Communion -
Who May Receive
Who may receive. From the very beginning of the Church the reception
of Holy Communion was reserved for those who believed the doctrine of the Church that it
is the Body and Blood of Christ, are in union with the Church and in the state of grace.
St. Ignatius of Antioch wrote around 107 AD in a letter to the Church in Smyrna,
They (those in error of his day) abstain from the Eucharist and from prayer, because
they do not confess that the Eucharist is the Flesh of our Savior Jesus Christ, Flesh
which suffered for our sins and which the Father, in His goodness, raised up again. ...
Wherever the bishop appears let the people be there; just as wherever Jesus Christ is
there is the Catholic Church.
The current legislation of the Church echoes these considerations.
Can. 844
1. Catholic ministers may licitly administer the sacraments to Catholic members of the
Christian faithful only and, likewise, the latter may licitly receive the sacraments only
from Catholic ministers with due regard for parts 2, 3, and 4 of this canon, and c.861,
part 2.
2. Whenever necessity requires or genuine spiritual advantage suggests, and provided
(dummodo) that the danger of error or indifferentism is avoided, it is lawful for the
faithful for whom it is physically or morally impossible to approach a Catholic minister,
to receive the sacraments of penance, Eucharist, and anointing of the sick from
non-Catholic ministers in whose churches these sacraments are valid.
3. 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.
4. 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 (dummodo) they manifest Catholic faith in these sacraments and are properly
disposed.
5. For the cases in parts 2, 3, and 4, neither the diocesan bishop nor the conference of
bishops is to enact general norms except (nisi) after consultation with at least the local
competent authority of the interested non-Catholic Church or community.
So, with the special exceptions noted by the law of the Church, only Catholics may
receive Holy Communion. Catholics, likewise, may only receive Communion in those Churches
which have valid sacraments, such as the various Orthodox Churches, Polish National Church
and some few others.Neither the Anglican, Episcopal, Lutheran or Protestant churches
qualify.
State of Grace. As St. Paul notes in his letter to Corinth, reception after
examining oneself is a prerequisite for worthy reception, otherwise Communion has the
opposite from the desired effect of union with our Lord. This is why, out of respect for
Christ and our own good, the Church obliges us to be in the state of grace when we
receive. It should be noted, however, that some Catholics have the mistaken notion that
they cannot go to Communion unless they go to Confession first. This is incorrect. Both
the theology of the Church and her law oblige Confession ONLY when there is mortal sin.
Confessions of devotion, however, are highly recommended. Thus, two errors are to be
avoided, liberalism and rigorism.
1 Cor. 11:27-29
Therefore whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord unworthily will have to
answer for the body and blood of the Lord. A person should examine himself, and so eat the
bread and drink the cup. For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body, eats
and drinks judgment on himself.
Can. 916 A person who is conscious of grave sin is not to celebrate Mass or 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. [This is a truly exceptional permission that needs to be
properly understood. It requires moral or physical impossibility to go to Confession and
the necessity to receive Communion - such as a priest who MUST celebrate Mass.]
Can. 988
1. A member of the Christian faithful is obliged to confess in kind and in number all
serious sins committed after baptism and not yet directly remitted through the keys of the
Church nor acknowledged in individual confession, of which one is conscious after diligent
examination of conscience.
2. It is to be recommended to the Christian faithful that venial sins also be confessed.
How often. As the Church's law notes, the faithful are encouraged to
receive Communion every time they go to Mass, but not more than twice in a day (except in
danger of death).This trend, begin by Pope St. Pius X with the lowering of the age of
First Communion and the encouragement of frequent Communion, stresses our need to deepen
the bond of union with Christ.This union is an antidote for the evils of our day.
Can. 918
It is highly recommended that the faithful receive Holy Communion during the celebration
of the Eucharist itself, but it should be administered outside Mass to those who request
it for a just cause, the liturgical rites being observed.
Can. 917
A person who has received the Most Holy Eucharist may receive it again (iterum) on the
same day only during the celebration of the Eucharist in which the person participates,
with due regard for the prescription of can. 921, part 2. [The Holy See has explained that
"again" means a second time, but no more. Canon 921 concerns the danger of
death.]
Answered by Colin B. Donovan, STL
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