Reception of Holy Communion
Can one receive Holy Communion more than once in the same day? You may
recall the old days when one looked forward to Christmas because it opened
the possibility of receiving communion twice in the same day (midnight Mass
and Christmas day). The rule of one reception of Holy Communion a day was
changed in the new code of canon law (1983). Canon 917 states: “A person
who has received the Most Holy Eucharist may receive it again on the same
day only during the celebration of the Eucharist in which the person
participates.” The commentary on this canon states: “The purpose of this
canon is twofold: on the one hand, to promote active participation in the
Eucharist, including the full sacramental sharing in the Lord’s Body and
Blood; on the other hand, to prevent the abuse of receiving multiple
Communions out of superstition, ignorance or misguided devotion.” It
further states: “The 1917 Code forbade the reception of Communion more than
once a day except in danger of death or in need of impeding irreverence.
This canon permits the reception of Communion twice in a day for any reason
provided that the second reception occurs in the context of the Eucharist at
which one is actually participating. It excludes a second Communion outside
of Mass except as Viaticum, and it also excludes a second Communion during a
Mass at which one is not participating, such as when one enters in the
course of Mass only to receive communion.” |
