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Date:         Mon, 4 Jan 1993 16:13:30 -0500
From:         URSIC@ASTRO.CS.HH.AB.COM
Subject:      RE: Forwarded mail, and comments

"John W. Woolley" <jww@EVOLVING.COM> and Colleen write:

Colleen, as you should be aware of by now, divorce and/or separation are
not sins by themselves, it's any sexual involvement you may have with
someone else afterwards which would be. So let me skip to the one part
of your "confession" which may be a problem:-)

> As it is, I survived four years of attending mass and not taking communion.

There is a silly little "catch 22" type rule which says that if you don't
take communion during the Easter season, you can't take it until you
confess to not taking it. This may still be a "rule" or it may have
gone the way of "eating meat on Friday", in either case, ignorance of
the law is still a somewhat valid excuse in the Church:-)

My question is would receiving communion in the Anglican Church count towards
our Easter duty? or any Church besides "Roman Catholic"? Is this one of those
decisive differences where Rome claims "Your Momma never really received
Christ, 'cause He's not present in your communion?:-)
(if this sounds offensive, consider the source:-) I really don't see a
difference, either He's present when His followers "do it in memory
of Him" or He's not. Whether we call it "trans" or "con" would seem
to be irrelevent to Him.

>I know, I'm rambling.  Sorry.

Hey, I like rambling too...so does anyone also know about the rule about
receiving communion too often. Isn't there another rule about only receiving
it once a day unless there are "emergency" conditions (like the Hosts are
about to be desecrated by ungodly communists:-)
If you were straddling the Date line (or a time line at midnight), could
you bend one way and receive communion then bend the other to receive
it again on another secular day? Is there a rule against building
Churches on date lines for this very reason:-)?

>Marty, your dissertation of the marriage laws was eloquent, but is there a
>possibility (sorry--I'm being facetious) that the law has grown to stand in
>the way of love?

There are a lot of silly Church rules, but the one on marriage doesn't
appear to be one of them. I think it comes down to "what God has joined,
let no man part" or something like that. But since he gave His apostles
the power to join through Him, it would seem reasonable that they would
also have the power to "unjoin" through Him, whether they know it or
not:-) maybe even an eight sacrament:-)
Are priests who leave the priesthood and marry allowed to receive
communion? Seems like the same type of vow being ended to me.

>One last request:  JJ, hold your comments for now, please?  I heard from
>all the law-and-order people I wanted to hear from before deciding to
>leave.  I know the law, I know the price I have to pay and I knew it before
>asking for the divorce.  Just don't rub salt in the wounds, okay?

I don't know if you think I'm a law and order person, or whether you
are a law and order person who wouldn't ever consider breaking any
Church rule under any circumstance. I have stated long ago here, that,
if you're an Anglican at a Catholic Communion, go for Him..
if you're a Catholic at an Anglican Communion, go for Him..
I draw the line at non-Christians ... but I'd even give them
the benefit of the doubt if they asked nicely, as in, "Amen":-) -J.J.
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