Deacon's Corner: Who should not receive Holy Communion?
February 19, 2023, 12:00 PM
The largest group of those “denied” Holy Communion are those in invalid marriages. This is usually due to one or both of the spouses having been married before. Jesus teaches that divorce and remarriage amounts to a state of ongoing adultery (Matthew 5:32; Matthew 19:9; Mark 10:11-12; Luke 16:18). Unless the previous marriage was annulled (Church provided a Declaration of Nullity), a person in such a marriage is instructed not to receive Holy Communion until the matter is resolved. Pastors may instruct others to not present themselves for Holy Communion. These situations are usually due to manifest persistence in mortal sin or serious dissent from Church teachings such as abortion, euthanasia, same-sex marriage, etc. These matters are usually handled privately and not in the line for Holy Communion. “Denied” is in quotes because the Church does not deny people Holy Communion. People, through manifest persistence in mortal sin or serious dissent from Church teachings, exclude themselves from Holy Communion. Recall St Paul says, “Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of profaning the body and blood of the Lord… For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment upon himself” (1 Corinthians 11:27-29). This tells us that if a person discerns he or she is in a state of mortal sin or is in ongoing dissent from Church teachings, that person must not receive Holy Communion. Many people have too easily slipped away from the Sacrament of Penance or adopted worldly judgments on key moral issues. So, it is really an act of charity for the Church to warn such people about unworthy reception of Holy Communion. Now you know!