How Late Is Too Late?

[Piccoli Fiori JMJ]

How late is too late to receive the Eucharist? I am perpetually late to daily Mass because I am either getting my sister ready for school or dropping her off. I am lucky if I can get there half-way through the Gospel. I have heard from some acquaintances of mine that its okay as long as you are there before the beginning of the Eucharistic prayer. I honestly cannot go up to receive if I have not heard the Gospel at least. I continue to go to Mass to pray, worship, and adore. Is there some sort of teaching on this?

[MissyP89]

I've heard that you should hear the Gospel if you plan to go up to receive, but it wasn't under authoritative circumstances.

[Thomist-in-Training]

[quote name='MissyP89' post='1811688' date='Mar 19 2009, 03:27 PM']I've heard that you should hear the Gospel if you plan to go up to receive, but it wasn't under authoritative circumstances.[/quote]

You may receive at any time. Once at St Peter's I thought Mass started half an hour later than it really did, so when I walked towards the part of the church where Mass was being said, Holy Communion was being distributed. I thought quickly about what to do and my intentions and decided to receive. Obviously this isn't something to make a habit of, but later I was curious as to what one ought to do, like you, so I looked it up and there is no rule; one may receive no matter when one arrives at Mass. One shouldn't, of course, show up on purpose just to receive Holy Communion and then leave, but that wasn't your question.

As for the Sunday Obligation you must hear the Gospel and... a certain specific amount of the (Offertory and) Canon of which I am unsure... but receiving Holy Communion isn't regulated in that way. Sorry not to have a citation, though.

[MissyP89]

Oh, right! I'm sorry--I got it confused with the requirements for the Sunday obligation. Thanks for the correction.

[Fr. Bruno]

Here is a link to the instruction Inestimabile Donum (1980) :

[url="http://www.adoremus.org/InaestimabileDonum.html"]http://www.adoremus.org/InaestimabileDonum.html[/url]

I think this excerpt might answer part of your question :

The two parts which in a sense go to make up the Mass, namely the Liturgy of the Word and the Eucharist Liturgy, are so closely connected that they form but one single act of worship."(10) [b]A person should not approach the table of the Bread of the Lord without having first been at the table of His Word.[/b]

[Piccoli Fiori JMJ]

[quote name='Thomist-in-Training' post='1811867' date='Mar 19 2009, 04:05 PM']You may receive at any time. Once at St Peter's I thought Mass started half an hour later than it really did, so when I walked towards the part of the church where Mass was being said, Holy Communion was being distributed. I thought quickly about what to do and my intentions and decided to receive. Obviously this isn't something to make a habit of, but later I was curious as to what one ought to do, like you, so I looked it up and there is no rule; one may receive no matter when one arrives at Mass. One shouldn't, of course, show up on purpose just to receive Holy Communion and then leave, but that wasn't your question.

As for the Sunday Obligation you must hear the Gospel and... a certain specific amount of the (Offertory and) Canon of which I am unsure... but receiving Holy Communion isn't regulated in that way. Sorry not to have a citation, though.[/quote]
Interesting... I guess the only real rule is to receive at least once a year during Easter.


[quote name='Fr. Bruno' post='1811877' date='Mar 19 2009, 04:18 PM']Here is a link to the instruction Inestimabile Donum (1980) :

[url="http://www.adoremus.org/InaestimabileDonum.html"]http://www.adoremus.org/InaestimabileDonum.html[/url]

I think this excerpt might answer part of your question :

The two parts which in a sense go to make up the Mass, namely the Liturgy of the Word and the Eucharist Liturgy, are so closely connected that they form but one single act of worship."(10) [b]A person should not approach the table of the Bread of the Lord without having first been at the table of His Word.[/b][/quote]
I think that did answer it quite well. Thank you!