Does the Church Still teach that you must go to confession before you recieve communion?

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Anthony2112 said:
I heard gossip. I was listening.

What does this (the bolded) have to do with anything? Please explain. You sound kind of angry I asked the question.

I am trying to pick a parish, so I want to pick one where my spiritual needs will be fulfilled. Which is why I asked the question. I also said I felt bad feeling this way.
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My point is this.

Whether some stranger in the pew half way across the Church is in a state of grace is neither your concern nor mine. God did not put us in charge of that person’s salvation.

God grant me the serenity
to accept the things I cannot change;
courage to change the things I can;
and wisdom to know the difference.
Living one day at a time;
enjoying one moment at a time;
accepting hardships as the pathway to peace;
taking, as He did, this sinful world
as it is, not as I would have it;
trusting that He will make all things right
if I surrender to His Will;
that I may be reasonably happy in this life
and supremely happy with Him forever in the next.
Amen.

Our job is to focus on ourselves and those God has put us in charge of, to cooperate with grace and teach our children how to do so. I won’t stand before God and have to account for the fact that some people in the Church received communion when they weren’t in a state of grace. Whether it is a modern scandal or not doesn’t change that and whether people in the Church receive in a state of grace should not affect my spiritual health in the slightest. The proper place to ask about the issue or to bring up the concern if you are moved to do so is the pastor of the parish.

That is my point.

-Tim-
 
Anthony2112 said:
I think of myself as a good person, but I know in my heart I sin a lot. We all do. That’s why Christ justified us.

I did not mean for this to turn into an argument, but from the way I was taught, we ought to go to confession before we receive communion unless we are in a state of grace.
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I was taught the same thing. The arguments come from the poorly taught Catholics.
 
peter26 said:
You don’t have to go to confession before ever time you receive no. Only when in a state of mortal sin, and a minimum of once a year regardless during Lent. Many sources would recommend that you aim for once a month at least however. But asides from the Lent Obligation, it is only obligatory when in a state of mortal sin. So how often you have to go depends on how good you are at avoiding sin.
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Just a slight correction here because this is a common error. The Easter Duty refers only to the reception of the Eucharist, not Confession, unless one is in mortal sin, as you cannot receive the Eucharist if you are in a state of mortal sin. However we are required to confess our mortal sins (if any) once a year, although it is NOT tied to the Easter Duty, it can be done at any time. But if you are in a state of mortal sin at the time, you can’t make your Easter Duty until you have been to Confession. Of course, frequent Confession is a much better habit than only going once a year.

Here is a very good article on this, and it contains the relevant Canons.

canonlawmadeeasy.com/2014/04/17/repost-is-confession-still-an-easter-duty/
 
TimothyH said:
My point is this.

Whether some stranger in the pew half way across the Church is in a state of grace is neither your concern nor mine. God did not put us in charge of that person’s salvation.
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Tim, that’s easier said than done when you find yourself being alone in the pews, wondering if indeed you are the worst sinner in the world. Doesn’t help you grow spiritually anyway. Sure one can say go to confession but the herd mentality seems to say differently.
 
Like you, OP, I tend to confess weekly. I’m a new Catholic and still struggle to know what is venial and what is mortal, and feel that erring on the side of caution is probably best for now.

Most parishes in our area have confession at least on Saturday afternoons. You might seek out a parish that has a regularly scheduled confession that you can make it to. Our local Cathedral has daily confession at lunch time, and another parish has a confession on Wednesday evenings.

If people are talking in the narthex (lobby) that’s not a problem. If they are talking a lot in the Church itself, that’s not good and I would agree it’s irreverent.

I have noticed that parishes can be radically different. For example, in my parish people only whisper in the Church itself and save normal conversation for out in the narthex. We use kneelers, confession is generally quite busy and our confessors wear an alb and a stole for confession, and we stay through the very end of Mass including singing the final hymn. But I visited another parish recently that was markedly different. I was the only person to show up for confession, and the priest seemed surprised to see me which made me think confession isn’t as common there. He was wearing a polo shirt and slacks, and I wouldn’t have taken him for a priest if he hadn’t identified himself as one. There were no kneelers (people stood when they would kneel in my parish) and everyone left while the final hymn was being sung by the choir.

My point isn’t that one place is better than the other, but that they are different and have different local customs, and if you feel uncomfortable in one parish you should consider going to another and seeing if it’s a better fit.
 
TimothyH said:
My point is this.

Whether some stranger in the pew half way across the Church is in a state of grace is neither your concern nor mine. God did not put us in charge of that person’s salvation.

God grant me the serenity
to accept the things I cannot change;
courage to change the things I can;
and wisdom to know the difference.
Living one day at a time;
enjoying one moment at a time;
accepting hardships as the pathway to peace;
taking, as He did, this sinful world
as it is, not as I would have it;
trusting that He will make all things right
if I surrender to His Will;
that I may be reasonably happy in this life
and supremely happy with Him forever in the next.
Amen.

Our job is to focus on ourselves and those God has put us in charge of, to cooperate with grace and teach our children how to do so. I won’t stand before God and have to account for the fact that some people in the Church received communion when they weren’t in a state of grace. Whether it is a modern scandal or not doesn’t change that and whether people in the Church receive in a state of grace should not affect my spiritual health in the slightest. The proper place to ask about the issue or to bring up the concern if you are moved to do so is the pasutor of the parish.

That is my point.

-Tim-
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Hey Tim

That is a very good point. But I think you misunderstand my rationale for asking this question. You bluntly pointed out that I was a lapsed Catholic. That is true. But I was a confirmed Catholic when I was younger. I was taught to treat the church as a sanctuary for worship, not a social club. The atmosphere was not really like I would have expected in a sanctuary. I am wondering if things have changed since I was younger.

My experience (with the exception of the Indian Priest who spoke about the poor) was that we were there to be somewhat entertained. One of the reasons I left Evangelicalism is the trend away from worship towards rock concert like experiences. I go to church to worship and I like the idea of being part of a ritual that goes back to the days of Moses who received the law from the hand of YHWH. I felt the gossip and small talk did not fit my desire to solemnly worship God.

I could not help but hear gossip. It was loud and was carried over the sound system from the music leader’s microphone. I was there early because I made an appointment to confess my sins before mass and the church was empty. She said some really mean stuff in the guise that we need to pray for this one or that…it was the Devil’s radio loud and clear.

I wish I didn’t hear it because it made it harder to worship the Lord in the right frame of mind. So maybe the church has changed. I came here to seek guidance. How do I find a church that celebrates the mass as a sacred thing rather than “Sunday school”?
 
Anthony2112 said:
I think of myself as a good person, but I know in my heart I sin a lot. We all do. That’s why Christ justified us.

I did not mean for this to turn into an argument, but from the way I was taught, we ought to go to confession before we receive communion unless we are in a state of grace.
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That is what I was taught. The problem is, there has never been a time where I felt in a state of grace before Communion. Frequent Confession whether you receive Communion or not was drilled into us. I offend God in some way every day to some degree. I have to do a thorough examination of conscience and it has to be based on sound Biblical teaching.

Ed
 
edwest2 said:
That is what I was taught. The problem is, there has never been a time where I felt in a state of grace before Communion. Frequent Confession whether you receive Communion or not was drilled into us. I offend God in some way every day to some degree. I have to do a thorough examination of conscience and it has to be based on sound Biblical teaching.

Ed
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.

I am sitting in a resturant right now typing this on my phone and I think I just offended God when I was chatting with the really cute waitress who came over to talk to me ( not my server, lol). In some way I think I need to confess what I thought for a moment. I am getting better at not lingering on such thoughts since I started going back to confession, but I am not sure if I committed a mortal sin. Did not our Lord say, if you look at a woman with desire you have committed adultery in your heart? Adultery is a mortal sin.

I don’t know the answer to this. In the meantime I will try to go to confession as often as possible until the Holy Spirit leads me. That sounded evangelical I know…🤷
 
Anthony2112 said:
.

I am sitting in a resturant right now typing this on my phone and I think I just offended God when I was chatting with the really cute waitress who came over to talk to me ( not my server, lol). In some way I think I need to confess what I thought for a moment. I am getting better at not lingering on such thoughts since I started going back to confession, but I am not sure if I committed a mortal sin. Did not our Lord say, if you look at a woman with desire you have committed adultery in your heart? Adultery is a mortal sin.

I don’t know the answer to this. In the meantime I will try to go to confession as often as possible until the Holy Spirit leads me. That sounded evangelical I know…🤷
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Don’t worry about the Evangelical part, just the part about looking at a woman with desire. It’s so common to think nothing of it for some people, but the Lord makes it clear. Thinking someone is pretty is fine, but there’s a boundary there.

Best,
Ed
 
Anthony2112 said:
.

I am sitting in a resturant right now typing this on my phone and I think I just offended God when I was chatting with the really cute waitress who came over to talk to me ( not my server, lol). In some way I think I need to confess what I thought for a moment. I am getting better at not lingering on such thoughts since I started going back to confession, but I am not sure if I committed a mortal sin. Did not our Lord say, if you look at a woman with desire you have committed adultery in your heart? Adultery is a mortal sin.

I don’t know the answer to this. In the meantime I will try to go to confession as often as possible until the Holy Spirit leads me. That sounded evangelical I know…🤷
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So, did you ask her on a date to get to know her better? Maybe God is leading you toward a commitment?
 
edwest2 said:
Don’t worry about the Evangelical part, just the part about looking at a woman with desire. It’s so common to think nothing of it for some people, but the Lord makes it clear. Thinking someone is pretty is fine, but there’s a boundary there.

Best,
Ed
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I was not thinking about the Lord for a moment, but I brought myself back. Being single is hard.
 
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