Should priests remind those that are in mortal sin not to take the Holy Eucharist?

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puzzleannie:
so it is time for communion, everybody stands up, the priest reminds those in mortal sin not to receive, and half the Church sits down.
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I apologize, but I laughed when I read this and I would be the idiot who would laugh out loud if it happened in church. :o
Better would be as part of the homily or even before Mass begins as visitors are being welcomed, to remind people of the rules for receiving communion, and pointing out where they are in the missalette.
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I agree that this message should be addressed frequently as part of the homily.

One thing to consider is that many of the people who stand up to get in line for the Eucharist may only ask for a blessing. You never know until they step in front of the server.
 
Obviously, the priest can’t conduct a moral examination of each person who presents themselves for the Eucharist. We’d never get done. 🙂 But gee, the issue of abortion is something else again, especially now, in our culture. Pastorally, most of all, the Church needs to step out and lead on this issue. Abortion is so very much against Church teachings that if you espouse abortion you shouldn’t think you can come forward and receive the Body and Blood of our Lord. What’s so difficult about making that very clear by actually refusing communion?

How can the Church teach on much less glaring moral issues if it won’t lead on this one?
 
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Vonier:
Obviously, the priest can’t conduct a moral examination of each person who presents themselves for the Eucharist. We’d never get done. 🙂 But gee, the issue of abortion is something else again, especially now, in our culture. Pastorally, most of all, the Church needs to step out and lead on this issue. Abortion is so very much against Church teachings that if you espouse abortion you shouldn’t think you can come forward and receive the Body and Blood of our Lord. What’s so difficult about making that very clear by actually refusing communion?

How can the Church teach on much less glaring moral issues if it won’t lead on this one?
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I may be very naive, but do you (all) think that abortion is wide spread among practicing Catholics?

Several months ago, I was on a Catholic single site. It seemed that a very large number of the “never married” men and women had children. I can only assume this was the case because a pregnancy occurred outside of marriage. Rather than abort the child or marry, the women (and sometimes the men) chose to raise the child alone. On secular dating sites, I rarely saw a “never married” person with children.

I’m under the impression that the call to protest abortion in more on the secular level than at the Church level. I’ve been wrong before and will be again.
 
How do you know whether you are in a state of mortal sin or not.
 
Well, some of those sins that are listed as mortal I think are venial. However, I probaby rationalize it so I can receive communion. You know what I think the problem is. If it were taught that it is alright to not receive communon every week then that might solve the issue. Instead of condmening people saying those ina state of mortal sin should not receive, encourage the peole not to receive. For example, say, it is great that so many of you are here at mass but I would like to clear up one misunderstanding. You don’t have to receive communion ever mass and if you are in a state of mortal sin, it would be more noble of you to not receive and get to confession as soon as possible. If people truly are not meant to receive in the state of sin they are in, I would assume God would be much happier with them and provide at least a similar comfort that the Eucharist provides for them being brave enough to admit they aren’t worthy so a priest can make that known.
 
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wjp984:
Well, some of those sins that are listed as mortal I think are venial. However, I probaby rationalize it so I can receive communion. You know what I think the problem is. If it were taught that it is alright to not receive communon every week then that might solve the issue. Instead of condmening people saying those ina state of mortal sin should not receive, encourage the peole not to receive. For example, say, it is great that so many of you are here at mass but I would like to clear up one misunderstanding. You don’t have to receive communion ever mass and if you are in a state of mortal sin, it would be more noble of you to not receive and get to confession as soon as possible. If people truly are not meant to receive in the state of sin they are in, I would assume God would be much happier with them and provide at least a similar comfort that the Eucharist provides for them being brave enough to admit they aren’t worthy so a priest can make that known.
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Same website but different section for venial sins.
www.catholic.org/frz/examen/examen_venial.htm

By the way its not up to us to judge if someone receiving Communion is in a state of mortal sin or not. We CANNOT know and its not our business to sit and wonder how many people lining up should not be receiving.
For your information our priests regularly tell people during the homily they should not be receiving if they are in a state of mortal sin. They are encouraged to go to Confession as soon as possible.
Also although our obligation is to attend Mass every Sunday our obligation to receive Communion is at least once a year but everyone in a state of grace should receive every Mass they attend. There is absolutely no reason why someone in a state of grace attending Mass would not receive.
 
I don’t know about how many Catholics are in mortal sin, they presumably should know better than to receive communion, but certainly something needs to be done to inform non-catholics in attendance of communion protocol.

The way the communion rite may appear to a Jew or a Hindu that is in attendance, is that it would be impolite not to accept communion from the gracious Catholic hosts that invited them to the funeral, wedding or other mass.

Back in the day, I don’t think it appeared that way at all, as even most Catholics stayed in the pews at communion.

I don’t know what the best way to communicate the protocol to the people would be, I don’t know how many people (particularly at funerals) read the missalette or even pick it up.
 
My priest often reminds the congregation right before distrubution of communion - quote… “Remember that only those catholics who are properly disposed should recieve the eucharist” - and then he repeats it (in a very sweet tone). He also preaches regularily on the importance of being in the state of grace before communing.

I don’t agree with the previous posters who say it is not ‘pastoral’ for a priest to do so.
Are you kidding? It is not pastoral for a priest to prevent his parishoners from sinning? What about sacrilege?
It is his duty to protect his parishoners, as well as the eucharist. HE would be sinning if he didn’t.
 
I think it is possible for us all to get a bee in our bonnets about something or other but before we point the finger we had best have our own houses in order. So graciously we admonish the sinner knowing we also are sinners, but on the other hand we do not idily stand by and let another commit sin upon another.

This is not as clear cut as to run around without prudence pointing out a sin and on the other hand doing nothing about sin, each situation singly calls for prudence as well as exercising charity, but always prudence must be balanced with charity and charity balanced with prudence. Now I have seen it said that charity is to point out anothers sins, but there are means and ways of doing this and I am sure it is of no justice to make it the foremost of one’s business to point out others ills whilst neglecting to rectify the ills of oneself. I have seen many a well meaning Christian like a bull in a china shop destroy another human being by their lack of charity in pointing out another’s sins, so where does this leave us?

I say it leaves us at being an example rather than a walking, talking point of accusation, the best witness afterall is a life lead for the Lord, rather than one who comes as judge, jury and executioner. Our Lord Himself said He was not accuser nor condemner but life, not judge but mercy, so it depends on the axe we weild as Christians, are we Christians who seek the best for all concerned even if it should mean some are repremanded for their acts either informally of by a justice system or are we baying for blood looking to point the finger in a manner that makes us look better as Christians because we are not so quite a bad a sinner as that man ‘over there’ (thinking of the Pharisee/Tax collector) .

Personally we all tread on dangerous ground when we throw stones, I suppose it may be permissable to throw a stone to protect another if we see the far reaching damage a particular sin may commit, but as for setting ourselves up as judge and jury, then we can surely be expected to be met with such harshness ourselves and we must always remember alot of things are beyond our human remit and the kindest work of mercy we can do is to pray for others and ourselves. If we put things in the Lord’s hands then that is all we can do and the safest thing we can do because human hearts cannot know another’s human heart, that is the business of the Lord.

That is something for the sinning accusers to think about…
 
I agree with you Blessedstar. I receive Holy Communion and I expect my children to go up to receive as well. My husband on the other hand does not go. I am proud that he knows that it is wrong and he knows that he must go to confession. I try to tell him that he should go and get forgiven but he refuses. At my Father-in-law’s funeral mass everyone in his family went up to receive but him. I know for a fact that none of them should have went up but they did. I never said anything to them (not my place) but I do believe it is out of ignorance that they went up. My sister-in-law told me that it is not a mortal sin if she misses mass I told her that it is and I could see I was beating a dead horse so I just dropped it. So, what do you do with people who don’t attend mass at all unless they have to (funeral/wedding) and go up and receive the Host?
 
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