Catholics, when do you not take holy communion?

Question

What circumstances prevents you from taking holy communion?

Answer 1

Big sins, not little sins.

Anyone who has freely chose to separate himself totally (mortal sin) from God and the rest of the church would demean the most basic meanings of the Eucharist, thanksgiving and unity.

However once the penitent person has asked for and recieved forgiveness he is once more encouraged to recieve the Eucharist in thanksgiving and unity.

With love in Christ.

Answer 2

According to Canon Law, "Those who have been excommunicated or interdicted after the imposition or declaration of the penalty and others obsinately perservering in manifest grave sin are not to be admitted to holy communion." (Canon 915)

In common terms, you are not to be given communion if:
* you have gravely sinned and it is obvious / known
* you are participating repeatedly and knowingly in a grave sin (ie, you're a ganster and everyone knows how many people you shoot each week)
* you are formally excommunicated

Now what's important to note here is that this is an instruction to the minister GIVING communion, and most of the purpose is to either avoid public scandal or to not put the minister in the position of administering a sacrament against his/her conscience.

This has be handled very carefully - the only reason that an initiated Catholic who is still part of the church (ie, not excommunicated) should not receive communion is if he or she has committed a grave sin. This is a very personal matter and, in my opinion, is really between the individual, perhaps the parish priest (if counsel was requested outside of confession), and God.

Answer 3

Catholics are expected to make a formal confession and repent to cleanse their souls of sin before taking communion. Back in the day, Catholics were expected to fast before taking communion, but that has changed.

Answer 4

Anyone who is formally excommunicated can't receive communion. But everytime you or I commit a serious sin, we actually excommunicate ourselves.

I don't go up for communion when I am aware of serious sin that I have committed and haven't made and act of contrition and confessed it to a priest.

Or, in the case when I used to be married outside of Church to my ex-wife who was a Protestant. Because I was living with her and we were having relations outside of a true Church wedding, I knew that I was living in a state of serious sin. When I went to Mass, I used to not go up for communion out of respect for the Holy Eucharist being the body, blood, soul, and divinity of Jesus Himself. If we receive Jesus in a state of Mortal sin, we commit sacrilege against our Lord Jesus.

But after the non-Church marriage had failed, I repented and went to confession and was received back into full communion with the Church.

By the way, we are obligated to fast for at least one hour before receiving the body, blood, soul, and divinity of our Lord Jesus in the Holy Eucharist.

This link explains the teachings about the Holy Eucharist:
http://www.ewtn.com/faith/teachings/euchmenu.htm

Answer 5

i think it is important to take the holy communion as a christian.

if you have a sin - you better eat it frequently to get the strength to overcome it.

Answer 6

when you have commited a mortal sin, if you have commited one, then you are not allowed to take it, or that too, is a mortal sin..to take it again,you have to go to confession.

Answer 7

When you haven't confessed your sins.
Peace and love

Answer 8

The Roman Catholic Church believes that the Real Presence -- Body, Blood, Soul, Divinity -- of Jesus Christ is in the Most Blessed Sacrament, the Holy Eucharist we receive during the Liturgy. When the priest, acting in the very person of Christ during the Liturgy, consecrates the Host, Transubstantiation occurs, changing the Host into the Real Presence of Christ.

The Church exhorts faithful to receive Holy Communion often, even daily if possible, especially since the pontificate of Pope St. Pius X and even more so since the Second Vatican Council (1962-1965). We have an obligation to attend Sunday Mass under the penalty of mortal sin, unless a serious reason exists to dispense us from this obligation (e.g., surgery, taking care of a sick individual when no one else is available, etc). Minimally, the Church obliges us to receive Holy Comunion during Easter time.

The Church differentiates between Mortal and Venial Sin. Original Sin, which we all inherit from birth, is the result of the breach in the violation of Man's relationship with God when Adam and Eve disobeyed God out of pride in the Garden of Eden. Actual Sin, which we commit, is divided into Mortal and Venial Sin. Sin is Mortal when there exists sufficient contemplation on an act, full use of the will, and sufficient knowledge of the morality of the act. When at least one of the characteristics is missing, it is called Venial sin.

The Church does not forbid us from receiving Holy Communion when we have committed a venial sin. In fact, the act of receiving Holy Communion, with true contrition for our sins and the resolution not to sin again, grants us the pardon of our venial sins. When in a state of Mortal sin, however, the Church obliges us to refrain from receiving Holy Communion. To do so would be a sacrilege. When we sin, we have a greater inclination towards evil, a weakening of the will, and a darkening of the intellect. Such were the results of Original Sin. As for our sins, we breach our relationship with God, with the Church, and with our fellow Man. We also incur upon ourselves those consequences of Original Sin. For this reason, we are obliged to go to Confession when in a state of Mortal Sin to a priest. We do so because the Apostles were granted the Authority to forgive sins by Christ. When Christ told the Apostles that they have the authority to forgive and bind sins, it implied a confession of sins, for without these the Apostles would not know which sins to forgive and bind. It also meant they had the authority to discern whether the person was truly sorry or not, which meant whether to perform Absolution or not. In some extraordinary cases, to bind meant not only to refuse Absolution, but also excommunication. After the sin of Adam and Eve, God the Father Himself elicited a Confession of Sin from them. And one fruit of their sin was shame, guilt, and blame of each other. Here we find that alongside shame for our sins, we find a type of "freedom" from our responsibility in the sin: Adam blames God and Neighbor for his sin by saying that the Woman given to him by God had enticed him to do it; Eve in turn says that she was given the fruit by the serpent. Thus, since is the absence of love and truth, since in all honesty each sinned by their own free will; and the twofold commandment of love of God and Man was breached. Here we also find the basis for blaming God, rather than our abuse of the free will, for the evil in the world. We also find the basis of "the devil made me do it" -- all this still done in today's society to blame other things and people for our own faults rather than taking responsibility for them and proceeding to fix the problem. The priest acts in the very person of Christ and as a representative of the Church. In thus manner, we are forgiven our sins and offenses against God and our relationship with Him and the Church is restored. We have the grace to strengthen our will and, to be validly absolved of our sins, we need to be truly sorry for our sins and have a firm purpose of amendment. We ask the priest for Confession, furthermore, because for contrition for our sins it suffices not to repent of the sin and resolve to avoid the near ocasions of it in the near future, asking forgiveness from the one offended is required. Furthermore, we are asked to perform a penance as an act of reparation for our sins and as an outward sign that we are truly sorry for them and resolve to avoid it in the future. Minimally, the Church requires us to confess at least once a year during Easter time or as soon as possible when we are conscious of Mortal Sin.

Other occasions which would hinder a Catholic is excommunication due to civil marriage, heresy, schism, apostasy, or other situations. But these are extraordinary situations. The ordinary means by which one is hindered as a Catholic from receiving Holy Communion is by committing a Mortal Sin without Sacramental Confession. In some extraordinary cases, it is permitted to receive Holy Communion without Sacramental Confession, provided one has true contrition for his sins and a purpose of amendment. In these extraordinary situations, general absolution is generally provided by the priest, in which case the penitents are conditionally but validly absolved in the case that an imminent danger would potentially hinder them from confessing their sins. But an opportunity to do so would fall on the obligation of the penitent to do so, should such an opportunity arise.

As Catholics, we are expected to fast one hour before Holy Communion, as a sign of reverence and respect for the Lord. The exceptions to the fast are water and medicine. Certain circumstances such as serious illness may dispense one from this. The length of the time may be shortened or even eliminated under the circumstances.