Sometimes at a wedding or funeral,
you may hear the priest tell the people prior to communion that only those who are baptized Catholics and
prepared to receive the Eucharist should do so. The reason for this is
two-fold.
First of all, those who are not baptized into the Catholic Church and have not made their First Communion should not receive the Eucharist because to do so indicates that they are in full communion with the Church. By receiving, they are saying publicly that they accept all of the doctrines of the Church and have prepared to receive the Eucharist, which is the “source and summit” of our Catholic faith (CCC 1324).
Secondly – those Catholics who are not prepared to receive the Eucharist – that is, they are not in a state of grace and are in a state of mortal sin, should not do so, either. The Catechism states, “Anyone conscious of a grave sin must receive the sacrament of Reconciliation before coming to communion.” (CCC 1385).
In response to the liturgical abuses being practiced by the Corinthians in the 1st Century, St. Paul, explained the importance of being properly prepared to receive our Lord Jesus’ Body and Blood in the Holy Eucharist (1 Corinthians 11:27-29). He told them, “… 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 (damnation) on himself.” In verse 30, he goes on to say to them, “That is why many among you are ill and infirmed, and a considerable number are dying.”
As Catholics, we cannot take this lightly and must always be prepared to receive out Lord by going to confession when we are in a state of mortal sin. It is of the utmost importance that be are knowledgeable of what the Eucharist is. It is nothing less than the Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of our Lord Jesus Christ (CCC 1374).
First of all, those who are not baptized into the Catholic Church and have not made their First Communion should not receive the Eucharist because to do so indicates that they are in full communion with the Church. By receiving, they are saying publicly that they accept all of the doctrines of the Church and have prepared to receive the Eucharist, which is the “source and summit” of our Catholic faith (CCC 1324).
Secondly – those Catholics who are not prepared to receive the Eucharist – that is, they are not in a state of grace and are in a state of mortal sin, should not do so, either. The Catechism states, “Anyone conscious of a grave sin must receive the sacrament of Reconciliation before coming to communion.” (CCC 1385).
In response to the liturgical abuses being practiced by the Corinthians in the 1st Century, St. Paul, explained the importance of being properly prepared to receive our Lord Jesus’ Body and Blood in the Holy Eucharist (1 Corinthians 11:27-29). He told them, “… 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 (damnation) on himself.” In verse 30, he goes on to say to them, “That is why many among you are ill and infirmed, and a considerable number are dying.”
As Catholics, we cannot take this lightly and must always be prepared to receive out Lord by going to confession when we are in a state of mortal sin. It is of the utmost importance that be are knowledgeable of what the Eucharist is. It is nothing less than the Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of our Lord Jesus Christ (CCC 1374).
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