Is Holy Communion Just for Catholic's?

The Holy Eucharist is the most important of the seven sacraments because, in this and in no other sacrament, we receive the very body and blood, soul and divinity of Jesus Christ. Innumerable, precious graces come to us through the reception of Holy Communion. Communion is an intimate encounter with Christ, in which we sacramentally receive Christ into our bodies, that we may be more completely assimilated into his. "The Eucharist builds the Church," as Pope John Paul II said (Redemptor Hominis 20). It deepens unity with the Church, more fully assimilating us into Christ (1 Cor. 12:13; CCC 1396). The Eucharist also strengthens the individual because in it Jesus himself, the Word made flesh, forgives our venial sins and gives us the strength to resist mortal sin. It is also the very channel of eternal life: Jesus himself.  Is Holy Communion just for us? Occasionally, an Evangelical is at a Catholic Mass, perhaps for a marriage or funeral. Some feel the Catholic Church is prideful or snobby for not allowing non-Catholics to join Communion, but it has nothing to do with pride or being snobbish. Also, most Eastern Orthodox Christians are welcome to celebrate communion with us. It's not about having an “exclusive club”. Most Catholics would love everybody to be in a position to receive the Eucharist. As written in the Gospel of John, “Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me and I in him.” (Jn 6:56) Why are we so protective of this Holy Sacrament? The Catholic Church believes it is quite serious to consume the Eucharist without believing ("discerning") that it is the Body of Jesus. "For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment upon himself" (1 Cor. 11:29). Transubstantiation means more than the Real Presence. According to transubstantiation, the bread and wine are actually transformed into the actual body, blood, soul, and divinity of Christ, with only the appearances of bread and wine remaining. This is why, at the Last Supper, Jesus held what appeared to be bread and wine, yet said: "This is my body. . . . This is my blood" (Mark 14:22-24, cf. Luke 22:14-20). If Christ were merely present along side bread and wine, he would have said "This contains my body. . . . This contains my blood," which he did not say. It is a desecration, and it would trivialize the center of our faith. This is one area that we cannot pretend that there is unity by compromising what we believe is the Body of our Lord, the source and summit of our faith. Why do we believe it’s the flesh and blood of Jesus? Within Scripture, the bread of life discourse in the Gospel of John brings out the Catholic Church’s understanding of Christ’s real presence within the Eucharist: “I am the living bread that came down from heaven; whoever eats this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world” (Jn 6:51). When Christ announced this and even to this very day, many have found this very difficult: “The Jews quarreled among themselves, saying, 'How can this man give us [his] flesh to eat?'” (Jn 6:52). Even his Apostles had a difficult time with it. Even though everyone had a very hard time with what he was saying, Jesus did nothing to dissuade them from the literal interpretation. Often the claim is made that in this and the other Gospels, that Jesus was only speaking metaphorically. As expressed above and in the Bible, Jesus' listeners took it literally. Jesus did nothing to dissuade them from the literal interpretation or call them back because they had misunderstood him. Furthermore, in the Aramaic language that our Lord spoke, to symbolically “eat the flesh” or “drink the blood” of someone meant to persecute and assault him. (Ps 27:2, Isa 9:18-20; 49:26, Mic 3:3, 2 Sam 23:15-17, and Rev 17:6, 16) If Jesus were only speaking metaphorically about eating His flesh and drinking His blood, He would have been saying that whoever persecutes and assaults Him will have eternal life, and that just makes no sense. We never want others to think Catholics believe we are superior. On the contrary, Catholics want others to understand our faith. In Pope John Paul II’s Encyclical titled Ut Unum Sint, he quotes the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith: “...the Church is not a reality closed in on herself; rather, she is permanently open to missionary and ecumenical endeavour, for she is sent to the world to announce and witness, to make present and spread the mystery of communion which is essential to her: to gather together all people and all things into Christ; so as to be for all an 'inseparable sacrament of unity'”. We are therefore called by the Church to work together with all our brothers and sisters in Christ. Understanding what the Church teaches us about our faith is vital if we are to win the hearts, minds, and of course, the respect of other Christians.