“Ask a Priest: Returning to Mass After Years … May I Receive Communion?”

Regnum Christi Spirituality Center Ask a Priest
Q: I will be attending Mass on Sunday for the first time in many years. Am I allowed to receive Communion? – L.D.

Answered by Fr. Edward McIlmail, LC

A: It is good that you will be attending Mass again. Our Lord will be happy to see you back. In the Mass he will be speaking to you through the readings and homily, and giving you help just by his Eucharistic presence.

If you haven’t been to Mass for many years, it sounds as though you would need to go to confession first before receiving Communion.

Another name for “confession” is the sacrament of reconciliation. The Church offers this sacrament, especially to those who have been away from Mass and the Lord for a long time, as a way to reconcile a person with God. The sacrament leads to the absolution of those sins that have damaged a person’s relationship with God, and it gives the penitent a chance to examine the factors that might have triggered or prolonged the separation.

Receiving Communion is a special way of signaling both our unity with the Church and its teachings, as well as our belief that we are in a state of grace — that is, we are free of mortal sin as best we can tell.

If you need help preparing for confession, you could find guides online, such as this one. If you are nervous about going to confession (which would be understandable), I can recommend our videos about the real meaning of that sacrament: “From Sorrow to Joy: A Retreat Guide on the Sacrament of Confession.”

If there are complex issues in your life – such as a marriage outside the Church, for instance — then there would need to do some preliminary steps first. You could speak with a priest about this.

Even if you aren’t ready for confession and Communion yet, you should feel free to attend Mass. The important thing is that you commit to drawing closer to Christ and following his ways.

In the meantime try to make time for prayer each day, and call on the help of the Blessed Virgin Mary to guide you. Count on my prayers.

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Alex Kucera

Atlanta

Alex Kucera has lived in Atlanta, GA, for the last 46 years. He is one of 9 children, married to his wife Karmen, and has 3 girls, one grandson, and a granddaughter on the way. Alex joined Regnum Christi in 2007. Out of the gate, he joined the Helping Hands Medical Missions apostolate and is still participating today with the Ghana Friendship Mission.

In 2009, Alex was asked to be the Atlanta RC Renewal Coordinator for the Atlanta Locality to help the RC members with the RC renewal process. Alex became a Group Leader in 2012 for four of the Atlanta Men’s Section Teams and continues today. Running in parallel, in 2013, Alex became a Team Leader and shepherded a large team of good men.

Alex was honored to be the Atlanta Mission Coordinator between 2010 to 2022 (12 years), coordinating 5-8 Holy Week Mission teams across Georgia. He also created and coordinated missions at a parish in Athens, GA, for 9 years. Alex continues to coordinate Holy Week Missions, Advent Missions, and Monthly missions at Good Shepherd Catholic Church in Cumming, GA.

From 2016 to 2022, Alex also served as the Men’s Section Assistant in Atlanta. He loved working with the Men’s Section Director, the Legionaries, Consecrated, and Women’s Section leadership teams.

Alex is exceptionally grateful to the Legionaries, Consecrated, and many RC members who he’s journeyed shoulder to shoulder, growing his relationship with Christ and others along the way. He knows that there is only one way, that’s Christ’s Way, with others!