3. Breaking of Bread and the Prayers ope is the virtue that allows us to put our trust in God’s providence and in the help of his grace rather than in our own strength. The virtue of hope is expressed in prayer, and in a particular way when we come together as a Christian community to unite ourselves to the prayer of Christ at Mass.
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We live out the virtue of hope when we pray and when we receive the Sacraments. Through these, God’s grace is communicated to us. We form a community of Hope when we unite with others who share our faith for prayer and sacramental life. Thus the third condition for receiving Holy Communion regularly is that we be people who are actively part of the praying and worshipping Christian community. In our parishes the sick and housebound remain united to the community by receiving Communion in their homes.
Actively practising our faith person who has habitually ignored God or excluded him from their life should not receive Communion without first being reconciled in Confession. For example, a person who never prays, never thinks about their faith and never goes to Church should not receive Communion just because they happen to be at a wedding or funeral unless of course they have been to confession first.
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Catholics have a grave obligation to attend Mass on Sundays (or the vigil Mass on Saturday evenings). Someone who deliberately misses Holy Mass has chosen to put something before their unity with the Christian community and should not therefore receive communion without first seeking reconciliation.
The Eucharistic Fast n order to make us aware of the greatness of the gift of Jesus in the Eucharist, the Church asks people to observe the Eucharistic Fast of one hour before receiving Communion. This fast includes all food and drink (except water and medication). In the case of the sick it is reduced to fifteen minutes.
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Living our call to live in Unity f course we all commit sins and fall short of the ideal Christ puts before us. We are helped towards achieving that ideal by the grace of the Sacraments themselves, particularly Confession. Finally, it is worth mentioning that the pain of not being able to receive Communion can also be a salutary one: it may help remind us of the seriousness of our call to live in unity as God’s children.
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Who can
For More Information Compendium of the Catholic Church: Paras: 271-294 Catachism of the Catholic Church: Paras: 1382-1419
receive Communion?
Key Books to Read
Catholicism for Dummies, John Trigilio Celebrating the Mass, CTS (Do731) Eucharist, CTS (Do714) The How-to Book of the Mass, Michael Dubruiel Is Jesus Really Present in the Eucharist?, CTS (Do727) Living the Mass, CTS (Do732) Thinking Simply About the Mass, CTS (Do728) Why Go to Mass?, CTS (Do639) Why is Sunday Special?, CTS Essentials Leaflet (LF 37) Why should I go to Mass on Sunday?, CTS (LF 5)
Visit: www.CTSbooks.org A wide range of inexpensive publications is available from CTS to help nurture your faith and keep you informed about a wide range of issues. If you would like to receive further information please contact us: CTS, 40-46 Harleyford Road, London SE11 5AY Or visit www.CTSbooks.org Tel: 020 7640 0042 Fax: 020 7640 0046
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What guidance does the Catholic Church give about receiving Communion? 25p 23/01/2013 14:24
Receiving communion or not? ome non-Catholics are surprised when they attend Holy Mass to see that not everyone receives Holy Communion. Some people stay in their benches at communion time while others approach the altar asking for a blessing. Except under very special circumstances a non-Catholic is not permitted to receive Holy Communion in a Catholic Church and, in fact, many Catholics are also unable to receive.
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Holy Communion is about being united with Jesus (‘communion’ means ‘union with’). For Catholics, receiving Holy Communion anticipates our union with God in heaven and is a sign of the unity we live in the Church. It is an expression of our unity not a means of achieving it.
How did the first Christians live Unity? he Acts of the Apostle(s) stresses many times the unity lived in the early Church. The first Christians (Ac 2:42) were characterised by their fidelity to: • the teaching of the Apostles, • the fellowship, and • the breaking of bread and the prayer. These three elements help us understand the nature of unity in the Catholic Church. By examining them we can have some insight into who can receive Communion at Mass.
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1.Teaching of the Apostles he first Christians lived a unity in faith. To receive Holy Communion therefore implies at least a unity of belief about the Eucharist itself: that the Mass is the Sacrifice of Christ on Calvary and that in Holy Communion we receive the Real Presence - Jesus Christ himself - rather than a symbol or sign of his presence. Catholics speak of transubstantiation or the transformation of the whole substance of bread and wine into the living Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus. Someone who does not accept the reality of Christ’s presence in the Eucharist would not be able to receive Communion in the Catholic Church.
T Holy Communion expresses Unity t is helpful to understand why this is the case because decisions about who can or cannot receive Communion are not just matters of Church discipline. They are concerned with our very understanding of the meaning of Holy Communion.
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Catholics believe that when we receive Holy Communion we eat and drink the very Body and Blood of Jesus Christ.
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Believing what the Church believes f course unity in faith means more than just believing in the Real Presence. It means believing and professing “all that the Holy Catholic Church believes, teaches and proclaims to be revealed by God”. In exceptional circumstances a bishop may give permission for a non-Catholic to receive Holy Communion on a specific occasion basing that permission on unity of faith concerning the Real Presence. To receive Communion regularly, however, requires the wider unity in faith expressed through membership of the Catholic Church. The lack of unity in faith, and different beliefs about the Eucharist explain why Catholics are not allowed to take communion in nonCatholic Churches.
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2. The Fellowship hile it is possible for the Bishop to give permission for a non-Catholic to receive Communion in certain limited circumstances, it would be clearly inappropriate for them to receive if they are living in a situation in which Catholics themselves would be excluded from Communion.
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What breaks unity? ollowing Christ’s teaching that they would be known by the love they had for one another, the first Christians lived a life of mutual dedication or fellowship. Jesus summarises the Commandments as love of God and love of our neighbour. Our love for others is expressed in what we do. When we go against this love by committing a serious (or ‘mortal’) sin we break the unity that Christ calls us to live. In practice if we deliberately and consciously do something we know to be seriously wrong we cannot receive Communion without first being reconciled through the Sacrament of Confession.
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For Catholics marriage is a particular expression of the unity in love that Christ calls us to live. A married couple are invited to communicate God’s love to each other. The sign of this total, life-giving commitment is their sexual union. If we are living in a state that does not correspond to the ideal of Christian life and love, for example by sleeping together outside of marriage, committing adultery, or being divorced and re-married, we would not receive Holy Communion at Mass.
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