Blessed Marriage & Eucharist

[NewCatholicMama]

I’m a new Catholic (April 2014!). I have received Communion/the Eucharist and recently at Mass it was brought up that you could not receive communion if you were not in a blessed marriage (and other reasons). I came into the Church and had my 2 children (18 month & 2 months old) baptized as well. My husband is a non-believer. We were married outside of the Church (before I became Catholic - 3 years ago). Am I allowed to receive Communion? And have I done wrong by receiving if I’m not in a blessed marriage? I didn’t know about this until about a week ago! I think my husband is on the fence about having our marriage blessed by a priest (although he’s very supportive of my faith and raising our children Catholic).

Thanks,
NewCatholicMama

 

[1ke]

You are in a valid marriage. You do not have your marriage “blessed”, you have done nothing wrong, and you may certainly receive communion.

Of course you were married “outside the Church”. Neither of you were Catholic therefore it was not required (not even possible) for you to be married in the Catholic Church.

When people talk about those married “outside the Church” needing their marriage “blessed” they are referring to CATHOLICS who married invalidly by not following the Church’s requirements that they as Catholics must follow. They make their invalid marriage valid by exchanging vows in the Catholic form (people wrongly call this getting a marriage "blessed’). None of this applies to non-Catholics who become Catholic after they are married.

You are already in a valid marriage. Your marriage cannot become any more valid than it already is. Be at peace. I am sorry you became worried over this misunderstanding.

 

[NewCatholicMama]

Thank you for clearing this up for me. I panicked thinking I had wrongly taken Communion. There is so much to learn!