Open -vs- Closed Communion

I recently had a story relayed to me that I haven't been able to shake from the front, or at least from near the front, of my mind. A man who is a fallen away Catholic recently experienced the death of his father. The man, his wife, and son attend a traditional style Presbyterian church. His father had remained Catholic and the family had a funeral Mass per the father's wishes. The man, his wife, and their two children attended the Mass. When it came time for Communion they all presented themselves for reception of the Eucharist, notwithstanding the explanation from the priest as to who is welcome, (and who isn't welcome) to receive Communion. The priest also explianed that those who were not eligible to receive Communion could present themselves for a blessing by standing in front of the priest with their arms crossed in front of their chest.

The man describes what his two children, (an early 20's daughter and teenage son), experienced when presenting themselves. The daughter, (I don't know what her religious profession is, but I know it isn't Catholic) presented herself for reception of the Eucharist. The priest proclaims, "the Body of Christ", to which she replies with silence. The two have an awkward several seconds which ends with the priest asking, "are you Catholic?". The daughter replies, "no". The priest then touches her shoulder and moves her on so the next person in line can have their turn.

The son then presents himself, again awkwardness. The son actually is given communion but fumbles with the Host and at the chalice when receiving Christ's precious blood. The Dad and Mom were upset with how their daughter was treated and thought the awkwardness of their teenage son and the fumbling was mostly humerous. They both also received communion.

What this whole story drove home for me is how ignorant people are about what different Christian traditions profess and sadly what their own tradition professes, be they; born Protestant's, born Catholic's, fallen away Catholic's now Protestant, the non-Christians, the non-religious. People in the United States behave as if they are entitled to receive whatever they want. The ultimate authority is themselves. It's as if they say, "if what you say contradicts my viewpoint, then you are wrong and an idiot because I know better". They pick and choose what news agency to watch based on their political and social ideology (I'm guilty). And if told that they are not welcome to receive something that they believe they should be able to recieve, they behave as if they are being assaulted.

I wouldn't want to receive communion in a Church that was not Catholic, (ya ya, there's always the discussion of what "catholic" is but in this instance I mean Catholic) or that did not have a valid priesthood. Because without the valid priesthood you can believe all day long that the Eucharist is the body, blood, soul, and divinity of our Lord Jesus Christ, (and you'd be correct) but, the Eucharist only exists where there is a true priest (one ordained by someone who is a bishop in apostolic succesion). And if you believe in the true presence, (that's where the substance of the bread and wine cease to be bread and wine and are instead TRANSsubstantiated into the real body and blood of Christ) then to recieve communion where there isn't a true presence is tantamount to denying Christ or committing adultry.

For someone who only believes in the symbolic presence, there wouldn't be much to keep them from receiving the Eucharist in a church with Apostolic succession (Catholic and Orthodox), except for the desire to honor the customs of those communities. At best they would think that their Catholic and Orthodox cousins are simply too literal in their reading of Scripture. At worst they would think that their Catholic and Orthodox cousins are silly superstitious morons who go through their faith life on automatic pilot never giving anything theoligical a second thought. The fact that you are told that you are not welcome to receive communion because you aren't in communion is just mean and insensitive I guess.

Here's what is printed in the prayer books (misals) used by the congregation during Mass regarding the reception of Communion.

For our fellow Christians:
...Because Catholics believe that the celebration of the Eucharist is a sign of the reality of the oneness of faith, life and worship, members of those Churches with whom we are not yet fully united are ordinarily not admitted to holy Communion. Eucharistic sharing in exceptional circumstances by other Christians requires permission according to the directives of the diocesan bishop and the provisions of canon law (Canon 844, 4).
Members of the Orthodox Churches, the Assyrian Church of the East, and the Polish National Catholic Church are urged to respect the discipline of their own Churches. According to Roman Catholic discipline, the Code of Canon Law does not object to the reception of Communion by Christians of these Churches (844, 3).
For those not receiving holy Communion: All who are not receiving holy Communion are encourage to express in their hearts a prayerful desire for unity with the Lord Jesus and with one another.
For non-Christians: We also welcome to this celebration those who do not share our faith in Jesus Christ. While we cannot admit them to holy Communion, we ask them to offer their prayers for the peace and the unity of the human family.