Receiving the Eucharist Twice in One Day

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ProVobis said:
So what you’re saying, the “twice” is more of an obedience issue? Because if the amount of grace and benefit is proportional to the number of times we receive, we should be in the communion lines every time it is offered on a given day, no? I don’t read in the Catechism where there are diminishing returns on the sacramental reception. What if we commit a lot of venial sins, for example?
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The Church in her authority and practical discipline has yes set that discipline.

Venial sins can be forgiven in so many ways, prayer, acts of contrition, acts of love., prayerful use of holy water, reading Sacred Scripture etc etc

The Church also recommends frequent confession for venial sins.
 
SMHW said:
But it is certainly too bad that all problems are not so delightful as having to figure out if one should receive communion twice rather than just once! 😃
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I don’t think it’s that delighful if you feel you’re not disposed and/or you have a more scrupulous conscience.

Just saying…
 
Bookcat said:
The Church DOES allow for Holy Communion a second time (if during a Mass one participates in - it need not be a special Mass etc). So the Church does not say one may only receive once a day. But rather twice.
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Yes, of course.

The Church now offers us the opportunity to receive twice on ANY day (so long as the second time is within the context of the Mass.)

What I was trying to say is that this is different from the way it used to be when receiving more than once required special circumstances.
 
SMHW said:
Yes, of course.

The Church now offers us the opportunity to receive twice on ANY day (so long as the second time is within the context of the Mass.)

What I was trying to say is that this is different from the way it used to be when receiving more than once required special circumstances.
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Oh I see. Ok.
 
felsguy said:
This is an incorrect understanding as is frequently pointed out here.

forums.catholic-questions.org/showthread.php?t=887364&highlight=receiving+Eucharist+twice
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I don’t think this addresses that poster’s concerns.

He didn’t say one way or the other but suppose the OP had received at the Saturday’s vespere (4pm or 5pm) Mass. (The Latin says it is the “dies dominici,” or the Lord’s Day, as Fr David has pointed out.) So if the OP received at the 9am Mass, it appears he wouldn’t be able to receive at the noon Mass.
Can. 917 — Qui sanctissimam Eucharistiam iam recepit, potest eam iterum eadem die suscipere solummodo intra eucharisticam celebrationem cui participat, salvo praescripto can.
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Remember it’s the same Lord’s Day.
 
ProVobis said:
suppose the OP had received at the Saturday’s vespere (4pm or 5pm) Mass. So if the OP received at the 9am Mass, he wouldn’t be able to receive at the noon Mass.

Remember it’s the same Lord’s Day.
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A person who received at 5pm Mass on Saturday Evening (what often is called the Vigil Mass) and again at 9am can YES receive again at a Noon Mass they attend. It being only the Second Mass that day.

It is a midnight to midnight (day) -in terms of the regulations regarding reception of Holy Communion.

Saturday being one day and Sunday being the next day.

Jimmy Akin -senior apologist at Catholic Answers explains: jimmyakin.com/2005/02/how_many_times_.html
 
Bookcat said:
A person who received at 5pm Mass on Saturday Evening (what often is called the Vigil Mass) and again at 9am can YES receive again at a Noon Mass they attend. It being only the Second Mass that day.

It is a midnight to midnight (day) -in terms of the regulations regarding reception of Holy Communion.

Saturday being one day and Sunday being the next day.
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The Latin doesn’t seem to agree with this. In fact it doesn’t even use the word “secondum” for 2nd but that’s another issue. The Lord’s Day (dies dominici) encompasses more than a 24-hour clock. Can you show me otherwise?
 
ProVobis said:
The Latin doesn’t seem to agree with this. In fact it doesn’t even use the word “secondum” for 2nd but that’s another issue. The Lord’s Day (dies dominici) encompasses more than a 24-hour clock. Can you show me otherwise?
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See Jimmy Akins link above. He goes into detail jimmyakin.com/2005/02/how_many_times_.html

Also I add forums.catholic-questions.org/showthread.php?p=12056974&highlight=communion+second+time#post12056974

and forums.catholic-questions.org/showthread.php?t=865796&highlight=communion+second+time
 
This topic has been beaten nearly to death so many times in this forum that I’m surprised it’s not comatose. :eek: In any case, I don’t have any ambition to join the fray this time around except to make a comment.
ProVobis said:
The Latin doesn’t seem to agree with this. In fact it doesn’t even use the word “secondum” for 2nd but that’s another issue. The Lord’s Day (dies dominici) encompasses more than a 24-hour clock. Can you show me otherwise?
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That’s a good (and interesting) point. It really makes no sense that there be two concurrent reckonings of time involved, i.e, one for Sunday (or a Solemnity) and any any “obligation” that attaches thereto, and another for counting the number of times one may receive on that day. Seems to me the former takes precedence.
 
ProVobis said:
If he’s using Canon 202 to define “day,” I’m afraid St. John Paul said otherwise in connection to the Lord’s Day per Fr. David.
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St. John Paul II is NOT discussing this matter

Father is mistaken.
 
ProVobis said:
Canon
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Here is yet another Priest I had ran across who notes the same:

wdtprs.com/blog/2013/05/quaer…ice-on-sunday/

Quote:

“Saturday ends at midnight. At midnight Sunday begins. You can receive even twice on Saturday and then twice on Sunday.”

and then note someone asks in the comments:

“Doesn’t each day begin at Vespers, liturgically?”

To which the famed Canon Lawyer who has appeared on Catholic Answers a number f times (Dr. Ed Peters-who is a consultant to the Holy See) responds:

Dr. Edward Peters says:
25 May 2013 at 12:52 pm

“Sure. In some contexts. But so what? The law on reception of Communion is canonical,as Fr. Z observed, not liturgical. It’s canonical days that count, not liturgical.”

Here is the credentials of Dr. Ed Peters:

Dr. Edward Peters, JD, JCD, Ref. Sig. Ap.

Edmund Cdl. Szoka Chair, Sacred Heart Major Seminary, Detroit

Referendary, Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signatura, Rome
 
ProVobis said:
Canon
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Here is yet another Priest I had ran across who notes the same:

wdtprs.com/blog/2013/05/quaeritur-communion-on-saturday-evening-then-twice-on-sunday/

Quote:

“Saturday ends at midnight. At midnight Sunday begins. You can receive even twice on Saturday and then twice on Sunday.”

and then note someone asks in the comments:

“Doesn’t each day begin at Vespers, liturgically?”

To which the famed Canon Lawyer Dr. Ed Peters-(who is a consultant to the Holy See and has appeared on CA) responds:

Dr. Edward Peters says:
25 May 2013 at 12:52 pm

“Sure. In some contexts. But so what? The law on reception of Communion is canonical,as Fr. Z observed, not liturgical. It’s canonical days that count, not liturgical.”

Here is the credentials of Dr. Ed Peters:

Dr. Edward Peters, JD, JCD, Ref. Sig. Ap.

Edmund Cdl. Szoka Chair, Sacred Heart Major Seminary, Detroit

Referendary, Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signatura, Rome

Anyhow I do not plan to go around about this -as can happen on these sorts of things. I refer readers to the above answers from both Catholic Answers Senior Apologist, two Priests and the here in Canon Lawyer who is of high reputation and responsibility in the Church.
 
There is always the idea of fitting in.

My grandma, for example, is Italian but living in England and whilst she attends English mass every week, she also attends Italian mass once a month (run by a special priest who comes up once a month to celebrate the mass in Italian). My grandma forgot Italian mass was on that week so went to English mass and received communion, she was then reminded of the Italian mass so went to that (as the congregation is very small so showing her face is a definite must) and I’m assuming she will have taken communion there.

Whilst receiving Communion thrice in one day is a sin, receiving it twice isn’t so therefore shouldn’t be something to be frowned upon; especially in social situations or if one does happen to find themselves at two masses during the day. Just keep two as a maximum.
 
Thank you to all the participants thus far, and I hope perhaps this may continue. I value all the responses, even if my schedule has provided little time to respond to any individual points.

Perhaps part of my thoughts can be made clearer by analogy?

  • *]Eating is a positive good. We seek daily sustenance for our mortal bodies. But the fact that it is a positive good and has many benefits does not compel me to eat at every opportunity. There is nothing inherently wrong with passing up an opportunity to eat.
    *]As a husband, it is a positive good to engage in conjugal relations with my bride. But likewise, the good of the act does not compel us to engage in it at every opportunity. There is nothing inherently wrong with not-engaging-in-conjugal-relations at any given moment.

    I am not saying that multiple receptions of the Eucharist can itself be a sin (a la Gluttony or Lust), but it seems the Church has limited the number of daily receptions for a reason – Possibly to combat an unhealthy mindset?

    Is there anything inherently wrong with passing up an opportunity to receive the Eucharist, even if one is eligible and otherwise disposed?

    tee
 
tee_eff_em said:
Is there anything inherently wrong with passing up an opportunity to receive the Eucharist, even if one is eligible and otherwise disposed?

tee
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One is not obliged to receive (except one time a year during the time one must receive).

One is free to not receive.
 
tee_eff_em said:
…Is there anything inherently wrong with passing up an opportunity to receive the Eucharist, even if one is eligible and otherwise disposed? …
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Hello,

I also would say no. If there was something inherently wrong with it, wouldn’t the Church have to command us to always receive whenever we can and are properly disposed? While the benefits of reception have already been noted (in the Catechism), there is no such command.

Dan
 
When I was a seminarian serving as sub-deacon at my assigned parish, I communed 3 times each Sunday per each Mass.

The idea of being in Christ’s holy Presence several times a day is a strong incentive but once a day is generally the norm for laity.
 
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