Receiving the Eucharist at Mass

[thistle]

You should arrive before the Gospel (Don’t walk in ever while any of the readings are being read or any prayers are being said), don’t leave before Holy Communion. You should however be there from the “Sign of the Cross to the Sign of the Cross”!

I think everyone should actually arrive before the Mass starts unless its not possible through no fault of their own. However, I do not believe there is a documented rule that states a person has not fulfilled their Sunday obligation if they have not arrived by any particular point in time.

 

[Nonix4]

According to my alter boy hubby, you must be present for the Offetory, Consecration and Communion.

 

[thistle]

According to my alter boy hubby, you must be present for the Offetory, Consecration and Communion.

Can you ask him the document source as I would be interested in reading it. I’m sure this topic has come up in several threads before and it was determined that there is none.

 

[Nonix4]

I will if I can remember. I’m having surgery tomorrow. But, I think in the 40s and 50s it was drilled into us during catechism and preparation for communion and confirmation. Maybe if you check out the Catechism of the Catholic Church, you will find it. I will try to remember after my meeting tonight.

Noni.

 

[jmcrae]

I will if I can remember. I’m having surgery tomorrow. But, I think in the 40s and 50s it was drilled into us during catechism and preparation for communion and confirmation. Maybe if you check out the Catechism of the Catholic Church, you will find it. I will try to remember after my meeting tonight.

Noni.

That might be the old rule? I think the rule has changed, now.

 

[Nonix4]

Start with Article 3 Section 1387 on the Eucharist. “The Catechism of the Catholic Church with modifications from the Editio Typica.” Doubleday. $8.99 at any large bookstore, I even bought a copy at WalMart for the same price. White book, dark bands around the top and bottom of the book.

The rules on how and when you are eligible to receive the Eucharist don’t change. You don’t get much out of the Mass if you only arrive for the last 15 minutes to receive Communion. The whole idea of the Mass is to re-present the Body and the Precious Blood to our Lord Jesus Christ. That includes giving Christ the courtesy of spending an hour with him. “Could you not spend an hour with me???”:

Have you asked your Catholic pastor about this?

 

[thistle]

Start with Article 3 Section 1387 on the Eucharist. “The Catechism of the Catholic Church with modifications from the Editio Typica.” Doubleday. $8.99 at any large bookstore, I even bought a copy at WalMart for the same price. White book, dark bands around the top and bottom of the book.

The rules on how and when you are eligible to receive the Eucharist don’t change. You don’t get much out of the Mass if you only arrive for the last 15 minutes to receive Communion. The whole idea of the Mass is to re-present the Body and the Precious Blood to our Lord Jesus Christ. That includes giving Christ the courtesy of spending an hour with him. “Could you not spend an hour with me???”:

Have you asked your Catholic pastor about this?

The section on the Eucharist has nothing to do with requirements for fulfilling the Sunday obligation. They relate to the Eucharist and the only “rules” for those receiving are: observe the fast (minimum one hour before receiving); be respectfully dressed; must be in a state of Grace; must receive at least once a year.
There are no rules about being at Mass by a certain time either to fulfill the Sunday obligation or to be able to receive Holy Communion. Although it may not seem very respectful to do so, a person in a state of grace can simply walk into church directly into the Communion line and receive Holy Communion. This is allowed.
Remember the OP is asking about the “rules” for receiving Communion and fulfilling the Sunday obligation.

 

[GemmaRose]

(Very paraphrased from a conversation at least 20 years ago): A priest friend of mine who has his degree in Liturgy once said that to be considered as having attended Mass, you have to get there no later than the Gospel, otherwise you’ve missed the Liturgy of the Word and are not technically considered to have attended Mass.

You can still receive Holy Communion, but if this occurs on a Sunday, technically you would not have fulfilled the Sunday obligation.

I personally feel, though, that if the lateness is through no fault of your own, and there is not another Mass to attend, that the Lord understands and forgives. (I would mention it in Confession, but I would not feel guilty as though I had stayed home just because I hadn’t “felt like” going to Mass.)

Of course, the ideal is to get there awhile before Mass begins in order to quiet your spirit and prepare yourself.

However, it’s no longer as it was in the old days when every Sunday was more or less the same, or in the older days when everyone just walked over to the village church – there are so many variables in today’s world (travelling and having been given wrong Mass times, regular route suddenly closed with unannounced road work… or the Marathon !… or another parade – don’t start me going on about my neighborhood!, missing a flight or there being a delay, etc.), and so we need to be a little extra vigilant about getting to Mass.

When we’ve done our very best, and we still have either missed Mass or gotten there very late, the Lord knows our hearts, He knows when we didn’t want to be late or miss and when we were careless. He knows how hard we’ve tried (or not), and knows if there is any guilt on our part. Don’t beat yourself up for no reason when there is no reason, because Jesus knows our hearts.

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*“I wish that my heart could beat, that I could live and breathe only for Jesus, I wish that my tongue could utter no other name than that of Jesus; that my eye could see only Jesus; that my pen could write only about Jesus, and that my thoughts could soar to nothing but Jesus. I have often wondered where on earth there might be something on which I could center my love. But neither on earth nor in heaven do I find any such thing but only my beloved Jesus… I am the fruit of your passion, Jesus, born of your wounds. O Jesus, seek me in love; I no longer possess anything; you have stolen my heart…” *- St. Gemma Galgani

 

[Deacon_Ed_B]

For your attendance at mass to be complete, you must be there before the gospel. To complete your attendance at mass, you must not leave before the dismissal by the priest or deacon, i.e., when he says,'The mass is ended, go in peace". I have seen the church 1/2 empty when we get back to the altar after Communion. To solve that problem, I wanted to put up a sign over the door as you exit. My priest would not let me. The sign would have said, "Judas was the first person to leave mass early. " For reception of Communion, if this is your Sunday mass (or holiday of Obligation) if this is the last mass, and you are late through no fault of your own, OK to receive Communion. Don’t leave early.(Unless for a valid reason) I would also suggest that if you habitually arrive late, i.e., before the very beginning of mass, ask yourself why and what you could do to correct this.
Deacon Ed B

 

[GemmaRose]

:clapping: Bravo Deacon Ed B !!!

I’ve always said that if I could become a priest, I would lock the all the doors after the Gospel. * Maybe* I would let someone in if I knew them and knew they were rarely late. Likewise, maybe I would let someone leave early if they could prove a REALLY GOOD reason.

Alas, I’m not a priest, and even if I was, there would probably be some fire department rule which would thwart my plan… But I can dream, can’t I?

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*“I wish that my heart could beat, that I could live and breathe only for Jesus, I wish that my tongue could utter no other name than that of Jesus; that my eye could see only Jesus; that my pen could write only about Jesus, and that my thoughts could soar to nothing but Jesus. I have often wondered where on earth there might be something on which I could center my love. But neither on earth nor in heaven do I find any such thing but only my beloved Jesus… I am the fruit of your passion, Jesus, born of your wounds. O Jesus, seek me in love; I no longer possess anything; you have stolen my heart…” *- St. Gemma Galgani

 

[jmcrae]

:clapping: Bravo Deacon Ed B !!!

I’ve always said that if I could become a priest, I would lock the all the doors after the Gospel. * Maybe* I would let someone in if I knew them and knew they were rarely late. Likewise, maybe I would let someone leave early if they could prove a REALLY GOOD reason.

Alas, I’m not a priest, and even if I was, there would probably be some fire department rule which would thwart my plan… But I can dream, can’t I?

As far as I know, they still do something similar at my old Protestant church.

I remember when I was ushering, we would watch for the minister to set foot on the pulpit steps - as soon as he began to ascend to the pulpit (which was quite high above the congregation) we would lock all the doors. They would not be unlocked after that other than to let children in and out for Sunday School, until he got back to the bottom of the stairs again.

We were always stationed right next to the doors, so we would have been able to open the doors right away if there had been any kind of an emergency.

 

[GemmaRose]

Bravo to your old Protestant church, jmcrae. How much more should we do that in our Catholic Churches which hold the Real Presence!

I used to minister in a parish with a large center aisle and two smaller side aisles. Communion was given out in two rows at the center aisle, and one row each for the side aisles. My music group would be set up on the side of the sancturary in front of an old side altar (where the Eucharist was not reserved).

While singing the Communion Song, I would watch person after person receive Holy Communion at the side aisle, right in front of me, and then walk right out the door, chewing!!!

If I wasn’t at the microphone singing, I swear I would have grabbed each and every one of them.

Bravo to any parish who tries anything to stop these insults to our Eucharistic Lord!

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*“I wish that my heart could beat, that I could live and breathe only for Jesus, I wish that my tongue could utter no other name than that of Jesus; that my eye could see only Jesus; that my pen could write only about Jesus, and that my thoughts could soar to nothing but Jesus. I have often wondered where on earth there might be something on which I could center my love. But neither on earth nor in heaven do I find any such thing but only my beloved Jesus… I am the fruit of your passion, Jesus, born of your wounds. O Jesus, seek me in love; I no longer possess anything; you have stolen my heart…” *- St. Gemma Galgani

 

[Joe_Kelley]

. . . .  I used to minister in a parish with a large center aisle and two smaller side aisles. Communion was given out in two rows at the center aisle, and one row each for the side aisles. My music group would be set up on the side of the sancturary in front of an old side altar (where the Eucharist was not reserved).

While singing the Communion Song, I would watch person after person receive Holy Communion at the side aisle, right in front of me, and then walk right out the door, chewing!!! . . .

In a similar set up I was giving Communion to those from the side aisle when someone, who had received in the center aisle, pushed between me and the one who was receiving in order to reach the side door.

 

[jmcrae]

In a similar set up I was giving Communion to those from the side aisle when someone, who had received in the center aisle, pushed between me and the one who was receiving in order to reach the side door.

I’ve only left Mass once before the end of the final hymn - I was in charge of a group of teenage boys, and they had wandered off somewhere. (They were supposed to be at Mass!! )

I felt an urgent duty to find them and make sure they weren’t getting into even more trouble.