THE HOLY EUCHARIST 125 



2. The duty with which we are concerned is 

 inculcated by the well-known ecclesiastical pre- 

 cept which commands all the faithful who have 

 attained the use of reason to receive Holy Com- 

 munion at least once a year, during Easter time. 

 This law, passed by the Fourth Council of the 

 Lateran, 8 was at first purely disciplinary, but re- 

 ceived dogmatic character at the Council of 

 Trent. 9 The paschal precept must be regarded 

 as an authentic interpretation of the divine 

 command to eat the Body and Blood of the 

 Lord. Needless to say, it can be fulfilled only by 

 a worthy Communion. 10 If for some reason the 

 precept is not complied with during the paschal 

 season, it remains binding for the remainder of 

 the ecclesiastical year, and if one foresees that 

 he will be unable to perform his Easter duty 

 within or after the prescribed time, he should try 

 to attend to it in advance. 11 



13 (Hefele, Conciliengeschichte, Vol. consilio proprii sacerdotis, ob ali- 



I, 2nd ed., p. 417). — Cone. Trident., quam rationabilem causam, ad tern- 



Sess. XIII, c. 8. — On the ancient pus ab eius perceptione duxerit ab- 



custom of receiving Communion as stinendum." 



viaticum see A. Struckmann, Die Ge- 10 This has been indirectly de- 



genwart Christi in der hi. Euchari- fined by Innocent XI when he con- 



stie, Vienna J905, pp. 210 sqq. demned the proposition: "Prae- 



8 Cone. Lat. IV. (A. D. 1215), cepto communionis annuae satisfit 

 c. 21 (Denzinger-Bannwart, n. 437). per sacrilegam Domini manduca- 



9 Cone. Trident., Sess. XIII, can. tionem." {Prop. Damnat., n. 5s; 

 9. — Cfr. J. P. Gury, Comp. Theol. Denzinger-Bannwart, n. 1205). The 

 M oralis, Vol. II, n. 218 sq. — The new Codex luris Can. expressly says 

 new Codex luris Can. states the law (can. 861): "Pr&cepto communi- 

 of paschal Communion in the usual onis recipiendae non satisfit per sa- 

 terms of our catechisms, but adds crilegam communionem." 



(can. 859, §1): "... nisi forte de 11 Cfr. Koch-Preuss, Handbook of 



