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Q&A with Fr Flader: Communion in hospitals

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state of grace
Images by Giovanni Portelli Photography © 2024

This can be a very delicate matter. On one hand, one must respect the church’s teaching on the dispositions required for the reception of the sacrament, and on the other, he must respect the person’s sensitivity.

In answering your question, it will be helpful first to recall the church’s teaching on the dispositions required for the reception of communion. The Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches:

“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: ‘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. Let a man examine himself, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For anyone 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” (CCC 1385).

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We see here how reception of Our Lord in holy communion is a very sacred act. It is “so great and so holy a moment” because it is Christ himself whom we are receiving. As St Paul says, whoever receives unworthily is “guilty of profaning the body and blood of the Lord.” Receiving communion is not like receiving a biscuit or a donut with a cup of tea.

And the recipient must be in the state of grace. If conscious of a grave sin, they must first receive the sacrament of reconciliation. One of the grave sins they may have committed is missing Mass through their own fault.

As the catechism teaches: “The Sunday Eucharist is the foundation and confirmation of all Christian practice. For this reason the faithful are obliged to participate in the Eucharist on days of obligation, unless excused for a serious reason (for example, illness, the care of infants) or dispensed by their own pastor. Those who deliberately fail in this obligation commit a grave sin” (CCC 2181).

state of grace - The Catholic Weekly
Images by Giovanni Portelli Photography © 2024

It is good to know that the Eucharistic fast of one hour before receiving communion does not apply to the sick. According to the Code of Canon Law: “The elderly and those who are suffering from some illness, as well as those who care for them, may receive the blessed Eucharist even if within the preceding hour they have consumed something” (Can. 919, §3).

Applying this criterion in practice is not always easy. One of the constraints in a hospital setting is time. The minister cannot take a long time with any one person, because he or she has a long list of people to visit. The other is sensitivity for each person. One cannot pry unduly into a person’s spiritual life.

It goes without saying that what is not good practice is to give communion to a person without first making some enquiry as to where they are spiritually. But how is the minister to do this?

Sometimes asking whether they would like to receive communion is a good start. There will be some who show little or no interest. The minister can probe gently and often it will be because they have not been to Mass for a long time, or they don’t feel prepared.

The minister can then say that it would better not to receive it that day. He might say a prayer with them so that they feel the love of God and the church for them.

Others may show some interest, but the minister still has doubts. He might then ask where they usually go to Mass. If it is clear that they are not attending Mass, again he can suggest that it would be better not to receive Our Lord. Finally, there will always be some who are practising their faith and who avidly desire to receive communion.

In all these cases, it is good to ask the patient whether they would like to see a priest. The visit of a priest can often lead to a good confession and sometimes a profound conversion.

Before beginning the communion round, it would always be good for the minister to pray to the Holy Spirit, asking for the gift of discernment to help each person in the best possible way while respecting their conscience.

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