§ 2. On The Licit Reception Of The Sacraments

88. Diverse conditions are required for licitly receiving the diverse sacraments, as will be explained more broadly below. In general, however, the following can be noted:

1. An adult possessing the use of reason, in order licitly to receive any sacrament of the dead, must, besides the required intention, have at least supernatural attrition concerning the sins committed. For no remission of guilt is granted by God without sorrow for the offense committed. In true supernatural attrition are included faith, hope, and initial love.

2. An adult receiving a sacrament of the living must be in the state of sanctifying grace, which state is possessed either from baptismal grace never lost, from perfect contrition, or from sacramental absolution rightly received.³³¹ But knowingly to receive a sacrament of the living in the state of mortal sin is a grave sacrilege, since it is a grave abuse of a most holy thing.

St. Alphonsus³³² enumerates two very rare cases in which, to avoid a greater evil, it is lawful to receive the Eucharist notwithstanding the state of mortal sin. "If a consecrated host were about to be profaned by heretics, and someone, on account of that sudden assault, could not so quickly become contrite, then it seems that he could consume it without sin, although without fruit. For then he would not consume it as a sacrament, but would only hide it in his body as in a wall in order to free it from injury.... They probably say the same concerning a layman reclining at the Communion rail who should remember a mortal sin and could not elicit contrition on account of the shortness of time."

3. An adult possessing the use of reason must receive any sacrament whatsoever with reverence and actual devotion; for a sacrament is a most holy thing.

4. Of itself, it is not lawful to request the sacraments from a minister who is certainly unworthy. It is said: certainly unworthy; for if he is not certainly known to be unworthy, he must be presumed good. But that minister is called unworthy who cannot administer a sacrament without mortal sin, either because he is bound by some censure or because he himself is in the state of mortal sin. The reasons why it is not lawful in ordinary cases to request the sacraments from ministers of this kind are several, namely: a) incitement or cooperation in the sin which the minister perpetrates by administering the sacraments; b) scandal, which not rarely arises therefrom; c) danger of one's own perversion.

5. For a just and proportionate cause, however, it is lawful to request a sacrament from an unworthy minister, provided that he can administer it validly. The reason is that such a petition is nothing other than material cooperation in the sin of another, and this cooperation is lawful for a just and proportionate cause. Several just causes are enumerated by St. Alphonsus,³³³ for example, if the precept of confession or Communion is urgent, especially if spiritual danger threatens from delayed reception; if someone would have to remain longer in the state of mortal sin; if otherwise he could not gain a jubilee indulgence. Indeed, St. Thomas³³⁴ says generally: "As long as [a minister] is tolerated by the Church in the ministry, he who receives a sacrament from him does not communicate in his sin."

But if a minister is a) an excommunicate to be avoided, or b) if a condemnatory or declaratory sentence has been rendered against him, or c) if he is a public heretic or schismatic, it is not lawful to request any sacrament from him except at the moment or in danger of death.³³⁵ The reason is that such a minister is most gravely forbidden to administer the sacraments; indeed, outside danger of death all jurisdiction has been taken away, such that he cannot validly absolve; and finally, because from such a petition there would arise both most grave scandal and danger of perversion.

According to the discipline now in force,³³⁶ the faithful situated in danger of death can request sacramental absolution from any priest, even an excommunicate to be avoided; but the other sacraments only if another minister is lacking. The older discipline was more severe in this matter.³³⁷

³³¹ Concerning confession necessary before Communion, see below, n. 192.

³³² Theol. mor., l. 6, n. 86.

³³³ Ibid., n. 89.

³³⁴ S. theol. 3, q. 64, a. 6 ad 2.

³³⁵ Canon 2261, § 3 of the Code of Canon Law determines: "From excommunicates to be avoided, and likewise from other excommunicates after a condemnatory or declaratory sentence has intervened, the faithful can, in danger of death alone, request both sacramental absolution and also, if other ministers are lacking, the other sacraments and sacramentals." But to request the sacraments outside danger of death from heretics or schismatics is gravely prohibited, since it is communication in divine things.

³³⁶ Cf. c. 2261 cited above.

³³⁷ Cf. St. Alphonsus, Theol. mor., l. 6, n. 88.