Receiving communion on Christmas... without going to Confession

  • Thread starter Thread starter Faustina93
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
F

Faustina93

Guest
Help! I really don’t know what to do. About 2 weeks ago I committed a mortal sin. I can’t drive a car and my parents were always too busy to take me to Confession. I kept wanting to go, but have missed the last Confession before Christmas. Nobody could drive me and my mother had a bad cold.
I know that it will be another mortal sin to not receive Holy Communion on Christmas, but I have a mortal sin on my conscious. Do I receive anyway since it wasn’t my fault that I didn’t make Confession? Do I sit in the pew, the only person in the whole Church who doesn’t go up as everyone else wonders why? I’m really torn up over this and can’t stop thinking about it. Maybe my mortal sin was really a venial sin since it has been a habit I’ve been fighting. Maybe I’m just trying to make excuses. Right now I’m so confused- Please help! 😦 😦 😦
 
First, it is emphatically NOT a mortal sin to attend Mass on Christmas or any other day and not receive Holy Communion. The mortal sin would be to either skip Mass or receive in a state of sin. If you are not able to confess, you can and should stay behind in your pew.

There is still time to get to Confession. Is there more than one church in your town? Perhaps they still have a scheduled time for confessions. If not, would someone be willing to drive you to church if you called and made an appointment for Confession?

If you are not able to go to Confession and do not receive Communion, and your parents ask why, simply say that you needed to go to Confession and no one would take you. I bet they’ll take you next time!

Betsy
 
Call the church and schedule a confession right before mass. If you explain your dilemma, any priest worth his salt should oblige. Alternatively, you shouldn’t be embarrassed about not receiving communion. Many of those receiving probably don’t even attend church regularly (twice a year Catholics). Don’t allow them to be your judge.
 
I hope you’ll be able to make it to Confession somehow!! a parish near me has a last minute Advent reconciliation service tomorrow… maybe a parish around you does as well? if they don’t, could you phone them and make an appointment with the priest?

but if you’re not able to go… it’s NOT a mortal sin to not receive Communion on Christmas. As long as you come to Mass, that’s all that’s required. And don’t worry about staying behind in the pew… there must be others who are either in RCIA, or also haven’t confessed, who would stay behind also. Try not to worry about that…

I hope you’ll be able to find a priest for confession though.

God bless!
 
In the end, if you can’t make it to confession somewhere else or schedule one, you shouldn’t feel embarrassed. Like another poster said don’t let others judge you. I’ve been in a few situations where I had to stay in the pew, and the first time my face burned with embarrassment. People usually ignore you when that happens, though once an old lady turned around and stared at me with a frowny-face until I looked at her straight in the eyes. But who cares? It doesn’t matter at all what they think.

If you must stay in the pew, pray that Jesus would come into your soul since you cannot receive Him in the Eucharist.
 
Faustina93 said:
Help! I really don’t know what to do. About 2 weeks ago I committed a mortal sin. I can’t drive a car and my parents were always too busy to take me to Confession. I kept wanting to go, but have missed the last Confession before Christmas. Nobody could drive me and my mother had a bad cold.
I know that it will be another mortal sin to not receive Holy Communion on Christmas, but I have a mortal sin on my conscious. Do I receive anyway since it wasn’t my fault that I didn’t make Confession? Do I sit in the pew, the only person in the whole Church who doesn’t go up as everyone else wonders why? I’m really torn up over this and can’t stop thinking about it. Maybe my mortal sin was really a venial sin since it has been a habit I’ve been fighting. Maybe I’m just trying to make excuses. Right now I’m so confused- Please help! 😦 😦 😦
Click to expand...
Tell your parents you want to go to confession. Are you afraid to tell them you need to go to confession?
 
Faustina93 said:
Help! I really don’t know what to do. About 2 weeks ago I committed a mortal sin. I can’t drive a car and my parents were always too busy to take me to Confession. I kept wanting to go, but have missed the last Confession before Christmas. Nobody could drive me and my mother had a bad cold.
I know that it will be another mortal sin to not receive Holy Communion on Christmas, but I have a mortal sin on my conscious. Do I receive anyway since it wasn’t my fault that I didn’t make Confession? Do I sit in the pew, the only person in the whole Church who doesn’t go up as everyone else wonders why? I’m really torn up over this and can’t stop thinking about it. Maybe my mortal sin was really a venial sin since it has been a habit I’ve been fighting. Maybe I’m just trying to make excuses. Right now I’m so confused- Please help! 😦 😦 😦
Click to expand...
I am in the same boat. You may not receive communion if you are conscious of a mortal sin. I will not be receiving that day. 😦
 
Call your priest. I said confession in a priest’s car once.

You know if you tell your parents that you need them to drive you to the Church, I imagine that they will be so proud of you. They would know that you take your faith seriously. I know that I would if my children asked to go to confession.

Also, if you can’t make to confession, you can always go up during communion and cross your arms with your hands on your shoulders and receive a blessing. This is what the people in RCIA do.

Either way, if you bend over backwards to get to confession or refrain from receiving communion on Christmas. This will be a big step forward in your spiritual life! It warms my heart to hear you taking this seriously. Do the right thing, God will provide you many blessing! There have been a few times in my life that I went through extraordinary measures to go to confession or Mass and each time was a life altering event!

God Bless!
 
you can go up and receive a blessing and don’t worry about what other people think, what matters is that you don’t commit another mortal sin!
 
Seatuck said:
I am in the same boat. You may not receive communion if you are conscious of a mortal sin. I will not be receiving that day. 😦
Click to expand...
Our RCIA teacher lived in Brazil or some other South American Country for awhile (portugal maybe?) Anyway, she said at Mass, people were SO aware of their sins, and that they might be mortal, that only half of the people took Communion each Mass. Because they weren’t sure whether something was a mortal sin and they didn’t feel worthy to participate.

Contrast that to the USA, where it seems everyone participates, even if I just saw them totally wasted, making out at a party last night with some random person and I know they didn’t go to confession :confused: Lol, stories aside, it’s a different culture, and there’s NOTHING wrong with not taking communion when you haven’t had time for confession. In fact, I bet it makes you strive to commit even less mortal sins than you do now.
 
Perhaps this question is best answered with a factual answer, not people’s suppositions. From the Code of Canon Law:

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.

I’ll leave it up to you to define “grave reason”, and “no opportunity”.

I do note though the use of the word “grave sin” and not “mortal sin”.
 
Faustina93 said:
.
I know that it will be another mortal sin to not receive Holy Communion on Christmas,
Click to expand...
no there is no obligation to receive communion on Christmas or any other day, as long as you receive at least once (after confessing any mortal sins, of course) during the Easter season.

You will wait until you have a chance to confess before receiving communion, hopefully you won’t have to wait too long. Review the examination of conscience you have been given perhaps in your CCD or school religion class and make sure the matter that troubles you really is gravely wrong, you had full knowledge of that when you did it, and you did it with full free will consent. There is no reason for you to discuss this with your parents or anyone else, or to give any explanation at all if you choose not to receive communion at any time. Just keep reminding your parents of their duty to get you to confession and Mass when you ask.
 
OraLabora said:
Perhaps this question is best answered with a factual answer, not people’s suppositions. From the Code of Canon Law:

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.

I’ll leave it up to you to define “grave reason”, and “no opportunity”.

I do note though the use of the word “grave sin” and not “mortal sin”.
Click to expand...
I am betting this canon applies to the priest celebrant of a Mass and not to the attendance of any person at Mass.🙂
 
Thank you to everyone who took the time to answer! I wasn’t able to make it to confession (I went the Saturday after), but your responses gave me the courage to stay in the pew. I guess I do care too much about what others think
 
Faustina93 said:
Thank you to everyone who took the time to answer! I wasn’t able to make it to confession (I went the Saturday after), but your responses gave me the courage to stay in the pew. I guess I do care too much about what others think
Click to expand...
Good for you! So glad you did the right thing. As for the others and what they think, for all they know, you could have polished off your cup of coffee in the car right before you came in to Mass and not received because you broke the fast. 🙂

Betsy
 
Faustina93 said:
Thank you to everyone who took the time to answer! I wasn’t able to make it to confession (I went the Saturday after), but your responses gave me the courage to stay in the pew. I guess I do care too much about what others think
Click to expand...
And I was sitting next to you…in spirit. :o
 
dusza said:
Call the church and schedule a confession right before mass. If you explain your dilemma, any priest worth his salt should oblige. .
Click to expand...
You know, I was in the same predicament. I had ample opportunities to make it to confession during the month of December but didn’t. I could have gone to confession right up to the day before, but DIDN’T. Of my own free will, I did not make time to go to Confession before Christmas Mass. I would think it very inappropriate to bother the priest right before a high Mass on Christmas EVE, so that I could make my confession, when he made himself available so many other times during the month. Should a priest oblige me because of my laziness to get to Confession? I think not. I sat alone on Christmas Day and CRAVED the Eucharist. ( I also got my lazy butt to confession the very next day…)
 
Faustina93 said:
Help! I really don’t know what to do. About 2 weeks ago I committed a mortal sin. I can’t drive a car and my parents were always too busy to take me to Confession. I kept wanting to go, but have missed the last Confession before Christmas. Nobody could drive me and my mother had a bad cold.
I know that it will be another mortal sin to not receive Holy Communion on Christmas, but I have a mortal sin on my conscious. Do I receive anyway since it wasn’t my fault that I didn’t make Confession? Do I sit in the pew, the only person in the whole Church who doesn’t go up as everyone else wonders why? I’m really torn up over this and can’t stop thinking about it. Maybe my mortal sin was really a venial sin since it has been a habit I’ve been fighting. Maybe I’m just trying to make excuses. Right now I’m so confused- Please help! 😦 😦 😦
Click to expand...
It’s past the fact but if you are in the state of mortal sin, you are not to receive the Eucharist. That is what the Church teaches. Anybody who tells you different is not telling you the truth and not being honest with you. Even if you are the only one left sitting in the Church at the time of Communion, most people aren’t going to care one way or another. There is such a thing as spiritual Communion, where you ask the Lord to come into your soul and heart instead of receiving the Eucharist in its physical manifestation. Just go to Confession before your next Sunday obligation.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top