Eucharist: Food for the Sick, Not a Prize for the Perfect Part III: The Sacrament of Eucharist in Relation to the Sacrament of Reconciliation
Including the Introduction, this will be the fourth and final article in a series on the Sacrament of Eucharist. This week, I would like to offer a few thoughts on the relationship between 2 sacraments: Eucharist and the Sacrament of Reconciliation (confession). As a lead-in to my thoughts, I invite us to consider how a possible adjustment in terminology could be spiritually beneficial to all of us. As Catholics, we commonly use the term “going to communion,” or “receiving communion.” There is absolutely nothing wrong or incorrect about these expressions. However, I would invite us to consider a broader awareness of the reality to which these words point us. Simply put, the action is much more than going to or receiving communion. As Catholics, whenever we walk into church to celebrate this amazing sacrament, whether it be with 100 people at daily Mass or almost 1,000 people on the weekend, we enter into communion. As the Body of Christ, we enter into communion with Jesus Christ in both sacrament and in the gift of community. What a wonderful reality! We see and welcome our Savior in the faces of our brothers and sisters—and in the gift of Holy Communion. God’s desire to feed us is fulfilled in this moment in a way beyond our understanding! Therefore, in participating in what is nothing short of a miracle, it would hold that we want to be as prepared in advance as possible. This brings me to today’s topic; namely, Holy Communion in relation to the Sacrament of Reconciliation, and vice-versa. To bring us to this more specific point of focus, I would like to quote our U.S. Bishops. “As Catholics, we fully participate in the celebration of the Eucharist when we receive Holy Communion. We are encouraged to receive Communion devoutly and frequently. In order to be properly disposed to receive Communion, participants should not be conscious of grave sin and normally should have fasted for one hour. A person who is conscious of grave sin is not to receive the Body and Blood of the Lord without prior sacramental confession except for a grave reason where there is no opportunity for confession. In this case, the person is to be mindful of the obligation to make an act of perfect contrition, including the intention of confessing as soon as possible (canon 916). A frequent reception of the Sacrament of Penance is encouraged for all.” (Guidelines for the Reception of Communion. www.usccb.org) In last week’s article, I reflected back on my childhood days at Our Lady of Mercy School, staffed then by the Salesian Sisters of St. John Bosco, and ministered to by, not 1, not 2 or 3, but 4 priests. In other words, for our parish and school, there were ample opportunities to go to confession. This is simply not always the case today. There are significantly fewer priests. One does not always have the opportunity to go to confession, because a priest may not, for legitimate reasons, be available. So, then, what does one do when a “grave reason” such as this exists? We can do exactly what our Church teaches. We go to Mass, we earnestly pray an act of contrition, receive communion, and then later celebrate Reconciliation (go to confession) as soon as one is able. Some people may disagree with this, but nevertheless, it is what we teach. In my perception, there are 2 unfortunate dynamics at work in some cases: 1. Some are taught (or choose to believe) that certain sins are “grave” when they really are not; and 2. Some people are taught (or choose to believe) that “any wrong thing, grave or otherwise” should keep us from receiving communion. I caution us against these. I wanted to end this series where I began it. God loves us more than we could ever know. God calls us to genuine sorrow for our sins. What God does not call us to is to beat ourselves up about it and become scrupulous or over-analytical. Both sacraments are beautiful. Both feed us.