Do I need to confess to communicate?
And it depends ... Who will take the first Communion must be confessed before doing so. Who has committed a mortal sin, so must to recover the grace before receiving Communion. Who is in a state of grace not need to. Premise
"Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life." You receive Christ himself.
is necessary to do so with dignity.
Two conditions
Communion is not a prize. It does not take holy communion. It is a spiritual need, but has some basic requirements.
The first two conditions are of divine origin arising from the reality of the Eucharist and are given in Holy Scripture: 1) state of grace, 2) know who is received.
St. Paul says in I Corinthians 11: 27-29:
"Whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord unworthily, shall be guilty of
Body and Blood of Christ. Examine, for each person, and so eat the bread and drink
Cup. For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the
body eats and drinks his own punishment. "
is necessary to distinguish, know who to get, and be in a state of friendship with God. Theology calls it "being in a state of grace." Is lost by mortal sin, breaking the communion of life with God. Recovered in the sacrament of Penance.
regard to the confession and the Eucharist, the Church explicitly finalized two rules:
· before the First Communion must confess.
• whether it has committed a grave sin must confess before receiving Communion.
"desirable or necessary?
Except for two cases referred to do not need to confess before receiving Communion. If a person is in grace, even under time not confess, you can communicate with confidence. We should not add more conditions than actually exist. Frequent confession is a highly recommended practice for spiritual growth, to have more soul purified, etc. But that is another matter. One thing is for the convenience of frequent confession and a separate one that is necessary to receive communion if you are in grace (which is not).
far so it is quite clear.
Where is the problem?
a person in a state of mortal sin can recover the grace of God even before confession.
How so? By an act of perfect contrition with the intention of confessing as soon as possible, recover the lost grace.
What is an act of contrition perfect?
is an act of repentance for the sin committed, motivated by love of God. Sorrow for having offended God, so holy, lovable, great, good, etc.
What is an imperfect act of contrition?
is the same act, performed by supernatural motives, all very good, but not the love of God, fear of hell, ugliness of sin, desire to communicate, weight consciousness, and so on.
pain imperfect contrition is sufficient for the forgiveness of sins in confession. If the pain of perfect contrition is joined in order to confess, we obtain the grace we might say, in advance, before the confession.
So I can receive Communion after committing a mortal sin, before confessing, if I make a perfect act of contrition?
- No
- Why not?
Sacraments worthily received the assurance given access to the grace of God. Act ex opere operato "explains Theology: Under-by-effectiveness of the proceedings that does not fail. If you do not put an obstacle to action is performed effectively.
But when I do an act of perfect contrition, I am in a non-sacramental, which depend on, to put it in some way, the "quality" of my action. I have no certainty of having actually done an act of contrition perfect. I have no way to measure perfection / imperfection of my act of contrition.
If I could take communion and present to receive the Lord unworthily, and thus committing a sacrilege. The problem is not only my sin, especially problem is that God deserves respect: I can not explain the Eucharist to such an affront. No need not be logical to run two risks.
why the Church, to care for the dignity of the Sacramento and soul of the faithful, set a precept on the Council of Trent: that no conscious of having committed a mortal sin to approach communion, no matter how contrite you feel without having confessed before.
This means that there is a law of the Church send it.
Does exceptions?
Yes, because the ecclesiastical precepts do not bind when there is distress.
The divine precept no exception: you can not receive Communion in a state of sin.
The ecclesiastical precept can have it: it could take communion in a state of grace achieved by an act of perfect contrition even before the confession, if any distress. In this case, a serious need for Communion.
This means that if a person has an obligation to communicate and can not confess, you can make an act of perfect contrition and communion.
An example: the priest should celebrate the sacraments in a state grace. If it were not committing a sacrilege. Also, when he celebrates Mass can not not communicate (the priest's communion is part of the ceremony). If, in a village, the priest was in a state of mortal sin, with whom he had not confessed, and should celebrate Mass for the people, what would you do? That priest must make an act of perfect contrition and celebrate mass.
Another example: If you omit the communion seek a grave scandal or infamy. This is the case of a person is in line to receive communion and suddenly remembers being in mortal sin (I did not know before.) If you can not get away without attracting serious attention from others, can communicate by an act of perfect contrition. Obviously not for those who refuse to confess, but who, in good faith, is in that situation.
Obviously without a real need, and also real distress, it would be a serious abuse breach of this precept of the Church, is not intended to prevent people from communion, but it does get decently, avoiding any risk of sacrilege. Exposure would be absurd to commit a sacrilege, to satisfy the desire to communicate, or to avoid the shame of quitting, or the "need" to meet the Lord, and so on., No dire need to receive the Eucharist. In fact, almost never an obligation to communicate (The case of the priest who celebrates and some other exceptional case).
What if the priest left me?
sometimes heard saying: "But, a priest told me to take communion ...".
So we wonder, can a priest waive application of this law? No, because it has no power over it. If you said was wrong, should not have told you. There are things for which you have power, and things you do not. If I have no power to do something, and try to do so, the attempt is futile, and that fact will have no validity. It would be like a deacon would enshrine: for best will never be able to put it that the bread becomes the Body of Christ, because he has the power to do so.
If a priest gives permission to do something, you do not have rights, the permit is absolutely invalid. Also bad advice does not excuse you from sin.
So do not waste time asking for permission to communicate: be able to be pregnant should not receive communion or not depends on the priest in front of you.
On the other hand, except for people living in irregular situations, the solution is simple: go to confession.
Why go to Mass if I can not receive Communion?
To offer God's redemptive sacrifice of Christ. It is true that the Church recommends, for participate more fully than those who are able to do so, take communion. But this does not mean that we can actively participate at Mass without receiving Communion. They are two separate issues. And always presupposes communion due provisions, without which would harm, much harm to the soul of communion.
Also in the case of Sunday Mass, not to attend Mass a mortal sin to add another person. Compliance with the Sunday obligation is completely independent of the Communion it meets Mass attendance period.
the Church's insistence
The Church has insisted so much on this issue in recent documents it is really painful that proponents have a practice contrary to this teaching.
What the Church teaches and wants is very clear to those who can read and want to obey.
I would ask who otherwise disseminate, having at least the honesty to tell the faithful that this is not what the Church says. Otherwise it would be cheating on their good faith. Tell a faithful
: "Communicating and then I confess" (except the rare cases of serious need of communion) is unreasonable, as much as to say, "commits a sacrilege and then I confess." No, better not to commit the sacrilege.
P. Eduardo Volpacchio Capellania@colegioelbuenayre.edu.ar
ANNEX: Some recent magisterial texts
Catechism of the Catholic Church, n 1385:
We must prepare for this moment so great and holy. S. Paul urges an examination of conscience: "Whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord unworthily sins against the Body and Blood of Christ. Examine, for each person, and then eat the bread and drink the cup. Well who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks his own punishment "(1 Cor 11.27-29). Anyone conscious of a grave sin must receive the sacrament of Reconciliation before coming to communion.
Instruction Redemptionis Sacramentum
From the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, On certain matters to be observed or avoided regarding the Most Holy Eucharist (25/03/2004) n.
81. The Church's custom shows that it is necessary that each one examine himself thoroughly, so that anyone who is conscious of grave sin may not celebrate Mass or receive the Body of the Lord without prior sacramental confession, unless unless a grave reason and there is no opportunity for confession, in which case, remember that you are forced to make an act of perfect contrition, including the intention of confessing as soon as possible.
n. 87. The First Communion of children must always be preceded by sacramental confession and absolution.
Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church (28.6.2005)
291. What is required to receive Holy Communion?
To receive Holy Communion should be fully incorporated into the Catholic Church and be in God's grace, is, not conscious of mortal sin. Anyone who is conscious of having committed a grave sin must receive the sacrament of Reconciliation before coming to communion. Also important are the spirit of meditation and prayer observance of the fast prescribed by the Church and the attitude the body (gestures, clothing) as a sign of respect for Christ.
John Paul II, Encyclical Ecclesia de Eucharist (17.4.2003)
36. Invisible communion, though by its nature always growing, presupposes the life of grace through which we become "partakers of the divine nature" (2 Peter 1, 4), and the practice of the virtues of faith , hope and charity. Indeed, only in this way we have true communion with the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. It is not enough faith, but we must persevere in sanctifying grace and charity, remaining within the Church "body" and the "heart", ie required, in the words of St. Paul, "faith working through love" (Ga 5, 6).
integrity invisible bonds intact is a specific moral duty incumbent upon Christians who wish to participate fully in the Eucharist by receiving the body and blood of Christ. The Apostle Paul appeals to this duty with the warning: "Examine, for each person, and so eat the bread and drink the cup" (1 Cor 11, 28). St. John Chrysostom, with his stirring eloquence, exhorted the faithful: "I too raise my voice, I beseech, beg and implore not near to this sacred table with a sullied and corrupt conscience. Doing this, in fact, can never be called 'communion, even if we play a thousand times the Lord's body, but condemnation, torment and greater punishment. "
precisely in this sense, the Catechism of the Catholic Church states: "Anyone conscious of a grave sin must receive the sacrament of Reconciliation before coming to communion." I therefore desire to reaffirm that effect, and it will always be in the Church, the standard by which the Council of Trent gave concrete expression of the Apostle Paul's stern warning, saying that to receive the Eucharist worthily, "one must first confession of sins, when one is aware of mortal sin. "
37. The Eucharist and Penance are two sacraments closely linked. The Eucharist makes present the redeeming sacrifice of the Cross, perpetuating it sacramentally, it naturally gives rise to a continuous need for conversion, personal response to the appeal made by Saint Paul to the Corinthians: "In the name of Christ will pray: be reconciled to God "(2 Cor 5, 20). Thus, if the Christian's conscience is burdened by serious sin to follow the path of penance through the sacrament of Reconciliation becomes necessary for full participation in the Eucharistic Sacrifice.
XI Working Document of the Synod of Bishops (October 2005)
13. (...) The church membership is a priority for access to the sacraments can not access the Eucharist without having first received the baptism or can not return to the Eucharist without having received penance, which is " Baptism cumbersome "for serious sins. From its origins the Church, to express such urgency propaedeutic, respectively instituted the catechumenate for the initiation and the path of penance for the reconciliation.
22. The Sacrament of Reconciliation restores ties of communion broken by mortal sin. Therefore, deserves particular attention the relationship between the Eucharist and the Sacrament of Reconciliation. The responses indicate the need to propose again that relationship in the context of the relationship between the Eucharist and the Church, as a condition to find and worship the Lord who is the Holy One, in a spirit of holiness and a pure heart. He has washed the feet of the Apostles, to indicate the sanctity of the mystery. Sin, as St. Paul says, causes a similar desecration of prostitution, because our bodies are members of Christ (cf. 1 Cor 6.15 to 17). He says, for example, St. Caesarius of Arles: "Every time we entered the church, rearrange our souls and we would find the temple of God. Want to find a gleaming basilica? Do not stain your soul with the filth of sin. "
The relationship between the Eucharist and Penance in today's society depends greatly on the sense of sin and the sense of God. The distinction between good and evil often becomes a subjective distinction. Modern man, insisting unilaterally on the trial of his own conscience, can become upset the sense of sin.
23. There are many answers concerning the relationship between the Eucharist and Reconciliation. In many countries, has lost consciousness the need for conversion before receiving the Eucharist. The link with Penance is not always perceived as a need to be in a state of grace before receiving Communion, and thus neglected the obligation to confess mortal sins.
also the idea of \u200b\u200bcommunion as "food for the journey ', has led to underestimate the need for the state of grace. On the contrary, as the nutrient presupposes a living and healthy, so the Eucharist requires the state of grace to strengthen their baptismal commitment: Can not be in sin to receive Him who is "remedy" of immortality " antidote "to not die. Many faithful
know that you can not receive communion in mortal sin, but do not have a clear idea of \u200b\u200bmortal sin. Others do not wonder about this aspect. It often creates a vicious circle: "Do not take communion because I confessed, I confess it did not commit sins." The causes can be diverse, but one of the most important is the lack of proper catechesis on the subject.
Another widespread phenomenon is not to provide, with appropriate timetables, access to the Sacrament of Reconciliation. In some countries individual penance is not given, in the best case is held twice a year a communal liturgy, creating a compromise between the II and III rite provided by the Ritual.
Certainly it should be noted the great disparity between the many communicants and the few who confess. It is quite common that the faithful receive Communion without thinking about the state of serious sin to be found. For this reason, admission to the Communion of divorced and civilly remarried is a phenomenon not uncommon in many countries. At the funeral Mass or marriages or other celebrations, many come to receive the Eucharist, which justifies the widespread belief that the Mass is valid without the Communion.
24. Given these realities pastoral, however, many respondents have a more encouraging. They are intended to help people to be aware of the conditions to receive Communion and the need of penance that preceded the examination, prepared by purifying the heart from sin. For this purpose appropriate to retain the celebrant speaks frequently, also in his homily on the relationship between these two sacraments. "
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