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EIRE1994
Guest
I see people at Mass who receive the Eucharist who from what I understand are not in a State of Grace. Perhaps this is judgemental of me, but this has been troubling me. What should I do?
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losh14
Guest
For what it’s worth, there have been times in my life where I’ve been uncertain of whether I was in a state of Grace (I was struggling - well, still am - with habitual sin, and had convinced myself that the power of habit overwhelmed the culpability to the point that it was no longer mortal sin) and gone to receive the Eucharist … only to be turned away. The Eucharistic minister runs out of hosts, the chalice is emptied by the parishoner in front of me, or my kid runs screaming the other way suddenly. After I found out I had celiac disease I only went for the cup (the last time I had the consecrated host I was ill for two days), and on several occasions was turned away because the extraordinary minister saw I hadn’t received the host. Each of those times was a time when I was uncertain about my state.
Our parish has been having the cup less often with the flu season (elderly, susceptible population, and few people receive it), so I rarely get the opportunity now. Just as well, it keeps me on my toes and reminds me that time is always short.
Our parish has been having the cup less often with the flu season (elderly, susceptible population, and few people receive it), so I rarely get the opportunity now. Just as well, it keeps me on my toes and reminds me that time is always short.
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Daizies
Guest
We never know the state of someone else’s heart. Perhaps they were at reconciliation just before Mass, or the day before. Unless you are privy to the person’s whole life, including thoughts, motivations and all actions, there really is no way to know if another person is in a state of grace or not. All you can do is offer a prayer for them.
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dee_burk
Guest
UM, dont waste your time judging others…worry about yourself. then you can pray for them…
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Michael_Allen
Guest
Personally I thank God that we receive communion out of our Lord’s grace and righteousness rather than our own.
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1answer
Guest
my boss told me that a co-worker we both know is “bugged” with me because i arrive at church just before the reading of the Gospel, and leave after communion.
well-- as i told my co-worker boss-- well it not like it is a mortal sin to attend mass this way…
but the other guy – does judge me and others – who are not living up to his reflection of the “Rules”
but i’m good with it:thumbsup:
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Fone_Bone_2001
Guest
You don’t understand.
Every one of us lacks access to such knowledge. Please, dear brother or sister in Christ, realize and confirm in your mind and heart that we can’t possibly know whether those around us are in a state of grace or not.
You need to pray for the strength and humility not to worry about this. It will do you no good.
Also, what may help you is making a habit of praying for these people around you instead of speculating on the state of their souls.
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chimo
Guest
It depends on what you mean by habitual sin. Did you know everyone is a habitual sinner. People who admit they are sinners are precious before God. The point in living in this life is that you are going to struggle with sin all of your life. If you are trying to live this life with the knowledge that you are a sinner than you are on the right path. The late Archbishop Fulton Sheen had a confessor who said to him that these confessions are not doing him any good because he is not getting any better. The bishop with his quick wit said, “Well you are not getting any worse!” Try not to be too hard on yourself. You are holding onto your own. And if I think what is the habitual sin you are referring too I would not try to make it bigger than it is. These occurrences which you speak about do not in any way reflect this on you. When you approach Holy Communion show your love for Him by going up quicker. Don’t hesitate. Your Lord is there for you. His Precious Blood was shed for you. His Body given up for you. Try to see what you are going through as a means to go to Him with much love and trust in His Mercy. Don’t be so doubtful. God’s love is there for you to participate in. He would never relinquish this love. Your reluctance however reveals that you are thinking too much on yourself rather than His goodness. To overcome this all you have to do is come to His Supper and go right up to Him without doubting and hesitation. The only sins that can prevent you to receive His love is not contained in your words. You seem to have a good grasp of your own condition. Then this should make you come the more to the One who has all the gifts to shower you with His love and mercy. Sins as long as they are not mortal cannot prevent the Son of God to come to make His home in you. From what you said I do not see in you any committing of a mortal sin. Next time you go to Holy Communion say to the Lord, “I love you Lord, help me today to know more of your love and help me to know more of your goodness. Whatever I have done I give this to you to be transform with the love you have given to me today”. Grow steadily with more trust in His love.
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1toolbox
Guest
you guys crack me up!!
gee with the statement of i’m a habitual sinner and what can i do??-- well i guess Calling on the Holy Spirit didn’t work-- there was no grace there–
but you can “feel” better because we are all sinner’s and brake covenant all the time,
i worked with a catholic boss- who said it was “ok” to lie cheat steal and defraud a little bit every day-- because he said every one was like that-- when i told him i wasn’t like that –
he said "oh no - i didn’t know you were that “kind”
he then proceeded to habitually try to find fault and make a big deal about it…
so as you give yourself over to “habitual sin” then you become a “satisfied sinner”
as for that boss – he defrauded 90 % of his co-workers- and he another church goer – went to each other s church-- but it’s all about “loyality” he also had a thing about saying-- well i lied for you" ha ha – i guess not your typical catholic-- but a typical hibitual sinner
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R_C
Guest
To begin with, it is always proper for us - when we have no authority, that is, when those people are not subject to us in any way - to presume that they are in good faith and in a state of grace. As far as we know, maybe the priest confessed them privately two minutes before Mass. It is safer for us this way.
Perhaps you may, as you receive the Lord with a proper disposition, offer the Communion in reparation of the offenses to which the Blessed Sacrament is subject daily throughout the world. You may also offer for this intention some of the little daily sacrifices that we all face and accept out of love of Christ
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odile53
Guest
Short of praying for them, you have no right or responsibility to do anything else, unless you happen to be their pastor. And I wouldn’t run to the pastor with my suspicions, either: The sins of calumny and detraction are mortal sins.
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englishredrose
Guest
I know we have different wordings in our Anglican Services and so I would like to ask first if you say
‘Lord I am not worthy to receive you but only say the word and I shall be healed’?
If you do say it then next time you kind of judge others about their Eucharist then think of this because phrase because to me it means probably something entirely different to you guys if you do say it and probably quite different to other Anglicans at the same time but it might be helpful in helping you to stop worrying/judging about others receiving communion because this phrase to me ‘allows’ them to receive communion. Our sins slate is wiped clean so to speak. I don’t know what other people think this phrase means if they say it in the service but I simply see it that we are all worthy of receiving communion no matter what has happend before. We like to inflict our morals on others and that is hard to swallow when others don’t have the same standards as we do but at this time Christ is our only judge and we need to trust in Him a whole lot more than we do perhaps.
May be just one way of dealing with this emotion in the service. I am lucky being Anglican but also lucky that don’t have that concept of communion that makes me judge others for it though recently I am absteining from one Eucharist Minister as you guys call them because ‘he’ offended me and I know that could be my own processes at fault too. But basically told me off for not going to an event that was cancelled anyway and i have no idea if he was joking or not and haven’t received the chalice from him though he hasn’t done the chalice yet for me. I walked quietly by one EM and she came up to me at the end of the service and asked if she had done anything wrong because I always receive.
I was embarrassed and pleased at the same time also, the wrong person as always follows it up and my reply was, that the priest knows about it. But I don’t judge others for their actions because what they do is nothing to do with me when it comes to receiving communion:thumbsup: That is Gods’ Business
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R_C
Guest
Of course not. After baptism we still sin, and there is a kind of sin that leads to death. St. John the Evangelist teaches this. And the Apostles and Church Fathers teach that it is improper to approach Holy Communion with such sins on our conscience, that is, before confessing to a priest. Surely Christ is our only judge, but a judge that does not judge anyone, letting ourselves be the writers of our own sentence. St. Paul teaches: “he that eats and drinks unworthily, eats and drinks judgment to himself”.
Furthermore, it is quite nonsense to say: “Lord I am not worthy” and to think: “I am worthy, we are all worthy”. No. We are not worthy. It is by Christ’s commandment that we approach Him in the Eucharist, and we must do so without conscience of the sins that lead to death. Otherwise we ought to go and “have our feet washed” by the successors of the apostles, else we cannot partake with Christ.
It is fully possible that we are for some reason aware that someone is in a state of mortal sin (or has done something that if we were to do it we would consider ourselves in such state, since we ignore the person’s full knowledge or deliberate consent) and thus we have the impression that the person is not properly disposed to receive the Lord. For instance, I once saw a person next to me eating something and shortly thereafter she was walking near me to receive Communion, which implies - it would seem - improper disposition (though as far as I know, he could have been sick and thus have a special dispensation). The issue is that we do not want to judge that anyone is committing a sacrilege, especially if they are not subject to us. But there are many cases of desecration of the Blessed Sacrament all over the world, and it is good to pray in reparation for such offenses to Christ who is truly present in the Eucharist.
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constantconvert
Guest
Did you know they make gluten-free hosts?
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englishredrose
Guest
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Mike30
Guest
How do you know they are not in a state of grace?
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Martin15
Guest
Pray for them. That is all that one can do.
Best wishes
Martin
Best wishes
Martin
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