Is consuming the Eucharist under mortal sin allowed in this situation?--[Revisited

[Delta288]

Hi,

The other day, I was under mortal sin, and had not gone to confession (which I was going to go to during the afternoon) and participated in Mass in the morning. When I went to confession that day, the priest told me that it would have been okay to consume the Eucharist (even though I hadn’t gone to confession) as long as I went to confession “soon” and made an act of contrition before I ate it. Is this correct? I thought the CCC clearly stated that no person would be allowed to take the host unless his/her mortal sins were forgiven on behalf of the Church through the sacrament of confession.

If this is correct, how can I correct him gently? He has being a preist all his life, and I am relatively young, so I’m not sure if I have the authority to do so.

Thank you

 

[Fr.Vincent_Serpa]

Hi,

No, it is not allowed. He is quite incorrect. Would we eat from dirty dishes today because tomorrow we plan to wash them? Receiving the Body of Christ while in the state of mortal sin is like putting it in a sewer. The Catechism of the Catholic Church states in # 1385: “Anyone conscious of a grave sin must receive the sacrament of Reconciliation before coming to Communion.” Grave sin here means mortal sin.

*Someone wrote, quoting Canon 916 which states: “A person who is conscious of grave sin is not to celebrate Mass or to receive the Body of the Lord without prior sacramental confession unless a grave reason is present and there is no opportunity of confessing; in this case the person is to be mindful of the obligation to make an act of perfect contrition, including the intention of confessing as soon as possible.”

The problem with this is that it is impossible to know for sure that one is making a perfect act of contrition. “Grave reason” usually means danger of death. I certainly would not want to risk committing another mortal sin just before I die.

Fr. Vincent Serpa, O.P.