June 2, 2020

Regnum Christi Spirituality Center Ask a Priest

“Ask a Priest: Can I Receive Methodist Communion?”

Q: I was having a discussion with a friend that is non-Catholic. I was informed as a Catholic that it was a sin not to go to church every Sunday, that you must confess your sins to a priest and receive the sacrament of Holy Communion. Protestants don’t have to confess their sins to a minister or go to church every Sunday. I, for years, have prayed to God directly to confess my sins, and I watch the Catholic Mass on “Heart of the Nation.” I started watching it about a month ago and have also gone to a Methodist church where I was recently told that I could receive communion there if I choose even though I was baptized Catholic. Any comments would be greatly appreciated! – B.

Answered by Fr. Edward McIlmail, LC

A: I’ll try to address your questions briefly.

First, one of the key precepts of the Church is that we attend Mass on Sundays and holy days. The Church has the authority to issue this precept. “Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven” (Matthew 18:18).

Christ wants to gather us together as we worship the Almighty. This is one reason why he established a Church. If he wanted us to go off and do our own thing, he would have said so. But he didn’t.

And watching Mass on Internet or TV doesn’t substitute attendance at the Eucharistic celebration. Part of the value of Mass is being present when Christ comes in our midst at the consecration. The Eucharist is one way Jesus fulfills his promise, “I am with you always, until the end of the age” (Matthew 28:20).

Moreover, the U.S. bishop’s conference guidelines on televising the liturgy recognize the tendency of television “with its inherent lack of physical interaction, to lead people to more passive roles as spectators.”

As for confession: True, in one sense we can always confess to God. But Christ was the one who established the sacrament of confession. “Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained” (John 20:23).

So the sacrament of confession is the ordinary means by which Jesus wants us to seek forgiveness.

As for receiving the Eucharist: Catholics are obliged to receive it at least once a year. They have to be in a state of grace (no mortal sin). People with mortal sin need to go to confession first. (Catholics should go to confession once a year in any case.)

Methodists don’t have the Eucharist since they don’t have a valid priesthood. What they call “communion” is mere bread and wine. It’s not the true Presence of Christ.

Catholics aren’t allowed to receive Protestant communion. To do so is akin to publicly denying one’s Catholic faith.

You might want to step back and rethink how you are living your faith as a Catholic. If you have questions, seek answers. The Catholic Answers site has a lot of helpful material.

I hope some of this helps. Count on my prayers.

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Spiritual Weekend Getaway for Moms and Adult Daughters

The Regnum Christi young woman’s section of Almagro (in South-East Madrid, Spain) organized an event for young women to have a weekend away with their moms.

Thirteen young women between 18 and 29 signed up to spend the weekend with their mothers in Avila, Spain, home of St. Theresa. Paty López, age 29, who runs an event agency, spoke about it. She concluded, “I recommend this event to all mothers and daughters, and encourage them to leave their fears aside and launch into this adventure of getting to know each other more, sharing, forgiving, and spending quality time and many laughs together.”

Paty explained the history, “This new spiritual adventure getaway began five years ago with two Regnum Christi consecrated women who have been accompanying young people for a long time, Tere Rodríguez and Cecilia Ruiloba. They began to consider the possibility of a weekend with mothers and daughters. After much prayer, trusting in God to know that He was going to choose the right moment, and with enlightenment from the Holy Spirit; they decided to do it.”

Paty explained the goal and planning a little more: “The weekend was intended for young women from the Almagro section, between 18 and 29 years old, so that we could have some time with our mothers. The relationship with a mother is fundamental and, many times, it can be wounded by both parties, so it is an important thing to work on. Deepening in this relationship and addressing these hurts is something that is not often done, and it has a very positive impact since it gives a deeper personal security, spiritual and personal growth, and also helps to bring forgiveness.”

Paty noted that her team of RC young women got the ball rolling, “With great enthusiasm, we signed up 13 young women who, in turn, invited their mothers to spend the weekend with us. Some of the mothers traveled to Avila from their areas of residence: Barcelona, ​​Madrid, and Córdoba. It has been two and a half days squeezed to the fullest. We have been able to share, mothers and daughters have gotten to know each other better, we toured Ávila, played team games, had times of prayer and encounters with Christ, and had the opportunity to meet other mothers and others young women from the Almagro section.”

Paty continued, “It has been a joy to see our mothers so excited, and to see the entire team so enthusiastic and enjoying every moment, every activity. It is incredible to see how, in just one weekend, you can create so much deep unity with each other, where people who were complete strangers have ended up having a beautiful friendship and wanting to continue keeping in touch. We have had a true  atmosphere of trust, joy, and fun times.”

She noted, “The daughters were very happy to be able to teach our mothers about the charism of Regnum Christi, what we do in our section of Almagro, what an Encounter with Christ is, how we enjoy our Regnum Christi family, and the joy we feel from keep Christ present in our lives.”

Paty when on to explain how Regnum Christi had helped her, “It has personally helped me make a break in the week and in my life, to see everything with a spiritual perspective and to share it with Jesus. It has also been a gift to be able to live it with my mother, Isabel. We love spending time together but, in the end because of the whirlwind of day to day life, we do not often have the opportunity to enjoy moments like these. I loved that my mother met the Consecrated Women, my friends and their mothers. My family is Catholic but, except for my cousin, no one else belongs to Regnum Christi, so I am happy that my mother was able to know a bit about what RC is.”

Paty concluded, “Without a doubt, I recommend to all mothers and daughters who are considering making this weekend that they leave their fears aside and launch into this adventure of knowing each other more deeply, sharing, and forgiving.”

The original is on the Regnum Christi site of Spain.

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Alex Kucera

Atlanta

Alex Kucera has lived in Atlanta, GA, for the last 46 years. He is one of 9 children, married to his wife Karmen, and has 3 girls, one grandson, and a granddaughter on the way. Alex joined Regnum Christi in 2007. Out of the gate, he joined the Helping Hands Medical Missions apostolate and is still participating today with the Ghana Friendship Mission.

In 2009, Alex was asked to be the Atlanta RC Renewal Coordinator for the Atlanta Locality to help the RC members with the RC renewal process. Alex became a Group Leader in 2012 for four of the Atlanta Men’s Section Teams and continues today. Running in parallel, in 2013, Alex became a Team Leader and shepherded a large team of good men.

Alex was honored to be the Atlanta Mission Coordinator between 2010 to 2022 (12 years), coordinating 5-8 Holy Week Mission teams across Georgia. He also created and coordinated missions at a parish in Athens, GA, for 9 years. Alex continues to coordinate Holy Week Missions, Advent Missions, and Monthly missions at Good Shepherd Catholic Church in Cumming, GA.

From 2016 to 2022, Alex also served as the Men’s Section Assistant in Atlanta. He loved working with the Men’s Section Director, the Legionaries, Consecrated, and Women’s Section leadership teams.

Alex is exceptionally grateful to the Legionaries, Consecrated, and many RC members who he’s journeyed shoulder to shoulder, growing his relationship with Christ and others along the way. He knows that there is only one way, that’s Christ’s Way, with others!