Who may receive Holy Communion in a Catholic Church? 1. State of Grace. 1Corinth. 11:27-30 “Therefore whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord unworthily will have to answer for the body and blood of the Lord. A person should examine himself, and so eat the bread and drink the cup. For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body, eats and drinks judgment on himself. That is why many among you are ill and infirm and a considerable number are dying”. Canon. 916: A person who is conscious of grave sin is not to celebrate Mass or to receive the Body of the Lord without prior sacramental confession. 2. Fasting for One Hour. By ancient tradition Christians abstain from profane food prior to receiving the sacred food of the Eucharist. Until the Pontificate of Pope Pious XII the Eucharistic fast was from midnight. Pope Pious reduced it to three hours, and after Vatican II, Pope Paul VI reduced it to one hour. 3. Devotion and Attention. Given the infinite vale of the Lord, it should be evident that we should receive Him with great devotion, attending to our reception of Him and no to other matters. If we had the opportunity to have an intimate meeting with the President or the Pope we would not have our minds, hearts and attention wandering all over the place. How much less ought they to be when receiving Holy Communion? If it is disrespectful to the President or the Pope to ignore them while they are talking to us, how much more serious is it to ignore God when He is giving Himself to us!
Posted on: Fri, 14 Nov 2014 22:41:39 +0000
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