Returning Catholics FAQs: About Fasting and Communion

O n Mondays, I answer questions frequently asked by those considering a return to the Catholic Church. How do I know this stuff? I was away for more than 30 years myself, and am the co-author of When They Come Home: Ways to Welcome Returning Catholics , a book for pastors and parish leaders interested in this ministry.

Why do we have to fast before receiving communion? What if I haven’t fasted? What if I’m not in a state of grace? Is lightning going to strike me or something?

Fasting an hour be...