Who Can Receive Communion?
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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