"last Communion" for the Little Flower?

[katy]

I just read St. Therese’s writings called “Story of a Soul” I think. Anyway, she writes of receiving her last Communion some time before she died. Why would she be denied after a certain time? It seems that she would have needed Communion more as she approached death. Anyone know the story here?

 

[GoLatin]

I recall seeing the “Therese” movie. What Saint Therese was on her deathbed, she was offered Holy Communion and she refused It, I assume because at that time, she might not have been able to keep down anything that she ate.

And at that time, frequent Communion was often quite rare.

And maybe she was writing of an experience when she thought that she was dying, but in fact she was not.

 

[mercygate]

She was too ill to take anything by mouth.

 

[katy]

That makes sense. My initial reaction when I read it was that she was not allowed any more for some reason, which does not make sense.

 

[tjmiller]

Yes, consumed by gangrenous tuberculosis, she was racked by violent, bloody coughing fits. Her final Communion was August 19, 1897, 41 days before her death. (Cf. St. Therese of Lisieux: Her Last Conversations, tr. John Clarke, OCD, 295-6)

(Remember also that at that time, daily Communion was not a possibility for anyone.)

A possible Eucharistic miracle about which I only learned recently:
Based on certain statements she made, it is believed that, when receiving Communion often became impossible during her last illness, Therese “asked of the infinite Love of God that the sacred species should not be destroyed in her” and that the Eucharistic Lord should “remain in her as in a tabernacle”. (Cf. Angel de las Gavarres, Therese, the Little Child of God’s Mercy, 228-235)

Wow!

 

[Kielbasi]

Before VII, and even more so before the reign of Pius X, communion was generally not received by the faithful more than a few times per year.

Compound that with the fact that Ms. Martin was inflicted with a severe case of TB, which made holding anything down quite difficult.

The story as told fits the historical facts which surround it, it rings true.

 

[decn2b]

That is NOT true. Anyone who went to mass pre vatican II please speak up. My mother went to daily mass in school this was in the 1930’s 1940’s. In Therese’s day communion was very infrequent but in more recent history pre vat II communion was just as frequent as it is today.

 

[warrior71]

decn2b:

That is NOT true. Anyone who went to mass pre vatican II please speak up. My mother went to daily mass in school this was in the 1930’s 1940’s. In Therese’s day communion was very infrequent but in more recent history pre vat II communion was just as frequent as it is today.

In the late 50’s to mid 60’s, I recall that maybe half or a little of the people would receive. Many people in those days would not receive unless they had gone to confession, and in fact we were taught in school that it was always better to receive after confession. Many people took that to heart and maybe assumed that they had to confess prior to receiving. I don’t know. I do know that confessions on Saturday afternoons were pretty full, and confessions prior to Sunday Mass were packed.

I believe it is true that in older days communion was received much less frequebtly than it is now. St. Bernadette, who was pretty much confined to bed for the last several years of her life was given special permission to receive several times a week, mainly due to her history and extreme illnesses that she suffered from. She lived around the same time as St. Therese .

 

[RoseMarie]

I recall reading that St Therese, as a result of her illness, just couldn’t keep any food down. Vomiting the Eucharist is a very undesirable thing, and so she did not receive.

 

[Digitonomy]

Kielbasi:

before the reign of Pius X, communion was generally not received by the faithful more than a few times per year.

I find this astounding. Can you provide a cite?

 

[DBT]

Therese lived during the time of the Jansenism heresy. I recall reading that she was permitted to receive communion a couple of times a week which was very rare at the time.

One of the reasons, IMHO, that her fame spread so quickly after her death was that her life and message was is such stark contrast to the prevailing thought of her day.

Dave.

 

[Kielbasi]

Digitonomy:

I find this astounding. Can you provide a cite?

Certainly.
" Dominic [Savio] lived before the reforms of St. Pius X.Not only were children obliged to wait until they were eleven or twelve to receive First Communion, but afterwards Communion was received comparatively rarely. A good Catholic usually only received three or four times a year". Ann Ball, *Modern Saints, Book one, *p.18-19.

" Strange to say, it was in the Middle Ages, “the Ages of Faith”, that Communion was less frequent than at any other period of the Church’s history. The Fourth Lateran Council compelled the faithful, under pain of excommunication , to receive at least once a year (c. Omnis utriusque sexus). The Poor Clares, by rule, communicated six times a year; the Dominicanesses, fifteen times; the Third Order of St. Dominic, four times. Even saints received rarely: St. Louis six times a year, St. Elizabeth only three times. " *Catholic Encyclopaedia, *1907, article on Frequent Communion.

 

[Cockney_Clive]

Kielbasi wrote:

Ms. Martin

This is SO disrespectful. SAINT Therese to you. And she is also a Doctor of the Church because she has much to teach us about the faith.

Regarding Communion see CCC 1389:

" the Church obliges the faithful to take part in the Divine Liturgy on Sundays and Feast days and. prepared by the Sacrament of Reconciliation, to receive the Eucharist at least once a year, if possible during the Easter season".

Once a year is the minimum obligation and only if prepared beforehand by partaking of Confession. So, to fulfill one’s obligation to Holy Mother Church it is still only necessary to receive Communion but once annually.

It is still the case that in the Orthodox Church the faithful receive communion but rarely - twice or three times in a lifetime including Via Ticum is not unusual.