Multiple Communions

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alexl437

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I am planning to serve at the Saturday Vigil Mass tonight and at a Sunday morning Mass at my parish. I am also planning on attending a Mass of Reparation at a hospital chapel tomorrow (Sunday afternoon). I was just wondering, is it permitted to receive Communion on all of these occasions or not?
 
Yes. Canon Law permits reception twice in one day under normal circumstances if the second time is at Mass. You’ll be receiving once on Saturday and twice on Sunday, all at Masses, so no issue from what you’ve described.
 
Cor_ad_Cor said:
Yes. Canon Law permits reception twice in one day under normal circumstances if the second time is at Mass. You’ll be receiving once on Saturday and twice on Sunday, all at Masses, so no issue from what you’ve described.
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I’ve never quite understood that. Why does it have to be in that order? What if the first time you receive is at a Mass & the 2nd one a communion service?
 
Bonnie said:
I’ve never quite understood that. Why does it have to be in that order? What if the first time you receive is at a Mass & the 2nd one a communion service?
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I don’t know the rationale, either, except I presume it’s to prevent abuse. I was erroneously taught growing up that it was ONCE per day, because people would try to make the rounds and receive as many times as possible believing it led to a superior holiness or something. However, the current Code of Canon Law states it in that way: the second time must be at Mass (with the exception of viaticum).
 
Bonnie said:
I’ve never quite understood that. Why does it have to be in that order? What if the first time you receive is at a Mass & the 2nd one a communion service?
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Because it’s always better to receive Communion as part of participating in the fullness of the Mass.

If you receive Communion at Mass, you’ve done the better part (indeed the whole), and so there’s no need to do the lesser. If you later have the opportunity to receive outside of Mass, there’s no point; because you’ve already fully participated in the Sacrifice.

On the other hand, receiving at a Communion service (even a very brief one) is a mere substitute for participating in Mass. So, if you’ve received at the incomplete service first but you have an opportunity later to participate in the complete Mass, the Church allows this; because the Mass is better.

Does it make sense now?
 
You CAN receive at second Mass, but you can opt to sit out as well. There is never a requirement at any Mass that you MUST receive Eucharist, many times its better to sit and pray due to one’s state of Grace, state of mind, or lack of fast, etc…
 
Bonnie said:
I think so. Does that mean if by chance you attend 2 Masses you can receive twice? Or do you sit the 2nd one out?
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You may receive at both Masses (as far as it concerns this topic).

Whether or not that’s actually appropriate for any individual person on any given day will vary, of course.
 
Cor_ad_Cor said:
I don’t know the rationale, either, except I presume it’s to prevent abuse. I was erroneously taught growing up that it was ONCE per day, because people would try to make the rounds and receive as many times as possible believing it led to a superior holiness or something. However, the current Code of Canon Law states it in that way: the second time must be at Mass (with the exception of viaticum).
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There was a time that we were told that we could only receive communion once a day. Then at some point after Vatican II it was modified so that you could receive communion a second time if it was a special mass (i.e. a funeral or a wedding) The rule about being able to receive communion a second time but the second time only at mass is part of the 1983 Code of Canon Law.
 
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