Confession/Eucharist Question

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LightandHeat

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Today after waiting for an hour or so to receive Confession, the priest came out to those of us left in line and told us there would be no more Confession for the day.

My question is: Can I receive the Eucharist tomorrow at Mass granted I resolve to take the Eucharist as soon as I can? With the important detail that I believe I have committed a Mortal Sin.

My plan specifically was to try to set up an appointment with the priest or wait until next Saturday.

Is this okay or should I refrain from receiving the Eucharist tomorrow?

Thanks in advance and God Bless
 
I have had this scenario different times where I can wait long periods of time, possibly hours, then have one person in the confessional. The rest of us don’t get an opportunity to confess. This can happen time and again. I’ve finally started looking for other churches that have shorter lines. I finally found one just recently. So, I don’t wait in those long lines, then only to be told to come back another day.

However, likewise, in the meantime, till I get to confession, if I have a mortal sin weighing heavily on my conscience, I continue to go to mass, just NOT to communion.
 
When in doubt, don’t. You are required to receive communion only once per year - during the Easter season. Confess first, then receive - that is the proper order, as the confession will then properly dispose you to receive the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist. I will refrain from receiving tomorrow myself, as I did not get to confession today. Mortal or not, I just need to confess first.
 
LightandHeat said:
My question is: Can I receive the Eucharist tomorrow at Mass granted I resolve to take the Eucharist as soon as I can? With the important detail that I believe I have committed a Mortal Sin.
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It is hard to tell as we can’t know what is going in your spiritual life. But according to what you say in your post you don’t express to meet all condition to receive the Eucharist. Unless you have a perfect contrition, you would be committing another mortal sin by taking Eucharist in a state of mortal sin. If in doubt don’t.
 
LightandHeat said:
Today after waiting for an hour or so to receive Confession, the priest came out to those of us left in line and told us there would be no more Confession for the day.

My question is: Can I receive the Eucharist tomorrow at Mass granted I resolve to take the Eucharist as soon as I can? With the important detail that I believe I have committed a Mortal Sin.

My plan specifically was to try to set up an appointment with the priest or wait until next Saturday.

Is this okay or should I refrain from receiving the Eucharist tomorrow?

Thanks in advance and God Bless
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As far as I am aware, there is unfortunately no provision for “Confession of desire” which you seem to describe. I am afraid I have to advise that you refrain from receiving the Eucharist until you are able to receive Confession.

It is a common misconception that we Catholics are required to receive the Eucharist every Sunday; in fact, we are only required to do so once a year.
 
Thank you for the clear and concise answers. I am sorry for my sins but am unsure if I am truly perfectly contrite. So because I am in doubt, I will refrain

Thank you and God Bless
 
There is a rule, even if you have mortal sin on your soul, that a true Act of Contrition can be said. After a sincere and contrite prayer, you may receive the Eucharist, so long as you have the intention to go to Confession afterwards.

This was told to me an orthodox, traditional priest whom I trust immensely.
 
JamesTheJust said:
As far as I am aware, there is unfortunately no provision for “Confession of desire” which you seem to describe. I am afraid I have to advise that you refrain from receiving the Eucharist until you are able to receive Confession.

It is a common misconception that we Catholics are required to receive the Eucharist every Sunday; in fact, we are only required to do so once a year.
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Also, yes we are only required to receive the Eucharist once per anum, preferably on Easter. However, frequent reception is encouraged. If possible, daily mass is ideal.
 
LightandHeat said:
Thank you for the clear and concise answers. I am sorry for my sins but am unsure if I am truly perfectly contrite.
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By the way you stated it – “truly perfectly contrite” – I’m not certain that you’re acquainted with the term “perfect contrition.” It doesn’t mean that you’re perfect, per se, in the way that you are contrite. Rather, imperfect contrition means that you’re contrite because you are worried about losing heaven and of going to hell. Perfect contrition, then, only means that you’re contrite solely because you realize that your sin offends God and your love of God is the basis of the contrition. From the catechism (#1452-53):
When it arises from a love by which God is loved above all else, contrition is called “perfect” (contrition of charity). Such contrition remits venial sins; it also obtains forgiveness of mortal sins if it includes the firm resolution to have recourse to sacramental confession as soon as possible.
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The contrition called “imperfect” (or “attrition”) is also a gift of God, a prompting of the Holy Spirit. It is born of the consideration of sin’s ugliness or the fear of eternal damnation and the other penalties threatening the sinner (contrition of fear). Such a stirring of conscience can initiate an interior process which, under the prompting of grace, will be brought to completion by sacramental absolution. By itself however, imperfect contrition cannot obtain the forgiveness of grave sins, but it disposes one to obtain forgiveness in the sacrament of Penance.
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Good that you found that link. I was about to gently remind you in the light of your previous post to not mistake act of contrition (which is a prayer) for perfect contrition.
 
po18guy said:
When in doubt, don’t. You are required to receive communion only once per year - during the Easter season. Confess first, then receive - that is the proper order, as the confession will then properly dispose you to receive the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist. I will refrain from receiving tomorrow myself, as I did not get to confession today. Mortal or not, I just need to confess first.
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We are required to confess our sins once a year, unless we have a mortal sin on our conscience.

At Mass, as the catechism teaches us, when we receive the Eucharist our sins (venial) are forgiven. The Eucharist is not ordered to the forgiveness of mortal sins.
 
nysacerdote said:
There is a rule, even if you have mortal sin on your soul, that a true Act of Contrition can be said. After a sincere and contrite prayer, you may receive the Eucharist, so long as you have the intention to go to Confession afterwards.

This was told to me an orthodox, traditional priest whom I trust immensely.
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From your link as stated by Jim Blackburn:
  1. There must be a** grave reason** to receive Communion (e.g., danger of death).
I don’t see a grave reason in your hypothesis, other than over zealousness that is disregarding this important condition. You can always make a “spiritual communion” until you can go to confession. Access to a priest, who is often able to confess privately by appointment, should not be that difficult … unless you live in an extemely isolated area that makes travel difficult.
 
nysacerdote said:
Also, yes we are only required to receive the Eucharist once per anum, preferably on Easter. However, frequent reception is encouraged. If possible, daily mass is ideal.
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I know that. But if one is in a state of mortal sin, one should obviously refrain from recieving the Eucharist.
 
In another thread on this L&S forum, I mentioned about St. Teresa of Avila who gave warning to her prioresses to disallow overzealous nuns who wanted to receive holy communion more often than was allowed at that time. She labeled it a temptation. Funny how God connects the dots, isn’t it? In your zeal, OP, to receive communion without waiting until you have been to confession, it appears to me that it is a temptation. Isn’t it better to receive worthily, so as not to take a chance on committing sacrilege?
 
Question I have been pondering quite a bit lately.
Being that there was a time in my life that I didn’t practice my faith, I slowly slipped of in the darkness any became a slave of this world and commited mortal sins. Returning to The Church I tried to confess all these sins but occasionally will think of one that I might not be so sure or remember details that I didn’t include. This causes a feeling of guilt and unworthiness to receive the Eucharist. Should one stop receiving the Eucharist if something of the past is remembered until another confession or trust in the original confession? Seems like every so often I am reminded of sins of the past
 
In Confession, we are totally forgiven, as long as we confess all the sins we can remember at the time. If you remember something later, it is perfectly fine to recieve the Eucharist, as long as you resolve to confess this remembered sin at the next Confession you do.
 
MJCamp said:
Question I have been pondering quite a bit lately.
Being that there was a time in my life that I didn’t practice my faith, I slowly slipped of in the darkness any became a slave of this world and commited mortal sins. Returning to The Church I tried to confess all these sins but occasionally will think of one that I might not be so sure or remember details that I didn’t include. This causes a feeling of guilt and unworthiness to receive the Eucharist. Should one stop receiving the Eucharist if something of the past is remembered until another confession or trust in the original confession? Seems like every so often I am reminded of sins of the past
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You are ok to receive in this instance. When you made a good confession, you were absolved of all your sins, even those you forgot. Deliberating withholding a sin in confession would make it invalid, but you have not done this. I add to my confessions, “I am sorry for THESE and all the sins of my past life, because they have offended God.” In our humanness, it is difficult to remember old sins and habits of imperfections. As we grow in virtue, we may recognize sinful acts done in our past that we would **never **commit now, due to our increased love for God.

Like you, I am ashamed of some of my attitudes and sins, but I praise God that He has delivered me and knows my heart is contrite. Sensitivity to our past evil helps us to see how beautifully God is working in our souls, and we give Him thanks.
 
JamesTheJust said:
In Confession, we are totally forgiven, as long as we confess all the sins we can remember at the time. If you remember something later, it is perfectly fine to recieve the Eucharist, as long as you resolve to confess this remembered sin at the next Confession you do.
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Thanks for the response. Will do
 
Lots of questions on this thread.

As to the most recent. If you have gone to confession and recieved absolution, but forgot to confess a Mortal Sin, you were absolved of that sin, as long as you did not wilfully omit it. If you just did not remember it, don’t worry it’s been absovled. You can in a furture confession mention that in a previous confession you forgot to mention x, y, or z mortal sin, but be assured that it is already forgiven.

If you are guilty of Mortal Sin(s) and have not confessed and recieved absolution, make a spiritual communion at Mass. By doing so you can use the prayer found in most prayerbooks and missals which expresses that you cannot recieve our Lord in the Most Blessed Sacrament now, but wish that He come to you spiritually. You can also do the same if you are lawfully impeded from assisting at Mass, or if your workday schedule during the week prevents you from assisting at daily Mass.

Check your local parishes. One of the parishes in my area has Confessions on Wednesday night before the evening Mass, and Saturdays. Another has Thursdays and Saturdays, plus there is always an appointment for confession.

Lastly as this involves the Blessed Sacrament. If you can’t go to a church where the Blessed Sacrament is reserved, you can offer a prayer giving honor to the Blessed Sacrament in all the tabernacles thtroughout the world. Some even send their Gurardian Angel to adore our Lord for them when they are undergoing great trials, and cannot be in the church themselves. Remember as they are not limited by time and space, your guardian Angel can be before the face of God interceeding for you, at your side and before the Blessed Sacrament simultaniously, so you are not alone when you task him to visit our Lord for you.
 
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