Do You Need To Be In A State Of Grace Before You Recieve The Eucharist

[infinitelord1]

????

[Ed Normile]

Well, you can not be in a state of sin, the grace received from Absolution and Penance are required to remove that sin to receive the grace of the Sacrament of the Eucharist.

ed

[Nihil Obstat]

You must be in a state of grace to receive Communion.
For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh judgment to himself, not discerning the body of the Lord.

[Vincent Vega]

[quote name='Ed Normile' timestamp='1296623223' post='2207670']
Well, you can not be in a state of sin, the grace received from Absolution and Penance are required to remove that sin to receive the grace of the Sacrament of the Eucharist.

ed
[/quote]
Unless one makes a perfect act of contrition before receiving, with the full intent of going to confession as soon as possible.

[Ed Normile]

[quote name='USAirwaysIHS' timestamp='1296623847' post='2207674']
Unless one makes a perfect act of contrition before receiving, with the full intent of going to confession as soon as possible.
[/quote]


I think thats only if you have had no chance to make confession, in other words you can not just blow off confession to drive to Canada and throw water balloons at Nihil for fun then just say an act of contrition and promise to someday make confession.

Yes that is true how you explained it though.

ed

[Nihil Obstat]

[quote name='USAirwaysIHS' timestamp='1296623847' post='2207674']
Unless one makes a perfect act of contrition before receiving, with the full intent of going to confession as soon as possible.
[/quote]
That would only be if you've done absolutely everything in your power to get to Confession beforehand, etc.. Grave reason and all that.

[TeresaBenedicta]

[quote name='USAirwaysIHS' timestamp='1296623847' post='2207674']
Unless one makes a perfect act of contrition before receiving, with the full intent of going to confession as soon as possible.
[/quote]

Yes. True.

But I'd add two considerations:

1) A perfect act of contrition. I don't know about y'all, although I do my best to make a perfect act of contrition for each confession I make... I'm pretty sure I fall short of that almost all of, if not every, time.

2) Granted that the sacrament of penance is not nearly as available as it ought to be, it's at the very least available once a week (or the dreaded "by appointment") in most first world countries. The second condition, of "intending to go to confession as soon as possible" seems to me to refer to situations where the sacrament is [i]not[/i] typically available (consider mission areas or severe shortage of priests). If you are able to go to confession in, say, three days, I'd think that abstaining from Holy Communion until that time is most proper.

Edited February 2, 2011 by TeresaBenedicta

[Vincent Vega]

[quote name='TeresaBenedicta' timestamp='1296625638' post='2207682']
Yes. True.

But I'd add two considerations:

1) A perfect act of contrition. I don't know about y'all, although I do my best to make a perfect act of contrition for each confession I make... I'm pretty sure I fall short of that almost all of, if not every, time.

2) Granted that the sacrament of penance is not nearly as available as it ought to be, it's at the very least available once a week (or the dreaded "by appointment") in most first world countries. The second condition, of "intending to go to confession as soon as possible" seems to me to refer to situations where the sacrament is [i]not[/i] typically available (consider mission areas or severe shortage of priests). If you are able to go to confession in, say, three days, I'd think that abstaining from Holy Communion until that time is most proper.
[/quote]
These are valid points.
There are always going to be caveats, of course, and no two situations are ever the same. Ultimately, it falls to the conscience of the individual to determine whether or not he should receive (this is the sort of thing that is good to talk about with one's confessor - for instance, I had a sin that was of grave matter and habitual, and my confessor advised me to go to confession as often as I could, but if I, for some reason, was unable to get to confession (for a valid reason - not "I didn't feel like it") and there was an opportunity to receive the Eucharist, he advised that I should make an act of perfect contrition, receive, then get to confession as soon as I could, because he said that the grace that I would receive from the Eucharist would aid me in breaking the sinful habit faster than abstaining.

All that said, I would definitely give the following advice: when in doubt, [b]abstain[/b].

[infinitelord1]

So would you suggest making multiple confessions before receiving the Eucharist?

Also, isn't part of the act of contrition recognizing that you are sorry for the sins that you have mentioned as well as the ones you forget to mention (at that particular confession)?

[TeresaBenedicta]

[quote name='USAirwaysIHS' timestamp='1296626633' post='2207687']
These are valid points.
There are always going to be caveats, of course, and no two situations are ever the same. Ultimately, it falls to the conscience of the individual to determine whether or not he should receive (this is the sort of thing that is good to talk about with one's confessor - for instance, I had a sin that was of grave matter and habitual, and my confessor advised me to go to confession as often as I could, but if I, for some reason, was unable to get to confession (for a valid reason - not "I didn't feel like it") and there was an opportunity to receive the Eucharist, he advised that I should make an act of perfect contrition, receive, then get to confession as soon as I could, because he said that the grace that I would receive from the Eucharist would aid me in breaking the sinful habit faster than abstaining.

All that said, I would definitely give the following advice: when in doubt, [b]abstain[/b].
[/quote]

You're right-- there's always caveats. And I definitely agree that if this situation arises often, one should consult one's confessor. Like your confessor mentioned, the grace of receiving can be extremely beneficial to overcoming habitual sin.

[quote]So would you suggest making multiple confessions before receiving the Eucharist?

Also, isn't part of the act of contrition recognizing that you are sorry for the sins that you have mentioned as well as the ones you forget to mention (at that particular confession)?[/quote]

Er, no. I wouldn't suggest multiple confessions before receiving. What would be the need? If you confess and receive absolution, your sins are forgiven and you are returned to a state of grace. Unless, of course, one were to go to confession, then subsequently committed mortal sin prior to having received, thus requiring a return to the state of grace once more. But again, this might be a case of habitual sin, as mentioned above... and I'd recommend speaking with one's confessor about it.

And yes-- if you forget a particular sin, but you make a good confession, [i]all[/i] of your sins are forgiven. Including the ones you may have accidentally forgotten. If you remember sometime after, and it was a mortal sin, you should mention it at your next confession. But you are not obliged to go to confession for that sin in particular.

[Nihil Obstat]

[quote name='infinitelord1' timestamp='1296626768' post='2207688']
So would you suggest making multiple confessions before receiving the Eucharist?

Also, isn't part of the act of contrition recognizing that you are sorry for the sins that you have mentioned as well as the ones you forget to mention (at that particular confession)?
[/quote]
If you truly forget, they are forgiven at the absolution anyway, as long as you didn't actively withhold it.
Besides that, only mortal sins take away your state of grace. Venial sins are actually forgiven when you receive the Eucharist in a state of grace.

[infinitelord1]

[quote name='Nihil Obstat' timestamp='1296627890' post='2207695']
If you truly forget, they are forgiven at the absolution anyway, as long as you didn't actively withhold it.
Besides that, only mortal sins take away your state of grace. Venial sins are actually forgiven when you receive the Eucharist in a state of grace.
[/quote]

What if you weren't ready to mention it at that confession? But in your next confession you are ready?

[Nihil Obstat]

[quote name='infinitelord1' timestamp='1296628681' post='2207696']
What if you weren't ready to mention it at that confession? But in your next confession you are ready?
[/quote]
Do you mean that you actively withheld it at the last confession? In that case you'd have been in a state of mortal sin during the time in between.
However if you actually forgot at the last confession it was forgiven. If you want, you can confess when you have a chance next time, but it's not necessary.

[Mark of the Cross]

[quote name='Nihil Obstat' timestamp='1296623771' post='2207673']

For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh judgment to himself, not discerning the body of the Lord.
[/quote]

Q/ doesn't that only refer to the discerning or is it taken to mean any unworthily.

[Nihil Obstat]

[quote name='Mark of the Cross' timestamp='1296632704' post='2207704']
Q/ doesn't that only refer to the discerning or is it taken to mean any unworthily.
[/quote]
If I'm not mistaken, and someone will correct me if I am, we take that as meaning that those who are unworthy (i.e. in a state of mortal sin) are not discerning the body of the Lord in that they are not taking care to show the reverence He is due, which is a terrible sacrilege.

[Dave]

[quote name='Nihil Obstat' timestamp='1296628840' post='2207697']
Do you mean that you actively withheld it at the last confession? In that case you'd have been in a state of mortal sin during the time in between.
However if you actually forgot at the last confession it was forgiven. If you want, you can confess when you have a chance next time, but it's not necessary.
[/quote]

To add to what Nihil said about withholding mortal sin in confession:

If you knowingly withhold a mortal sin, then you're still in the state of mortal sin because not only are NONE of your sins forgiven, but you also commit the sin of sacrilege against the Sacrament of Penance. So in order to be truly absolved of all that, you would not only need to confess to making one or more bad confessions (however many times there were), but you'd also need to confess not just those committed since your last confession but also those committed since your last [b]valid [/b]confession.

[quote name='Nihil Obstat' timestamp='1296633126' post='2207705']
If I'm not mistaken, and someone will correct me if I am, we take that as meaning that those who are unworthy (i.e. in a state of mortal sin) are not discerning the body of the Lord in that they are not taking care to show the reverence He is due, which is a terrible sacrilege.
[/quote]

To Nihil -- I'd say you're correct.

Edited February 2, 2011 by Dave

[rkwright]

There was an interesting topic recently on PM about this. Someone posted some quotes from Trent that indicated that one neeed not go to confession before receiving - or something to that effect. It was something to do with circumstances where one should not/could not confess to their parish priest, and were awaiting a chance to confess to a visiting priest (keep in mind this is the 1500s) one could still receive communion. Where are the traddys who have trent memorized...

Like I said there was an interesting topic about it within the last 2-3 months on here.

[Nihil Obstat]

[quote name='Dave' timestamp='1296673667' post='2207821']
To add to what Nihil said about withholding mortal sin in confession:

If you knowingly withhold a mortal sin, then you're still in the state of mortal sin because not only are [b]NONE of your sins forgiven[/b], but you also commit the sin of sacrilege against the Sacrament of Penance. So in order to be truly absolved of all that, you would not only need to confess to making one or more bad confessions (however many times there were), but you'd also need to confess not just those committed since your last confession but also those committed since your last [b]valid [/b]confession.
[/quote]
I was pretty sure this was the case, but I didn't want to overstep my competency in sacramental theology, which is basic at best.

[Mark of the Cross]

The story of Judas Iscariot is always an interesting one in regard to the Eucharist. From what I have read (nothing official) Judas took the Eucharist at the last supper. Jesus did not not refuse, nor pass judgement. Judas took the Eucharist unworthily without discerning and passed judgement on himself. He hung himself as a result.

[Nihil Obstat]

[quote name='Mark of the Cross' timestamp='1296770653' post='2208321']
The story of Judas Iscariot is always an interesting one in regard to the Eucharist. From what I have read (nothing official) Judas took the Eucharist at the last supper. Jesus did not not refuse, nor pass judgement. Judas took the Eucharist unworthily without discerning and passed judgement on himself. He hung himself as a result.
[/quote]
Interesting to note though: right up to the end, Judas could have repented. I have a personal belief that if he had done so, he would have been among the greatest of the saints.