The Need to be in a State of Grace in Order to Receive the Eucharist

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Hope070408

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I understand that this crucial element of the Catholic faith, along with the need to believe in the Real Presence, is the reason why non-Catholics may not receive the Eucharist during Mass. My husband is Catholic, and we both have been going to Mass together at his parish (where we were married over the summer) for about a year.

I’m thinking about going to RCIA, which starts with the inquiry night next week. Last night, thoughts about this part of the Catholic faith and the Last Supper brought up some questions for me.

Mainly, I’m wondering how this crucial part of the Catholic faith came about. At the Last Supper, when Jesus broke the bread and prepared the cup for the disciples (or at some point around this time), did He instruct them that they needed to be free of grave (mortal) sin in order to be in a state of grace and receive Him worthily and that they should first confess any such sins to him so that the sins may be forgiven? Or did He simply go on to share the meal with them? Did He teach them directly at this point that whenever they shared Communion in memory of Him that they (and their successors) needed to ensure that those who received, did so worthily and what this meant?

If Jesus did not teach and model this for the disciples, how did this come about? Thank you all so much in advance for any answers you may have, or any refereces I should check on the topic.
 
Hope070408 said:
I understand that this crucial element of the Catholic faith, along with the need to believe in the Real Presence, is the reason why non-Catholics may not receive the Eucharist during Mass. My husband is Catholic, and we both have been going to Mass together at his parish (where we were married over the summer) for about a year.

I’m thinking about going to RCIA, which starts with the inquiry night next week. Last night, thoughts about this part of the Catholic faith and the Last Supper brought up some questions for me.

  1. *]Mainly, I’m wondering how this crucial part of the Catholic faith came about. At the Last Supper, when Jesus broke the bread and prepared the cup for the disciples (or at some point around this time), did He instruct them that they needed to be free of grave (mortal) sin in order to be in a state of grace and receive Him worthily and that they should first confess any such sins to him so that the sins may be forgiven? Or did He simply go on to share the meal with them? Did He teach them directly at this point that whenever they shared Communion in memory of Him that they (and their successors) needed to ensure that those who received, did so worthily and what this meant?
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  1. Well, Our Lord had just washed their feet and declared them “clean.” The Church is legitimately authorized to institute disciplines to safeguard the souls of the faithful (and the unfaithful) – after all, Paul tells us in I Cor 11, “Whoever, therefore,eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of profaning the body and blood of the Lord. . . . For any one who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment upon himself.”
    If Jesus did not teach and model this for the disciples, how did this come about? Thank you all so much in advance for any answers you may have, or any refereces I should check on the topic.
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    I believe these verses alone, without non-scriptural support justify the concept of “closed” Communion. In fact, the idea of open Communion, among nearly all Christian sects, is a phenomenon of the past 30 years or less.
 
Thank you, mercygate! Those two things make sense, and I did remember that verse you mentioned (if not where in the Bible it was). My background is an open communion celebrated weekly, but it’s good to know a bit more about why the concept of a closed communion is in place. Wow, I’d never known that open communion was so recent a practice!
 
Just another quick point on why non-Catholics are not supposed to recieve communion at Mass…
By recieving communion with us, you would be saying that you are in communion with us and that you believe, practice and follow all that the Catholic Church teaches. The non-Catholic churches that also have closed communion that I know about have a similar understanding as to why anyone outside their ecclesial body cannot recieve with them.

Good fortune in your journey through RCIA (if you join) and I pray that you have good, solid, Catholic teachers…
 
Hope,

You mentioned not being in the state of grace as the reason a non-Catholic shouldn’t approach communion. But the primary reason is that they are not in communion with the Church, and reception signifies that communion. Church law therefore usually forbids non-Catholics from receiving communion.

Being in the state of grace is a different issue. Baptized Non-Catholics could be in a state of grace at any given time, but still barred from reception.

What do you think?

VC
 
Thank you, llroy, for your good wishes through the RCIA process. This parish seems very solid on Catholic teachings from what I’ve encountered so far, so it should be a good learning experience whatever the outcome.

Verbum Caro, I do agree with what you and llroy have said about what it means to receive Communion in the Catholic Church…that it means saying that you believe all the Church teaches. It’s a very different mindset for me, coming from a Communion that is open, but it does make sense. I also agree that non-Catholics may certainly be in a state of grace at any given time but not be permitted to receive Communion in the Catholic Church for all the reasons mentioned before. I just meant that, not being Catholic, there would be no way to ensure whether the individual is in a state of grace (i.e., they’re not Catholic so they would not have gone to Confession if need be).
 
Sharing my own “deviant” experience. Many moons ago, long before I EVER considered becoming Catholic, I was a High Church Anglican with a VERY Catholic outlook. I used to attend Mass on Saturday Mornings in the Catholic Church but did not receive Communion because I thorougly understood the whole business. One morning, after Mass, the Pastor overheard my response to a parishioner, who thought I was an unrehabilitated pre-Vatican-2 Catholic, when that person told me I should receive Communion “because you don’t have to go to confession any more.”

“Really?” I said. “But Confession is the cornerstone of an authentic commitment to Christ.”

The Pastor turned around and jabbed his forefinger in the direction of my sternum and said: “You can receive Communion in my church any time!”

Now, he should not have done that. And I should not have accepted the offer. But I did.

Decades later, when I finally approached the Church to be brought into full Communion, I STOPPED receiving Communion out of respect for the discipline of the Church. That was the longest year of my life. It was also among the most spiritually fruitful. “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness . . .” WHO is “righteousness” itself?
 
Hope,

I just wanted to add my well-wishes to your journey. And, if you don’t mind me saying so, you seem like you would make a great Catholic. 👍

VC
 
Oh, mercygate, it’s amazing that you received that offer from the priest to receive Communion! There’s no way that would happen in my husband’s parish unless I officially join the Church. Though if it did, it would be a difficult offer to refuse. It does bother my husband and I that I can’t receive…we understand, but it is difficult for us. It’s one of the reasons I’m looking into RCIA. I totally understand what you’re saying about thirsting and hungering for the Eucharist! I feel that every time I go to Mass with my husband. And I feel it when I can’t make it to my own church, which isn’t often because it’s 40 minutes away and too much of a drive to make except for occasionally, when there’s praise band practice afterward that I’m involved in.

Thanks for your well-wishes, too, VC and mercygate! And thank you for saying I would make a great Catholic!
 
Hope070408 said:
Oh, mercygate, it’s amazing that you received that offer from the priest to receive Communion! There’s no way that would happen in my husband’s parish unless I officially join the Church. Though if it did, it would be a difficult offer to refuse. It does bother my husband and I that I can’t receive…we understand, but it is difficult for us. It’s one of the reasons I’m looking into RCIA. I totally understand what you’re saying about thirsting and hungering for the Eucharist! I feel that every time I go to Mass with my husband. And I feel it when I can’t make it to my own church, which isn’t often because it’s 40 minutes away and too much of a drive to make except for occasionally, when there’s praise band practice afterward that I’m involved in.

Thanks for your well-wishes, too, VC and mercygate! And thank you for saying I would make a great Catholic!
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Hunger for the Eucharist is a very great spiritual grace and a direct gift of the Holy Spirit. You are blessed.

Our parish has several choirs and musical groups. Many parishes have something that attempts to be a praise band but in my experience they could probably use somebody like you. I’m a Gregorian chant fan myself, but if you’re going to do “praise music” you gotta do it right or you’re just making noise. I know, I KNOW: make a joyful *noise *and all that. But heck. It shouldn’t sound like you’re trying to scare the pigeons out of the bell tower!
 
The parish my husband and I go to has a choir, and the only band sort of group seems to be a teen one. We’ve never made it to Mass at any time other than when the cantor is singing. I do miss choir at my church! We’ve just started up again, but it’s hard enough to make it there on a Sunday, let alone for Thursday night practice!. And being newly married, it’s good to not have so much going on. It’s enough to go to my church around the time the band is gearing up for the contemporary worship service. We do that once every few months, and the month before that we start practicing. When my husband and I go to Mass, it’s good to sit with him rather than being in the choir. Down the road, though, maybe… 🙂

LOL, you’re right that the music should be good and done well. Too bad I can’t play any of our music for you, but I have a couple of our songs on my IPOD…one original and one that our drummer did an absolutely amazing arrangement of.
 
Hope070408 said:
The parish my husband and I go to has a choir, and the only band sort of group seems to be a teen one. We’ve never made it to Mass at any time other than when the cantor is singing. I do miss choir at my church! We’ve just started up again, but it’s hard enough to make it there on a Sunday, let alone for Thursday night practice!. And being newly married, it’s good to not have so much going on. It’s enough to go to my church around the time the band is gearing up for the contemporary worship service. We do that once every few months, and the month before that we start practicing. When my husband and I go to Mass, it’s good to sit with him rather than being in the choir. Down the road, though, maybe… 🙂

LOL, you’re right that the music should be good and done well. Too bad I can’t play any of our music for you, but I have a couple of our songs on my IPOD…one original and one that our drummer did an absolutely amazing arrangement of.
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If you cross the Tiber, you might do well to search out a parish with a strong music program that includes a praise music band. Around here (metro NY), many parishes – including mine – have 4 or 5 different choirs and music-making operations. Our adult choir is accompanied by a couple of very competent guitarists, flutes, strings, hand bells, percussion (including tympani on occasion). They play a wide spectrum of music from classical/traditional to contemporary. Our contemporary choir isn’t as proficient but they do a pretty good job.

As a certified fuddy-duddy, I run away screaming, of course, but these musical opportunities are much appreciated by those who like that sort of thing – and good for them!
 
That sounds lovely! I have no problems joining a single choir at the parish DH and I go to once I’m up for that again. I haven’t heard them yet to see if anyone sometimes accompanies them with other instruments. I love the anthems that involve even just one other instrument!

But it’ll be awhile before I look into choir. And in the meantime, there’s my band, which I’ll stick with whatever happens. 🙂
 
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