Not taking Communion? Need answer

[Callie714]

****Hello,
For the past few weeks, I have not made it to church. My family normally tries to go every week, but we have been busy/on vacation and haven’t been able to make it. I was talking to the youth ministers at my church and they both believe that if you ever miss a week of church, you may not receive communion until you confess. I have heard different opinions on this and both of my parents strongly disagree.
Any views?
-Callie

 

[Deo_Gratias42]

It is a grave sin to purposefully not attend Mass on Sunday unless one either has a dispensation from their pastor, or has a sufficient reason (ie: too sick to attend Mass, Mass was cancelled and you are unable to attend Mass at another parish, dangerous weather/road conditions, etc)

If a person fails to attend Mass on Sunday without sufficient reason/dispensation, does so freely on their own account/full consent of their will, and knows it is grave to miss Mass on Sunday (simply holding your own opinion that missing Mass on Sunday isn’t grave doesn’t count. If someone has made you aware, such as I am doing now, that it is a grave sin then you know it’s a grave sin), then you commit a mortal sin.

If one has committed a mortal sin, then one may not receive (we DO NOT take communion) communion. To do so is another mortal sin called sacrilege, which is the equivalence of spitting in Jesus’ face or throwing him in the sewer.

It should also be noted that we are not required to receive communion during every Mass, and that we should not be receiving merely out of habit of being at Mass. We should be properly disposed, in the state of grace, and in the right mind frame when we receive.

 

[Stylites]

Hello Callie, and welcome to CAF!

Catholics are obligated to attend weekly Mass. However there are situations where a Catholic is not required to attend: being ill or having to care for one who is ill, or where getting to Mass is a danger such as road and weather conditions, or having to work on the weekends when no Sunday Mass can be reached, or when traveling and vacationing there are conditions where missing Mass is not a sin.

Be aware that some people here might suffer from scruple, an unfounded apprehension and consequently unwarranted fear that something is a sin which, as a matter of fact, is not. Always follow what your priest says is the best advice.

 

[Callie714]

It is a grave sin to purposefully not attend Mass on Sunday unless one either has a dispensation from their pastor, or has a sufficient reason (ie: too sick to attend Mass, Mass was cancelled and you are unable to attend Mass at another parish, dangerous weather/road conditions, etc)

If a person fails to attend Mass on Sunday without sufficient reason/dispensation, does so freely on their own account/full consent of their will, and knows it is grave to miss Mass on Sunday (simply holding your own opinion that missing Mass on Sunday isn’t grave doesn’t count. If someone has made you aware, such as I am doing now, that it is a grave sin then you know it’s a grave sin), then you commit a mortal sin.

If one has committed a mortal sin, then one may not receive (we DO NOT take communion) communion. To do so is another mortal sin called sacrilege, which is the equivalence of spitting in Jesus’ face or throwing him in the sewer.

It should also be noted that we are not required to receive communion during every Mass, and that we should not be receiving merely out of habit of being at Mass. We should be properly disposed, in the state of grace, and in the right mind frame when we receive.

Can you explain how taking communion after missing
Mass is like spitting in Jesus’ face? I really don’t understand that.
Thank you,
-Calle

 

[yellow8yellowM]

Can you explain how taking communion after missing
Mass is like spitting in Jesus’ face? I really don’t understand that.
Thank you,
-Calle

Therefore whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner, shall be guilty of the body and the blood of the Lord. (1 Cor 11:27).

Do you question whether missing Mass intentionally is a mortal sin, or why you cannot receive the Eucharist in a state of mortal sin? If it is the latter, here is a blurb from Jimmy Akin’s website (jimmyakin.com/the-baltimore-catechism-11)

1. Q. Does he who receives Communion in mortal sin receive the body and blood of Christ?
   A. He who receives Communion in mortal sin receives the body and blood of Christ, but does not receive His grace, and he commits a great sacrilege.

“The body and blood,” because the appearance of bread and wine is there after consecration, and he receives it. He who receives the Holy Eucharist in mortal sin receives Our Lord into a filthy soul. If a great and highly-esteemed friend was coming to visit your house, would you not take care to have everything clean and neat, and pleasing to him? And the greater the dignity of the person coming, the more careful you would be. But what are all the persons of dignity in the world-kings or popes-compared with Our Lord, who leaves the beauties of Heaven to come to visit our soul? and the purest we can make it is not pure enough for Him. But He is kind to us, and is satisfied with our poor preparation if He sees we are doing our very best. But oh, what a shame to receive Him into our soul without any preparation! and more horrible still, to fill it with vile sins, that we know are most disgusting to Him! No wonder, therefore, that receiving Holy Communion unworthily is so great a crime, and so deserving of God’s punishment. Why should not the heavenly Father punish us for treating His beloved Son with such shameful disrespect and contempt?

 

[TheRealJuliane]

****Hello,
For the past few weeks, I have not made it to church. My family normally tries to go every week, but we have been busy/on vacation and haven’t been able to make it. I was talking to the youth ministers at my church and they both believe that if you ever miss a week of church, you may not receive communion until you confess. I have heard different opinions on this and both of my parents strongly disagree.
Any views?
-Callie

Our views are not important, Callie. It is what the Church says that counts. And the Church says that we must attend Mass every Sunday unless we have a good reason such as being ill or a young person not having transportation to get to church. Traveling can be such a reason, but being “busy” is not a good reason. Your parents may be justifying their own sins by disagreeing that missing Mass intentionally is a mortal sin. For you, it is likely NOT a mortal sin, since you are probably a minor and unable to get yourself to Church without your parents. For example, my son, who is 18, traveled to where his father is working in Europe. His visit spanned 2 weekends, and his father neither went to Mass nor made any effort to take our son to Mass. So, since there was no transportation available, our son did not commit a mortal sin. His father is another story. If a person is literally unable to get to Mass, not of their own fault, then a mortal sin has not been committed, but if it’s just been a case of not trying hard enough, then yes, the person would need to confess this before receiving again.

 

[sdegutis]

Can you explain how taking communion after missing
Mass is like spitting in Jesus’ face? I really don’t understand that.
Thank you,
-Calle

Think about it in two steps, not just one. The first step is committing a mortal sin. The second step is receiving Holy Communion while in a state of mortal sin.

Missing Mass without a good reason is a mortal sin. That is to say, it is a sin that offends God gravely, and by doing so you basically reject God.

Receiving Holy Communion should be a very solemn action, done with the utmost respect and reverence, since the bread literally becomes God, it’s not bread anymore. And God is inviting anyone who is not in a state of mortal sin to come to the table and partake of this sacrificial meal, which we call Holy Communion.

So, now that we know all this, let’s put them together: if you miss Mass without a good reason, you’re offending God, and then to receive God in Holy Communion as if you had never offended God is even more offensive to God. Make sense?

 

[Mrs_Sally]

Callie, please speak to your priest. If you are a minor with no way to get to Mass on your own, you did not sin by missing Mass. However, if you could have walked, biked, called a friend, encouraged your parents, etc. than you need to try those things.

It is very helpful to go to confession regularly (1x a month, say), so go ahead and talk to your priest. Tell him what happened and get his advice (and absolution if necessary).

 

[Julian0404]

Advise your parents to read the CCC Paragraph 2041 and 2041 which defines and explains the First Precept of the Catholic Church which is “You shall attend Mass on Sundays and Holy Days of Obligation and rest from Serville labor”. . . . in effect follow the First and Third Commandments.

However, in the event you should ever have to miss Mass, it is advisable to spend some time in prayer, perhaps reading some scripture and praying the rosary and participating in a spiritual communion, verses doing nothing.

 

[Delaine75]

I’ve been told that if you miss Mass purposely (without valid reason, usually after speaking with the priest), you cannot receive Communion because you’ve committed a mortal sin.

 

[Deo_Gratias42]

Can you explain how taking communion after missing
Mass is like spitting in Jesus’ face? I really don’t understand that.
Thank you,
-Calle

Once again, we DO NOT take communion. We receive communion. We’re not worthy to receive it, let alone take it.

Callie, I’m going to ask you straight up, and please be honest. Do you believe that the bread and wine become the Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Christ?

 

[ProVobis]

Once again, we DO NOT take communion. We receive communion.

FWIW, the Latin is “accipite” (accipio, accipere, accepi, acceptus - to take or receive.) “Accept” would be the English cognate. Latin also has “recipite” and “capite” but they’re not used in the text. Just saying.

 

[Deo_Gratias42]

FWIW, the Latin is “accipite” (accipio, accipere, accepi, acceptus - to take or receive.) “Accept” would be the English cognate. Latin also has “recipite” and “capite” but they’re not used in the text. Just saying.

In the English language taking something has different connotations than receiving communion. Even the word “accept” denotes that it was something given to us rather than something we take.

 

[Mike30]

Just my opinion mind you, but this thread appears to be one of those threads posted solely to cause controversy and dissension’

just my opinion,:tsktsk:

 

[Phemie]

Once again, we DO NOT take communion. We receive communion. We’re not worthy to receive it, let alone take it.

Callie, I’m going to ask you straight up, and please be honest. Do you believe that the bread and wine become the Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Christ?

If someone gives you something, you accept it/take it/receive it. It’s all the same.

I wish people on these boards would stop jumping on people with comments like these when the person asking a question or making a comment is using a perfectly valid expression that, in usual parlance, means the same thing.

 

[Deo_Gratias42]

If someone gives you something, you accept it/take it/receive it. It’s all the same.

I wish people on these boards would stop jumping on people with comments like these when the person asking a question or making a comment is using a perfectly valid expression that, in usual parlance, means the same thing.

If we took communion, we’d be permitted to self-communicate, but we’re not.

 

[Phemie]

If we took communion, we’d be permitted to self-communicate, but we’re not.

If someone hands you a gift, do you take it or receive it? I would never use the word ‘receive’ in that context. I may “receive” a present in the mail (and even there, that’s pretty formal I would nomally use the word ‘get’) but if someone hands me something I take it. We are given Communion, we can ‘take it’ or ‘receive it’ and it’s only nit picking to jump on new posters over the use of the word ‘take’.

 

[yukonbrad]

Callie, please speak to your priest. If you are a minor with no way to get to Mass on your own, you did not sin by missing Mass. However, if you could have walked, biked, called a friend, encouraged your parents, etc. than you need to try those things.

It is very helpful to go to confession regularly (1x a month, say), so go ahead and talk to your priest. Tell him what happened and get his advice (and absolution if necessary).

Thank you, someone with some sense! Yes go speak to your parish priest about this. He can better advise you than those of us here. Don’t be afraid to talk to your priest about any topic - he is there to guide you in your faith.

 

[Bookcat]

****Hello,
For the past few weeks, I have not made it to church. My family normally tries to go every week, but we have been busy/on vacation and haven’t been able to make it. I was talking to the youth ministers at my church and they both believe that if you ever miss a week of church, you may not receive communion until you confess. I have heard different opinions on this and both of my parents strongly disagree.
Any views?
-Callie

It is not a matter open to opinion.

It is a grave sin (mortal sin) as per the Catholic Church.

Catechism of the Catholic Church:

2181 The Sunday Eucharist is the foundation and confirmation of all Christian practice. For this reason the faithful are obliged to participate in the Eucharist on days of obligation, unless excused for a serious reason (for example, illness, the care of infants) or dispensed by their own pastor.119 Those who deliberately fail in this obligation commit a grave sin.

scborromeo.org/ccc/p3s2c1a3.htm#II

Note such goes for Holy Days too (one on Wed this week).

Yes if one commits a mortal sin it needs to be confessed (in number and kind) prior to Holy Communion .We here can not judge here as to if anyone “committed” a mortal sin/grave sin (they are the same thing). --they will need to judge according to the criteria …people can have been misinformed without a clue…and honestly misunderstood the gravity of things (one can see below and the Catechism) --in any case I would suggest the persons see the Priest and mention what happened…):

Catechism:

1385 … Anyone conscious of a grave sin must receive the sacrament of Reconciliation before coming to communion.

As to being busy/vacation-- such is not normally an excuse from the obligation. One may though seek a dispensation from ones Pastor for a good reason.

As to the reality of being a minor – discuss the matter with your Priest…for if a minor can not say go to Mass due to lack of ability to get there …that can create a situation of impossibility on their part…

---

Compendium issued by Pope Benedict XVI

1. When does one commit a mortal sin?

1855-1861
1874

One commits a mortal sin when there are simultaneously present: grave matter, full knowledge, and deliberate consent. …

1. When does one commit a venial sin?

1862-1864
1875

One commits a venial sin, which is essentially different from a mortal sin, when the matter involved is less serious or, even if it is grave, when full knowledge or complete consent are absent. …

 

[Lapey]

If we took communion, we’d be permitted to self-communicate, but we’re not.

Thats not what anybody meant, so please stop. BTW, I took Communion twice yesterday! The priests I served with both placed the Body on my tongue then both handed the chalice to me and I consumed the Blood from the challice both times.