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TheLittleLady
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This shows suggested, but, not absolute.
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kapp19
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Can. 962 §1. For a member of the Christian faithful validly to receive sacramental absolution given to many at one time, it is required not only that the person is properly disposed but also at the same time intends to confess within a suitable period of time each grave sin which at the present time cannot be so confessed.
§2. Insofar as it can be done even on the occasion of the reception of general absolution, the Christian faithful are to be instructed about the requirements of the norm of §1. An exhortation that each person take care to make an act of contrition is to precede general absolution even in the case of danger of death, if there is time.
§2. Insofar as it can be done even on the occasion of the reception of general absolution, the Christian faithful are to be instructed about the requirements of the norm of §1. An exhortation that each person take care to make an act of contrition is to precede general absolution even in the case of danger of death, if there is time.
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Vico
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The two requirements are absolute.
Can. 962 §2 states that absolution is given with the requirement in Can. 962 §1
- the person is properly disposed,
- intends to confess within a suitable period of time each grave sin which at the present time cannot be so confessed.
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Anesti33
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The requirement for validty is for the intention to make an individual confession. This is exceedingly peculiar.
If I masturbated on April 8 and confessed it on April 11, I am absolved and my sin is forgiven. If I go to confession on May 16, and confess that I masturbated on April 8 and that’s it, I would not be able to receive a valid absolution, because I have no sins to forgive.
How then, does an individual confession figure into general absolution, if all I needed was the intention to confess the sins later, but the general absolution is incontrovertibly valid without actually making that individual confession (or, if I do make it, I am confessing sins that have already been forgiven and thus invalid matter for the sacrament?)
If I masturbated on April 8 and confessed it on April 11, I am absolved and my sin is forgiven. If I go to confession on May 16, and confess that I masturbated on April 8 and that’s it, I would not be able to receive a valid absolution, because I have no sins to forgive.
How then, does an individual confession figure into general absolution, if all I needed was the intention to confess the sins later, but the general absolution is incontrovertibly valid without actually making that individual confession (or, if I do make it, I am confessing sins that have already been forgiven and thus invalid matter for the sacrament?)
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Vico
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Proper disposition, for validity, is to avoid the near and voluntary occasions of mortal sin. So how is having the intention to confess individually any different? More is accomplished in the sacrament than absolution.
There are several things that constitute the sacrament of penance:
Catechism of the Catholic Church
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Nobody (aside from the priest) ever has to receive communion, except for once a year during the Easter season. Whether someone receives communion, or does not receive communion, should never be anybody else’s issue. “Back in the day”, abstaining from communion at any given Mass was very common. At the Spanish Masses I’ve attended, I have noticed that probably half of the people do not receive communion.
This said, I can understand why someone with a nosy family, or someone in a very small parish where the same people attend week after week, and would notice and wonder if someone professing to be Catholic didn’t receive communion, would feel great pressure to do so. Whether someone has a grave enough reason to receive communion after having made an act of perfect contrition (if they can’t get to confession first) is a decision unique to each individual and each situation. There is no “one size fits all” answer.
This said, I can understand why someone with a nosy family, or someone in a very small parish where the same people attend week after week, and would notice and wonder if someone professing to be Catholic didn’t receive communion, would feel great pressure to do so. Whether someone has a grave enough reason to receive communion after having made an act of perfect contrition (if they can’t get to confession first) is a decision unique to each individual and each situation. There is no “one size fits all” answer.
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JanR
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First, a loving family would never criticize, taunt or make fun of any member who is honest enough to realize he or she cannot receive communion for the very serious reason of not being in a state of grace.
Any family who says you’re a disgrace for having stayed back needs to look at itself and see if it’s in any position to cast the first stone. I guarantee, it isn’t. Self-righteousness and judgmental arrogance is certainly NOT motivated by love. It’s egotism, a greater concern for how THEY look than for the proper practice of the faith.
Nobody should have to receive communion improperly as a result of embarrassment.
It’s hard to ignore bullying from family members, and this would be a form of bullying. If you can, try to ignore it, and if you can’t ignore it, pray about it. Easier said than done, but if they see you standing your ground they might realize THEY’RE the ones in the wrong.
Good luck. Maybe God can shine His light into their hearts.
Any family who says you’re a disgrace for having stayed back needs to look at itself and see if it’s in any position to cast the first stone. I guarantee, it isn’t. Self-righteousness and judgmental arrogance is certainly NOT motivated by love. It’s egotism, a greater concern for how THEY look than for the proper practice of the faith.
Nobody should have to receive communion improperly as a result of embarrassment.
It’s hard to ignore bullying from family members, and this would be a form of bullying. If you can, try to ignore it, and if you can’t ignore it, pray about it. Easier said than done, but if they see you standing your ground they might realize THEY’RE the ones in the wrong.
Good luck. Maybe God can shine His light into their hearts.
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TheLittleLady
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So, we have done the Catechism lessons.
Back to the original question. It is not right for family members to embarrass and pressure our friend like this. It is no one’s business if you receive or not. Please, speak to your priest.
Back to the original question. It is not right for family members to embarrass and pressure our friend like this. It is no one’s business if you receive or not. Please, speak to your priest.
It has always been my understanding —and I don’t have a source for this, it is just something I picked up in almost 45 years of Catholic living — that a person is never obliged to disclose the state of their soul or conscience to any other person aside from the priest in the confessional. If abstaining from communion would be tantamount to making such a disclosure — as I can foresee it might be in “helicopter” families — then an act of perfect contrition before communion, followed by confession as soon as possible (but not to confess the “sin” of having done so, because it would be no sin), is permissible.
I will welcome correction on this, if in fact I have always been wrong, ideally with supporting sources.
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melvfe
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I’ve contacted my priest (no, it’s a different one from the previous priest who groomed me in my older posts) and he responded as thus:
"An option would clearly be to go to confess with your parish priest first.
*If he is not available for whatever reasons. *
Remember:
*The Pope told us we could make an act of perfect contrition during this covid period. *
I leave the communion part to you.
One could always attend Mass without communion. No problem. You will have many many opportunities in life to receive communion later in life.
*Attendance at Mass doesn’t imply one must receive communion. *
Note that Confession is not designed to embarrass us. God wants to heal us because he loves us. Neither do we go to communion just to look good before others. We are called to worship God in spirit and in truth. John 4.
If after making the act of perfect contrition and you think you are ready to go for your communion. Do it. And then
you could do your confession when we meet.
As I said, since we are in this very special period, you decide for yourself whether you want to receive communion or not."
"An option would clearly be to go to confess with your parish priest first.
*If he is not available for whatever reasons. *
Remember:
*The Pope told us we could make an act of perfect contrition during this covid period. *
I leave the communion part to you.
One could always attend Mass without communion. No problem. You will have many many opportunities in life to receive communion later in life.
*Attendance at Mass doesn’t imply one must receive communion. *
Note that Confession is not designed to embarrass us. God wants to heal us because he loves us. Neither do we go to communion just to look good before others. We are called to worship God in spirit and in truth. John 4.
If after making the act of perfect contrition and you think you are ready to go for your communion. Do it. And then
you could do your confession when we meet.
As I said, since we are in this very special period, you decide for yourself whether you want to receive communion or not."
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kapp19
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“Go, show yourself to the priest.” This is spoken to the leper who had been healed, no?
There is a juridical order which guarantees a kind of personal integrity and public peace… we don’t assign ourselves penances - and if we do, we don’t get to do them under obedience - and it also is important for not taking the mercy of God for granted, and to get advice on how to improve… But the juridical order - this is the center.
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TheLittleLady
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Do you have a priest who will meet with your family? They honestly need pastoral correction
But in this case, wouldn’t that just make a bad situation worse?
“Johnny here abstains from communion from time to time, for reasons that are known to Johnny and Johnny alone. You shouldn’t be thinking about this, shouldn’t be questioning this, you should just leave him alone and not comment on it. You are very wrong to be so inquisitive.”
Full disclosure, I can tell you that this would definitely not fly in my family. Everybody notices if anyone so much as cracks their knuckles. It falls under the rubric of caring, loving, and being concerned for one another. It goes back in our extended family as far as I can remember, to paraphrase Hank Williams Jr, it’s a family tradition. All families are different.
The permission to be able to receive communion under these circumstances, when there is a serious reason to do so, after first having made an act of perfect contrition, exists for a reason.
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TheLittleLady
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Mockery and embarrassing ones family members, if a tradition, needs even moreso to be corrected. It is contrary to Christian charity and respect of persons.
I think we might be, at least in part, talking past one another here. No, mockery and embarrassing family members can’t be condoned under any circumstances. That is not part of the “family tradition” I was talking about. I was referring to family members who, even if for benign reasons, are capable of wondering why a family member is not receiving communion, and possibly even bringing it up. I do have to say that even with my own son, if he were routinely skipping communion, I might gently ask him if there was any situation he’d like to resolve, or even if there was a loss of faith. Without getting too specific, there are several common reasons a young person might not wish to receive communion. Making the sacrament of penance freely available at any time, no questions asked, is an excellent practice for any family to follow.
I can’t find a citation for it, and have long since parted with my copy (I gave it to a friend), but Father Robert J Fox speaks of such a situation in his catechism Catholic Truth For Youth. He admonishes the young person never to abuse or trivialize the matter, but foresees that they could, indeed, be in a position where not receiving communion would be tantamount to disclosing the state of one’s conscience. He gives the same advice I have offered, namely, to make an act of perfect contrition, to receive, and to get to confession as soon as possible. I don’t think you could find a better counselor for Catholic youth than Father Fox — he made this his life’s work. Requiescat in pace.
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melvfe
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I have a priest (we will meet next month), but I am not sure whether he will be willing to meet my family. Yes, I agree they need pastoral correction on many levels.
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phil19034
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The best examples I can think of are:
- the priest who is praying the Mass. He has to partake in Communion.
- a Catholic Bride & Groom on their wedding day, should be able to receive during the wedding mass. It’s theoretically possible for one of them to mortally sin just before the Mass begins & not have time for a quick confession.
- a child had an over-baring or even abusive parent who would berate the child for not receiving or for committing a mortal sin.
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Anesti33
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The requirement for validity of the Sacrament of Penance is, I was informed in my Liturgy & Sacraments class, proper matter: sins.
If the penitent is reconfessing sins which have already been absolved, and has no other sins to add, the absolution is prima facie invalid. I just can’t understand why you can absolve and erase someone’s sins in general absolution, but not really.
If the penitent is reconfessing sins which have already been absolved, and has no other sins to add, the absolution is prima facie invalid. I just can’t understand why you can absolve and erase someone’s sins in general absolution, but not really.
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kapp19
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Two things to point out.
1 - One must still receive a fitting penance and do it under obedience in reparation… and then one is reconciled to the life of the Church militant, by the juridic order of the power of the keys. It is humbling to have to do this.
2 - The practice is long-standing of making a general confession (or life confession)… wherein one is assured yet again that all of these sins are forgiven. They were almost certainly forgiven before but it is clarified again. (Maybe one didn’t sufficiently examine his conscience last time, leaving out something… The issue of perfect certainty about the state of one’s soul is raised here.) It is humbling do to this freely.
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