Communion before Confession?

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Kima

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Hi.

I was going to Confession this recent Sunday. I asked Father before Mass, but he said that I could go after Mass - and that because I was going to Confession I could receive Communion. I thought it sounded a bit strange so I chose not to receive until I´ve made it to Confession. The confession was good, but either way; when is it okay to receive Communion before Confession if you are in a state where you are concerned that you might be carrying a serious sin? Is it just in certain occasions or anytime where you are sincerely seeking Confession right way after Mass?

Thanks in advance! 🙂
 
I think it is good that you chose to refrain from Communion. If you had committed a mortal it would have been better to refrain even if you had the intention of confessing because you would not have known if you had the perfect Contrition necessary to forgive your mortal sins outside of confession and you didn’t have a grave reason to recieved communion
 
Your priest told you that you could receive communion.
He was going to hear your confession, so I am not sure why you did not listen to him, but come here and ask if what he did was OK.

He did what a Pastor is supposed to. He instructed you, but you chose not to listen. Why do you think he would have given you bad advice?
 
Not every priest is very orthodox in his teaching. Some priests even disagree that certain sins are even grave when the Church teaches they are.
 
Kima said:
I asked Father before Mass, but he said that I could go after Mass - and that because I was going to Confession I could receive Communion.
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A while back, a priest at a local church said the same thing. He announced that he was not able to hear confessions before the Mass as scheduled, but would hear confession after Mass. He then said that if anyone had intended to go to confession, that they could receive Communion now and confess right after the Mass and that any penalty for this would be on him.
 
From the Code of Canon Law:
Canon 916 Anyone who is conscious of grave sin may not celebrate Mass or receive the Body of the Lord without previously having been to 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 resolve to go to confession as soon as possible. (source)
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The OP was following the directions of their priest, which was correct for them, in their particular situation.

We should always listen to our priests.
 
Kima said:
Hi.

I was going to Confession this recent Sunday. I asked Father before Mass, but he said that I could go after Mass - and that because I was going to Confession I could receive Communion. I thought it sounded a bit strange so I chose not to receive until I´ve made it to Confession. …
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Canon law does permit it, but only with perfect contrition and a grave reason and no opportunity to confess individually. It seems that you did not have a grave reason, so you did the right thing.

CIC
Can. 916 A person who is conscious of grave sin is not to celebrate Mass or 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.
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If he is her priest, was going to hear her confession immediately after Mass, yes she should have. Her priest gave her instruction for her particular situation, she should have followed it.
 
CilladeRoma said:
Your priest told you that you could receive communion.
He was going to hear your confession, so I am not sure why you did not listen to him, but come here and ask if what he did was OK.

He did what a Pastor is supposed to. He instructed you, but you chose not to listen. Why do you think he would have given you bad advice?
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It is bad advice. Nobody may receive Communion in a state of mortal sin and the priest cannot overrule that.
 
Yes, the priest can. He was planning on hearing hear her confession. He can allow her to receive and apparently he did, she chose to disregard his advice.

I have had the same thing happen. The priest can/did make judgment call to a person he knew! His advice was completely proper in THIS context.

I am appalled that people, including the OP are throwing a priest under the bus without all the facts.
 
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CilladeRoma said:
I have had the same thing happen. The priest can/did make judgment call to a person he knew! His advice was completely proper in THIS context
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No it’s not. Unless there is a grave reason a person in a state of mortal sin should not receive Holy Communion.
 
The grave reason was Father had no more time to hear confessions before Mass.
Everything is not black & white and we have no idea of any context in this situation.

It is always best to defer to one’s own priest. He usually knows a lot more than people on the internet.
 
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OP, you made the right call. What your priest told you was not in accord with Canon Law/the teaching of the Church.

God bless you.
 
He was the OP’s priest. I am sure he knows a lot more about them than we do.
 
To you.
Again we only know what the OP shared.
We do not know details.
I always err on the side of the priest, especially on the internet. We don’t know what the OP has left out of the story.
 
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