Can one receive the Eucharist if in doubt about one's state of grace?

[Holly3278]

Hi everyone. I read in a book that if one is in doubt as to whether or not they committed a mortal sin, they should still go to receive the Eucharist. Is this true?

 

[Spencerian]

Hi everyone. I read in a book that if one is in doubt as to whether or not they committed a mortal sin, they should still go to receive the Eucharist. Is this true?

Hi, Holly.

It’s not an absolute requirement for one to receive the Eucharist at every Mass. Aside from being in a state of grace (no mortal sins), one should also have the right mental and emotional disposition to receive the Lord.

That said, I have been taught that the opposite of what you say is true. St. Paul warns us not to take the Eucharist in such a state (1 Corinthians 11:28). So, when in doubt, definitely do not receive. Your doubt might be a good warning sign from your conscience. (Or, if such thoughts occur a lot, you may be thinking too much about it–see my last bit of advice on scrupulosity at the end of this post.)

There is no inherent penalty for not receiving our Lord, except the appreciative suffering that being unworthy to receive may bring to us. That’s a great motivation to go to the Sacrament of Reconciliation if ever I know one.

Before Mass, take time in prayer and contemplation to discern your sins–an examination of conscience. Venial sins are generally forgiven in the participation of the Mass, so one doesn’t need to think too heavily on them for purposes of receiving the Eucharist.

There’s no one “list of mortal sins” I have been able to find that satisfies my advice to you here. Here is one list that might help–others may know of other resources, including books.

Should you determine that you have a mortal sin, attend confession to return to grace.

Don’t become overly obsessed, or scrupulous, in your discernment. Read this article if you think you are overly worried about this sin and that. A proper confession is important, but not at the expense of worrying too much.

 

[crazzeto]

Some preists say you may receive then immediatly seek confession at your first available oppertunity. This assumes

1. It was your intention to go before mass, but you missed it for some unavoidable circomstances (or it was not available to you prior to mass, i.e. saturday only confession)
2. You are not locked in a state of sin, i.e. living with someone out of wedlock and unwilling/able to correct the situation in some acceptable manner.

 

[Spencerian]

Some preists say you may receive then immediatly seek confession at your first available oppertunity. This assumes

1. It was your intention to go before mass, but you missed it for some unavoidable circomstances (or it was not available to you prior to mass, i.e. saturday only confession)
2. You are not locked in a state of sin, i.e. living with someone out of wedlock and unwilling/able to correct the situation in some acceptable manner.

Hi, crazzeto.

The priests you have mentioned are not following canon law.

Canon Law 1457: “According to the Church’s command, ‘after having attained the age of discretion, each of the faithful is bound by an obligation faithfully to confess serious sins at least once a year.’ Anyone who is aware of having committed a mortal sin must not receive Holy Communion, even if he experiences deep contrition, without having first received sacramental absolution, unless he has a grave reason for receiving Communion and there is no possibility of going to confession. Children must go to the sacrament of Penance before receiving Holy Communion for the first time.”

Canon Law 916 reiterates, *“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.” *

What would constitute a “grave reason” for receiving communion before confession?

Most of us likely do not fall under the “grave reason” criteria. One set of examples where grave reason (due to unnecessary disclosure of your mortal sins to others) may apply, as explained by Father Terry Donahue in this web post:

*"(1) Is there no opportunity for me to get to confession first? Many priests are willing to hear a confession when they are asked, provided they have no other pressing responsibilities. Perhaps you could arrive at church 15 minutes early, and ask a priest before Mass. But perhaps this is not possible, given your situation.

(2) Do I have a “grave reason for receiving Communion”? One possible grave reason is “danger that others suspect the individual to be guilty of grave sin” (according to several faithful Canon Law commentaries on Canon 916). From what you stated in your question, it seems like you are afraid that your parents might think this about you if you didn’t receive communion - in which case, you have a grave reason.

If (1) and (2) both apply, then you may receive Holy Communion, but first you should “make an act of perfect contrition, including the intention of confessing as soon as possible” (Canon 916). The act of contrition you say at confession is an act of perfect contrition. You could ask the priest to hear your confession after Mass or pursue another opportunity, as you are able.

Please note that in what I have written above, I am not in any way lessening the importance of receiving the Holy Eucharist in a state of grace, nor am I encouraging you to do something disobedient to the Church.

Rather, I am carefully stating exactly what the Church teaches according to the Canon Law that governs the sacrament of the Eucharist. The reason why Canon Law in this area exists is precisely to deal with difficult situations like this one, and to avoid putting you in the a position where you feel forced to reveal the state of your conscience (through an action or inaction that leads others to judge that you are guilty of a mortal sin). (. . .)"*

Again, when in doubt,** do not**. Find time to go to confession first.

 

[kage_ar]

In order to commit mortal sin the conditions must be met:

Grave matter
Knowledge
Intent

If you knew something was sinful and you did it with intent, how can you doubt you did it?

 

[DanteAlighieri]

I’ve heard the same thing the OP has read, particularly with regards to people who are by nature overly scrupulous.

If you think about it, it makes sense:

1. For a sin to be mortal, one MUST have full knowledge of its gravity.
2. If one is unsure whether the sin is grave enough to be mortal, can one be said to be guilty of mortal sin?
3. If one is unsure whether the action is, in fact, sinful, can one be said to be culpable?

Peace,
Dante

 

[Bookcat]

Some preists say you may receive then immediatly seek confession at your first available oppertunity. This assumes

1. It was your intention to go before mass, but you missed it for some unavoidable circomstances (or it was not available to you prior to mass, i.e. saturday only confession)
2. You are not locked in a state of sin, i.e. living with someone out of wedlock and unwilling/able to correct the situation in some acceptable manner.

NOT according to the Teachings of the Church!!!

bad advice.

 

[Spencerian]

I’ve heard the same thing the OP has read, particularly with regards to people who are by nature overly scrupulous.

If you think about it, it makes sense:

1. For a sin to be mortal, one MUST have full knowledge of its gravity.
2. If one is unsure whether the sin is grave enough to be mortal, can one be said to be guilty of mortal sin?
3. If one is unsure whether the action is, in fact, sinful, can one be said to be culpable?

Peace,
Dante

Makes sense to me, too. Being too scrupulous makes the discernment process really hard for some. My fiancee has fears of going to confession because of it.

Yet I try to be an additional voice to aid in understanding our obligations without fearing so much about the formal processes. And, by the same token, I don’t let myself or her just “pooh-pooh” the details when the details are applicable to our circumstances.

In any case, speaking to a priest outside of confession can help in items 2 and 3, or getting a good book in making a good confession and examination of conscience could help.

 

[Bookcat]

Ok …here goes…fasten your seatbelts…

We are not to receive …if we are ‘conscious’ of mortal sin.

usccb.org/liturgy/current/intercom.shtml

Canon Law on the matter…

Can. 916 A person who is conscious of grave sin is not to … receive the body of the Lord without previous sacramental confession unless there is a grave reason and there is no opportunity to confess; in this case the person is to remember the obligation to make an act of perfect contrition which includes the resolution of confessing as soon as possible.

(grave sin in the above …means mortal sin…for the terms grave sin, mortal sin and serious sin are used interchangeably …in this sense it means being conscious of committing the sin with full knowledge and deliberate consent)

(an example of the exception above is say a person is out in place where a priest does not come for months at a time and they have a grave reason…normally one needs to confess mortal sins…the fact that one intends to go to Confession but missed the chance as given in some examples above…would NOT be what this means)

Now to your question.

If one has honest doubt as to if they have committed a mortal sin then they by very definition are not conscious of committing a mortal sin. So they may receive Holy Communion. (I would also make an act of perfect contrition)

Now they should of course if they think they may have committed a mortal sin…examine themselves well…(but without scruple).

(a person who is lax or around lax should give greater pause and consideration)

(also one need not go to communion at each Mass…and it can be good to abstain from time to time for the sake of those who cannot…but I am not speaking so much to those with scruples…in saying this.)

Compendium of the Catechism:

1. What is required to receive Holy Communion?

1385-1389
1415

To receive Holy Communion one must be fully incorporated into the Catholic Church and be in the state of grace, that is, not conscious of being in mortal sin. Anyone who is conscious of having committed a grave sin must first receive the sacrament of Reconciliation before going to Communion. Also important for those receiving Holy Communion are a spirit of recollection and prayer, observance of the fast prescribed by the Church, and an appropriate disposition of the body (gestures and dress) as a sign of respect for Christ.

1. When does one commit a mortal sin?

1855-1861
1874

One commits a mortal sin when there are simultaneously present: grave matter, full knowledge, and deliberate consent. This sin destroys charity in us, deprives us of sanctifying grace, and, if unrepented, leads us to the eternal death of hell. It can be forgiven in the ordinary way by means of the sacraments of Baptism and of Penance or Reconciliation.

From the Catechism:

1857 For a sin to be mortal, three conditions must together be met: "Mortal sin is sin whose object is grave matter and which is also committed with full knowledge and deliberate consent."131

1858 Grave matter is specified by the Ten Commandments, corresponding to the answer of Jesus to the rich young man: "Do not kill, Do not commit adultery, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Do not defraud, Honor your father and your mother."132 The gravity of sins is more or less great: murder is graver than theft. One must also take into account who is wronged: violence against parents is in itself graver than violence against a stranger.

1859 Mortal sin requires full knowledge and complete consent. It presupposes knowledge of the sinful character of the act, of its opposition to God’s law. It also implies a consent sufficiently deliberate to be a personal choice. Feigned ignorance and hardness of heart133 do not diminish, but rather increase, the voluntary character of a sin.

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A person with scrupulosity is usually recommended to confess only “certain” sins not doubtful ones.

Now again…a person with scruples can have a difficulty in the matter of judging if they committed a mortal sin or not…they need to follow the advice of their confessor…and the principles given them … they too can ask themselves…are they really ‘conscious’ of committing a mortal sin???

For a person with a an ordinary conscience it can be recommended to confess doubtful mortal sins…

A person with a lax conscience is a different matter they are much more strongly recommended to confess doubtful mortal sins…for they would not be bothered so easily…and one classic spiritual writer (Tanquerey) even states that when it is a question of full consent…the presumption is that the lax person did consent otherwise he would not be bothered so much by it…(his opinion…but a good one…for someone who is really lax…is well LAX)

Also I would add that if one say does something…some action…that is grave…like watch pornography…or some lustful act…etc …but thinks they may not have had the full consent from some reason or another…but they actually did the thing…I would recommend they see their confessor first… in such a case…their confessor will be able hopefully also to assist them not only with absolution but with advice…(of course see one who is faithful to the Church…).

 

[o_mlly]

St. Thomas teaches that we (most of us) can never be certain we are in a state of grace.

Some through private revelation (St. Paul, for instance) know they are in an engraced state. No one else can have absolute certainty for that is to know the mind of God.

However, no one should be distressed by this lack of certainty as it is normal. One may have a relative certainty that he is in a state of grace based on our limited knowledge. This relative certainty exists if “one delights in God, holds world materialsim in contempt, and is not aware of having committed a mortal sin” (Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologiae, I-II, 112, 5).
newadvent.org/summa/2112.htm

If you are not certain you have committed a mortal sin then you are not aware of committing a mortal sin. Go to the Eucharist; talk to your priest in confession on your next visit.

 

[Bookcat]

We can have a kind of moral certitude…(for instance not being conscious of mortal sin…and our hearts inclined towards God etc) but not an absolute certitude (apart from a special grace from God). Regarding holy communion…read my previous post…one needs to not be conscious of mortal sin. (mortal sins need to be confessed prior to holy communion)

A good reading from the Catechism:

2005 Since it belongs to the supernatural order, grace escapes our experience and cannot be known except by faith. We cannot therefore rely on our feelings or our works to conclude that we are justified and saved.56 However, according to the Lord’s words "Thus you will know them by their fruits"57 - reflection on God’s blessings in our life and in the lives of the saints offers us a guarantee that grace is at work in us and spurs us on to an ever greater faith and an attitude of trustful poverty.

A pleasing illustration of this attitude is found in the reply of St. Joan of Arc to a question posed as a trap by her ecclesiastical judges: "Asked if she knew that she was in God's grace, she replied: 'If I am not, may it please God to put me in it; if I am, may it please God to keep me there.'"58

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[CatholicFireman]

Here’s a related thread:

forums.catholic-questions.org/showthread.php?t=466740