What to do if you cannot go to Confession or receive Holy Communion because of the COVID-19 virus.
If you need to isolate or quarantine yourself because of the COVID-19 virus, you are unlikely to be able to receive the Sacraments normally. Self-isolation is also an act of charity, and under such circumstances your Sunday obligation is dispensed, even if you are not feeling truly ill. Please remember, through charity to the priest and other penitents, do not go to Confession through the grille if you believe you are ill, the risk of infecting him is very high. (Go to confession now before this happens!)
In these circumstances there are devotions that allow you to receive absolution for your sins (under certain conditions) and the consolation of Eucharistic grace.
These devotions are officially encouraged by Holy Mother Church and have been practised by saints.
HOW TO MAKE AN ACT OF PERFECT CONTRITION
Through an act of Perfect Contrition you can receive the forgiveness of your sins outside of confession, even mortal sins, provided that you determine yourself to correct your life and make a firm resolution to go to sacramental confession as soon as you can, when it becomes possible. Remember, these are extraordinary measures only, for times when a priest is truly not available to you.
Perfect Contrition is sorrow and detestation of sin arising out of the love of God. One way of exciting this contrition in our hearts is by considering the passion of Jesus Christ and making acts of love for Him. We can also think of the infinite love which God has for us, and express sorrow in our heart in the presence of this great love which we have offended.
Imperfect Contrition is sorrow and detestation for sin arising from a consideration of the ugliness of sin or out of the fear of hell. Disgust at the ugliness of sin is more common today than fear of hell. That is because priests do not preach enough, or with sufficient conviction about the four last things.
If a person commits an act of impurity, for example, the person may be disgusted afterwards by the ugliness of the sin. Such contrition is not perfect, but it is sufficient sorrow for that person to go to confession and receive God’s forgiveness. This is imperfect contrition; it is good, but it can certainly be improved on.
If the person is instead sorry because they think of the love of God whom they have offended, or the passion of Christ to which they have contributed, then they have made an act of Perfect Contrition.
Perfect Contrition is a grace of God, therefore sincerely ask that this gift be granted to you on the day preceding that in which you will make the act of contrition: "My God, grant me the Perfect Contrition for my sins".
Perfect Contrition is sorrow and detestation of sin arising out of the love of God. One way of exciting this contrition in our hearts is by considering the passion of Jesus Christ and making acts of love for Him. We can also think of the infinite love which God has for us, and express sorrow in our heart in the presence of this great love which we have offended.
Imperfect Contrition is sorrow and detestation for sin arising from a consideration of the ugliness of sin or out of the fear of hell. Disgust at the ugliness of sin is more common today than fear of hell. That is because priests do not preach enough, or with sufficient conviction about the four last things.
If a person commits an act of impurity, for example, the person may be disgusted afterwards by the ugliness of the sin. Such contrition is not perfect, but it is sufficient sorrow for that person to go to confession and receive God’s forgiveness. This is imperfect contrition; it is good, but it can certainly be improved on.
If the person is instead sorry because they think of the love of God whom they have offended, or the passion of Christ to which they have contributed, then they have made an act of Perfect Contrition.
Perfect Contrition is a grace of God, therefore sincerely ask that this gift be granted to you on the day preceding that in which you will make the act of contrition: "My God, grant me the Perfect Contrition for my sins".
1. In reality, or in your mind, kneel at the foot of a Crucifix and mentally repeat:
"Jesus, my God and my Saviour, in the midst of Your agony you remembered me, You suffered for me, You wished to purify me from my sins".
2. Contrition is ‘perfect’ if you repent of your sins because you love God and you sincerely regret having offended Him and having caused Christ's sufferings on the Cross. Before the Crucified Christ, remember your sins, ideally speaking them aloud, and repent that they caused the sufferings borne by Our Lord on the Cross. Promise Him that with His help you will sin no longer.
3. Recite, slowly and sincerely, an Act of Contrition focusing on the goodness of God and your love for Jesus, for example (you would be well to recite the words you normally use in sacramental confession) :
"O my God, since you are so good I am sincerely repentant for having sinned against you and with the help of your grace I will sin no more. Amen".
4. Make a firm resolution to go to sacramental confession as soon as you are again able to. (Note that when you make this confession, it is not necessary to remember in detail all the sins you have confessed secretly, they have already been wiped away by Our Blessed Lord; merely to recall to the priest the fact that you made an act of Perfect Contrition.)
HOW TO MAKE SPIRITUAL COMMUNION
The key to Spiritual Communion is to make a constant desire for the Blessed Sacrament grow in your heart. It brings you, under the conditions described here, all the graces of a Sacramental Communion. Remember, the Angels are never able to receive our Blessed Lord bodily, and yet are in a permanent state of perfect Communion.
(Please note that a Spiritual Communion can only be made in a state of grace. Outside of times of pestilence it is not something to do when one is prohibited by sin from receiving Our Blessed Lord sacramentally. While clearly, unlike receiving Our Lord physically under such circumstances, there is no sacrilege or mortal sin in making a Spiritual Act, nevertheless the graces and benefits would not be forthcoming, and this is not the purpose of this exercise. One cannot make an act of Communion when one is not in Communion, and the presumption, without real contrition, would therefore remain offensive to God.)
1. If you are aware that you have committed mortal sins, make an Act of Perfect Contrition.
2. Imagine the sacred words and actions of the Mass, or watch them online or on television. (Remember that watching on television can never constitute assisting at Holy Mass, even if you are housebound, there is no supernatural benefit, it is no different from simply reading the texts at home, but may be an aid to devotion.)
3. Recite all the acts of faith, humility, sorrow, adoration, charity and requests that you usually express before Holy Communion.
4. Sincerely desire to receive Our Lord present - in Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity - in the Blessed Sacrament.
5. Recite this prayer of Saint Alfonsus-Maria de Liguori :
“My Jesus, I believe you are present in the Blessed Sacrament. I love you above all things and I desire to receive you in my soul. Since I cannot receive you in Holy Communion now, at least come spiritually into my heart. As if you have already come to me, I embrace you and join myself wholly to you; do not allow me to distance myself from you. Amen."
You may also say, as at Benediction, which is a long-practised custom :
“Adoremus in aeternum, Sanctissimum Sacramentum”, then Our Father, Hail Mary x3, Glory be, and repeat the “Adoremus.” It is customary to do this three times. It has the benefit of providing a formal framework while our mind is free to adore.
UPDATE: St Louis-Marie de Montfort counselled the Magnificat as an act of Spiritual Communion. The Virgin Mary was the first to receive Christ into her body as into a tabernacle, of which she is the prototype, so the song of thanksgiving she sang at that moment, meditating on the Lord she addresses as the Eucharistic body of her Son, is for us a very fitting and fruitful devotion.
6. After a few moments of silent adoration recite those acts of faith, humility, charity, thanksgiving and offerings that you normally make in prayers after Holy Communion.
If through self-isolation you have not gone to Holy Mass but made an Act of Spiritual Communion on Sunday, it is sensible to mention this to the priest at your next confession, but there is of course no sin attached to missing Holy Mass under these circumstances. On the contrary, going to a public Mass when you believe yourself to be potentially contagious would be confessable.
H/T to Rorate Caeli and The Hermeneutic of Continuity. For more excellent advice on Contrition, read Father Tim Finigan HERE, to whom we are grateful for some quotations above.
REMEMBER TO WASH YOUR HANDS
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