Receiving “communion” at home due to COV-19

[koshka]

Hi everyone,

I’m new to this forum. I’m not a Catholic but I’m learning more and more about it each day—I’ve been received Protestant. I recently started participating in Mass online and it’s been a spiritual blessing for me. I have one question, is it “okay” to receive communion at home? I should say upfront that I do believe in real presence. However, is there anything wrong with me making unleavened bread and celebrating it with my family during the Triddum? I figured it might be okay since the bread is unconsecrated and is therefore not the actual body of our Lord Jesus. I feel that making a spiritual communion with actually bread can help to engage the senses a bit more. I would love to hear your thoughts as I really don’t want to go about doing something wrong, please forgive me for my ignorance.

Thanks. God bless and be safe.

 

[1ke]

However, is there anything wrong with me making unleavened bread and celebrating it with my family during the Triddum?

That would not be “receiving communion”.

If you do bake unleavened bread… It shouldn’t be eaten in the context of watching the mass, or with any sort of communion-like prayers, etc.

I feel that making a spiritual communion with actually bread can help to engage the senses a bit more.

That isn’t how we make a spiritual communion.

 

[Tis_Bearself]

is there anything wrong with me making unleavened bread and celebrating it with my family during the Triddum?

It’s not okay for you to make bread and eat it yourself, or share it with your family, in connection with any kind of watching Mass, or imitation of Holy Communion, or accompaniment to Spiritual Communion. Catholics do not do anything that could be construed as laypeople doing what the priest only is allowed to do. Doing that would be considered very wrong.

Spiritual Communion is just that…spiritual only. We do not consume anything physical in connection with it.

 

[Todd_Easton]

I feel that making a spiritual communion with actually bread can help to engage the senses a bit more.

Wouldn’t it be like kissing another woman because you missed kissing your wife because kissing another woman would engage your senses a bit more than spiritually kissing your wife? Sounds like a bad idea to me.

 

[goout]

To the degree that you are making a pretense of the Eucharist, you would be practicing a deceit. And it seems that’s what you would be doing in the context you are proposing.
Share a meal afterward or before.

My wife and I will be doing that after watching Holy Thursday Mass. We will share some homemade bread and definitely a glass (or two…small ones) of red wine.

There will probably be a lot of tears, as we have always been in choir for Holy Thursday Mass and spent some time in vigil afterwards:

 

[HomeschoolDad]

Eating bread in connection with an online virtual Mass comes dangerously close to simulating a sacrament. I mean no offense in saying this, but it sounds more bizarre than anything else. Some Protestants might do something like this, but we are not Protestants.

A type of “agape meal” of bread and wine after Mass would probably be okay as a private devotion, as long as everyone involved were absolutely clear in their minds, that in no way does this represent a kind of “substitute eucharist”. Eastern Christians often receive blessed (but not consecrated) antidoron bread after the Divine Liturgy. I have received it myself.