Dear Phil:

With all due respect to your relatives, who do they think they are? What arrogance!

It does not matter what their opinion is of the Eucharist. The rules of the Catholic Church is that they are not to received. The Catholic Church does not have open communion. They must respect that.

They are in the Catholic House. Respect the house rules whether or not they agree with them. To not respect the house rules is unChristian and arrogant to the nth degree.

How would they feel if someone who isn't suppose to receive communion according to their church, say a non-Christian, just goes ahead and receives it anyway in their church with an attitude of "you can't stop me, I believe it is just a symbol and so what difference does it make that I am an atheist. You can't stop me from doing what I think is right."

Your relatives insult every Catholic, insult you, and insult God by their arrogance. How dare them. I repeat, who do they think they are?

Frankly, if these morons are ever at Mass that you are attending and they go forward to receive, I would go with them and when they approach the priest, or extraordinary minister, I would verbally announce that these people are not Catholic and have been told they are not to receive.

Your relatives are committing a sacrilege. They are gravely sinning by their arrogance and disrespect if nothing else.

I would explain to them the house rules and ask them to respect that or do not come to Mass. If they claim to be Christian they WILL respect this.

Communion is more than about the Real Presence versus a symbol of Christ. Communion is also a symbol of communion, that is, unity. It is a symbol of a people in unity of the same faith. Your relatives do not believe all that Catholics believe thus they cannot receive communion. To receive communion is to say one is in union with that church. If one is not in union with the Church then they commit a lie.

Your relatives are lying to God, to the community, and to themselves. By receiving communion they are saying, "I believe the same thing as Catholics." They do not. So in addition to being arrogant and sacrilegious they are liars.

Frankly Phil, to make the point about how serious this is, if this were me, I would tell my relatives that if they did not cease committing sacrilege that I would disown them and never talk to them again until they repented. I would do this even it one of the relatives were my mother.

If they cannot respect my faith, or at least give respect to the house rules, then I would have nothing whatsoever to do with them. I would shun them. To do otherwise would be to participate as an accomplice to their sin. The Catechism says:

1868 Sin is a personal act. Moreover, we have a responsibility for the sins committed by others when we cooperate in them:

- by participating directly and voluntarily in them;

- by ordering, advising, praising, or approving them;

- by not disclosing or not hindering them when we have an obligation to do so;

- by protecting evil-doers.

1869a Thus sin makes men accomplices of one another and causes concupiscence, violence, and injustice to reign among them.

Jesus tells us:

We will certainly be in prayer for you (and for them).

God Bless,
Bro. Ignatius Mary