Eucharist and the unborn

[Matthew_Jav]

This may seem like a weird question but here goes. My wife is 31 weeks pregnant. While at Mass today, during the Eucharist, I began thinking about what the Eucharist is and how it effects me. Our priest spoke in his homily about the outpouring of grace that we receive. So, does a baby in the womb, receive grace, or anything for that matter, when the mother receives communion?

 

[Allegra]

Being pregnant, I’ve thought about that several times, but I haven’t really come up with an answer other than, it certainly won’t do any harm.

 

[Elizium23]

In a strict sense, no. Baptism is the gateway of the sacraments, and the True Presence only exists as long as the appearance of bread and wine remain, so a child in the womb cannot validly receive Holy Communion or its graces. However, a child naturally benefits from her mother’s earnest prayers and presence in the Word and People of God, just as she is physically nourished by her mother’s own actions of eating, drinking and breathing.