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Good morning father how long do we have to fast to have holy communion. I am asking as I see so many people each week taking it the very young and the old and I think to myself have these people all fasted. I only take holy communion when I fast at Christmas Easter and 15/8
Answer to Question 524 We do not fast to have Holy Communion, we fast because it is an exercise on self discipline to gain control of our bodily passions. But we do associate fasting with Holy Communion as a form of preparation. The General guidelines for receiving Communion which most Priests will tell you is that if you keep all the fasts in the Church’s year, that is: every Wednesday and Friday, The Lenten fast, Holy Week, The Apostle’s fast, The August fast, and the Advent fast, and have the blessing of your Spiritual Father, then you can have Communion whenever you want. For people who don't keep the fasts, we usually tell them to fast a few days before, not as a punishment, but as a means to help them keep their minds on what they are about to receive.
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