Another very important thing to consider before receiving Holy Communion is whether one is in a state of grace or not. In other words, am I in a right relationship with God or do I need to be reconciled with Him in the Sacrament of Confession? Especially if a person has not been to Confession in a long time, they should examine their conscience to see if they have committed any serious or mortal sins. To receive Communion is to nourish the Divine Life within us, our intimate friendship with Him. If we are separated from Him by our disobedience to His Commandments, we must first be reconciled. Otherwise, we only offend God by an expression of a union that is not a reality.

Finally, to say “Amen” before receiving Our Lord in the Holy Eucharist is a short way of declaring that we believe, not only in the Real Presence, but in all the teachings of the Church. To refuse to accept an established Church teaching about faith or morality is itself a sin against faith.

We should always remember that to be culpable for a sin the person has to know that the act or omission is wrong and do it freely. Again, it is about the relationship. I cannot be one with Him Who is the Truth if I reject His teaching. It is okay to question, to ask why. But we should ask with trust, like Our Blessed Mother herself asked the angel, “how can this be…?” May she help us receive Him worthily as she did.

–Fr. Peter