What happens if I don't fast for one hour before Communion?

[Traveller83]

This evening I wanted to go to Mass and receive Communion. Earlier, I prepared my food. When I started eating, I remembered it is possible that I wouldn’t meet the rule to abstain from food for one hour. But I did finish my meal because I already started it. And, as it happened, I didn’t meet the one-hour fasting rule because the weekday Mass is a lot shorter than the weekend Mass. Is this a mortal sin?

 

[Michelle_Arnold]

In addition to grave matter, mortal sin also requires knowledge and consent. Since it sounds like you did not intend to ignore the fasting rule, it does not appear that this was a mortal sin. But you did have other options. You could have wrapped your food, stored it, and then eaten when you returned from Mass. You could have refrained from receiving Communion. Since you chose to both eat your meal, without any reported absolute need to do so (just a desire to finish because you’d already started), and chose to receive Communion knowing you had not met the fasting requirement, I think this is something to be mentioned in your next confession.