Penance....continued

[J.Edwin]

Thanks for the two answers I received on the minimum of Penance once a year.
I am confused because in our parish only a few people go to confession each week, yet thousands receive communion each week. I have never heard a homily on Penance or the need to be in the “State of Grace” to receive or the requirement to go to Confession. Some have told me they don’t believe that Confession is necessary any more, but mostly it is just not brought up.
On this past Easter, several masses additional to the normal schedule were celebrated in the parish hall to accomodate all (hundreds) of the “once a year” people who showed up, most of whom received communion. No comment was made by the priests as to who should or should not be receiving Communion. It appears that current practice is not to discourage anyone from Communion for any reason, even when they might not be practicing Catholics at all.
I guess my question is “Don’t priests have a duty to their people to teach them the minimums and keep them from commiting sin or sacrilege?”

 

[marty1818]

You are very right about only a few people confessing yet everyone seems to be receiving communion, which is a growing trend. Some of the resposibility falls on the priest to teach the people, but in some cases the people practice what is preached. At my parish the number of people receiving communion is pretty high but there are also about 20 people who go to confession every day. Our priests have numerous times preached about this but for some it just doesnt set in. At our spanish mass the trend is different. A lot of people will not receive communion because they know they are not worthy of receiving until they go to confession.

matthew

 

[countrylifer]

We seem to have the same situation at our church. But this brings up another question. We recently had a family reunion. I was talking with a 13 year old neice and a 11 year old nephew. Each from diffenent sister-in-laws.Both have received their 1st Holy Communion, but neither has received 1st Penance? They didn’t even know what penance and confession were…They both belong to the same parish. Is this a parish rule or have things changed so much in the past 6 years? Both my kids at 16 & 14 were required to make their 1st confession before receiving 1st Communion.

 

[Karin]

Since i am not a Catholic…quick question. I always thought eek: ) that if you did not go to confession you could not recieve communion. Am I wring in this thought?

 

[Lux_et_veritas]

Karin:

Since i am not a Catholic…quick question. I always thought eek: ) that if you did not go to confession you could not recieve communion. Am I wring in this thought?

Hi Karin,

One must abstain from Holy Communion until Sacramental Confession only if they have committed a grave/mortal sin. Here is an example of an examination of conscience we can use to help us determine if we have committed a mortal sin. Some are more obvious. Obviously if you steal something - that is a mortal sin. Kill someone, sleep with the neighbor’s spouse, ditto. But there are examples of sins that are not always easy to see. The examination of conscience is done based on the 10 commandments. Here is more info:

catholic.org/clife/prayers/sin.php

catholic.org/clife/prayers/confession.php

 

[Karin]

Lux_et_veritas:

Hi Karin,

One must abstain from Holy Communion until Sacramental Confession only if they have committed a grave/mortal sin. Here is an example of an examination of conscience we can use to help us determine if we have committed a mortal sin. Some are more obvious. Obviously if you steal something - that is a mortal sin. Kill someone, sleep with the neighbor’s spouse, ditto. But there are examples of sins that are not always easy to see. The examination of conscience is done based on the 10 commandments. Here is more info:

catholic.org/clife/prayers/sin.php

catholic.org/clife/prayers/confession.php

Thank you…very helpful.:yup:

 

[Lux_et_veritas]

J. Edwin:

Thanks for the two answers I received on the minimum of Penance once a year.
I am confused because in our parish only a few people go to confession each week, yet thousands receive communion each week. I have never heard a homily on Penance or the need to be in the “State of Grace” to receive or the requirement to go to Confession. Some have told me they don’t believe that Confession is necessary any more, but mostly it is just not brought up.
On this past Easter, several masses additional to the normal schedule were celebrated in the parish hall to accomodate all (hundreds) of the “once a year” people who showed up, most of whom received communion. No comment was made by the priests as to who should or should not be receiving Communion. It appears that current practice is not to discourage anyone from Communion for any reason, even when they might not be practicing Catholics at all.
I guess my question is “Don’t priests have a duty to their people to teach them the minimums and keep them from commiting sin or sacrilege?”

You are not alone in observing this phenomena and you should be hearing the Catholic Church speaking on it more in the future. Here is an excerpt from Instrumentum Laboris (A working document that the synod of Bishops have made).

Here is one excerpt under Chapter 2:
Instrumentum Laboris - Chapter II:

1. Many Lineamenta responses refer to the rapport between the Eucharist and Reconciliation.

In many countries, persons have lost, or are gradually losing, an awareness that conversion is necessary for receiving the Eucharist. Its connection with the Sacrament of Penance is not always understood, e.g., the necessity of being in the state of grace before receiving Holy Communion. As a result, the obligation of confessing mortal sins is forgotten.39

The idea of communion as “food for the journey” has also caused a minimization of the necessity of being in the state of grace. Instead, just as proper nourishment presupposes a healthy, living being, so the Eucharist requires that a person be in the state of grace so the Baptismal commitment can be re-enforced. How can a person be in the state of mortal sin and receive the One who is a “medicine” of immortality and an “antidote” to death.40

Where many faithful know that they cannot receive communion while in mortal sin, they do not have a clear idea of what constitutes mortal sin. Others give no thought to it. Oftentimes, the situation creates a vicious circle: “I won’t receive communion because I have not gone to confession; I don’t go to confession, because I have no sins to confess.” Though such an attitude can be traced to a variety of causes, the principal one is a lack of proper catechesis on the subject.

Another rather widespread problem is created by a lack of access to the Sacrament of Penance at convenient times. In some countries, individual confessions have been eliminated. At most, the Sacrament is celebrated twice a year, during a communal liturgy, resulting in a hybrid form of the Sacrament which draws from both the second and third rites provided in the ritual.

Certainly, thought needs to be given to the great disproportion between the many who receive Holy Communion and the few who go to confession. The faithful frequently receive Holy Communion, without even thinking that they might be in the state of mortal sin. As a result, the receiving of Holy Communion by those who are divorced and civilly remarried is a common occurrence in various countries. At funeral Masses, weddings or other celebrations, many receive Holy Communion only out of the generally-held, mistaken conviction that a person cannot participate at Mass without receiving Holy Communion.

You can find the full document here and it is quite an interesting read. Keep in mind, it is a working document. The Bishops of the world, not just the US, are going to start discussing many such issues and if you read more, you will find they will even be addressing low mass attendance, liturgical practices, etc. There are changes in the air.



vatican.va/roman_curia/synod/documents/rc_synod_doc_20050707_instrlabor-xi-assembly_en.html