Priests, Communion, Confession

[kcbk]

I just thought of something in Mass…
When we are not in a state of grace, we abstain from Communion.
What is Church teaching on Priests giving Communion while not in a state of grace?
I know from my friends that are Priests that they get together every few weeks & confess to other Priests…But what about when they don’t have time? Is there some type of absolution they give themselves or something?

 

[JerryZ]

I just thought of something in Mass…
When we are not in a state of grace, we abstain from Communion.
What is Church teaching on Priests giving Communion while not in a state of grace?
I know from my friends that are Priests that they get together every few weeks & confess to other Priests…But what about when they don’t have time? Is there some type of absolution they give themselves or something?

I believe the Canon states that a priest that is with “grave matter” ie a “mortal sin” should abstein from doing the mass, someone expand on that.
If it is “venial sin” the act of contrition at the mass takes care of them and would not be a problem.
On the other hand if the priest is confronted with some inordinate and extraordinary conditions there are rules that apply in those cases.

 

[thomasf]

Consecration is independent on the state of grace of the priest. Obviously if he is in a state of sin while consecrating, if he eats the body or drinks the blood he is sinning further. But in a pinch, I would think that consecrating and distributing communion is more important and he can always confess after. My priest does several masses a day on sundays, if he didn’t consecrate the eucharist none of us would be able to receive.

 

[kcbk]

Yes, I agree they must be able to consecrate. I was just curious as to how they worked it all out.

 

[1ke]

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.

 

[LilyM]

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.

Yup, this covers priests who need to celebrate Mass for parishioners but may have sinned without having an opportunity to confess. I dare say if another priest can take over for the one who has sinned, though, they should do so. Not always possible, of course.

 

[Glacies]

Following St. Thomas Aquinas (Summa Theologica, III:64:3) the principal minister of the Sacraments is Christ producing the inward effect, and they work independently from the state of grace of the human minister as the seventh session of the Council of Trent (1545-1563) declares:

“If any one saith that a minister being in mortal sin, if so be that he observe all the essentials which belong to the effecting or conferring of the sacrament, neither effects nor confers the sacrament; let him be anathema.”

Priests confess to other priests and not to themselves. It is related about Saint Damien of Molokai (1840-1889), the Apostle of the Lepers, that he had to go for months without confession and at one occasion saw the trouble to do this aloud from a small rowboat to a larger ship offshore the contagious island.

 

[PJM]

=kcbk;10165462]I just thought of something in Mass…
When we are not in a state of grace, we abstain from Communion.
What is Church teaching on Priests giving Communion while not in a state of grace?
I know from my friends that are Priests that they get together every few weeks & confess to other Priests…But what about when they don’t have time? Is there some type of absolution they give themselves or something?

It’s Still “valid” we get all the grace benefits were “entitled too” But it is not “Licit.” Which is an issue for the priest to resolve.

God Who is Mercy and Love does not penalize us for what we have no cotrol over.

God Bless,
pat/PJM

 

[kcbk]

You folks are great.
This clears it up for me.
Thanks!