The New Brunswick Telegraph-Journal has issued an apologize to Canadian Prime Minister Stephen "Call me Steve" Stephen Harper for reporting that he had slipped a communion wafer in his jacket pocket at the funeral mass for the late Romeo LeBlanc. The paper -- owned by the Irving family (big oil in N.B.) -- says the story was “inaccurate and should not have been published.”
It is dogma that through the action of the priest, the wafer of unleavened bread, literally, the body of Jesus Christ, to be received in communion only by those who so believe. That excludes Steve and all other Protestants, heretics and non-believers.
It is an extremely grave sin for them (and for Catholics who are not in a state of grace) to receive the Sacred Host. That is the real problem with what Mr. Harper did. Even if he put the Host in his mouth, he ought not to have presented himself to receive communion in the first place. If he didn't know that, he is more than a little ignorant of the faith of the majority of Canada's (nominally) Christian people.
Dear Mr. Whiteman:
ReplyDeletePerhaps Mr. Harper had his own personal reasons for receiving the Host. When offered the wafer, Mr. Harper was receiving what he thought was representative of the "body that was given so that he could have everlasting life". Believers in other churches accept this offering via wafers, unleavened crackers or bread, whether in their own church or in some other faith's church. Sorry, Jesus is Jesus in any church, and the Catholics have to share the practices of Christians. I felt that Mr. Harper did what he felt was right.
Cordelia Weatherbee
The key to the difference between Catholics and Protestants is the word "represents". Jesus did not say "This bread represents my body." He said, "This IS my body..."
ReplyDeleteI won't comment on what Mr. Harper may or may not think is "right"...