Why Can't Some People Receive Holy Communion?

in the name of the father and of the son and of the Holy Spirit today I would like to reflect just briefly on what is sometimes called the practice of closed communion in holy Orthodoxy that is to say that the sacraments of the church are available only to members of the church to those who are sacramentally united in Orthodoxy to the Church of Christ and that those from other confessions even other Christian confessions are not permitted to partake of the sacraments it is very regularly asked uh by those outside the church and indeed sometimes by those within her why this is the case we live in a world where niceness and politeness are often understood as almost equivalent with truth and humanity and in another place perhaps I can talk about that Cult of neness that is so affected and infected our modern society but here I would like just to look at this from a rather analytical point of view why do we not allow someone who is not Orthodox to partake of Orthodox sacraments when I am ask this question directly which happens not infrequently I often respond by posing a question I know that's not generally good form to respond to a question with another question but now and then it serves a good purpose and when someone asks me this I very regularly answer by asking in response why would someone who does not believe what the Orthodox Church believes wish to partake of her sacramental rights indeed in our modern world we sometimes fail as a species as a race of humankind to get behind some of the more emotional questions that drive our discussions and this is true in lots of different Arenas but certainly here the question is often driven because we see such different practices in other places and to some they feel more friendly than what can appear perhaps to some a cold shoulder given in the Orthodox World there are lots of other Christian confessions in which anyone is invited to partake of their sacramental uh practices whatever those might be as long as they share a certain Faith or confession or belief or inner conviction and so on but in Orthodoxy we try with all of our heart to preserve the Integrity of the individual human creature to approach the holy chalice as an adult a rational thinking being must be something done in Freedom in belief as a part of confession of a confession that what we are doing and what we are receiving is true and transformative and real to participate in it in intellectual maturity without that is to be dishonest to ourselves it's different for infants and little children because they don't yet possess this rational analysis they are innocent and pure and we bring them in that innocence to receive the holy Mysteries but when someone who is able to ponder and to think comes to participate in an activity with which they do not agree then we have a real problem that creates duplicity and harm within the soul and ultimately this is the church's pastoral reason for preventing those who do not believe in her teachings to come to her sacraments one must guard the Integrity of that person the reality is at the end of the day we do not refuse Holy Communion to anybody anybody every single human being on this planet is welcome to come and receive the mysteries of our Christ more than welcome Christ died and Rose specifically to draw every human being into this mystical encounter but it must be done as a fruit of belief the doors to this experience as it were are opened by being united to this church if someone believes let them become Orthodox and as Orthodox of course they will receive if they don't believe then let them have the Integrity to stand in what they understand in what they believe which is different and not become internally hypocritical and duplicities by believing something different and yet going through the motions of something that they yet reject or do not Embrace this is the church's pastoral care for every person including those outside of her fold and indeed it gives the members of the church the impetus the desire the drive to go and to minister to those ones help them to see the truth help them to comprehend the Beauty and the glory of which they are not yet participants but which is open to them through a life of repentance conversion and Orthodox transformation may we one day arrive at that glorious life where all are partakers of the truth but may it never be imposed as an act of social change social movement or Progressive ideas no we will continue as we always have to God the Integrity of every human creature the Chalice is there and waiting and ready for every person who will be converted to the truth of the Orthodox Faith United to Christ's body in holy baptism and brought to receive his flesh and his blood as his gift of eternal life amen patristic nectar Publications is pleased to present enduring love laying Christian foundations for marriage marriage preparation together with the sacred institution itself has fallen on Hard Times in the 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Channel: PatristicNectarFilms

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Keywords: Patristic Nectar Publications, Patristic Nectar, Fr Josiah Trenham, Josiah Trenham, Orthodox, Orthodox Christian, Orthodox church

Id: jVBGOJ8KVFA

Length: 7min 30sec (450 seconds)

Published: Wed May 22 2024