Taking Communion once a year

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Paul_theApostle

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Howcome we are only required to take Holy Communion once a year,but are required to attend Mass every Sunday ?

If we choose to take Commuion only once a year,would it be normal or okay to go to Mass every other Sunday of the year and never recieve Communion?

I know we can still benefit from the prayers of the Mass ,but would anyone recomend going to Mass for a whole year with without Communing but once?
 
Paul_theApostle said:
Howcome we are only required to take Holy Communion once a year,but are required to attend Mass every Sunday ?

If we choose to take Commuion only once a year,would it be normal or okay to go to Mass every other Sunday of the year and never recieve Communion?

I know we can still benefit from the prayers of the Mass ,but would anyone recomend going to Mass for a whole year with without Communing but once?
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Because the Church says so.

Absolutely not.

It’s your choice.
 
I suggest you broaden your horizon and think of those many Catholics living in situations where the do not have regular access to the Sacraments.

The Canon Law of the Church is for the universal Church. There are many who rely on visiting and traveling priests, many who live in repressive regimes where they must seek the Sacraments in secret and fear for their lives.

Also regard those in serious states of sin who need Reconciliation before they can approach.

For those of us privileged to have the Eucharist available on a weekly or daily basis, we should approach with great joy and frequency-- as long as we are properly disposed.

From the Catehism: CCC1389 The Church obliges the faithful “to take part in the Divine Liturgy on Sundays and feast days” and, prepared by the sacrament of Reconciliation, to receive the Eucharist at least once a year, if possible during the Easter season. But the Church strongly encourages the faithful to receive the holy Eucharist on Sundays and feast days, or more often still, even daily.
 
If i choose to take Communion once a year as required,i was asking if its ok to attend to the required Sunday Mass for 51 weeks of the year ‘without’ taking Communion.

And that other guy said, “Absolutely not”

If it was necessary for salvation to recieve more then once a year ,im sure the Church would make a rule to Commune more then Once a year…
 
It is one of the Ten Commandments to keep holy the Sabbath. Therefore, we are required to attend Mass every Sunday. It is one of the precepts of the Church to receive Commuion at least once a year. There is a history to this precept. There was a time in the Church’s history when people received Communion very infrequently, and the Fourth Lateran Council instituted this requirement to compel people to receive.

From the Catholic Encyclopedia

Strange to say, it was in the Middle Ages, “the Ages of Faith”, that Communion was less frequent than at any other period of the Church’s history. The Fourth Lateran Council compelled the faithful, under pain of excommunication, to receive at least once a year. The Poor Clares, by rule, communicated six times a year; the Dominicanesses, fifteen times; the Third Order of St. Dominic, four times. Even saints received rarely: St. Louis six times a year, St. Elizabeth only three times. The teaching of the great theologians, however, was all on the side of frequent, and to some extent daily, Communion. Various reformers, Tauler, St. Catherine of Siena, St. Vincent Ferrer, and Savonarola, advocated, and in many instances brought about, a return to frequent reception. The Council of Trent expressed a wish “that at each Mass the faithful who are present, should communicate”. And the Catechism of the council says: “Let not the faithful deem it enough to receive the Body of the Lord once a year only; but let them judge that Communion ought to be more frequent; but whether it be more expedient that it should be monthly, weekly, or daily, can be decided by no fixed universal rule”.
 
Paul_theApostle said:
Howcome we are only required to take Holy Communion once a year,but are required to attend Mass every Sunday?
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God requires us to keep the Sabbath Holy. The Church tells us we fulfill that command with Mass on not only Sunday but also Holy Days of Obligation. The Church requires the faithful to receive once per year (and in doing so go to confession) at a minimum during Easter. You can’t compare the two.
Paul_theApostle said:
If we choose to take Commuion only once a year,would it be normal or okay to go to Mass every other Sunday of the year and never recieve Communion?
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No. Every Sunday you intentionally miss is a mortal sin.
Paul_theApostle said:
I know we can still benefit from the prayers of the Mass ,but would anyone recomend going to Mass for a whole year with without Communing but once?
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I don’t understand why you would not want to receive as often as possible. Communion is not necessary for salvation but the graces you receive give you the strength to make follow the Lord. Why would you not want to take advantage of this gift?
 
TheDoctor said:
God requires us to keep the Sabbath Holy. The Church tells us we fulfill that command with Mass on not only Sunday but also Holy Days of Obligation. The Church requires the faithful to receive once per year (and in doing so go to confession) at a minimum during Easter. You can’t compare the two.

No. Every Sunday you intentionally miss is a mortal sin.

I don’t understand why you would not want to receive as often as possible. Communion is not necessary for salvation but the graces you receive give you the strength to make follow the Lord. Why would you not want to take advantage of this gift?
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In comparing the two,Isnt the Eucharist the whole point of the Sacrifice of the Mass?

I didnt say “miss” the Mass,i said “not recieving Communion” at Mass

Well we all have the choice how much we want to love or follow the Lord as we are all free people

Maybe i would just like to accept the bare minimum amount of grace and walk with Christ just Communing once a year as is required.

So if i choose to do this ,then i would be attending 51 weeks of Sunday Mass(and obligation days) without being required to recieve Communion.

So if im not required to recieve,then its not that im doing something wrong ,bad or sinful am i?

I would still be fulfilling the duties of being Catholic
 
The norm for the Latin Church, if you are worthy to receive, it is a minimum of once a year in Easter season. It is also a norm to confess annually, (if you have mortal sins).

Latin Code of Canon Law (CIC)

Can. 989:
After having reached the age of discretion, each member of the faithful is ob-liged to confess faithfully his or her grave sins at least once a year.

Can. 920:
§1. All the faithful, after they have been initiated into the Most Holy Eucharist, are bound by the obligation of receiving Communion at least once a year.
§2 This precept must be fulfilled during the Easter season unless it is fulfilled for a just cause at some other time during the year."

Compendium:
  1. When must one receive Holy Communion?
1389 The Church recommends that the faithful, if they have the required dispositions, receive Holy Communion whenever they participate at Holy Mass. However, the Church obliges them to receive Holy Communion at least once a year during the Easter season."

New Catholic Dictionary

“The obligation of members of the Catholic Church to approach the Sacrament of Penance, if in a state of sin, once a year, and also of receiving the Holy Eucharist, as a mark of fidelity to membership, and under penalty of exclusion from it and all rights as a Catholic. The prescribed time for fulfilling the Easter duty extends: from the first Sunday of Lent to Trinity Sunday, in the United States; from Ash Wednesday to Low Sunday, in England; from Ash Wednesday to the octave of Saint Peter and Saint Paul (6 July), in Ireland; from the first Sunday of Lent to the octave of the Ascension, in Scotland, or in some places to Low Sunday. One may follow the direction of his priest judging it proper for him to abstain for some time, but the precept binds even after the time has expired and is not fulfilled by an unworthy communion. It is recommended that the Paschal communion be received in one’s own rite and in one’s parish church and if received elsewhere one’s pastor should be informed of the fact.”

catholic-forum.com/saints/ncd02910.htm
 
Paul_theApostle said:
If the church didnt think it was normal/ok then it would require Communion at Mass more then once a year…
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I didn’t understand you at first. I was reading your line about going every other Sunday of the year as literally going to mass one Sunday, skipping the next, and then going the next, etc.

Yes, you may go to mass on the other Sundays of the year and not receive communion.
 
YoungTradCath said:
I didn’t understand you at first. I was reading your line about going every other Sunday of the year as literally going to mass one Sunday, skipping the next, and then going the next, etc.

Yes, you may go to mass on the other Sundays of the year and not receive communion.
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ok thanks

It just seems odd that we are required to attend Mass around 50 times a year but only required to take Communion once in those Masses.

I know its encouraged to take it more and to not deem it enough to recieve it only once ,as i had just read

anyway the posts have given good enough answers/info about it
 
Paul_theApostle said:
In comparing the two,Isnt the Eucharist the whole point of the Sacrifice of the Mass?
So if i choose to do this ,then i would be attending 51 weeks of Sunday Mass(and obligation days) without being required to recieve Communion.
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You are mixing the Holy Mass (act of thanksgiving) and reception of Holy Communion (receiving the gift of salvation).

One can be done without the other.

We assist in the Holy Mass for thanksgiving. Six days we toiled one day set aside for the Lord. Since the days of Moses, when sacrificing lambs, goats etc for thanksgiving, the ‘lay’ did not eat the sacrifice, only the priest. This is sufficient to complete their thanksgiving liturgy. So, taking Jewish tradition, the mass is complete as long as transubstantiation occurs and the priest consume the Body and Blood of Christ. The congregation makes a spiritual communion and only receive once a year as mandated by the Church. This has been the norm for the first 1,900 of the Church.

Frequent communion, although encouraged since long time, is only decreed by the Church since 1905, and confirmed in the first Eucharistic Congress in 1910. So, daily communion is a ‘new’ trend in the Church.

Nowadays, the two are done at the same time and doing one refers to the other.

From my personal experience, I sometimes go to mass without taking communion, either because I was late, have not gone to confession, minding the children, etc. I toiled 6 days and set aside 1 day for God, that is my obligation to give thanks to God.

On the other hand, I have been to communion service (no mass). It was Sunday and no priest was available. The deacon lead us with the Liturgy of the Word and went straight to Communion (no Eucharistic Prayer).

Hope this helps…
 
Paul_theApostle said:
Howcome we are only required to take Holy Communion once a year,but are required to attend Mass every Sunday ?

If we choose to take Commuion only once a year,would it be normal or okay to go to Mass every other Sunday of the year and never recieve Communion?

I know we can still benefit from the prayers of the Mass ,but would anyone recomend going to Mass for a whole year with without Communing but once?
Click to expand...
Actually, in the Philippines, there are a lot of people who go to Mass and don’t take the Eucharist.

I think people tend to be ignorant about their not supposed to be receiving because they’re in mortal sin. Those people are obligated to attend Mass but also obligated not to take Eucharist.

Here in the US though, people either go to Mass and always receive even though they’ve never been to Confession in the longest time, or they don’t bother going to Mass at all.

For a long time, it wasn’t even the practise to receive the Eucharist that often. I think it was Pius X who began to encourage it daily? But before that, people would go to Mass and wouldn’t receive.

I don’t think the prescription is that we receive the Eucharist once a year, because you definitely should go more than that; it’s a just in case sort of thing for the people who don’t. It’s like, we’re obligated to go to Mass every Sunday, but you’re welcome and encouraged to go every day.
 
MACHIU said:
You are mixing the Holy Mass (act of thanksgiving) and reception of Holy Communion (receiving the gift of salvation).

One can be done without the other.

We assist in the Holy Mass for thanksgiving. Six days we toiled one day set aside for the Lord. Since the days of Moses, when sacrificing lambs, goats etc for thanksgiving, the ‘lay’ did not eat the sacrifice, only the priest. This is sufficient to complete their thanksgiving liturgy. So, taking Jewish tradition, the mass is complete as long as transubstantiation occurs and the priest consume the Body and Blood of Christ. The congregation makes a spiritual communion and only receive once a year as mandated by the Church. This has been the norm for the first 1,900 of the Church.

Frequent communion, although encouraged since long time, is only decreed by the Church since 1905, and confirmed in the first Eucharistic Congress in 1910. So, daily communion is a ‘new’ trend in the Church.

Nowadays, the two are done at the same time and doing one refers to the other.

From my personal experience, I sometimes go to mass without taking communion, either because I was late, have not gone to confession, minding the children, etc. I toiled 6 days and set aside 1 day for God, that is my obligation to give thanks to God.

On the other hand, I have been to communion service (no mass). It was Sunday and no priest was available. The deacon lead us with the Liturgy of the Word and went straight to Communion (no Eucharistic Prayer).

Hope this helps…
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Thanks for that i appreciate your post

With the Jewish Sacrifice,by any chance was that a once a year thing? How often did they do that?

Il Look it up i guess…

People going from once a year Communion or very infrequent communion to then Daily Communion ,seems a bit of an extreme movement?

the floodgates have opened?
 
MACHIU said:
… The congregation makes a spiritual communion and only receive once a year as mandated by the Church. This has been the norm for the first 1,900 of the Church.

Frequent communion, although encouraged since long time, is only decreed by the Church since 1905, and confirmed in the first Eucharistic Congress in 1910. So, daily communion is a ‘new’ trend in the Church.

…
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From Fr. John Hardon Dictionary:

The practice, dating from the first centuries of the Church, of receiving Holy Communion often, as a means of growing in union with God. Weekly reception was customary already in apostolic times. From the end of the second century many priests and laity received every day. By the thirteenth century the practice had so declined that the Fourth Lateran Council had to legislate at least annual Communion at Easter time. In the sixteenth century the Council of Trent urged the reception of Holy Communion at every Mass attended. During the centuries of Jansenist influence, Communion, as a thing most earnestly desired by Christ our Lord and by the Catholic Church should be open to all the faithful" (Denzinger 3375-83). The only conditions required were the state of grace and the right intention.
 
Paul_theApostle said:
If the church didnt think it was normal/ok then it would require Communion at Mass more then once a year…
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This rule is a response by the Church from scrupulosity in the past where people don’t receive Communion at all. Of course the Church encourages more frequent Communion. But when it comes to legislation, it should enforce the bare minimum.
 
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