual that believes abortion in America is our version of genocide, it is easy to thank The Church for their wisdom. It is obvious that Patrick Kennedy is not right with God if he is willing to support the senseless murder of innocent babies. He is not someone who should probably be observing the sacrament of Communion.
However, my feelings on this matter, regardless of Kennedy's stance on abortion, steer toward the authority of The Church over an individual's decision like this. In other words, I am asking if a representative of the church should have this kind of power over a personal decision? Should the mortal men that serve The Church be able to punish a parishioner by disallowing him from participating?
My intention here is not to challenge the Catholic belief system of my many Catholic readers. Your belief belongs to you. But that is the point, isn't it? If your faith is a personal decision that belongs to you, then how is it that men can make a decision regarding your personal relationship with God by granting, or taking away, the allowance to observe a sacrament? As wrong as Patrick Kennedy is for being an abortionist, shouldn't his own conscience make the decision on whether or not he participates in Communion? And if he shouldn't participate, and then decides to do so anyway, then shouldn't that also be between him and God?
God gave us free will, meaning that we have the choice to accept Him, or deny Him. But that, and how we practice our faith, is a personal matter, isn't it? Why should church leaders have any say over whether or not we participate in the sacraments of our faith?
-- Political Pistachio Conservative News and Commentary
Kennedy: Barred from Communion - The Providence Journal
No comments:
Post a Comment