Do you still have to be in a state of grace to receive Communion and how is this marriage invalid?
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Let me give you some background on myself. I am a 37-year-old woman who
went to Catholic school for 12 years; I am married
but have no children. I was raised Catholic but haven't been practicing in
years.
I was told that the rule about being in God's grace
to receive Communion doesn't exist anymore. In other words, previously, if you had any mortal sins (such as
missing Mass) you couldn't receive Holy Communion until you
had been to Confession. I was told this
rule no longer exists.
Is this true?
And, if so, what happened to all the people who went
to Hell for this reason?
Do they get out or,
Do they realize they were mistaken
and therefore never went to Hell in the first place?
Thanks!
Ann
{
Do you still have to be in a state of grace to receive Communion and how is this marriage invalid? }
Mike
replied:
Dear Ann,
You said: I was told that the rule about being in God's grace
to receive Communion doesn't exist anymore. In other words, previously, if you had any mortal sins (such as
missing Mass) you couldn't receive Holy Communion until you
had been to Confession. I was told this
rule no longer exists.
Is this true?
What! Who ever told you, you don't have to be in a state
of grace to receive Holy Communion, is nuts!
If you missed Mass, without a good reason, or if
you miss Mass with the willful intent of no going
to Mass, it is a mortal sin and must be confessed. If you can't get to Confession before Mass time, just refrain from receiving the Eucharist and say a Spiritual Communion in the pew.
Spiritual Communion
O Lord Jesus, I believe that You are present in the Most Blessed Sacrament of the Altar.
I love you above all things, (with all my mind, with all my heart, and with all my soul).
I love you because you are infinitely good and worthy of all my love.
Since I cannot receive You now sacramentally, at least come spiritually into my heart.
I embrace myself entirely to You and unite myself wholly to You.
Never permit me to be separated from You.
Come Lord Jesus and glorify Yourself through my weak, broken body.
Amen.
You said:
And, if so, what happened to all the people who went
to Hell for this reason?
Do they get out
The Church has never declared, nor will ever declare,
whether someone has gone to Hell.
At our particular judgment, when we die, our eternity
is fixed in either:
eternal life, or
eternal death.
Also remember, for sin to be mortal it has to meet three criteria:
it must be grave matter
there must be sufficient knowledge, and
it must be done with full consent of the will.
If one of those criteria is missing, a mortal sin has not been committed.
"No, that was under Vatican II. Things have
changed!"
Is there a way to get into God's grace again without
going to Confession?
Also, while I have your attention, another question
that has always puzzled me has to do with an acquaintance
of mine.
She got an annulment after 20 years of marriage and raising three children.
They got the annulment years after a divorce in
order to get re-married. My questions are:
How can a marriage not have existed if the couple
were together 20 years and brought up three children
to adulthood together?
What about the children?
If the marriage was invalid or didn't exist, were
they born out of wedlock?
Thanks again for your time,
Anonymous
Mike
replied:
Hi, Anonymous —
Your friend said: No, that was under Vatican II.
Things have changed!
Not that much : )
You said:
Is there a way to get into God's grace again without
going to Confession?
For a Catholic, all known mortal sins have to be
confessed in Confession, but it's no big thing.
Personally, I love this sacrament because, God
himself, strengthens my soul so I can beat the Hell out of satan better.
Is there any reason you don't
want to go?
Most, if not all, parishes have Confessions
every Saturday afternoon. For fathers and/or mothers
reading this post, make it a family affair!
Re: Your acquaintance's annulment situation.
I've heard of situations like this and each case
will vary from case to case with various nuances.
What it comes down to is trusting the Church to discern
a valid marriage from one that never existed.
Here is what the Catechism of the Catholic Church states:
1625 The parties to a marriage covenant are a
baptized man and woman, free to contract marriage,
who freely express their consent; to be free means:
not being under constraint;
not impeded by any natural or ecclesiastical
law.
1626 The Church holds the exchange of consent
between the spouses to be the indispensable element
that makes the marriage.(Code of Canon Law, canon 1057 § 1.) If consent
is lacking there is no marriage.
1627 The consent consists in a human act
by which the partners mutually give themselves
to each other: I take you to be my
wife - I take you to be my husband.(Vatican II, Gaudium et spes 48 § 1; Ordo celebrandi Matrimonium 45; cf. Code of Canon Law, canon 1057 § 2.) This consent that binds the spouses to each other
finds its fulfillment in the two becoming
one flesh. (Genesis 2:24; cf. Matthew 10:8; Ephesians 5:31)
1628 The consent must be an act of the will of
each of the contracting parties, free of coercion
or grave external fear. (cf. Code of Canon Law, canon 1103.) No human power can substitute
for this consent. (cf. Code of Canon Law, canon 1057 § 1.) If this freedom is lacking
the marriage is invalid.
1629 For this reason (or for other reasons that
render the marriage null and void) the Church,
after an examination of the situation by the competent
ecclesiastical tribunal, can declare the nullity
of a marriage, i.e., that the marriage never existed. (cf. Code of Canon Law, canons 1095-1107.) In this case the contracting parties are free to
marry, provided the natural obligations of a previous
union are discharged. (cf. Code of Canon Law, canon 1071.)
1630 The priest (or deacon) who assists at the
celebration of a marriage receives the consent
of the spouses in the name of the Church and gives
the blessing of the Church. The presence of the
Church's minister (and also of the witnesses) visibly
expresses the fact that marriage is an ecclesial
reality.
1631 This is the reason why the Church normally
requires that the faithful contract marriage according
to the ecclesiastical form. Several reasons converge
to explain this requirement: (cf. Council of Trent: DS 1813-1816;Code of Canon Law, canon 1108.)
Sacramental marriage is a liturgical act. It
is therefore appropriate that it should be celebrated
in the public liturgy of the Church;
Marriage introduces one into an ecclesial order,
and creates rights and duties in the Church between
the spouses and towards their children;
Since marriage is a state of life in the Church,
certainty about it is necessary (hence the obligation
to have witnesses);
The public character of the consent protects
the I do once given and helps the spouses
remain faithful to it.
1632 So that the I do of the spouses
may be a free and responsible act and so that the
marriage covenant may have solid and lasting human
and Christian foundations, preparation for marriage
is of prime importance.
The example and teaching given by parents and
families remain the special form of this preparation.
The role of pastors and of the Christian community
as the family of God is indispensable
for the transmission of the human and Christian
values of marriage and family, (cf. Code of Canon Law, canon 1063.) and much more
so in our era when many young people experience
broken homes which no longer sufficiently assure
this initiation:
It is imperative to give suitable and timely
instruction to young people, above all in the heart
of their own families, about the dignity of married
love, its role and its exercise, so that, having
learned the value of chastity, they will be able
at a suitable age to engage in honorable courtship
and enter upon a marriage of their own. (Vatican II, Gaudium et spes 49 § 3.)
You said:
What about the children?
If the marriage was invalid or didn't exist, were
they born out of wedlock?
My colleague Eric, addressed your question on the
children in this posting:
