Can You Receive Communion If You Arrive After The Consecration?

[The Bus Station]

I arrived at mass this morning after the consecration, so I thought I should not receive.  I went to a later Mass and received then.  From my research, it looks like the Church has no official teaching on this.  So ... how late is "too" late?

[Not The Philosopher]

Personally speaking, I would not receive communion. Iunno if it would be actually sinful to do so, but I wouldn't view myself as being sufficiently disposed to receive the graces given in communion.

[Luigi]

I was always taught that you had to be there for the readings and the consecration if you want to receive communion.

 

But I don't know where that's written down.

[brandelynmarie]

I was always taught you need to be there for the Gospel readings & Consecration in order to receive unless there is a grave reason.

For example, several weeks ago I was in a minor car accident on my way to Mass. Once I had taken care of all the legal stuff, I made it just in time to get into line to receive Holy Communion. I'm of the thought that God knows I tried to be there on time & sees my goodwill...now if I hit the snooze bar one too many times however...that's another story :topsy:

[Basilisa Marie]

There is no real hard and fast rule about how late you have to be for it to not count. It's certainly not in canon law. I think best practices say you have to be present for the Liturgy of the Word and the Liturgy of the Eucharist, so arriving before the first reading seems to me like a good place for the cutoff (since the readings are the meat of that part of the mass).  Arriving before the Gospel if you really have to cut it close. You should also take your intentions into account - do you have a legitimate reason for being late or are you just trying to catch the end of your favorite show or getting your lipstick just right? I'd be more inclined to be generous with people who are late because they were stuck in traffic behind an accident vs. something frivolous. 

Post consecration? Yeah, I'd have a hard time arguing that that counted. Good on you for going to the next mass and receiving there, I think you definitely did the right thing. :) 

[cappie]

Most Catholics who ask this question have confused the ability to receive Communion with the fulfillment of our Sunday Duty. The Sunday Duty is one of the Precepts of the Church, and it says that "You shall attend Mass on Sundays and holy days of obligation and rest from servile labor."

 

The Sunday Duty is a fulfillment of the Third Commandment: "Remember to keep holy the sabbath day." It is binding under pain of mortal sin, so if we deliberately do not fulfill it, we cannot receive Communion again until we have gone to Confession. However, this is a separate question from whether we can receive Communion without participating in a Mass.

 

The reception of Holy Communion in no way depends on your participation in the Mass (as long as you have not already received Communion earlier that day). cfr c.917 A person who has received the Most Holy Eucharist may receive it again (iterum) on the same day only during the celebration of the Eucharist in which the person participates.

 

You do not have to have fulfilled your Sunday Duty in order to receive Communion. But the flipside is that receiving Communion, in and of itself, does not fulfill your Sunday Duty. And, as I noted above, if you deliberately fail to fulfill your Sunday Duty, you cannot receive Communion in the future until you have gone to Confession.

 

So here's the rule of thumb: If you come in late to Mass on a Sunday or a holy day, through your own fault, you can still receive Communion. But you will need to attend another Mass, in full, that day in order to fulfill your Sunday Duty.

 

People who arrive late to Mass have to honestly ask themselves, Why? If they arrive late because of some justified reason or unforeseen event, such as blocked traffic due to an accident, they have acted in good conscience, likewise for many elderly people, even getting to the church is an odyssey, and one must not burden their consciences by counting the minutes.

 

If people arrive late due to culpable negligence, and especially if they do so habitually, then they need to seriously reflect on their attitudes, amend their ways,

[blazeingstar]

I think that in an emergency, with your heart in the right disposition one could simply walk in at communion time and receive Communion and not commit any sin.  After all, when Communion is given in the hospital sometimes the recipient has only moments to prepare...or a person who has Communion delivered to their home.

 

Weither or not this aptly fulfills the Sunday obligation is another question.  That's what I would ponder.  Other than pure ADD, there's only been a few drastic situations where I was late for mass, one being because the church published the Mass time but they didn't have it over the summer and we had to drive to another church.

[Basilisa Marie]

 

 

You do not have to have fulfilled your Sunday Duty in order to receive Communion. But the flipside is that receiving Communion, in and of itself, does not fulfill your Sunday Duty. And, as I noted above, if you deliberately fail to fulfill your Sunday Duty, you cannot receive Communion in the future until you have gone to Confession.

 

 

Aha, because there's still time to fulfill the Sunday Duty? So you can receive communion if you come reaaaaallly late to 9am Mass, and then go to 11am Mass?  

[brandelynmarie]

Wait? So I didn't fulfill my Sunday obligation in my above scenario? Do I need to confess this??

Uh oh...

[Nihil Obstat]

A previous priest of mine, Fr. Blust, gave a rule of thumb that your obligation is fulfilled if you arrive for Mass at least by the start of the Collect. 

[PhuturePriest]

Aha, because there's still time to fulfill the Sunday Duty? So you can receive communion if you come reaaaaallly late to 9am Mass, and then go to 11am Mass?  

 

My trad spiritual director told me a while back that this is correct, and seeing as how trads are incredibly finicky about the Liturgy, I was inclined to believe him.

[cappie]

Aha, because there's still time to fulfill the Sunday Duty? So you can receive communion if you come reaaaaallly late to 9am Mass, and then go to 11am Mass?  

 

Yes the obligation is to attend Mass or as I learnt it "To HEAR Mass on Sundays and Holy Days of Obligation."

[cappie]

A previous priest of mine, Fr. Blust, gave a rule of thumb that your obligation is fulfilled if you arrive for Mass at least by the start of the Collect. 

 

Actually the rule was, when I was growing up, You must be present for the reading of the Gospel and you could depart when the priest has received Communion. This was the minimum for Canon Lawyers to fulfill the obligation, but it is hardly within the spirit of the sacrifice of the Mass which has a definite commencement and a definite conclusion.  :saint2: 

[cappie]

Wait? So I didn't fulfill my Sunday obligation in my above scenario? Do I need to confess this??

Uh oh...

 

No in your case you're fine

[beatitude]

Personally I don't feel comfortable receiving if I arrive after the Kyrie has been said, but that's just my own preference - I think it's because I love the Kyrie and the Gloria and I don't feel adequately prepared to hear the readings or receive Communion without praying them. Most people I know say you should arrive before the Gospel.