Who can receive Holy Communion?

1. those who are baptized Catholics
2. those who have reached the age of reason
3. those who have fasted from all food and drink for one hour.
4. those who are not aware of having committed a mortal sin.
Many years ago people would go to confession as often as they intended to receive Holy Communion. They were perhaps too strict, seeing a mortal sin in almost every action of life. Today people go to communion frequently without giving any thought about the state of their soul. Some people receive Holy Communion every week without going to confession for several years. This is a deplorable practice. It is not uncommon for people to skip Mass, destroy the reputation of their neighbor through gossip, commit adultery and fornication, even cooperate in murder and still think nothing of receiving Holy Communion.
Before we approach the Blessed Sacrament we should remember the words of St. Paul,
“Therefore whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord unworthily will have to answer for the body and blood of the Lord. A person should examine himself, and so eat the bread and drink the cup. For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body, eats and drinks judgment on himself.” 1 Corinthians 11:27 -29