Mass & grave sin

[Jerome1974]

I always knew not to go to communion, but am I reading this correctly? Am I not even supposed to go to mass? This is my weekend with my son, who is too little to leave outside the confessional on Saturday afternoon, but I want to model the third commandment. Does avoiding scandal count as “grave reason”? Since it’s an issue of cannon law, does anyone know beyond mere speculation?

Can. 916 A person who is conscious of grave sin is not to celebrate Mass or receive the body of the Lord without previous sacramental confession unless there is a grave reason and there is no opportunity to confess; in this case the person is to remember the obligation to make an act of perfect contrition which includes the resolution of confessing as soon as possible.

 

[Tantum_ergo]

I always knew not to go to communion, but am I reading this correctly? Am I not even supposed to go to mass? This is my weekend with my son, who is too little to leave outside the confessional on Saturday afternoon, but I want to model the third commandment. Does avoiding scandal count as “grave reason”? Since it’s an issue of cannon law, does anyone know beyond mere speculation?

Can. 916 A person who is conscious of grave sin is not to celebrate Mass or receive the body of the Lord without previous sacramental confession unless there is a grave reason and there is no opportunity to confess; in this case the person is to remember the obligation to make an act of perfect contrition which includes the resolution of confessing as soon as possible.

Yes, you are supposed to go to Mass (and, you are quite right, not receive). What you have underlined references priests who are guilty of mortal sin and that if they are in that case, they should seek confession before Mass. Only if there is no time to confess (i.e. Mass is starting in 5 minutes, there are 200 people there, none of whom can get to another church to fulfill the Sunday obligation, there is no other priest or deacon to celebrate, etc.) should the priest (who must receive the Eucharist at Mass) actually celebrate the Mass, with the firm resolution that as soon as possible after Mass he go to confession.

 

[Vico]

I always knew not to go to communion, but am I reading this correctly? Am I not even supposed to go to mass? This is my weekend with my son, who is too little to leave outside the confessional on Saturday afternoon, but I want to model the third commandment. Does avoiding scandal count as “grave reason”? Since it’s an issue of cannon law, does anyone know beyond mere speculation?

Can. 916 A person who is conscious of grave sin is not to celebrate Mass or receive the body of the Lord without previous sacramental confession unless there is a grave reason and there is no opportunity to confess; in this case the person is to remember the obligation to make an act of perfect contrition which includes the resolution of confessing as soon as possible.

The priest celebrates, and the priest must receive Communion during the celebration. Sometimes there are also con-celebrant priests.

ewtn.com/v/experts/showmessage.asp?number=336853&Pg=&Pgnu=&recnu=

 

[twf]

Your obligation to go to Mass remains. You simply don’t receive. In fact, you would commit another sin if you deliberately missed Mass even if conscious of grave sin. As others have clarified, it is the priest who “celebrates”. You “assist” at Mass.

 

[Jerome1974]

Thank you, Vico, for the link. It’s what I was suspecting, though getting thrown by the use of the nebulous word “persons”. I was hoping for a firm answer that I could bank on, so thank you (and everyone else) once again!