see Bishop's preparation at the link below:
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NB. It is worth adding that one should make an examination of conscience to recall if we have sinned against God or man since our last confession. If our sin is not grave we should at least say an act of contrition and make the sign of the cross with holy water (this is usually done when entering the church; holy water is a sacramental that absolves venial sin). If we have sinned gravely we must confess our sins to a priest in the sacrament of confession before approaching the altar to receive Our Lord in Holy Communion.
By receiving the sacrament of reconciliation, to eliminate mortal sins and then to fast from food or drink (excluding water) for 1 hour before; unless you are pregnant, nursing, below the age of reason, or over 65.
Catholic AnswerPreparation for Holy Communion should start the day before, one should be in a state of grace, so it is always advisable to go to Confession. Even if you are not aware of any mortal sin, the grace of the Sacrament is one of the best ways to prepare to receive Our Blessed Lord in Holy Communion. One should be fasting at least one hour previously to reception (except if you are sick at home or a hospital and someone is bringing you Holy Communion, then a fifteen minute fast is required). One should be aware of Whom one is receiving in Holy Communion, prepare yourself as well as you can by paying attention to the readings and homily; participate in the prayers, offer yourself up on the paten when the priest offers the bread. And finally, to be truly humble and grateful that Almighty God has condescended to come to you with His Grace..
Catholic AnswerIn response to the question, "how should one prepare to receive Holy Communion," I refer you to paragraphs 1384 and 1385 of the Catechism of the Catholic Church which states: 1384"The Lord addresses an invitation to us, urging us to receive him in the sacrament of the Eucharist: "Truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of man and drink his blood, you have no life in you." (Jn 6:53)1385 "To respond to this invitation we must prepare ourselves for so great and so holy a moment. St. Paul urges us to examine our conscience: "Whosoever, 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. Let a man examine himself, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For any one who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment upon himself." (1 Cor 11:27-29) Anyone conscious of a grave sin must receive the sacrament of Reconciliation before coming to communion."
To further illustrate the point of preparing oneself prior to participating in the sacrament of the Eucharist, consider the words of His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI and of His Holiness John Paul II.
"Despite our weakness and sin, Christ wants to make his dwelling place in us. This is why we must do everything in our power to receive him with a pure heart, continuously rediscovering through the Sacrament of forgiveness that purity which sin has stained, "that [our] minds be attuned to [our] voices" (cf. Sacrosanctum Concilium, n. 11),"
~ Homily of His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI, Foconi Hall, Sunday, 22 June 2008
37. "The two sacraments of the Eucharist and Penance are very closely connected. Because the Eucharist makes present the redeeming sacrifice of the Cross, perpetuating it sacramentally, it naturally gives rise to a continual need for conversion, for a personal response to the appeal made by Saint Paul to the Christians of Corinth: "We beseech you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God." (2 Cor 5:20). If a Christians' conscience is burdened by serious sin, then the path of penance through the sacrament of Reconciliation becomes necessary for full participation in the Eucharistic Sacrifice."
~ Encyclical Letter, Ecclesia De Eucharistia, of His Holiness Pope John Paul II
Firstly you would need to confess your sins. This puts you in a State of Grace.
Secondly, you would need to make sure you don't commit those same sins after Confession and before you take Communion.
This means that if you have relations with someone your not married to, and continue to do so after your Confession, your no longer in a State of Grace.
If you consciously commit any sin after Confession, but before Communion, your not in a State of Grace.
Thirdly, you need to realize that your accepting the Body and Blood of Our Lord Jesus Christ. This requires Reflection and Prayer. Your heart, mind and sould needs to be ready to accept Christ each and every time.
The term 'taking communion' is Protestant. Catholics receive communion, they do not take it. It is a gift of God, freely given, so there is no need to 'take' it. One should examine ones conscience to make sure he/she is receiving communion worthily. Also, communion should be received within a Catholic Mass or a sanctioned communion service. One should fast for at least one hour before receiving communion.
You are required to be in a state of grace (have no mortal {serious} sin on your soul, you must have been fasting for one hour, and you should make a good preparation for some time before Mass, and a Thanksgiving after Mass.
You pray, examine your conscience, and if needed, go to confession.
One word, openness.
No, a Catholic should not receive communion in anything but a Catholic Church.
Yes. You should only receive Communion once a day, but Saturday and Sunday are two separate days, so you can receive Communion at the Saturday vigil mass and the Sunday mass.
You may never "take" Holy Communion, you may only "receive" Holy Communion. You should receive Holy Communion as frequently as you can, while you are in a state of grace, and have been fasting. You may not receive Holy Communion more than twice a day, and the second time only if you have been to an entire Mass. If you are not in a state of grace, or are not fasting, or have already received Holy Communion that day, you should never receive.
Yes, if you attempted to participate in an Anglican Communion service, you have technically committed apostasy! You should not receive Holy Communion until you have been to confession.
The Church of England allows Catholics, and I presume others, to receive communion out of a "spirit of Ecumenism." Whilst they allow this, a Catholic should not partake of communion with any "church" which is not in communion with Rome; as to do so, is an explicit consent to the believes and teachings of said "church." Please see the link below for a full explanation as to why it is wrong for Catholics to receive communion in a Church not in communion with Rome.
When waiting in line to receive Holy Communion, each person should be quietly respectful and reverent. We should be thinking about what it means that Christ broke bread, blessed the bread and wine, and shared it with his disciples, saying "This is my Body and Blood, Do this in remembrance of Me,"
One should never receive Holy Communion more than once per week; otherwise there is a danger of becoming "Holier than Thou." Persons receiving Holy Communion with greater frequency tend to become devout, and once that happens there's just no living with them!
Traditionally only communicants (those receiving communion) should process and present themselves to the Priest or Eucharistic Minister. Sometimes those not eligible to receive communion process and they cross their arms to signify that they should not be offered communion. If a priest is distributing communion they may say a quick blessing on the person. This started when parents did not want to leave young children in the pews and so brought them forward. Most churches prefer that only communicants process as this speeds up communion.
-If you have committed a mortal sin and haven't gone to confession yet. -If you have not fasted enough. -If you aren't of the right age to receive Holy Communion. -If you don't believe in the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist.
Reconciliation and Eucharist should both be received frequently, but Holy Communion, in the Eucharist, should only be received worthily (as in, you've been to Confession and prepared to receive Our Blessed Savior). To just receive Holy Communion, if you are not in a state of grace and not prepared is worse than useless, it is down right harmful and St. Paul warns us of this.
This is a difficult question to dissect. I think what you mean is that a Catholic gets married to a Non-Catholic in a Civil Ceremony and then sometime later wants to receive Communion. Any Catholic can receive Communion and should, as long as they are not aware of any mortal sin. In this situation, Catholics must be married in the Catholic Church or receive a dispensation to be married elsewhere. If this is not done, it is a grave offense (mortal sin) and a confession is required before going to Communion again.
A priest from our parish said that one must be there at least in time for the Our Father to receive Holy Communion, but, in reality, you probably won't be denied Holy Communion if you arrived after the Our Father. Although you should not really even approach to receive if you are that late. If you have arrived that late, and it is a Sunday, you must either attend another Mass to fulfill your obligation or confess before receiving Holy Communion, as it is a mortal sin to miss a Sunday or Holy Day of Obligation Mass.