When Should I Not Take The Sacrament
He can counsel you on whether or not you should partake of the sacrament. If you are in sacrament meeting but havent yet talked to your bishop about your serious sins, whether you take the sacrament or not is a matter between yourself and the Lord. Official statements from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints provide guidelines on who should partake in the Sacrament.
The Church teaches that the Sacrament is an ordinance made by priesthood authority, binding upon those who have been properly baptized into the Church. However, not all Catholics are permitted to receive Holy Communion at any given time. The Church has established specific guidelines regarding who can and cannot receive the Eucharist based on the state of one's soul and the nature of one's sins.
The question of whether non-members should partake in the Sacrament is multifaceted, involving scriptural interpretations, Church doctrines, and personal convictions. The text reiterates the truth that anyone who receives Holy Communion while in a state of mortal sin not only does not receive the grace that the sacrament conveys; he or she commits the sin of sacrilege by failing to show the reverence due to the sacred Body and Blood of Christ. He can counsel you on whether or not you should partake of the sacrament.
If you are in sacrament meeting but havent yet talked to your bishop about your serious sins, whether you take the sacrament or not is a matter between yourself and the Lord. Biblically, there are two types of people who should not take communion: the unregenerate and the unrepentant. Communion should not be open to those who are not born again or those who are living in known, unconfessed sin.
A sacrament is said to be valid when all the essential elements to its confection or constitution have been employed by the minister; lacking any such element it is invalid. The topic of when should someone be restricted from the sacrament is a very sensitive one. The sacrament may be restricted during the repentance process; however, repentance is about change, sanctification and love, not about punishment and shame.
While the sacrament is intended for members of the Church only, partaking is a matter of individual conscience, and care should always be exercised to not give offense to investigators and guests by forbidding them to participate.
