Receiving Eucharist in a state of mortal sin

[TimothyH]

No.

There is no point in doing so as that act of sacrilege would only damn a person that much more by demonstrating conscious disregard for Christ. You might as well throw the Eucharist into a sewer.

It is Christ who decides whether someone is damned, not us.

Thankfully, our Lord and Savior is there to forgive anyone who repents, even if they were to throw the Eucharist in the sewer.

-Tim-

 

[bearer]

It is Christ who decides whether someone is damned, not us.

Thankfully, our Lord and Savior is there to forgive anyone who repents, even if they were to throw the Eucharist in the sewer.

-Tim-

Sin is our choice, not His.

 

[Nigel7]

I did. Once. In ignorance. Before I was Catholic. At my first ever mass, which I attended alone. It wasn’t until later that evening while studying about the Eucharist that I’d realized what I had actually done and how wrong it was for a non-Catholic (also in a state of mortal sin) to receive the body of Christ in the most blessed sacrament. I was horrified at what I had done! That I may have actually desecrated the body of Christ! I wept, and I begged Christ for forgiveness, and promised Him that I would never do it again, never again receive in a state of mortal sin. That I would never received Him again until I was Catholic and in a state of Grace.

His Grace for me in this situation (and the months that followed) was wonderful.

I attended mass every single day for the next year, involved then also in RCIA, and staying behind and praying at every mass while everyone else went up to receive, eagerly anticipating the day that I would finally be confirmed and receive the Lord properly finally in a state of grace, free from mortal sin.

By the Grace of God I was finally confirmed into the Church at Easter and approached the altar at mass and received our Lord and Savior’s most precious body and blood in the Eucharist, in Grace! That was the best day of my life, like every day thereafter when I receive our Lord in the Eucharist,… like today.

By the way…
Anyone who stays behind in their pew and doesn’t receive should be well respected by us. They’re no fool. To the contrary, they’re honoring the body and blood of Christ by refraining from receiving in mortal sin. Honor that.

 

[wa6mhz]

I have a problem with this too. I regularly receive Holy Communion every Sunday, but I may be in a state of Mortal sin. THAT is the problem!

What is the difference between VENIAL and MORTAL sin?

Venial is generally considered to be very light duty, harmless sins that are generally nitpicking. Not a big deal

Meanwhile, If I go rob a bank, Kill someone or such, that INDEED is a Mortal Sin; and requires confession to forgive. THEN and only THEN can I receive Communion.

But WHO decides which sin is Venial and Mortal? Generally, my sins are related to the sin of LUST, where unclean thoughts are made. Is anyone Harmed by this? Has anyone suffered because of this kind of sin? So there should be a checklist of questions to determine whether a sin is Venial or Mortal. If I do something that is not harming anyone or anything, it should be considered NO BIG DEAL and washed away as VENIAL, allowing me to receive Communion as normal.

There are sins and then there are SINS!

I don’t like going to Confession as the Priest Knows me closely and my voice. Anytime I have gone to confession, I go to a Parish miles and miles away where the Priest will have no idea who I am. Consequently, I rarely go, and have quite a backlog of sins to confess. Almost all are VENIAL sins, and probably not worth the trip.

But if I rob a bank, THEN I will have to go to Confession for sure! (And probably give back the money, LOL!

 

[rfournier103]

Been there, done that. I made my first Sacramental Confession in two or three years last Saturday, and my priest was great about it.

It’s hard to remember everything, and harder to SAY everything, but I have been taught by many a good priest that even if you don’t verbalize EVERYTHING, as long as you are truly repentant, and make good on the pennance given you; you are forgiven.

Knowing that made me feel alot better recieving the Holy Eucharist.

My whole life, I never knew the dangers of receiving the Eucharist unworthily until I started coming here to CAF. I think I would have remembered something like that. I’m glad I took the needed steps to bring myself back into a state of grace!

 

[TimothyH]

Sin is our choice, not His.

I remember a conversation once where two people stood right in front of me and said that I was a waste of life and that the world would be a better place if I was dead. They acted as if I wasn’t even there.

I chose a life of sin for over three decades. But please remember that while you and I call someone a sinner, the guy next to us in the pew who just recieved the Eucharist in a state of mortal sin might repent tomorrow, go to seminary, and be the priest who anoints us on our death beds. That same guy might become the monk who prays for God to have mercy on our souls and gets both of us out of purgatory. Or that same sinner might become the paramedic who recognizes the miracoulous medal around our neck and has the presence of mind to call a priest as we sit bleeding to death in a wrecked SUV on the interstate.

One of the things which I learned through my many years of reception of the Eucharist in the worst kind of mortal sin, through years of cursing God and working to tear down his Church, and then through my repentance and 37 year confession, is that I should never assume that I know who will go to Hell and who will go to Heaven, and that I should never judge how pleasing someone elses soul is to God.

God knows the future, we don’t, and while sin is that man’s choice today, God might have bigger plans for that man than you or I realize.

-Tim-

 

[Alindawyl]

What is the difference between VENIAL and MORTAL sin?

Mortal sins are sins which break our relationship with God, and venial sins are sins which damage but do not break our relationship with God. We are not damned by venial sins, but the more of them we commit the weaker our relationship with God becomes and the easier it is for us to fall into mortal sin. So I would not view venial sins as minor, or not a big deal. All sins are a big deal. Venial sins can’t be the cause of damnation in and of themselves, but they can weaken us to the point where we choose to do something that WILL cause our damnation if we do not repent for having done it. That’s a pretty big deal.

But WHO decides which sin is Venial and Mortal?

God tells us via the Church the criteria for what constitutes a mortal sin.

Generally, my sins are related to the sin of LUST, where unclean thoughts are made. Is anyone Harmed by this? Has anyone suffered because of this kind of sin? So there should be a checklist of questions to determine whether a sin is Venial or Mortal. If I do something that is not harming anyone or anything, it should be considered NO BIG DEAL and washed away as VENIAL, allowing me to receive Communion as normal.

There are three criteria for determining if a sin is mortal:

1. The sinful act must be grave matter, defined by the catechism in paragraph 1858 as a violation of one of the Ten Commandments
2. The sinful act must be known to be sinful
3. The sinful act must be freely chosen in light of the knowledge that it is sinful

All three criteria must be met for a sin to be mortal.

The words of Jesus Christ in Matthew 5:27-28 tell us whether thoughts are harmful:

You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I say to you, everyone who looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart.

Adultery is a violation of the Sixth Commandment, and therefore grave matter. So if you lust in your heart, if you know that adultery is sinful, and yet you still choose to think those thoughts, then you sin mortally.

Of course, a distinction must be made between urges or fleeting thoughts and deliberately chosen thoughts. If an urge or thought toward something sinful just pops into our head, then that’s not a sin but a temptation. We didn’t choose to think it. But if we dwell on that urge or thought, if we welcome it, if we actively choose to think it while knowing we should not, then and only then are we sinning. And if it’s grave matter, as is the case with freely chosen lustful thoughts, we have probably crossed the line into mortal sin.

So it’s pretty straightforward. Are you choosing to think these lustful thoughts? If you are not, then you are being tempted but resisting that temptation. On the other hand, if you are choosing to think these thoughts, then you are failing to resist temptation and quite possibly need to go to confession. I can’t tell you which it is, as I’m not the judge of people’s souls and wouldn’t want to be even if it was possible that I could. I’m more than happy to leave the judging to God.

Regardless, I would encourage you to not think of any sin, even the tiniest of venial sins, as no big deal. If we do that, it’s far too easy to wind up giving in to temptation.

 

[maryj]

I have a problem with this too. I regularly receive Holy Communion every Sunday, but I may be in a state of Mortal sin. THAT is the problem!

What is the difference between VENIAL and MORTAL sin?

Venial is generally considered to be very light duty, harmless sins that are generally nitpicking. Not a big deal

Meanwhile, If I go rob a bank, Kill someone or such, that INDEED is a Mortal Sin; and requires confession to forgive. THEN and only THEN can I receive Communion.

But WHO decides which sin is Venial and Mortal? Generally, my sins are related to the sin of LUST, where unclean thoughts are made. Is anyone Harmed by this? Has anyone suffered because of this kind of sin? So there should be a checklist of questions to determine whether a sin is Venial or Mortal. If I do something that is not harming anyone or anything, it should be considered NO BIG DEAL and washed away as VENIAL, allowing me to receive Communion as normal.

There are sins and then there are SINS!

I don’t like going to Confession as the Priest Knows me closely and my voice. Anytime I have gone to confession, I go to a Parish miles and miles away where the Priest will have no idea who I am. Consequently, I rarely go, and have quite a backlog of sins to confess. Almost all are VENIAL sins, and probably not worth the trip.

But if I rob a bank, THEN I will have to go to Confession for sure! (And probably give back the money, LOL!

That sounds as if you are embarrassed, could that mean that you feel guilty of these sins? Are you under the impression that your parish priest will hold these sins against you? Will he think less of you because of your sins? The priest sits within the confessional not as himself, a sinner himself, but in persona christi…in the person of christ. Insert Jesus in that highlighted portion and see if that means to you what I think it may.

 

[Kezzy]

I think it probably happens pretty often. There seems to be a lot of peer pressure to go up and receive in the modern Mass. I rarely see anyone sitting unless they aren’t Catholic at all. If you sit and don’t receive, you almost feel like everyone is wondering what you did that was that awful.

If your parish, or one nearby, has a Spanish Mass, consider attending instead of your regular Mass in between Reconciliations. Half the Hispanic congregation does not go to Communion so you will have lots of company. Use the side door when existing if the same priest says this Mass as well as the regular Mass.
Even if you don’t understand the language, it still counts.

Another option may be to go to Communion as usual, but cross your arms and bow your head for a blessing instead of receiving the host. Only those immediately around you will see what took place. If you usually go to Mass with others, this would be a time to go alone. I have not seen this done in awhile, except for children, and don’t know the rule. As far as I know, whoever is offering the host will know what it means regardless and you will get the blessing.

Speaking of “modern Mass” if you are old enough to have gone to Mass before Vatican II, then you know it was more common for people to not receive communion. The reason was because you had to fast from midnite. This gave plausibility as to why so-and-so didn’t receive the host.

 

[CatholicVera]

Yes, I have.

It was one of the big mortal sins, and I felt so conflicted about it … debated it even as I watched the rows before me line up in the aisle during Mass … knowing it was wrong but physically and spiritually craving the Eucharist. Hindsight makes me think it was in hopes I’d have a real push to (finally) make a much needed confession.

I think in my heart of hearts I knew that taking Eucharist with a mortal sin on my soul was the worst possible thing I could do, and that the guilt of that alone would drive me to confession. It’s like I had to find the one worse thing any person could ever do, and do it knowing I wouldn’t be able to NOT go to confess my sin. My (now) double sin.

That logic makes no sense to me now, but at the time I was scared, confused, and not thinking logically. I remember feeling so guilty, that as the day wore on II became physically sick from a real fear for my soul. I just knew that I’d get into a car accident or have a heart attack and die or something, and that’d be the last thing I did on Earth. (I’m a bit dramatic at times, but I’m also the poster child for Murphy’s Law so it’s not entirely unwarranted!)

It was the worst feeling in the world, like when you let down your parents or your kids and you know you had total control over it because it boiled down to selfishness. My parish has one priest for 3500 parishioners, and we live in the Bible Belt so Catholic churches are fewer and farther between. It took me a day to find a priest available for a confession, and that was the longest wait of my life.

I confessed after daily Mass, and couldn’t wait to attend daily Mass the following day with a clean soul so I could rightfully take the Eucharist. I attended, but felt like I was still unworthy. It took me almost a month to be able to take the Eucharist again. I’d go up in line, and bow at my turn, then not be able to do it and have to walk away. I felt so unworthy.

A month after that fiasco we buried an in-law. I took Communion at that Mass because I was afraid of having to explain (to the nosy, judgemental in-laws) why I didn’t. I’m glad I did. I felt like a new person, so unburdened and free. And finally worthy.

Long answer, but as you said - simple/complex

 

[Bookcat]

Catechism:

1385 To respond to this invitation we must prepare ourselves for so great and so holy a moment. St. Paul urges us to examine our conscience: "Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of profaning the body and blood of the Lord. Let a man examine himself, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For any one who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment upon himself."218 Anyone conscious of a grave sin must receive the sacrament of Reconciliation before coming to communion.

scborromeo.org/ccc/p2s2c1a3.htm#VI

Compendium:

1. What is required to receive Holy Communion?

1385-1389
1415

To receive Holy Communion one must be fully incorporated into the Catholic Church and be in the state of grace, that is, not conscious of being in mortal sin. Anyone who is conscious of having committed a grave sin must first receive the sacrament of Reconciliation before going to Communion…

1. When is a person obliged to confess mortal sins?

1457

Each of the faithful who has reached the age of discretion is bound to confess his or her mortal sins at least once a year and always before receiving Holy Communion

vatican.va/archive/compendium_ccc/documents/archive_2005_compendium-ccc_en.html

]Here is a write up from Catholic Answers which gets into an exception for grave reasons (see details there):

catholic.com/quickquestions/should-i-receive-if-i-have-an-unconfessed-mortal-sin-on-my-conscience

(for future reference. One does not look at this “backwards” one has to examine what took place at the time…a confessor can assist)

.

 

[Duane1966]

I remember a conversation once where two people stood right in front of me and said that I was a waste of life and that the world would be a better place if I was dead. They acted as if I wasn’t even there.

I chose a life of sin for over three decades. But please remember that while you and I call someone a sinner, the guy next to us in the pew who just recieved the Eucharist in a state of mortal sin might repent tomorrow, go to seminary, and be the priest who anoints us on our death beds. That same guy might become the monk who prays for God to have mercy on our souls and gets both of us out of purgatory. Or that same sinner might become the paramedic who recognizes the miracoulous medal around our neck and has the presence of mind to call a priest as we sit bleeding to death in a wrecked SUV on the interstate.

One of the things which I learned through my many years of reception of the Eucharist in the worst kind of mortal sin, through years of cursing God and working to tear down his Church, and then through my repentance and 37 year confession, is that I should never assume that I know who will go to Hell and who will go to Heaven, and that I should never judge how pleasing someone elses soul is to God.

God knows the future, we don’t, and while sin is that man’s choice today, God might have bigger plans for that man than you or I realize.

-Tim-

It is wrong for any Catholic to make a judgment on who is going to hell. A question for you. Did you ever think if you had stopped receiving in the state you were in that you might have reverted sooner?