Being born in a Methodist family and in having a practicing Catholic father, understanding the wealth of history and tradition of both the Methodist and Catholic Church can seem daunting. The little common ground that both religious practices have is the act of communion. To understand in totality what the ritual of communion represents or symbolizes in both Catholic and Methodist religions one must understand each of their worldviews. A few aspects of the Catholic worldview include: a view of creation as “sacramental”; having an underlying meaning, the understanding of the Church as a Mystical Body; the necessity of a “liturgical” life, a life that is lived according to sacred time; the integration of all components of life family, work, prayer, leisure, politics, etc.; the dignity of the human person, and many more (Geoff, Paul 18). The Methodism worldview is that Absolute moral truths exist, the bible defines these absolute moral truths, and Jesus Christ lived a sinless life during his ministry on earth. Other Methodist views include that God created the universe and continues to rule it today. He is omnipotent and omniscient, salvation is a gift from God. Salvation cannot be earned through good works or behavior, Satan is real living entity and Christians have an obligation to share the Gospel with the unsaved. (Koehler)
Both religions contain a ritual in which the body of Christ and his blood are consumed. The Communion rituals are similar in how it is performed, but there are a few significant differences that are intriguing and that define the two religions in drastically different ways.
First off Catholics believe that they are receiving the very Body and Blood of Christ Himself. At the Last Supper Jesus said, "This is my body which is given for you" and offering His disciples the cup of wine said, "Drink from it, all of you, for this is my blood of the covenant, which will be shed on behalf of many for the forgiveness of sins." In the Gospel of John they read: "Jesus said to them, 'Amen, amen, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you do not have life within you. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him on the last day, for my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink.” When receiving communion and the person ahead of you is receiving Communion you offer a simple bow of reverence with your head and then step forward. You receive Holy Communion either in your hands or directly on the tongue. If you receive in the hands you should take care that they are clean (as a sign of reverence) and place one hand over the other and raise them up high, forming a throne with our hands to receive Jesus. As the priest places the host in our hands and says "The Body of Christ" you should respond loudly and clearly "Amen." (Oakley, Lacey 30) Also, one major point in Catholic Communion is with non-Catholics. Non-Catholics are not permitted to receive Holy Communion.
The very action of receiving Communion says that the church believes it is the Body and Blood of Christ and that we share in the whole life of the Catholic Church. Inviting non-Catholics to Communion can be an obstacle to one day reaching full communion by blurring the differences in belief among Christian denominations. The church longs for the day when they will all be united in the same faith and can give expression to that unity by sharing in the Eucharist together (Oakley, Lacey 35). There are also many other little details to receiving Eucharist in the Catholic Church like: fasting for one hour before receiving Communion to help prepare for and appreciate the sacredness of such a great gift, not having gum or candy before Communion or even during the entire mass, not taking the Eucharist from the priest but waiting to receive it, and also going to Reconciliation before getting Communion if you have committed a serious sin (St. Louis Parish sacraments).
In the Methodist