Question
We have a few parishioners who feel that they can go to the tabernacle on their own during the day and take a host for themselves or for a loved one. Our pastor says that this is wrong or at least not appropriate. What laws of the church say this?
--Demanding in Dallas
Answer
For those who are well, holy Communion must always be given to a person during Mass. The reserved sacrament is there for those unable to attend Mass who are ill. The church document Holy Communion and Worship of the Eucharist Outside of Mass, promulgated in 1973, states that there should be a connection to the Eucharist and Pastoral Care of the Sick, or bringing Holy Communion to those unable to worship. It is the pastor who oversees the appropriateness of sending Holy Communion to the sick. Many communities, at the end of the Communion Rite, call the ministers to the sick forward to take Holy Communion. The church wishes to preserve and make the connection between Mass and reception of Holy Communion outside of Mass. An ordinary minster of Holy Communion (bishop, presbyter and deacon) may take communion to the sick or viaticum (for those who are dying) at any time. Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion must receive permission from their pastor.
Here are some codes from canon law:
Canon 843:
The sacred ministers can not refuse the sacraments to those who ask for them at appropriate times, are properly disposed and are not prohibited by law from receiving them.
Canon 918:
It is highly recommended that the faithful receive Holy Communion during the celebration of the Eucharist itself, but it should be administered outside Mass to those who request it for a just cause, the liturgical rites being observed.
Further thought on canon 918 gives the following examples of just cause: inability to participate in the eucharistic celebration due to illness or old age or the absence of a priest who can preside at Eucharist. The important point is that "the mind of the Church is that Communion be given primarily during Mass." It is also clear that the tabernacle is not "a pick-up window." Just because someone "missed Mass" in the morning, it is not appropriate to receive communion on one's own.