couldn’t i wait till Saturday & go to Confession & Go to Mass ? i dont know i just want to receive jesus i feel the need to go to Confession because i need to go to Confession I’m in mortal sinNot asking for a confession here…of course.No Confession till Saturday different Parish, my church has Confession every Saturday, i don’t know
Hi! I am an Eastern Christian and reading your post I am a bit confused. Are you concern that you missed mass onced and you believe it to be sinful or that you have committed some other sin that prevents you from receiving? From what I read I will take a shot that you are not committing any " mortal " sins. Missing Mass is not a mortal sin. The Eastern Church has much teaching on this matter and we have alot of people coming up for Communion and they only ask a blessing from their priest. This is a common occurence in the Eastern Church. The reasons for them not receiving can range from no preperation to a need to go to Confession. The priest does not think it is sinful for them not to receive. They have chosen not to receive because one did not take the time to prepare and forgot to say prayers beforehand or they did not fasted beforehand. Another may decide not to receive because they need to go to Confession. Whatever the reasons you have listed though in your post I see no reason for you not to participate. Mortal sins in the West are really defined and I do not see any mortal sin in your post. In the Eastern Church we define all sin to be serious. We do not seperate sins into mortal and venial as the Catholics have done in the West. We believe all sins are serious so that an Easterner may not want to receive let us say because of a particular sin. But that sin if it was done in the West it will probably be labeled as " venial ". Can you understand me? Your sin or sins may be only venial. That is how I see it. But your sin or sins if they were committed in the East may have a different interpretation and cause you to think that since you are in Church I better only ask the priest for a blessing. Personally I don’t think my Eastern brothers and sisters should abstain from Holy Communion just because they did not fast enough or so on. All there need to be is a 10 minute preparation to help you prepare to receive Him. Alot of us in the East are really too hard on themselves. Jesus does want to give Himself to these people and yet they judge themselves unworthy. But what determines worthiness? Certainly God can forgive light sins without you going to confession. I suppose when they go to Heaven they will find out that their sins were not that serious enough to warrant them not to receive. Jesus is very merciful and desires your participation. Missing Mass is not a serious affair unless you are doing it at an alarming rate. But missing it once in awhile I will see it as a light affair. I will be more concern with the 2 timers than those who miss Mass once or twice let us say every 5 months. God Bless!Would it be a Sin ? because my whole family is going to Mass, & i Can’t receive the Eucharist
I do not think missing Mass is a mortal sin but if he has committed one that is another type of sin then I can understand his concern. However if he has sorrow for his sin that will be enough for him to determine that he can go receive Jesus. Going to Confession will cap it off but the real change in a person is his sorrow beforehand. With that in hand I believe the gentleman can still go to receive Jesus in Holy Communion with the thought he will go to Confession as soon as he can go to a Confessor. Mortal sins can lose their power over you once you experience sorrow. Once that is there you can go to Holy Communion. Of course it is good to go to Confession as soon as you can. God Bless!
Betsy is correct
I am Catholic but of the Eastern Tradition. I do not want to argue about this anymore. If you believe it to be mortal then you and Betsy live with it. My Catholic prayerbook states that mininum reception of Holy Communion is at least 10X a year. So I don’t think the Bishops will require you to go to Confession for missing the other 42. I like to see alot more people at Holy Communion. But if they are refused Holy Communion for missing Holy Communion really does not make sense. Communion is for everyone but to refuse those who miss it goes against the point why Jesus began it. I can’t judge people that way. If I did then hardly anyone will be deserving of Holy Communion. My objections earlier were just to show that it is still possible to receive Jesus in Holy Communion once you recognize the severity of your sin. You need not to go to Confession first to correct it so that you can receive Jesus. The Act of Contrition or Sorrow is enough. Then you can go to Confession when possible. But you can receive Jesus beforehand because you felt sorrow for your sin beforehand. The real change in a person is the amount of sorrow he or she experiences. Confession is useless without it. If there is Sorrow for that sin then God accepts this and you can receive Him. Then at the earliest time you can go to Confession. This is not the teaching of my own Church but the teaching of the Catholic Church. Ask your Confessor and he will tell you this. God Bless!
According to your description you are Greek Orthodox. Which is different from the Catholic Church. (though we are in closer communion then say us with Protestant Christians). There are of course Eastern Catholic Churches which are part of the Catholic Church. But we are still seeking full reunion with the Greek Orthodox Churches. (and even for those who are Eastern Catholic…the Catechism quoted goes for the entire Church)…Hopefully full reunion will come sooner than later…
I am sorry but I cannot understand what you are saying. Your words to me are a bit confusing. Just to let you know that we have the same Church. The Orthodox Church is Catholic as well. John Paul II calls us the second lung. I will quote him. " The Church must breathe again her 2 lungs. " Notice that one lung is not better than the other. No the Popes consider us as Catholic but of the Eastern Tradition. We have authority in this as well. The Eastern Church and the Catholic Church make up Christ’s one Catholic Church. Our system of theology may be different than the West in some areas but by in large we speak the same words. Any differences in each Church can help the other to better understand God and Church more fully. What we are missing you have. And what you are lacking we have. This is how God makes as a unit or as we call it The Body Of Christ. The Catholic Church is incomplete without us. And the same can be said for us. We the Orthodox are incomplete without you. Soon you will see John Paul II’s dream of a united Catholic Church be realised and even now it is coming to that effect. God Bless!
In other words, the question will eventually be decided - because it has not been decided yet.
The communion between the Catholic Church and the Orthodox is very close… very profound…but not yet full. So not yet…but you are “sister Churches”…and the hope is that the union will be restored “so that” the Church can breath “fully” with both lungs…not only the Roman Church and the Eastern Catholic Churches in full communion …but also our Sister Churches of the East…the Eastern Orthodox Churches…but we are no there yet…hopefully though…sooner than later…
I disagree with you. John Paul II is referring to us the Orthodox. You do not know your Pope to well. He is addressing those words for the Orthodox. If what you said is correct then John Paul II’s words are meaningless. For why would he say them since the Eastern Catholic Church is in Communion with him. No you are not reading his words correctly. He is addressing them to the Orthodox. We are in fact in Communion with you anyway. But the Holy Father’s words mean that for some reason we believe we are not in communion. In reality this communion really did not break up. Men decided that this was so. What the Pope want is to return back to the original relationship he had with the Orthodox before the unfortunate breakup. This original relationship is what he meant when he said the church must breathe again her 2 lungs. It has nothing to do with the Eastern Catholics. Since God believes the 2 Churches are in Communion why all the fuss about Eastern Catholics! You cannot justify Communion because the Eastern Catholics have decided to on paper to be in Communion with Rome. That does not make sense before God. The Orthodox and the Catholic Church are in fact in Communion with each other. No other statement will correct it. But because of unfortunate circumstances from the past the 2 Churches believe this not to be so. My arguement is that this Communion between the Orthodox and the Catholic Church must be resolved in an 8th Ecumenical Council to prove that this Communion was always there and men of the past be it Catholic or Orthodox distorted it to what it is today. It must be corrected. That is what John Paul II wants! God Bless!