What is the 2nd sacrament Catholics receive?

Answer 1

The answer depends, in large part, upon the sui iuris(self-governing) church which a person attends; i.e. The Roman Catholic Church consists of twenty-three distinct sui iurischurches - The Latin church being one, the twenty-two other being Eastern Catholic churches; i.e. Coptic and Ethiopian (which follow the Alexandrian rite), Syro-Malankara, Maronite and Syrian (which follow the Antiochian rite), Albanian, Belarussian, Bulgarian, Greek, Hungarian, Italo-Albanian, Krinevci, Macedonian, Melkite, Romanian, Russian, Ruthenian, Slovak and Ukrainian (which follow the Byzantine rite), Chaldean and Syro-Malabar (which follow the Chaldean rite), and the Armenian church (which follows the Armenian rite).

In the Latin Church

In the Latin Church, baptism precedes all sacraments (i.e. it's first - see can. 842 below), usually followed secondly by reception of Communion at the age of reason, and then later followed thirdly by confirmation.

Since one ought to be in a state of grace before reception of Communion, if those who have been baptized and attained the age reason (seven) are aware of having committed grave sin before having first Communion, then they ought to seek to receive the sacrament of Penance before Communion. This would make Penance the second sacrament received, followed by Eucharist as the third; i.e.

First penance. The law presumes that a child reaches the use of reason at age seven. Therefore, children should be prepared for first Communion at this age so that they may receive the sacrament 'as soon as possible.' Canon 914 implies that there also should be some preparation for the sacrament of penance before first Communion so that the children may realistically avail themselves of the sacrament of penance. However, if parents believe their child is not ready for the sacrament of penance, first Communion should not be denied to the young child on the presumption that the child is not in a state of mortal sin. (Huels 2009, 98)

For children of the age of reason and adults being received into the Latin church for the first time, the norms of RCIC and RCIA provide for all three sacraments of initiation (baptism, eucharist and confirmation) to be received at once.

More specifically, in the Latin Church, the following codes of canon law are normative:

can. 842 §1. A person who has not received baptism cannot be admitted validly to the other sacraments.

§2. The sacraments of baptism, confirmation, and the Most Holy Eucharist are interrelated in such a way that they are required for full Christian initiation.

can. 843 §1. Sacred ministers cannot deny the sacraments to those who seek them at appropriate times, are properly disposed, and are not prohibited by law from receiving them.

can. 912 Any baptized person not prohibited by law can and must be admitted to holy communion.

can. 913 §1. The administration of the Most Holy Eucharist to children requires that they have sufficient knowledge and careful preparation so that they understand the mystery of Christ according to their capacity and are able to receive the body of Christ with faith and devotion.

§2. The Most Holy Eucharist, however, can be administered to children in danger of death if they can distinguish the body of Christ from ordinary food and receive communion reverently.

can. 914 It is primarily the duty of parents and those who take the place of parents, as well as the duty of pastors, to take care that children who have reached the use of reason are prepared properly and, after they have made sacramental confession, are refreshed with this divine food as soon as possible. It is for the pastor to exercise vigilance so that children who have not attained the use of reason or whom he judges are not sufficiently disposed do not approach holy communion.

In the Twenty-two Eastern Churches

In the Eastern churches, all three sacraments of initiation (baptism, confirmation and Eucharist) are usually received at once, in or near infancy.

Since the twenty-two sui iuris Eastern Catholic churches are in union with Rome, their members have access, and are welcomed to, the sacraments in the Latin Church, notably including the Eucharist. Since Eastern Catholics usually receive Eucharist starting in infancy, Eastern Catholic children clearly under the age of reason (or seven) may approach and receive Eucharist at a Latin rite Mass. Here, pastoral prudence and common sense simply dictate that the Eastern Catholic parents let the Latin parish priest know, so that their children will not be turned away, on account of their young age, from receiving Communion.

REFERENCES

Code of Canon Law: New English Translation. Washington, DC: Canon Law Society of America, 1998.

Huels, John M. The Pastoral Companion: A Canon Law Handbook for Catholic Ministry, 4th ed. Montreal, Canada: Wilson & Lafleur, 2009.

Answer 2

First Eurcharist