My niece and her male fiancé got married in the Catholic Church during a full Mass this past weekend.
It was interesting to me that the priest said he would bless anyone who came up to the altar during communion if they would wish to come up to be blessed instead of receiving communion. Anyone who was in the church regardless of affiliation (or a non practicing Catholic) were welcome for this blessing. He said in order to receive the bless they would just have to approach with their arms crossed across their chest so he knew who wanted a blessing
This is the first time I’ve ever seen this done in the Catholic Church and I am a practicing Catholic. So I am wondering if this is now a new way of inviting anyone up to communion.
To be honest I think it is wrong. Next thing ya know these people will think it’s ok to participate in communion itself.
This has been a thing in the Catholic Church for some time, it's just that Novus Ordo parishes are less likely to do it (the blessing thing) because they let practically anyone come up and receive communion, regardless if they have been to confession in at least a year or are practicing at all.
Asking people who are unable to receive communion because they haven't been to confession in a while, or they are not of the faith, to just get a blessing instead of the Eucharist is the right thing to do. Receiving the Eucharist while in a state of sin is incredibly wrong, especially if you KNOW you are in a state of sin and haven't gone to confess or even want to confess. Same goes for if you are not of the faith and don't believe anyway. But even if you're in a state of sin, or are not Catholic or even Christian, you can still ask for God to bless you in the hopes that you may get over your sins or convert.
Hopefully people aren't going up in a state of sin (like they are an active sodomite), getting the blessing, and thinking that God approves of them as they are, because that's not what the blessing is for. The blessing should be to help move their souls closer to God and HIS divine will, not ours. But I'm sure there are many who go up to get blessed, not knowing this, and think, "See? God approves of my ways," even though that's not what the blessing is blessing.
My niece and her male fiancé got married in the Catholic Church during a full Mass this past weekend.
It was interesting to me that the priest said he would bless anyone who came up to the altar during communion if they would wish to come up to be blessed instead of receiving communion. Anyone who was in the church regardless of affiliation (or a non practicing Catholic) were welcome for this blessing. He said in order to receive the bless they would just have to approach with their arms crossed across their chest so he knew who wanted a blessing
This is the first time I’ve ever seen this done in the Catholic Church and I am a practicing Catholic. So I am wondering if this is now a new way of inviting anyone up to communion.
To be honest I think it is wrong. Next thing ya know these people will think it’s ok to participate in communion itself.
This has been a thing in the Catholic Church for some time, it's just that Novus Ordo parishes are less likely to do it (the blessing thing) because they let practically anyone come up and receive communion, regardless if they have been to confession in at least a year or are practicing at all.
Asking people who are unable to receive communion because they haven't been to confession in a while, or they are not of the faith, to just get a blessing instead of the Eucharist is the right thing to do. Receiving the Eucharist while in a state of sin is incredibly wrong, especially if you KNOW you are in a state of sin and haven't gone to confess or even want to confess. Same goes for if you are not of the faith and don't believe anyway. But even if you're in a state of sin, or are not Catholic or even Christian, you can still ask for God to bless you in the hopes that you may get over your sins or convert.
Hopefully people aren't going up in a state of sin (like they are an active sodomite), getting the blessing, and thinking that God approves of them as they are, because that's not what the blessing is for. The blessing should be to help move their souls closer to God and HIS divine will, not ours. But I'm sure there are many who go up to get blessed, not knowing this, and think, "See? God approves of my ways," even though that's not what the blessing is blessing.
Sorry for the rambling.