Question on taking part

I have a friend, her name is Maria and she is
a Christian. Recently she went to a Catholic funeral
service and took part in communion. I was really surprised
that she would do that but she thought it was
no big deal. I told her the Catholics view of
communion is not the same as the Christian
faith. She said to her it's not a big deal. I did
not want to argue with her but I still think it
does matter and she should not have taken part. The
Catholics do see the communion differently, for
one thing to them they believe the bread is
actually Jesus body and the wine is His blood?
Isn't that correct? Do you think Christians should
not take part in the traditions of the Catholic church?
In Him
Ellie

Hum this is an interesting question and I guess I never really thought about it before. I actually thought you had to be a member of the Catholic church to take communion at one of their Churches? I watched an interesting show called Protestants and Catholics, What we can learn from each other. Basically it was a Catholic Priest talking with a Protestant minister discussing all of the sore spots of the two Denominations. They actually asked Do you see the bread as the literal body of Christ and the wine as literally the blood of Christ. According to the Priest on the show no they aren't viewed literally as the body and blood of Christ, he called that a "myth" or something like that implying it has been something misunderstood.

I have been going on a weird kick of actually trying to understand people's beliefs instead of assuming I know what they believe (which was a common practice of mine in the past) If I can understand them and respect their beliefs then I can rightly say I disagree and have grounds to actually disagree with them.

As to your friend taking Catholic communion I really don't know much about it, I would say if they refered to Mary in the communion process in any way then it probably isn't a good idea.

*Edit*
The Show is called Common Grounds What Protestants and Catholics can learn from each other. Interesting watch, I understand what they believe now by watching but don't necessarily agree with them.

The doctrine is called trasubstantiation. They believe it one of the mysteries, that in the eucharist the bread and wine do quite literally become the body and the blood in substance but not in appearance. As far as I can tell from googling catholic websites this is still taught, although it may be that some Catholics don't necessarily view it that way. I am sure there is some variation in how different ones see this doctrine as there are with some of the things that we believe.

Travis

They actually asked Do you see the bread as the literal body of Christ and the wine as literally the blood of Christ. According to the Priest on the show no they aren't viewed literally as the body and blood of Christ, he called that a "myth" or something like that implying it has been something misunderstood.

As for your friend taking communion, yes I do think it was wrong for her to do so. Even the priest at the church would not have allowed her to take communion if he knew she was not a Catholic and that she had not confessed to a priest before communion was offered. Confessing your sins to the priest is the only way a catholic can be right to come forward and have communion.

Its a lie from the enemy that Biblical christian faith and the RCC have common ground. They are not the same faith.

God Bless
mj
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In Roman Catholic theology, "transubstantiation" (in Latin, transsubstantiatio, in Greek μετουσίωσις (metousiosis)) means the change of the substance of bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Christ in the Eucharist, while all that is accessible to the senses (accidents) remains as before.[1][2]

The Council of Trent in its thirteenth session ending October 11, 1551, defined transubstantiation as "that wonderful and singular conversion of the whole substance of the bread into the Body, and of the whole substance of the wine into the Blood – the species only of the bread and wine remaining – which conversion indeed the Catholic Church most aptly calls Transubstantiation".[7]

This council thus officially approved use of the term "transubstantiation" to express the Catholic Church's teaching on the subject of the conversion of the bread and wine into the body and blood of Christ in the Eucharist,[8]

Thanks for the replies on this. I spent some time looking more into what the Catholic church teaches about this and what was shared here about transubstantiation is their belief. My husband was asking me why I was so surprised by my friends actions she has always been the type to just go along with the crowd. I know when I spoke with her she really did not see that there is that big a difference between what the Catholic church teaches and what christian church teaches. The more I talk to those who use to belong to the Catholic church and read about their beliefs I can honestly say they are very different...

in Him
ellie