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.
In John’s gospel, Jesus summarized the reasons for
receiving Communion when he said:
"Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the
flesh of the Son of man and drink his blood, you have no life in you; he who
eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at
the last day. For my flesh is real food, and my blood is real drink. He who
eats my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him. As the living
Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so he who eats me will live
because of me. This is the bread which came down from heaven, not such as the
fathers ate and died; he who eats this bread will live forever" (John
6:53–58).
Because of the gravity of Jesus’ teaching on receiving
the Eucharist, the Church encourages Catholics to receive frequent Communion,
even daily Communion if possible, and mandates reception of the Eucharist at
least once a year during the Easter season. Before going to Communion, however,
there are several things one needs to know.
Catholics and Communion
The Church sets out specific guidelines regarding how we
should prepare ourselves to receive the Lord’s body and blood in Communion. To
receive Communion worthily, you must be in a state of grace, have made a good
confession since your last mortal sin, believe in transubstantiation, observe
the Eucharistic fast, and, finally, not be under an ecclesiastical censure such
as excommunication.
First, you must be in a state of grace.
"Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an
unworthy manner will be guilty of profaning the body and blood of the Lord. Let
a man examine himself, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup" (1
Cor. 11:27–28). This is an absolute requirement which can never be dispensed.
To receive the Eucharist without sanctifying grace in your soul profanes the
Eucharist in the most grievous manner.
A mortal sin is any sin whose matter is
grave and which has been committed willfully and with knowledge of its
seriousness. Grave matter includes, but is not limited to, murder, receiving or
participating in an abortion, homosexual acts, having sexual intercourse outside
of marriage or in an invalid marriage, and deliberately engaging in impure
thoughts (Matt. 5:28–29). Scripture contains lists of mortal sins (for example,
1 Cor. 6:9–10 and Gal. 5:19–21). For further information on what constitutes a
mortal sin, see the Catechism of the Catholic Church.
Out of habit and out of fear of what those around them
will think if they do not receive Communion, some Catholics, in a state of
mortal sin, choose to go forward and offend God rather than stay in the pew
while others receive the Eucharist. The Church’s ancient teaching on this
particular matter is expressed in the Didache, an early Christian
document written around A.D. 70, which states: "Whosoever is holy [i.e.,
in a state of sanctifying grace], let him approach. Whosoever is not, let him
repent" (Didache 10).
Second, you must have been to confession
since your last mortal sin. The Didache witnesses to this
practice of the early Church. "But first make confession of your faults,
so that your sacrifice may be a pure one" (Didache 14).
The 1983 Code of Canon Law indicates
that the same requirement applies today. "A person who is conscious of a
grave sin is not to . . . receive the body of the Lord without prior
sacramental confession unless a grave reason is present and there is no
opportunity of confessing; in this case the person is to be mindful of the
obligation to make an act of perfect contrition, including the intention of
confessing as soon as possible" (CIC 916).
The requirement for sacramental confession can be dispensed
if four conditions are fulfilled: (1) there must be a grave reason to receive
Communion (for example, danger of death), (2) it must be physically or morally
impossible to go to confession first, (3) the person must already be in a state
of grace through perfect contrition, and (4) he must resolve to go to
confession as soon as possible.
Third, you must believe in the doctrine
of transubstantiation. "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.
Fourth, you must observe the Eucharistic
fast. Canon law states, "One who is to receive the most Holy Eucharist is
to abstain from any food or drink, with the exception only of water and medicine,
for at least the period of one hour before Holy Communion" (CIC 919 §1).
Elderly people, those who are ill, and their caretakers are excused from the
Eucharistic fast (CIC 191 §3). Priests and deacons may not dispense one
obligated by the Eucharistic fast unless the bishop has expressly granted such
power to them (cf. CIC 89).
Finally, one must not be under an
ecclesiastical censure. Canon law mandates, "Those who are excommunicated
or interdicted after the imposition or declaration of the penalty and others
who obstinately persist in manifest grave sin are not to be admitted to Holy
Communion" (CIC 915).
Provided they are in a state of grace and have met the
above requirements, Catholics should receive the Eucharist frequently (cic
898).
Other Christians and Communion
The guidelines for receiving Communion, which are issued
by the U.S. bishops and published in many missalettes, explain, "We
welcome our fellow Christians to this celebration of the Eucharist as our
brothers and sisters. We pray that our common baptism and the action of the
Holy Spirit in this Eucharist will draw us closer to one another and begin to
dispel the sad divisions which separate us. We pray that these will lessen and
finally disappear, in keeping with Christ’s prayer for us ‘that they may all be
one’ (John 17:21).
"Because Catholics believe that the celebration of
the Eucharist is a sign of the reality of the oneness of faith, life, and
worship, members of those churches with whom we are not yet fully united are
ordinarily not admitted to Communion. Eucharistic sharing in exceptional
circumstances by other Christians requires permission according to the
directives of the diocesan bishop and the provisions of canon law. . . .
"
Scripture is clear that partaking of the Eucharist is
among the highest signs of Christian unity: "Because there is one bread,
we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread" (1 Cor.
10:17). For this reason, it is normally impossible for non-Catholic Christians
to receive Holy Communion, for to do so would be to proclaim a unity to exist
that, regrettably, does not.
Another reason that many non-Catholics may not
ordinarily receive Communion is for their own protection, since many reject the
doctrine of the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist. Scripture warns that
it is very dangerous for one not believing in the Real Presence to receive
Communion: "For any one who eats and drinks without discerning the body
eats and drinks judgment upon himself. That is why many of you are weak and
ill, and some have died" (1 Cor. 11:29–30).
Possible exceptions
However, there are circumstances when non-Catholics may
receive Communion from a Catholic priest. This is especially the case when it
comes to Eastern Orthodox Christians, who share the same faith concerning the
nature of the sacraments:
"Catholic ministers may licitly administer the
sacraments of penance, Eucharist and anointing of the sick to members of the
oriental churches which do not have full Communion with the Catholic Church, if
they ask on their own for the sacraments and are properly disposed. This holds
also for members of other churches, which in the judgment of the Apostolic See
are in the same condition as the oriental churches as far as these sacraments
are concerned" (CIC 844 § 3).
Christians in these churches should, of course, respect
their own church’s guidelines regarding when it would be permissible for them
to receive Communion in a Catholic church.
The circumstances in which Protestants are permitted to
receive Communion are more limited, though it is still possible for them to do
so under certain specifically defined circumstances.
Canon law explains the parameters: "If the danger
of death is present or other grave necessity, in the judgment of the diocesan
bishop or the conference of bishops, Catholic ministers may licitly administer
these sacraments to other Christians who do not have full Communion with the
Catholic Church, who cannot approach a minister of their own community and on
their own ask for it, provided they manifest Catholic faith in these sacraments
and are properly disposed" (CIC 844 § 4).
It is important to remember that, under the rubrics
specified above, even in those rare circumstances when non-Catholics are able
to receive Communion, the same requirements apply to them as to Catholics.
Non-Christians and Communion
The U.S. bishops’ guidelines for receiving Communion
state, "We also welcome to this celebration those who do not share our
faith in Jesus Christ. While we cannot admit them to Communion, we ask them to
offer their prayers for the peace and the unity of the human
family."
Because they have not received baptism, the gateway to
the other sacraments, non-Christians cannot receive Communion. However, in
emergency situations, they can be received into the Church via
baptism,
even if no priest is present, and an extraordinary minister of Holy Communion
may bring them Communion as Viaticum.
How to receive
Communion
Communion may be received either in the hand or on the
tongue. Around the year A.D. 390, Cyril of Jerusalem indicated that the early
Church practiced Communion in the hand when he instructed his audience:
"Approaching, therefore, come not with thy wrists extended, or thy fingers
open; but make thy left hand as if a throne for thy right, which is on the eve
of receiving the King. And having hallowed thy palm, receive the body of
Christ, saying after it, ‘Amen.’ Then after thou hast with carefulness hallowed
thine eyes by the touch of the holy body, partake thereof; giving heed lest
thou lose any of it; for what thou losest is a loss to thee as it were from one
of thine own members. For tell me, if anyone gave thee gold dust, wouldst thou
not with all precaution keep it fast, being on thy guard against losing any of
it, and suffering loss?" (Catechetical Lectures 23:22).
The Congregation of the Sacraments and Divine Worship
permitted the U.S. Bishops’ Conference to authorize reception of Communion in
the hand on July 25, 1977, provided the local bishop implements the practice in
his diocese. Once implemented, the option to receive Communion either in the
hand or on the tongue always remains with the communicant. No priest, deacon,
acolyte, or extraordinary minister of Holy Communion may refuse a communicant
Communion on the tongue. Likewise, once the local bishop has introduced
Communion in the hand, none may refuse a communicant Communion in the hand
(except when Communion is being given by intinction, in which case it must be
given on the tongue).
Finally, after you have received Communion, it is
appropriate to stay after Mass and thank Jesus for coming to you in the Holy
Eucharist. The Church mandates that: "The faithful are to be recommended
not to omit to make a proper thanksgiving after Communion. They may do this
during the celebration with a period of silence, with a hymn, psalm or other
song of praise, or also after the celebration, if possible by staying behind to
pray for a suitable time" (Inaestimabile Donum 17).
After receiving Jesus into one’s own body and being
drawn more closely into his, how could one do any less?
NIHIL OBSTAT: I have
concluded that the materials
presented in this work are free of doctrinal or
moral errors.
Bernadeane Carr, STL, Censor Librorum, August 10, 2004
IMPRIMATUR: In accord with 1983 CIC 827
permission to publish this
work is hereby granted.
+Robert H. Brom, Bishop of San Diego, August 10,
2004
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