Can I receive Communion?

[shark76z]

Let me start of by saying I am not Catholic, I was raised Lutheran (forced by my parents, really). Recently, I began to agree with what the Catholic Church teaches. I would like to convert, but my parents won’t let me.

I currently attend a Catholic high school, where a few weeks ago we had a penance service. The priest encouraged everyone regardless of their faith to go to confession if they felt they needed to get something off their chest. I decided to go and stayed for a good 15 minutes. After the penance service, we had our bi-weekly school Mass.

My question is: hypothetically speaking, if I received the Eucharist at that Mass (which I did not), would it have been a mortal sin? I have been taught the Catholic transubstantiation theology in my religion classes and agree with it, but I haven’t actually received it. So, would it have been a sin if I had received it after confession and agreeing with the theology?

Thanks.

 

[DihydrogenOxide]

Hmmmm…I’m not sure why the priest invited people to go to confession to “get things off their chest.”

How old are you?

Maybe talk to your (school’s) priest about your feelings. Unfortunately, you can’t take communion yet.

I have to say that it’s beautiful to see that the Holy Spirit has inspired you to take interest in the Church. I will pray for you.

 

[fermat]

This is really a question for the priest at your school. Objectively speaking, it would be a sin because you are not in formal communion with the church. Whether or not it would a mortal sin is not possible for us to tell. I would encourage you seek guidance and continue to follow your heart.

 

[thistle]

The Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments:

1. The liturgical blessing of the Holy Mass is properly given to each and to all at the conclusion of the Mass, just a few moments subsequent to the distribution of Holy Communion.
2. Lay people, within the context of Holy Mass, are unable to confer blessings. These blessings, rather, are the competence of the priest (cf. Ecclesia de Mysterio, Notitiae 34 (15 Aug. 1997), art. 6, § 2; Canon 1169, § 2; and Roman Ritual De Benedictionibus (1985), n. 18).
3. Furthermore, the laying on of a hand or hands — which has its own sacramental significance, inappropriate here — by those distributing Holy Communion, in substitution for its reception, is to be explicitly discouraged.
4. The Apostolic Exhortation Familiaris Consortio n. 84, “forbids any pastor, for whatever reason to pretext even of a pastoral nature, to perform ceremonies of any kind for divorced people who remarry”. To be feared is that any form of blessing in substitution for communion would give the impression that the divorced and remarried have been returned, in some sense, to the status of Catholics in good standing.

**5. In a similar way, for others who are not to be admitted to Holy Communion in accord with the norm of law, the Church’s discipline has already made clear that they should not approach Holy Communion nor receive a blessing. This would include non-Catholics and those envisaged in can. 915 (i.e., those under the penalty of excommunication or interdict, and others who obstinately persist in manifest grave sin).
**

 

[jimrob]

The rules of the Catholic Church do not permit you to join us in Holy Communion. However, since you are not a member of the Catholic Church, you are not subject to its rules. It would be sinful for a priest or Eucharistic minister knowingly to give you Holy Communion. Whether it would be a sin for you to receive it depends upon why you did so and your attitude to the Catholic Church in general. If you want to know more about what you must do to enter into full communion with the Catholic Church, speak to your priest.