Unworthy communion?

  • Thread starter Thread starter AnneTeresa
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
A

AnneTeresa

Guest
I think I took communion in a state of mortal sin. If I confessed my sin to God myself but hadn’t gone to confession yet to confess, was it still a mortal sin to take communion? How serious is this really Can you sometimes pray to God alone and resolve to go to confession later and still take communion because you need Christ and his healing? Sometimes it is hard to know what a mortal sin is too.
 
We are not allowed to take communion in a state of mortal sin. Remember it’s the Body of the holiest Jesus who is sinless and we should really make sure we don’t receive Him in the state of mortal sin. You need to go and confess it to the priest - you will have a peace in mind:)
 
Well first off, three conditions had to have been met for you to have committed a mortal sin.

One, it must be a grave matter.

Second, you must have committed it with full knowledge. That is, you understand the seriousness of the offense to God in committing this sin.

Third, you had to have consented freely in committing the sin.

Now, my confessor, a theologian, told me that this is a good guide to follow, but it is not infallible. Its possible to have committed a sin impulsively without full consent, but you realised afterward that you did wrong. In such a case, it would not be a mortal sin according to the teaching.

He went further to say, that if you have asked God for forgiveness and feel He is calling you to receive, than you shouldn’t hold back, but get to confession as soon as possible afterwards.

Either way, find a good confessor and when you find him, using the words of St. Teresa, “hang onto him for dear life.”

Jim
 
I am pretty sure it was a mortal sin. I remember starting to pray before I did it and then just giving up saying I’m going to do this anyway.

Jim, you seemed to have a lot of wisdom so I searched your old posts and found where you said: Of all the suffering endured in life, nothing provides a greater sense of relief than the forgiveness of our sins.

That is so true. I feel truly blessed we have such a wonderful gift in reconciliation. Every priest I’ve gone to since I’ve returned to my faith has been very very kind and although I am extremely anxious beforehand and during, the experience is extremely healing.
 
JimR-OCDS said:
Well first off, three conditions had to have been met for you to have committed a mortal sin.

One, it must be a grave matter.

Second, you must have committed it with full knowledge. That is, you understand the seriousness of the offense to God in committing this sin.

Third, you had to have consented freely in committing the sin.

Now, my confessor, a theologian, told me that this is a good guide to follow, but it is not infallible. Its possible to have committed a sin impulsively without full consent, but you realised afterward that you did wrong. In such a case, it would not be a mortal sin according to the teaching.

He went further to say, that if you have asked God for forgiveness and feel He is calling you to receive, than you shouldn’t hold back, but get to confession as soon as possible afterwards.
Either way, find a good confessor and when you find him, using the words of St. Teresa, “hang onto him for dear life.”

Jim
Click to expand...
That is not what the Church teaches and you should not recommend that to anyone.
Even when an act of perfect contition is made (and I would not bet my soul on being 100% sure of that) receiving Communion before Confession is only allowed if death is highly probable before a Confession could be made.
 
AnneTeresa said:
I think I took communion in a state of mortal sin. If I confessed my sin to God myself but hadn’t gone to confession yet to confess, was it still a mortal sin to take communion? How serious is this really Can you sometimes pray to God alone and resolve to go to confession later and still take communion because you need Christ and his healing? Sometimes it is hard to know what a mortal sin is too.
Click to expand...
IF you were in a state of mortal sin and you received Communion before going to Confession then you have committed a further mortal sin by doing that.
 
thistle said:
That is not what the Church teaches and you should not recommend that to anyone.
Even when an act of perfect contition is made (and I would not bet my soul on being 100% sure of that) receiving Communion before Confession is only allowed if death is highly probable before a Confession could be made.
Click to expand...
Only in the case of mortal sin.

However for a sin to be mortal, the three conditions must be met. If you are questioning whether or not you met those conditions, you obviosly lacked full knowledge and so you are not in mortal sin and can receive.

Jim
 
JimR-OCDS said:
Only in the case of mortal sin.

However for a sin to be mortal, the three conditions must be met. If you are questioning whether or not you met those conditions, you obviosly lacked full knowledge and so you are not in mortal sin and can receive.

Jim
Click to expand...
Very dangerous advice! A conscience can be numbed, tricked, dismissed, and in general overlooked. Catholics know what is grave or mortal.
Once we determine what is or isn’ mortal, we cease being in Communion with the Church.
 
thomas_jd said:
Very dangerous advice! A conscience can be numbed, tricked, dismissed, and in general overlooked. Catholics know what is grave or mortal.
Once we determine what is or isn’ mortal, we cease being in Communion with the Church.
Click to expand...
The question is if you do not not know whether the sin was mortal or not. Obviously if you know you committed a moral sin, you can not receive Holy Communion.

The answer my confessor gave was compassionate advice. If you do not have full knowledge of the offense committed, it isn’t a mortal sin.

As my confessor said, in such a case if you feel God is calling you to receive, do so and then come to confession as soon as possible.

In other words, without full knowledge and consent, the sin is venial, not mortal.

Jim
 
“If you feel God is calling you to receive”

P’raps God is calling one to an intense desire to receive so that through their knowledge of their inability to recieve, the desire will encourage them to confess and return to a state of grace so that you may approach the Body of Christ.

Personally when I am aware of a mortal sin and have to refrain from communion at Mass, I always have a great desire to receive (kind of sad how often I take it for granted when I have it, but take away my rattle and I start crying). After confession I try to get to the next possible Mass in order to fulfill that desire that I had been yearning for while drenched in sin. Coming home is so sweet everytime!
 
Brannock said:
“If you feel God is calling you to receive”

P’raps God is calling one to an intense desire to receive so that through their knowledge of their inability to recieve, the desire will encourage them to confess and return to a state of grace so that you may approach the Body of Christ.

Personally when I am aware of a mortal sin and have to refrain from communion at Mass, I always have a great desire to receive (kind of sad how often I take it for granted when I have it, but take away my rattle and I start crying). After confession I try to get to the next possible Mass in order to fulfill that desire that I had been yearning for while drenched in sin. Coming home is so sweet everytime!
Click to expand...
The difference of course is between “knowing,” you commited mortal sin and uncertainty.

Uncertainty would mean you lacked the full knowledge of the sin you commited and therefore it is not mortal.

Only the individual who honestly examines their own conscience will know.

Jim
 
Excellent point.

Due to my own past transgressions I tend to try to lean towards a cautious approach to the splendor of the eucharist. I went for an extended period of time living in sin while receiving communion. Due to lack of proper education and my own concupiscence, I was able to convince myself that I was not commiting mortal sins. I don’t want to get into the culpability of the situation, with or without “full knowledge” I knew I was doing wrong, so whether or not it was true mortal sins, it was still very offensive to the Lord.

I have since confessed and I know that I am forgiven. I am working on relinquishing the guilt I feel for it, but not the ardent resolve to avoid this sort of fall again through God’s help and grace. Anyway, this is why if I think I would refrain if I was conflicted about my sins. But you are right, only the individual can know his knowledge of his own sin, and only God knows the repose of his soul.
 
I have a problem with confession so there for I see no reason I know I am going to get slammed for this but that is MY OWN OPINION I am not saying that this should be the path for every one else but that is the path I choose.

Psalms 32:5 I acknowledged my sin unto thee, and mine iniquity have I not hid. I said, I will confess my transgressions unto the LORD; and thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin.
 
JimR-OCDS said:
The difference of course is between “knowing,” you commited mortal sin and uncertainty.

Uncertainty would mean you lacked the full knowledge of the sin you commited and therefore it is not mortal.

Only the individual who honestly examines their own conscience will know.

Jim
Click to expand...
Full knowledge is satisfied if the person knows the Church teaches something is a grave sin. Understanding is not required, though desired.
The OP has not said what his sin was or if he knew the Church teaching about it.
Therefore we are simply pointing out that if a mortal sin has been committed Communion may not be received before Confession even in the case of making an act of perfect contrition, the only exception being if there is grave danger of death.
 
thistle
Full knowledge is satisfied if the person knows the Church teaches something is a grave sin. Understanding is not required, though desired
Click to expand...
.

Well, lacking understanding can be an impediment to FULL knowledge. Just being told something is wrong doesn’t necessarily equal FULL knowledge.

Also, a sin committed out of impulse such as rage, usually isn’t committed in the context of full knowledge, and now science shows that rage is often triggered by brain chemistry, so free will and consent would be in question. The individual has the examine themselves accordingly and consult with their confessor.

The bottom line in all of this of course is to go to Confession and receive the grace of absolution and also to receive some pastoral guidance in discerning your actions. The Sacrament helps strengthen the soul in order to sin.
The OP has not said what his sin was or if he knew the Church teaching about it.
Therefore we are simply pointing out that if a mortal sin has been committed Communion may not be received before Confession even in the case of making an act of perfect contrition, the only exception being if there is grave danger of death.
Click to expand...
Correct except that for a mortal sin to be committed the three conditions would’ve had to be met.

If the person isn’t sure whether the sin they committed is mortal or not, there suggest a lack of full knowledge in the least, and being one of the conditions hasn’t been met, the sin is venial in nature and the person can receive Holy Communion if God is calling them to receive.

Of course the best policy for any Catholic is to avoid sin, but to go to Confession on a frequent regular basis.

I think a Catholic who is serious about their spiritual life, should go to confession at least every four to six weeks.

Jim
 
Brannock said:
Due to my own past transgressions I tend to try to lean towards a cautious approach to the splendor of the eucharist. … I knew I was doing wrong, so whether or not it was true mortal sins, it was still very offensive to the Lord.
Click to expand...
Wise advice Brannock.

I prefer not to pick apart each particular sin in an effort to determine which side of the mortal/venial fence the sin falls on.

If my sin is bad enough so that I have to submit a blood sample to a brain chemist for analsys to determine my state of mind and whether I can recieve or not, then it’s probably best for me to just stay in the pew and not recieve.

Staying in the pew when I really want to recieve is a humbling experience and a great example to my children.

-Tim-
 
AnneTeresa said:
I think I took communion in a state of mortal sin. If I confessed my sin to God myself but hadn’t gone to confession yet to confess, was it still a mortal sin to take communion?
Click to expand...
if you had a mortal sin and didn’t confess it through Confession, and then received the Eucharist, yes it was a mortal sin to receive the Eucharist. This means the next time you go to Confession, you should confess the old sin, and receiving Communion unworthily. I know it’s difficult but that’s how it is with mortal sin. When I haven’t had the opportunity to go to Confession and I’m at Mass, I just stay in my pew during Communion, and say the “Spiritual Communion” prayer.
How serious is this really Can you sometimes pray to God alone and resolve to go to confession later and still take communion because you need Christ and his healing?
Click to expand...
No. Not with Communion. This can be valid in other cases, for example… let’s say a person does a mortal sin, but then is very sorry for it, repents and decides to go to Confession as soon as possible. However, before then, they die. We leave such people to God’s mercy, because they were repentant, and meant to go to Confession as soon as possible. However, if they didn’t mean to go to Confession, or weren’t repentant, or had an opportunity to confess but didn’t, that could be a problem cause it could be evidence of unrepentance in the person’s heart. But with Communion, it’s such a profound union with Christ, physically present in the Eucharist, that we can only receive Him in this way after we have confessed our sins in Confession. Otherwise, we can’t truly unite ourselves with Him, and the sin offends Him greatly. If you’re at Mass and need Christ’s healing but haven’t been to Confession, - the best way to receive His healing is through Confession… and at the Mass, you could spend time with Him before the Tabernacle, pray, etc. There are other ways for Christ to come to our soul and help us. But with Communion, like I said it’s such a profound union with Him, that we need to be pure for it… this is talked about in Corinthians as well.
Sometimes it is hard to know what a mortal sin is too.
Click to expand...
it might be a good idea to speak with a priest about this. A mortal sin is basically when you know something is wrong, or seriously suspect it’s wrong, - but you freely choose to do it anyway. Essentially it’s a turning away from God.

hope that helps…

if you didn’t know this, don’t be afraid or concerned, just go to Confession and tell the priest what happened, and any sins you can remember. (both mortal and venial, as it’s good to confess our venial sins as well).

God bless! :hug1:
 
JimR-OCDS said:
thistle

.

**Well, lacking understanding can be an impediment to FULL knowledge. Just being told something is wrong doesn’t necessarily equal FULL knowledge.**Also, a sin committed out of impulse such as rage, usually isn’t committed in the context of full knowledge, and now science shows that rage is often triggered by brain chemistry, so free will and consent would be in question. The individual has the examine themselves accordingly and consult with their confessor.

The bottom line in all of this of course is to go to Confession and receive the grace of absolution and also to receive some pastoral guidance in discerning your actions. The Sacrament helps strengthen the soul in order to sin.

Correct except that for a mortal sin to be committed the three conditions would’ve had to be met.

If the person isn’t sure whether the sin they committed is mortal or not, there suggest a lack of full knowledge in the least, and being one of the conditions hasn’t been met, the sin is venial in nature and the person can receive Holy Communion if God is calling them to receive.

Of course the best policy for any Catholic is to avoid sin, but to go to Confession on a frequent regular basis.

I think a Catholic who is serious about their spiritual life, should go to confession at least every four to six weeks.

Jim
Click to expand...
You are wrong. If a Catholic knows the Church teaches something is a grave sin then that satisfies full knowledge. If the person does not understand why the Church teaches that then they should make every effort to understand but that does not affect the fact they KNOW the Church teaches that.
Too many Catholics use the “lack of understanding” card to justify continued sinning.
 
thistle said:
You are wrong. If a Catholic knows the Church teaches something is a grave sin then that satisfies full knowledge. If the person does not understand why the Church teaches that then they should make every effort to understand but that does not affect the fact they KNOW the Church teaches that.
Too many Catholics use the “lack of understanding” card to justify continued sinning.
Click to expand...
No FULL knowledge requires understanding for without understanding, he/she may have acted compulsively and therefore did not commit a mortal sin.

When a person understands the offense to God he/she reacts to sin differently than one who acts out of compulsitivity or from other factors.

Its why a good confessor who can provide spirituall direction is such a blessing.

Jim
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top