Imagine… you hand me a glass of water and I throw throw it on the ground then pretend to drink. And you again give me a glass of water and I throw it on the ground then pretend to drink. A third time you give me a glass of water and I throw it on the ground then pretend to drink. If you finally refuse to give me another glass of water, have you denied me water? No, in the same way that the Church does not deny Eucharist to those who refuse to accept the reality of it.
Put another way …
Going through the motions of a wedding without a sincere commitment does not create a valid marriage. Going through the motions of an election without honestly counting the votes does not create a valid government. Going through the motions of eating without ever filling the plate will never satisfy our need for physical nourishment.
For those who want to research the Church teachings (paraphrased):
1) “To go through the motions of swallowing bread and wine without having the right disposition is to only pretend to receive Communion.” CCC 1128, 1131, 1388
2) “Sacraments celebrated not worthily in faith, ie without the presupposed faith, do NOT confer the grace signified.” CCC 1123, 1127
3) “Formal cooperation in an abortion constitutes a grave offense” CCC 2272. “To not hinder such cooperators when we have an obligation to do so is to participate in their sin.” CCC 1868. “… we have a responsibility for the sins committed by others when we cooperate in them” CCC 1868 (see also 1 Timothy 5:2) Thus, our Priests and Communion Ministers can be dragged into sinning by “giving Communion” to those who cooperate with abortion.
4) “To ‘give Communion’ to those who cooperate with abortion leads some parishioners to believe that the Church’s teachings regarding sin do not matter and thus leads some parishioners to do wrong.” CCC 2284 through 2287
5) “If/when our Priests and especially our Bishops use the power at their disposal in such a way that it leads others to do wrong, they become guilty of scandal and responsible for the evil that they have directly or indirectly encouraged.” CCC 2287 “Such scandal is grave because it is given by those who by nature or office are obliged to teach and educate others.” CCC 2285
“God our Savior desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.” CCC Prologue (see also CCC 45 CCC 260 1 Timothy 2:3-4 2 Peter 3:9)
“And if anyone hears my words and does not observe them, I (Jesus) do not condemn him, for I did not come to condemn the world but to save the world.” John 12:47
“For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body, eats and drinks judgment on himself.” 1 Corinthians 11:9 (see also CCC 1385)
“Sin … is disobedience, a revolt against God through the will to become ‘like gods,’ knowing and DETERMINING GOOD AND EVIL.” CCC 1850 (EMPHASIS ADDED)
“Anyone who is so ‘progressive’ as not to remain in the teaching of the Christ does not have God; whoever remains in the teaching has the Father and the Son.” 2 John 1:9
… our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ. 1 John 1:3 (see also 2 Timothy 4:3-4)
“In the Church this communion of men with God, in the ‘love [that] never ends,’ is the purpose which governs everything in her that is a sacramental means,” CCC 773
“… we call this food Eucharist, and NO ONE MAY TAKE PART IN IT UNLESS HE BELIEVES THAT WHAT WE TEACH IS TRUE, has received baptism for the forgiveness of sins and new birth, and lives in keeping with what Christ taught.” CCC 1355 (EMPHASIS ADDED) (see also CCC 185 CCC 1395 CCC 1270)
“The principal fruit of receiving the Eucharist in Holy Communion is an intimate union with Christ Jesus.” CCC 1391 (see also 1 Corinthians 10:16 CCC 790 CCC 1392 CCC 1382)
“It is in keeping with the very meaning of the Eucharist that the faithful, IF THEY HAVE THE REQUIRED DISPOSITIONS, receive communion when they participate in the Mass.” CCC 1388 (see also CCC 1665) (EMPHASIS ADDED)
“Whoever says ‘I believe’ says ‘I pledge myself to what we believe.’ Communion in faith needs a common LANGUAGE of faith, normative for all and uniting all in the same confession of faith.” CCC 185
“The inalienable right to life of every innocent human individual is a constitutive element of a civil society and its legislation: … These human rights depend neither on single individuals nor on parents; nor do they represent a concession made by society and the state; they belong to human nature and are inherent in the person by virtue of the creative act from which the person took his origin.” … CCC 2273
In your opinion, can anyone be in FELLOWSHIP AND UNION with Jesus and fellow Christians if he/she defines away the humanity of human offspring like five Democrats on the Supreme Court (over the dissents of two Republicans) defined away the humanity of Black people in the Dredd Scott decision?
The Catechism of the Catholic Church defines the term.
“… Holy Communion, the RECEPTION OF THE BODY AND BLOOD OF CHRIST IN THE EUCHARIST (1382). More generally, our FELLOWSHIP AND UNION with Jesus and other baptized Christians in the church, which has its source and summit in the celebration of the Eucharist. In this sense, Church as communion is the deepest vocation of the Church” (959). (EMPHASIS ADDED)
A Catholic can doubt, question, suspect particular bishops and teachings. However, to flat out reject and work against fundamental teachings IS to deny oneself fellowship and union.
What we commonly call “receiving Communion” is the action we take to accept the unearned, undeserved gift of spiritual nourishment God offers. No human being deserves Communion. However, some of us human beings recognize and accept it for what it is. Some of us human beings do not.
Can I, a Catholic, just show up one day at an Indian reservation and meaningfully take part in their traditional dances and prayers? Can I, a Catholic, make a meaningful Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca? If I phonetically pronounce Buddhist prayers without understanding what I am saying, have I prayed?
One last point.
Every abortion deprives God of the opportunity to watch one of His children grow up and grow in love for Him.