291. What is required to receive Holy Communion? (part 2 continuation)

291. What is required to receive Holy Communion? (part 2 continuation) 

(Comp 291 repetition) To receive Holy Communion one must be fully incorporated into the Catholic Church and be in the state of grace, that is, not conscious of being in mortal sin. Anyone who is conscious of having committed a grave sin must first receive the sacrament of Reconciliation before going to Communion. Also important for those receiving Holy Communion are a spirit of recollection and prayer, observance of the fast prescribed by the Church, and an appropriate disposition of the body (gestures and dress) as a sign of respect for Christ.

“In brief”

(CCC 1415) Anyone who desires to receive Christ in Eucharistic communion must be in the state of grace. Anyone aware of having sinned mortally must not receive communion without having received absolution in the sacrament of penance.  

To deepen and explain

(CCC 1387) To prepare for worthy reception of this sacrament, the faithful should observe the fast required in their Church (Cf. CIC, can. 919). Bodily demeanor (gestures, clothing) ought to convey the respect, solemnity, and joy of this moment when Christ becomes our guest. (CCC 1388) It is in keeping with the very meaning of the Eucharist that the faithful, if they have the required dispositions (cf. CIC, can 916), receive communion when they participate in the Mass (Cf. CIC, can. 917; The faithful may receive the Holy Eucharist only a second time on the same day cf. AAS 76 (1984) 746-747). As the Second Vatican Council says: "That more perfect form of participation in the Mass whereby the faithful, after the priest's communion, receive the Lord's Body from the same sacrifice, is warmly recommended" (SC 55). 

On reflection

(CCC 1389) The Church obliges the faithful "to take part in the Divine Liturgy on Sundays and feast days" and, prepared by the sacrament of Reconciliation, to receive the Eucharist at least once a year, if possible during the Easter season (OE 15; CIC, can. 920). But the Church strongly encourages the faithful to receive the holy Eucharist on Sundays and feast days, or more often still, even daily. (CCC 1390) Since Christ is sacramentally present under each of the species, communion under the species of bread alone makes it possible to receive all the fruit of Eucharistic grace. For pastoral reasons this manner of receiving communion has been legitimately established as the most common form in the Latin rite. But "the sign of communion is more complete when given under both kinds, since in that form the sign of the Eucharistic meal appears more clearly" (GIRM 240). This is the usual form of receiving communion in the Eastern rites. [END]

(Next question: What are the fruits of Holy Communion?)