Required Sunday mass attendence?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Malcolm
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Malcolm

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I’m wondering whether we’re required to just attend Sunday mass OR to also receive communion ?

the reason I ask is because I’m returning to church after decades absence and watching others today I got confused whether we’re supposed to receive communion in the hand or kneel or stick out our tongues or …

in the confusion I got a blessing and no communion (my fault entirely I’m sure) . Is it a sin to not receive communion on Sunday and therefore something I need to confess ? I intended to receive communion , I was in a state of grace (as far as I know) it just didn’t happen

embarrassing silly question , sorry
 
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You’re obliged to attend Mass. You can opt not to recieve communion, as far as I know.

Don’t know if it differs according to Rite so if you’re a Latin you should take a Latin’s answer into consideration, not mine.
 
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You are required to attend Mass on Sunday (Saturday evening counts) and Holy Days of obligation. You are required to receive the Eucharist once a year (during Easter season - not necessarily on Easter Day). You are not required to receive once per Mass nor once per week, just once per year.

Be at peace.

Please note that frequent confession and communion are very helpful to your soul, and are encouraged.
 
You may receive in your hand or on the tongue.
I prefer in my hand because Jesus said take and eat!
 
Welcome home! What a blessing for us all to have you with us again!

ACTUALLY! You did the right thing accidentally.

After 10 years of absence, it would be recommended to go to confession prior to receiving the Eucharist. Following this, receive! You’ll be better disposed to receiving God’s love and grace (which he wants to spread lavishly all over you)!

So yes, go to mass, receive reverently. Some people will kneel, some will receive on the tongue, some in the hand. I personally receive on the tongue because that is where I believe the Lord has been leading me!

And yes! One of the laws of the Church is to receive Mass each Sunday! It helps to give us the grace to know God’s life more fully!

Welcome home Malcolm! I know that the Lord is going to shower you with His many blessings!
 
It is not a sin to not receive communion on Sunday, as long as you receive the Eucharist once a year
 
And it is good to remember that it is a joy and a privilege to receive the Eucharist frequently,…and prepare for it with prayer.
 
Dorothy said:
And it is good to remember that it is a joy and a privilege to receive the Eucharist frequently,…and prepare for it with prayer.
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Yes I’m hoping to catch an 8:00 a.m. mass in the city on Tuesday 🙂
 
One recieves many,many graces for attending the mass. One recieves even more graces when recieving Holy Communion.
 
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thank you , now I feel good about receiving the Eucharist in the hand “because Jesus said take and eat”. I’ve been watching a lot of “traditional Catholic” YouTubes and got the idea receiving the Eucharist in the hand was disrespectful. That made me feel bad - so again , thank you very much !! 🙂
 
Malcolm said:
got the idea receiving the Eucharist in the hand was disrespectful
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If you respect our Lord when receiving him, you’re not being disrespectful.
Similarly, in the old days it was illegal for a Catholic to be cremated after death because it would destroy the body.
Today it is only illegal to be cremated if you do it in spite of the Catholic dogma of the resurrection, in order to destroy the body.
 
Malcolm said:
the idea receiving the Eucharist in the hand was disrespectful.
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The Catholic Church permits us to receive Holy Communion either on the tonue or in the hand.

Decades ago the norm was to receive Communion whilst kneeling and on the tongue. Then abuses crept in (which communion in the hand initially was - until the Holy See granted Communion in the hand to happen, it was an abuse), and so an Indult was granted to various Bishops Conferences around the world enabling Communion in the hand to be become widespread.

For the sake of balance, you are permitted to receive Communion on the tongue and kneeling too.

Communion in the hand
 
I recently saw a video of a bishop in South America (maybe a priest?) refusing to give communion to people who knelt - very strange
 
Yes, @Malcolm, it does happen. Sad but true. Google search will come up with instances.
I guess some occurrences may happen because of the unity of everyone being part of One Body, so everyone receiving under the norms in that place would be standard.

General Instruction of the Roman Missal #160 “The norm for reception of Holy Communion in the dioceses of the United States is standing. Communicants should not be denied Holy Communion because they kneel. Rather, such instances should be addressed pastorally, by providing the faithful with proper catechesis on the reasons for this norm.”
 
The obligation is to go to Mass on Sunday. This obligation can be fulfilled on Sunday itself on on Saturday evening.

There is no obligation to receive Holy Communion at every Mass you attend. You are only obliged to receive Communion once per year. If you only receive once per year it must be at Easter or thereabouts.

The norm for receiving Communion is kneeling and on the tongue. However, in many places there is permission for receiving Communion standing and in the hand. I live in England and Communion is usually received standing and in the hand. It is best to do what the congregation does at the Mass you attend.
 
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