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Catholics are not to take Communion after a divorce either until they reconcile the whole thing through the Church.
Just to clarify: divorce does not make a Catholic ineligible to receive Communion (some do think it does). And as always, the healing Sacrament of Confession is open to him or her.
I'm in a situation where I'm civily divorced, but unanulled in the Church, and civily remarried.
Just answering a question, not trying to derail thread--you answered your own question when you say that you got married without the benefit of a Decree of Nullity (anullment). IOW first marriage is valid. The Church does not teach "remarriage after divorce" and "civil" is not the Church's realm. (After an investigation, and if granted, a Decree of Nullity would declare first marriage invalid because of an existing impediment--so marriage, not re-marriage, would then be possible.) Communion is just that--"union with what the Church teaches". See your priest to help you untangle your problems.
Just to clarify: divorce does not make a Catholic ineligible to receive Communion (some do think it does). And as always, the healing Sacrament of Confession is open to him or her.
Thanks.Just curious. It sounded to me initially that you had said people in that condition could recieve communion after confession so I was curious as to where you received your info.
In returning to the thread, I don't think I have heard of anyone being denied communion as a penance. That's a new one for me.
You're right in your understanding of it. That's pretty much how we view it. It's not meant to be a punishment, but its seen as protecting your soul because you would hurt yourself more if you were receiving when you weren't spiritually ready. Also, if you were under penance, you would also be under spiritual direction, it's not like the priest says "get lost for a year and come back when you're more pious"
Yeah, I get it and I do not necessarily disagree but there is the other side of that argument that we can't battle the sin with out the grace that comes from the Eucharist and I agree with that as well.
So it goes back to, what constitutes a sin being mortal, which is intent vrs weakness or ignorance. So it's not harming to take communion if there is no mortal sin involved. But with that said, i do think priest and penitents abuse this understanding and some folks who are in a state of habitual sin should reframe becuase we can so easily trick ourselves into thinking it's weakness when it's just willful attachment.
That's when we then need counseling from our confessors and this is something we really do not have easily available in the Latin rite so we instead, confess the sin and bam, do it again and then we confess the sin and bam, we do it again. This is bad IMO becuase it leads to us being discouraged and leads us into despair.
But here is where I think we Catholics get confused.. if you confess it, you are forgiven and not are in mortal sin anymore?? Correct?
Even if you are imperfectly contrite for your mortal sin, even if you have a disposition of sorrow and you do make a firm purpose of amendment to not sin this way again, you can be forgiven... even though if it's an habitual sin you are dealing with, you need further direction but you are forgiven and you need Communion to strengthen you and give you the grace you need in order to overcome the habit... it's not like that in the EO Church?
if you confess a serious sin, you have to work on it before you can have absolution? Be released from the sin?
I don't think you will find a Catholic priest gives out non Communion as a penance to often. I know years ago I reframed from communion volunatrily during a daily Mass and the priest after the Mass asked why I did that, and I said, I think I needed to and he said, NO! we need the grace and strength from Christ to battle the flesh or something to that effect he said.
You're right in your understanding of it. That's pretty much how we view it. It's not meant to be a punishment, but its seen as protecting your soul because you would hurt yourself more if you were receiving when you weren't spiritually ready.
Also, if you were under penance, you would also be under spiritual direction, it's not like the priest says "get lost for a year and come back when you're more pious"
From our view, we would say that something could be harming your spiritual live even if you don't know it's a sin or you're not doing it on purpose, so in that sense our reasons for going to confession are a little different.
Another thing, and my guess would be this is where our understanding with this comes from, is that in our church confession and communion are -not- supposed to be linked. It's not supposed to be that you go to confession so you can go to communion, they are supposed to be separate sacraments. With that, it makes more sense that one could be absolved of all sins, and still be told that their soul is not ready to receive communion because something in their spiritual life is such that it would be harmful for them. With that said, the reality now days is that the two sacraments are very linked, so much so that I have been to a service where right before communion began a priest (not the one celebrating) came over to hear the confessions of those who were going to receive. I would never be one to say that's right or wrong (in fact it turned out to be very convenient for me as I did need to go to confession), but understanding that historical view of the sacraments I think maybe explain the penance thing.
Yes and no. I see your point. Yes, we are forgiven after confession, but it's a little different because we don't have the concept of mortal sin, so there's not a list of things that if you do it you are in mortal sin and need to go to confession. A sin is anything that prevents us from fully living as God the image of God and that harms our spiritual relationship. That's why we we actually ask forgiveness for sins that were involuntary and done in ignorance. I'm not sure, but I think in the Catholic church one cannot sin involuntarily because of the requirements that one must know a sin to be mortal in order to commit it. From our view, we would say that something could be harming your spiritual live even if you don't know it's a sin or you're not doing it on purpose, so in that sense our reasons for going to confession are a little different.
Another thing, and my guess would be this is where our understanding with this comes from, is that in our church confession and communion are -not- supposed to be linked. It's not supposed to be that you go to confession so you can go to communion, they are supposed to be separate sacraments. With that, it makes more sense that one could be absolved of all sins, and still be told that their soul is not ready to receive communion because something in their spiritual life is such that it would be harmful for them. With that said, the reality now days is that the two sacraments are very linked, so much so that I have been to a service where right before communion began a priest (not the one celebrating) came over to hear the confessions of those who were going to receive. I would never be one to say that's right or wrong (in fact it turned out to be very convenient for me as I did need to go to confession), but understanding that historical view of the sacraments I think maybe explain the penance thing.
As a disclaimer though, this is just my speculation (although I think it makes sense) as I never really had that thought until you just brought it up.
for penances yesterday I was told to say 10 Our Fathers and 10 Hail Mary's
But here is what i don't get.. if there is no mortal sin, ie, a sin that breaks your friendship with God then why do you confess? What is the purpose of the sacrament if it is not to reconcile you back to God when you choose to walk away from Him?
let's say I committed a terrible sin and I feel really sorry for it, and I go to confession, and it's absolved. The way I understand it, my soul is then clean and I can go and receive the Eucharist. If I have an attachment to a venial sin, a sinful habit, or if I'm sinning involuntarily (Zhilan, to answer your question, this is possible according to Catholic theology, but it would be venial not mortal sin), then I can confess this too and receiving the Eucharist would give me the grace I need to overcome the sinful habit. The only reason I wouldn't be able to receive Communion worthily is if I am not repentant...if I'm repentant yet haven't fully overcome that habit yet, perhaps the Eucharist would help me. So in this way, someone could be a terrible broken sinner yet - still receive the Eucharist worthily as long as they're really repentant and are asking God for the grace to improve..
So in my mind the only way receiving Communion could be harmful to your soul is if you're not repentant, or if you have unconfessed mortal sin, or if you don't have the desire to improve and simply don't care about your sins. As long as you care, no matter how messed up you are, God can use that and 'will not reject a contrite heart'...
based on what I have read in the Saints, whenever someone wanted to abstain from Communion because they felt there was too much wrong with them, their spiritual director would always urge them to receive as long as they've been to Confession and are repentant.
If someone is not at peace with their neighbour and they're about to receive Communion, I think it's a good idea to make peace, or pray for them.. maybe that's why we pray the Lord's prayer before Communion, which includes "forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us". And then we give the sign of peace to each other - maybe for reconciliation as well..
of course if someone is in a state of mortal sin they can't receive Communion, that would be bad for them and downright dangerous spiritually - as St Paul warns.. one could even get sick or die. Yet if someone HAS been to confession and IS repentant..then aren't all the conditions met?
I guess that's why I'm having trouble understanding the EO view..
if someone could help out that would be great. I've understood more of it though from your posts
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