What Are the Basic Requirements to Make a First Holy Communion?

To make one’s First Holy Communion is a monumentally important moment in a person’s life. It is at that time that a person receives the Holy Eucharist (i.e., the Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Jesus Christ) for the first time. This is hopefully the first of many times in a person’s life that they will worthily receive Our Lord in Holy Communion.

The Catechism of St. Pius X expresses the sublime importance of receiving Holy Communion: “The Eucharist is a sacrament in which, by the marvelous conversion of the whole substance of bread into the Body of Jesus Christ, and that of wine into His precious Blood, is contained truly, really, and substantially, the Body, the Blood, the Soul and Divinity of the same Lord Jesus Christ, under the appearance of bread and wine as our spiritual food.” Plainly stated, the Most Holy Eucharist is the Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Jesus Christ under the mere appearance of bread and wine.

Who May Receive Our Lord in Holy Communion?

Question 901 of the Baltimore Catechism #3 states: “To make a good Communion it is necessary to be in the state of sanctifying grace and to fast according to the laws of the Church.”

Stated another way, there are four primary requirements:

  1. You must be a Catholic.
  2. You must be free from all mortal sin on your soul.
  3. You must have reached the age of reason.
  4. You must have observed the Eucharistic fast established by the Church.

We Must Be Baptized Catholics

Non-Catholics may not receive the Lord’s Body and Blood. To do so, they must first convert to the Holy Catholic Faith, which Our Lord Himself established as necessary for salvation. Baptism is the first of all Sacraments and makes the recipient a child of God and a member of the Catholic Church. It also removes Original Sin on the soul. Everyone who receives Holy Communion must be a Catholic. And being a Catholic requires us to be baptized and believe all that the Church dogmatically requires.[1]

We Must Not Be in Mortal Sin (i.e., We Must Be in the State of Sanctifying Grace)

We must be free of mortal sin before receiving Holy Communion. To receive Holy Communion in the state of mortal sin is a grave sacrilege: “Therefore whosoever shall eat this bread, or drink the chalice of the Lord unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and of the blood of the Lord. But let a man prove himself: and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of the chalice” (1 Cor. 11:27-28). Thus, if we commit a mortal sin, we must then receive sacramental Confession before receiving Holy Communion.

Holy Communion is not a right. It is a privilege of infinite worth. It not meant primarily as a human sign of ‘belonging.’ It is about union with God – who is perfect and sinless. While most sins are private and known only to us – and, of course, to God – people who live public lives that are contrary to the Catholic Faith may be denied Holy Communion by a priest. Holy Communion is to be denied to public, unrepentant sinners such as politicians who claim to be Catholic but who nevertheless champion abortion “rights.”  

Notorious criminals, murderers, and the like also may be denied Holy Communion. Why? Because only a Catholic in the state of grace may receive this Sacrament. There is no exception to that. While the priest will not know if any of us are in the state of grace, it is our responsibility to know this. The priest, however, can know if someone is not in the state of grace if they are a public, unrepentant sinner. In such a case, in order to prevent the profanation of Our Lord’s Body, Holy Communion must be denied to anyone who is known to be in the state of mortal sin. And since Holy Communion is also a profession of our communion with the Church and with other Catholics in the state of grace, only Catholics may receive Holy Communion.

We Must Have Reached the Age of Reason

Since children must be able to distinguish between ordinary bread and the Holy Eucharist, a child must have reached the age of reason before receiving Holy Communion in the Roman Rite.[2]

Practically speaking, the age of reason for when a child is able to distinguish between good and bad is set around the age of seven. This is because by that age nearly all children should have attained this use of moral reason. As parents know, many children reach this age well before seven. However, as a ‘minimum catch-all’ and to err on the side of caution, the Church uses the age of seven as a standard. As a result, it is common for most children to make their First Holy Communion in 2nd grade. However, since the age of reason means a child may also sin – since he would know right from wrong – a child must make their First Confession before their First Communion. They must also have a basic understanding of the Catholic Faith.[3]

We Must Observe the Eucharistic Fast

The Eucharistic fast is set by the Church so that those who are to receive Our Lord in Holy Communion are more consciously aware of this sublime encounter. We need to fast beforehand to adequately prepare ourselves. To intentionally violate the Eucharistic fast is a mortal sin. Learn more in What Is the Eucharistic Fast?[4]

Conclusion:

Those Catholics who are in the state of grace and who have observed the Eucharistic fast may approach the Holy Altar to partake of the Sacrifice and receive Our Lord in Holy Communion. But the purpose of Mass is not Communion. It is the worship of God in the manner He established for His worship. We are present before that Sacrifice, and the partaking of this Sacrifice can only be shared by those who are Catholics. If we are Catholics and in the state of grace, we are thus in communion with both Our Lord and each other in the Mystical Body of Christ. It is for this reason that the Holy Eucharist is often called “Holy Communion.”

It must be emphasized that only Catholics may receive Holy Communion. As Catholics, we fully participate in the celebration of the Eucharist when we receive Holy Communion. We are encouraged to receive Communion devoutly and frequently. In order to be properly disposed to receive Communion, those who wish to receive Holy Communion should not be conscious of grave sin and normally should have fasted for one hour.  A person who is conscious of grave sin is not to receive the Body and Blood of the Lord without prior sacramental Confession.

Lastly, while non-Catholics are invited to attend Holy Mass, they may not receive Our Lord in Holy Communion and should be instructed to always remain in their pews when it comes time for Holy Communion.

 


ENDNOTES

[1]St. Peter Canisius, who was instrumental in fighting Protestantism in Germany, wrote the first catechism in 1555, known as the Catechism of St. Peter Canisius. This question on who may be called a Christian is answered as follows: “Whoever has been initiated by the Sacrament of Baptism of Jesus Christ, true God and man, and confesses the salutary doctrine in His Church, and not those who adhere to any sects or beliefs foreign to the Catholic Church.” See Protestants Are Not Christian for more information.
[2]Holy Communion is often administered along with Baptism and Confirmation while the child is an infant in the Byzantine Catholic Tradition (and other Eastern Rites that are part of the Catholic Church). These children may receive Communion in the Roman Rite as well.
[3]Programs like those offered at CatechismClass.com can help parents ensure their children are adequately and fully prepared for their First Holy Communion.
[4]Holy Communion received in danger of death (i.e., Viaticum) is exempt from this requirement.

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