Eucharistic discipline
| Part of a series on the |
| Eucharist |
|---|
 |
Eucharistic discipline is the term applied to the regulations and practices associated with an individual preparing for the reception of the Eucharist. Different Christian traditions require varying degrees of preparation, which may include a period of fasting, prayer, repentance, and confession.
Anglican practice
From the 1979 Book of Common Prayer of the Episcopal Church in the United States:
The Holy Eucharist is the sacrament commanded by Christ for the continual remembrance of his life, death, and resurrection, until his coming again. The Eucharist, the Church's sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving, is the way by which the sacrifice of Christ is made present, and in which he unites us to his one offering of himself. The Holy Eucharist is called the Lord's Supper, and Holy Communion; it is also known as the Divine Liturgy, the Mass, and the Great Offering.
The outward and visible sign in the Eucharist is bread and wine, given and received according to Christ's command. The inward and spiritual grace in the Holy Communion is the Body and Blood of Christ given to his people, and received by faith. The benefits we receive are the forgiveness of our sins, the strengthening of our union with Christ and one another, and the foretaste of the heavenly banquet which is our nourishment in eternal life.
Prior to receiving the Eucharist, it is required that we should examine our lives, repent of our sins, and be in love and charity with all people.
Catholic practice
 |
| Part of a series on the |
| Canon law of the Catholic Church |
|---|
|
Catholicism portal |
Sufficient spiritual preparation must be made by each
As of all the sacred mysteries…none can compare with the…Eucharist, so likewise for no crime is there heavier punishment to be feared from God than for the unholy or irreligious use by the faithful of that which...contains the very Author and Source of holiness. (De Euch., v.i).
The above applies to both
Latin Church
In addition, one abstains from food and drink (except water and medicine) for at least one hour before receiving. The discipline for Eastern Catholics generally requires a longer period of fasting and some Latin Catholics observe the earlier (pre-1955) discipline of fasting from the previous midnight.
The 1917 Code of Canon Law mandated a Eucharistic Fast from midnight until the reception of Holy Communion; this fast requires abstention from both food and liquids, inclusive of water.[3] It was required for those aged twenty-one to sixty.[3] As such, “Those who have not kept the natural fast from midnight are not allowed to receive, except in danger of death, or in case it should become necessary to consume the Blessed Sacrament to safeguard it against irreverence.”[3] On 6 January 1953, Pope Pius XII provided a dispensation in which the sick could take liquids during this time, though alcohol was strictly forbidden; the dispensation also allowed priests to consume liquids if they were offering the sacrifice of the Holy Mass after 9 am, engaged in "onerous work of the sacred ministry (for example, from early in the morning or for a long time)," or after a long journey.[3]
The present-day
- Can. 916: A person who is conscious of grave sin is not to celebrate Mass or receive the body of the Lord without previous sacramental confession unless there is a grave reason and there is no opportunity to confess; in this case the person is to remember the obligation to make an act of perfect contrition which includes the resolution of confessing as soon as possible.
- Can. 919: §1. A person who is to receive the Most Holy Eucharist is to abstain for at least one hour before holy communion from any food and drink, except for only water and medicine.
- §2. A priest who celebrates the Most Holy Eucharist two or three times on the same day can take something before the second or third celebration even if there is less than one hour between them.
- §3. The elderly, the infirm, and those who care for them can receive the Most Holy Eucharist even if they have eaten something within the preceding hour.[4]
Eastern Catholic Churches
The rules regarding fasting, prayer and other works of piety are set by each church sui iuris and the faithful should follow those rules wherever taking Communion.[5] The rules of the Eastern Catholic Churches of Byzantine tradition correspond to those of the Eastern Orthodox Church, as detailed in the next section.[citation needed]
Eastern Orthodox practice
One who communes infrequently must go to confession beforehand, while one who communes on a regular basis does confess, but the frequency varies by local custom. However, for those who are mentally or physically incapable of communicating their sins to a priest, absolution is given without confessing, and for babies and young children even absolution is dispensed with.
Additional Russian practices
In some parts of the Russian church, there is a custom before receiving holy communion that, in addition to reading the evening and morning prayers and attending vespers the night before, reading three devotional canons and an akathist. The canons are usually to Christ, the Theotokos and the guardian angel. There is a custom, among those who have the liturgical resources, to chant the following canons according to the day of the week:
- On a Monday: Canon to the Lord, the Theotokos, the Archangels, and if he so desire, the Guardian Angel
- On a Tuesday: Canon to Lord, the Theotokos, the Forerunner, and the Guardian Angel
- On a Wednesday: Canon to the Cross, the Theotokos, and the Guardian Angel
- On a Thursday: Canon to the Lord, the Theotokos, the Guardian Angel, the Apostles and, if he so desire, Saint Nicholas
- On a Friday: Canon to the Cross, the Theotokos, and the Guardian Angel
- On a Saturday: Canon to the Lord, the Theotokos, the Guardian Angel, and All Saints
- On a Sunday: Canon to the Lord, the Theotokos, and the Guardian Angel
For Pascha (Easter) and Bright Week, this requirement is usually relaxed.
Prayers before and after communion
In all Orthodox churches, special prayers before and after communion are recited by the faithful before and after the Eucharist. In current practice, at least a portion of the pre-communion prayers are often recited during the divine liturgy. These prayers express humility and the communicants' sense of unworthiness for the gift they are about to receive. The post-Communion prayers are often read aloud by a reader or a member of the congregation after the liturgy and during the veneration of the cross, these prayers of thanksgiving expressing the communicants' joy at having received the holy mysteries "for the healing of soul and body".
Irvingian practice
The
The fundamental prerequisites for partaking worthily of Holy Communion are belief and a repentant heart filled with longing for salvation. Although unbelief does not render the sacrament invalid, faith is the prerequisite for it to serve for blessing and salvation. Unbelief in receiving the sacrament can be related to the words in 1 Corinthians 11: 29: "For he who eats and drinks in an unworthy manner eats and drinks judgement to himself, not discerning the Lord's body." Those who are indifferent to the suffering and death of Christ or who merely make a habit of the celebration of the sacrament, and partake of Holy Communion in this manner, run the risk of doing so unworthily.[8]
Lutheran practice
In the
Lutherans are taught to prepare to receive this sacrament through prayerful reflection upon their sinful nature, their need for a Savior, the promise that their sins are forgiven for the sake of Jesus' death on the Cross, and that the Eucharist gives this forgiveness to them. "Fasting and bodily preparation are indeed a fine outward training," Martin Luther said, "but he is truly worthy and well prepared who has faith in these words, 'given and shed for you for the forgiveness of sins.'"[9]
As such, many Lutherans receive the sacrament of penance before partaking of the Eucharist.[10][11]
The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, the largest Lutheran denomination in the United States, practices open communion, offering the Eucharist to adults without receiving catechetical instruction, provided they are baptized and believe in the Real Presence.[12]
Some Lutherans practice closed communion, and require catechetical instruction for all people before receiving the Eucharist.[13][14][15] Failing to do so is condemned by these Lutherans as the sin of "unionism".[16] These Lutheran denominations restrict communicants to members of their own Synod and those churches and Synods with whom they share "altar and pulpit fellowship", which may mean excluding even other Lutherans from Eucharistic reception.
The timing of
Methodist practice
The Doctrines and Discipline of the Methodist Church specifies that "Upon entering the church let the communicants bow in prayer and in the spirit of prayer and meditation approach the Blessed Sacrament."
In many Methodist
Oriental Orthodox practice
In
Pope Dionysius of Alexandria taught that with regard to menstruating women that "not even they themselves, being faithful and pious, would dare when in this state either to approach the Holy Table or to touch the Body and Blood of Christ."[21] As such, Oriental Orthodox Christian women, such as those belonging to the Coptic Orthodox Church, are not permitted to receive Holy Communion while they are menstruating.[21]
In the
Presbyterian practice
Among Presbyterians, there is neither requirement, nor prohibition, of any of the traditional understandings of what it means to "make ready": it is left to local custom. In modern times, there is no uniform practice of earlier patterns of fasting, public or private prayer, or the preparatory service (Vespers).
However, the Westminster Larger Catechism has rather extensive instructions on how those who "receive the sacrament of the Lord's supper are, before they come, to prepare themselves unto..." Specifically, they are to prepare "by examining themselves of their being in Christ, of their sins and wants; of the truth and measure of their knowledge, faith, repentance; love to God and the brethren, charity to all men, forgiving those that have done them wrong; of their desires after Christ, and of their new obedience; and by renewing the exercise of these graces, by serious meditation, and fervent prayer."[23]
Therefore, the Presbyterian Church in America's Directory for the Worship of God advises that a week's notice be given to the congregation prior to the administration of the Lord's supper: "It is proper that public notice should be given to the congregation, at least the Sabbath before the administration of this ordinance, and that, either then, or on some day of the week, the people be instructed in its nature, and a due preparation for it, that all may come in a suitable manner to this holy feast."[24]
The Westminster Larger Catechism also provides extensive instructions on "what is required of them that receive the sacrament of the Lord's supper" during and after its administration.[25]
Sedevacantist practice
The Congregation of Mary Immaculate Queen (CMRI), a sedavacantist religious group, teaches that the Eucharistic Fast consists of means fasting from food and alcohol three hours prior to receiving Holy Communion, and though not obligatory, members of the sect are "urged to observe the Eucharistic fast" from midnight on a day until the time that they receive communion.[30]
Jansenist practice
Jansenists were a theological group part of the Roman Catholic church starting in the 1600s. They believed that Holy Communion should be received very infrequently, and that reception required much more than freedom from mortal sin instead arguing that a high degree of perfection, including purification from attachment to venial sin, was necessary before approaching the sacrament of the Eucharist.
See also
- Thanksgiving after Communion
- Open communion
- Closed communion
- Spiritual Communion
Notes
- ^ a b Gavitt, Loren Nichols (1991). Saint Augustine's Prayer Book. Holy Cross Publications.
- ^ "Codex Canonum Ecclesiarum orientalium, die XVIII Octobris anno MCMXC - Ioannes Paulus PP. II | Ioannes Paulus II". www.vatican.va. Retrieved 2023-04-26.
- ^ a b c d Carota, Peter (7 February 2014). "Holy Communion Fast For Traditional Catholics". Traditional Catholic Priest. Archived from the original on 15 April 2021. Retrieved 15 April 2021.
- ^ Code of Canon Law. Retrieved 21 November 2018.
- ^ "Codex Canonum Ecclesiarum orientalium, die XVIII Octobris anno MCMXC - Ioannes Paulus PP. II | Ioannes Paulus II". www.vatican.va. Retrieved 2023-04-26.
- ^ "The Fasting Rule of the Orthodox Church". www.abbamoses.com. Retrieved 2023-04-26.
- ^ "Orthodox Women and Pastoral Praxis: Observations and Concerns for the Church in America". Archived from the original on 2006-02-17. Retrieved 2005-10-09.
- ^ a b "8.2.18 The prerequisites for partaking in Holy Communion". New Apostolic Church. 18 December 2020. Retrieved 8 February 2021.
- ^ Martin Luther, Dr. Martin Luther's Small Catechism (St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1971), 21, Small Catechism 6.3.
- ^ Richard, James William (1909). The Confessional History of the Lutheran Church. Lutheran Publication Society. p. 113.
In the Luthearn Church, private confession was at first voluntary. Later, in portions of the Lutheran Church, it was made obligatory, as a test of orthodoxy, and as a preparation of the Lord's Supper.
- ISBN 9789004166417.
The North German church ordinances of the late 16th century all include a description of private confession and absolution, which normally took place at the conclusion of Saturday afternoon vespers, and was a requirement for all who desired to commune the following day.
- ^ At what age do ELCA congregations allow members their first Communion?. Retrieved 2010-01-18.
- ^ "Closed Communion" @ www.lcms.org[permanent dead link]. Retrieved 2010-01-18.
- ^ "Lord of Life Lutheran Church". www.lordlife.org. Retrieved 2023-04-26.
- ^ ELS Closed Communion Archived 2009-12-13 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2010-01-18.
- ^ Christian Encyclopedia: Unionism Archived 2010-04-06 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2010-01-18.
- ^ The Doctrines and Discipline of the Methodist Church. Nashville, Tennessee: The Methodist Publishing House. 1960. p. 522.
- ^ ISBN 978-1-4969-5704-7.
- Evangelical Methodist Church Conference. 15 July 2017. pp. 22–21.
- Wesleyan Holiness Association of Churches. 2017. p. 59.
- ^ a b c d Tadros, Emile (2015). Reconstruction the Origins of the Coptic Church through its Liturgy. McMaster Divinity College. p. 16.
- ^ Pedersen, Kristen Stoffregen (1999). "Is the Church of Ethiopia a Judaic Church?". Warszawskie Studia Teologiczne. XII (2): 205–206.
- ^ "Work info: Westminster Larger Catechism - Christian Classics Ethereal Library". www.ccel.org. Retrieved 2023-04-26.
- ^ PCA Book of Church Order, Directory for the Worship of God, ch. 58, para. 3.; see also Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) Book of Order, Directory for Worship, W-3.3609 (requiring one week's notice if the sacrament is not observed weekly); Orthodox Presbyterian Church Book of Church Order, Directory for the Public Worship of God, ch. IV, para. 1. (requiring "adequate preparation").
- ^ "Work info: Westminster Larger Catechism - Christian Classics Ethereal Library". www.ccel.org. Retrieved 2023-04-26.
- ISBN 978-0-253-32922-6.
- ISBN 978-0-226-50878-8.
- ^ Glendinning, Chad J. "'Summorum Pontificum' and the use of the extraordinary form of the Roman Rite: A canonical analysis in light of the current liturgical law" (page 175). PhD diss., University of Ottawa (Canada), 2010.
- ^ "The Church Laws of Fast and Abstinence". Saint Theresa's Roman Catholic Church. 17 November 2018. Retrieved 2 March 2021.
- ^ "Lesson 28—Holy Communion". Congregation of Mary Immaculate Queen. 6 September 2016. Retrieved 2 March 2021.
External links
Orthodox
- Preparation for Holy Communion Archived 2005-07-18 at the St Vladimir's Orthodox Theological Seminary.
- Preparation to Holy Communion — excerpt from Beginning Orthodoxy by Bishop Alexander (Mileant) of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia.
- Communion from the website of Saint Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church in San Jose, California; includes the text of pre- and post-Communion prayers.