Why do we have to be in a state of grace in order to take the Eucharist? Weren’t the apostles all sinners at the last supper? I thought Jesus died for our sins. If I was in a state of grace what need would I have for the Eucharist?
And in all honesty, if I go to confession on a Monday, I will probably have sinned already by Sunday. When I read the examination of conscience it’s like almost anything could be considered a mortal sin! ie “do you put things or people before God? (You shall have no gods before me)” Well…I probably could have prayed a little longer last night but I wanted to get into bed. Or “Have you taken time that belonged to another? (You shall not steal)” well, I may have talked the ear off my neighbour before catching the subtle signs of his desire to get on with his day. Etc etc etc!
There are basic
principles involved in this matter. Our faith is meant to consist of a turning away from sin/evil and towards God. It’s not about forgiveness of sin only but also about the power to overcome sin by being reconciled with God who then comes to indwell us, as was always meant to be the case. Man was made for communion with God. Adam broke that communion for all humankind, rendering us lost; Jesus came to save the lost, by revealing God and reestablishing relationship/communion with Him whereupon God begins to do a work in us of transforming us into His image. This begins with faith which then leads to Baptism, the formal entrance into this relationship. But this doesn’t mean we can now sin freely; the obligation to remain faithful to God and our baptismal vows is ever-present.
So if I sin in some serious manner, I’ve already broken that communion regardless of whether or not I stop receiving the Eucharist. I’m turning back away from God; I’m saying “no” to Him, And so contrition, repentance, and reconciliation must take place again-a renewed change of heart must occur-so that we may commune again spiritually, made manifest physically via reception of the Eucharist. The sacraments thus give us a practical means to live out this whole dynamic, to establish and nurture our relationship with God by means of a simple, theologically correct, system-a structure that has served people of all kinds of backgrounds well down through the centuries. Also, these teachings from the Catechism on mortal sin are worth considering:
**1037 God predestines no one to go to hell;618 for this, a willful turning away from God (a mortal sin) is necessary, and persistence in it until the end. In the Eucharistic liturgy and in the daily prayers of her faithful, the Church implores the mercy of God, who does not want “any to perish, but all to come to repentance”:619
1850 Sin is an offense against God: "Against you, you alone, have I sinned, and done that which is evil in your sight."122 Sin sets itself against God’s love for us and turns our hearts away from it. Like the first sin, it is disobedience, a revolt against God through the will to become "like gods,"123 knowing and determining good and evil. Sin is thus "love of oneself even to contempt of God."124 In this proud self- exaltation, sin is diametrically opposed to the obedience of Jesus, which achieves our salvation.125
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