“As a body is one though it has many parts, and all the parts of the body, though many, are one body, so also Christ. For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, slaves or free persons, and we were all given to drink of one Spirit” (1 Cor 12:12-13).
These passages from St Paul illustrate that by baptism, we become members of the one body of Christ. Jesus invites us to participate in His divine life with the Father and the Spirit. We can do this through prayer, but especially through our reception of the sacraments. The sacraments are important celebrations and moments in which we encounter Christ. In this article, I would like to explain the canonical basis for sacramental sharing among the baptized.
Canon 204 states, “The Christian faithful are those who, inasmuch as they have been incorporated in Christ through baptism, have been constituted as the people of God”. Unpacking this norm, we can say that baptism incorporates us into Christ’s mystical body, no matter if one is a baptized Catholic or not. Therefore, a baptized Anglican, Lutheran, Greek Orthodox, or Presbyterian is a member of the body of Christ just like we are as baptized Catholics. We are not in full communion with Christians of those churches or communities, but we have partial communion with each other by virtue of our baptism in Christ. As long as one was baptized with the correct Trinitarian Formula (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit), then this is true. This is the underlying principle from which non-Catholic Christians can gain access to the sacraments of the Church. Valid baptism opens the doorway to the other sacraments.
Canon 844 touches on sacramental sharing. It clarifies the conditions under which non-Catholic Christians can receive the repeatable sacraments of the Eucharist, anointing of the sick, and penance. Unfortunately, I cannot touch on all the sections of canon 844 in this short article, but I will explain the one most applicable to our local context.
Canon 844 §4 notes, “If the danger of death is present or if, in the judgment of the diocesan bishop or conference of bishops, some other grave necessity urges it, Catholic ministers administer these same sacraments licitly also to other Christians not having full communion with the Catholic Church, who cannot approach a minister of their own community and who seek such on their own accord, provided that they manifest Catholic faith in respect to these sacraments and are properly disposed”. Let us unpack the conditions laid out in this section.
We first see that in danger of death, a non-Catholic Christian can receive the Eucharist, anointing of the sick, or penance. Secondly, this individual is not able to approach or call upon his own minister to visit him. Otherwise, he would not be asking a Catholic minister for spiritual assistance. Thirdly, this person seeks these sacraments on their own accord. This implies the sacraments ought not to be forced upon him by a nagging wife, family member, or Catholic minister. Another condition, the individual should manifest faith in the sacrament/s he desires to receive. Lastly, the person is to be properly disposed before receiving the sacrament. Here is an example to illustrate:
David is a baptized Lutheran. Years ago, he married Linda who is a Catholic, but he never converted to Catholicism. David is sadly dying from an aggressive cancer and he is hospitalized. All signs indicate that he does not have much time before meeting God. He has not been practicing the Lutheran religion for many years, but has grown fond of Linda’s fervor for the Catholic faith. After some serious prayer and reflection, he decides that wants to go to confession and receive communion. When Fr. Charlie arrives at the hospital while on his regular pastoral visit, he providently checks into David’s room just to see if anyone needs help. He is always longing to help others. He is then asked to hear David’s confession and distribute communion. David shares with Fr. Charlie that he does believe in the power of confession and that the Eucharist is really the body and blood of Jesus. Fr. Charlie sees that all the conditions are fulfilled, including David being in a prayerful and contrite state, hears his confession and gives him holy communion.
Hopefully this example has shown that under certain conditions, sacramental sharing is permissible under canon law. I would also add that this section of canon 844 mentions that in addition to danger of death, the episcopal conference or diocesan bishop can determine another grave situation that suggests non-Catholic Christians could legitimately approach Catholic ministers for these repeatable sacraments. Canonists mention imprisonment, persecution, or lack of protestants ministers as other grave situations in which non Catholic Christians could request the sacraments outside the danger of death. Keep in mind that even if the general requirements are fulfilled, the Christian requesting the sacrament still must fulfill all the other conditions. Sacramental sharing is covered in the Code of Canon Law.