By Jenna Marie Cooper
OSV News Question Corner
Q: Can a Catholic receive Holy Communion twice in one day? Also, is it possible to ask to receive Communion outside of Mass under normal circumstances, or is this something that is only possible for the sick? (Scarsdale, New York)
A: To start with the second part of your question, the short answer is yes, it is possible for a Catholic to receive Holy Communion outside of Mass, even if he or she is not ill or homebound.
As we read in Canon 918 of the Code of Canon Law: “It is most strongly recommended that the faithful receive Holy Communion during the Eucharistic celebration itself. If, however, for good reason they ask for it apart from the Mass, it is to be administered to them with the liturgical rites being observed.” Those liturgical rites are in the Roman Ritual as “Holy Communion and Worship of the Eucharist Outside of Mass.”
Canon 918 does take care to underscore the importance of the relationship between the celebration of the Eucharistic sacrifice — which takes place “in real time” at Mass — and our own personal participation in this same sacrifice via holy Communion. Especially since the Second Vatican Council, the church has always taken care to foster a lively awareness of this connection in the minds and hearts of the faithful.
Turning back to the first part of your question, a Catholic may indeed receive Holy Communion twice in one day — but the second reception must be within Mass.
As we read in Canon 917 of the Code of Canon Law: “One who has received the blessed Eucharist may receive it again on the same day only within a Eucharistic celebration in which that person participates.”
To give a practical example of how this might play out in real life, a Catholic who received Holy Communion in a “word and communion” service could receive Holy Communion a second time while participating in Mass later that day. But the reverse would not be true. That is, a Catholic who received Holy Communion at Mass in the morning could not receive a second time that day at a non-Mass Communion service.
Or, to suggest another scenario, a Catholic could go to a funeral Mass, then attend an additional Mass for a wedding, and receive Communion at both Masses. This is allowed because the second reception of Communion took place as part of Mass.
Canon 921 says: “Christ’s faithful who are in danger of death, from whatever cause, are to be strengthened by Holy Communion as Viaticum […] Even if they have already received Holy Communion that same day, it is nevertheless strongly suggested that in danger of death, they should communicate again. While the danger of death lasts, it is recommended that holy communion be administered often, but on separate days.”
So, even if a Catholic already had attended two Masses and received Holy Communion at both, if he or she was in a serious accident or fell deathly ill later that day, he or she could still receive Communion once again. And reception of Holy Communion as viaticum would typically take place outside of Mass, due to the nature of the circumstances.
Jenna Marie Cooper, who holds a licentiate in canon law, is a consecrated virgin and a canonist whose column appears weekly at OSV News. Send your questions to [email protected].