Communion: Catholic Vs. Methodist
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Communion: Catholic vs. Methodist
Being catholic since I was born, I know a lot of the history and traditions of the Catholic Church. I took part in a program called Religious Education at my church from 1st grade to 8th grade and performing my First Communion and Confirmation. I am going to tell a little about each religions tradition behind Communion and how it is done. Then I am going to compare and contrast Communion of the Catholic Church and the Methodist Church. The Communion rituals are similar in how it is performed, but there are a few significant differences.
First off Catholics believe that they are receiving the very Body and Blood of Christ Himself. At the Last Supper Jesus said, “This is my body which is given for you” and offering His disciples the cup of wine said, “Drink from it, all of you, for this is my blood of the covenant, which will be shed on behalf of many for the forgiveness of sins.” In the Gospel of John they read: “Jesus said to them, Amen, amen, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you do not have life within you. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him on the last day, for my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink (St. Louis Parish para 1).” When receiving communion and the person ahead of you is receiving Communion you offer a simple bow of reverence with your head and then step forward. You receive Holy Communion either in your hands or directly on the tongue. If you receive in the hands you should take care that they are clean (as a sign of reverence) and place one hand over the other and raise them up high, forming a throne with our hands to receive Jesus. As the priest places the host in our hands and says “The Body of Christ” you should respond loudly and clearly “Amen (St. Louis Parish para 5).” Also, one major point in Catholic Communion is with non-Catholics. Non-Catholics are not permitted to receive Holy Communion. The very action of receiving Communion says that the church believes it is the Body and Blood of Christ and that we share in the whole life of the Catholic Church. Inviting non-Catholics to Communion can be an obstacle to one day reaching full communion by blurring the differences in belief among Christian denominations. The church longs for the day when they will all be united in the same faith and can give expression to that unity by sharing in the Eucharist together (St. Louis Parish para 7). There are also many other little details to receiving Eucharist in the Catholic Church like: fasting for one hour before receiving Communion to help prepare for and appreciate the sacredness of such a great gift, not having gum or candy before Communion or even during the entire mass, not taking the Eucharist from the priest but waiting to receive it, and also going to Reconciliation before getting Communion if you have committed a serious sin (St. Louis Parish sacraments).
In the Methodist Church, they take Communion the first Sunday of each month. All who seek to lead a life following the way of Christ are welcome at the Lord’s Table. You do not have to be a member of this church or the United Methodist Church. Children are also welcome at the Lord’s Table prior to confirmation (Holy Communion opening). The Methodist Church also calls the sharing of the bread and wine different names like Last Supper, Holy Communion, and Eucharist. Each of these names is taken from the New Testament and highlights certain facets of this sacraments many meanings. Calling it “the Lords Supper” reminds us that it is a meal instituted by the Lord Jesus Christ and hosted by him at his table whenever it takes place. Calling it “Holy Communion” reminds us that it is an act of the most holy and intimate sharing, making us one with Jesus Christ and part of his body, the church. Calling it “the Eucharist”, a term taken from the New Testament Greek word meaning thanksgiving, reminds us that giving thanks to God for all that God has done is an essential part of the meal itself. By using different names, we acknowledge that no single name can contain the rich wealth of meaning in this sacred act (Holy Communion