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Ali
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Posted: Fri Feb 8th, 2008 02:06 pm |
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Settle this disagreement between my dh and myself 
IRT the one hour thing, he thinks it is one hour before Mass. I say it's one hour before communion.
Go ahead, you can tell me now that I am the one who is right now and he is wrong, wrong, wrong.
LOL 
Seriously, though, what is the guideline here?
Ali
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CajunRick
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Posted: Fri Feb 8th, 2008 03:14 pm |
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One hour before communion.
____________________
Understanding is the reward of faith. Therefore seek not to understand that you may believe, but believe that you may understand. - Augustine
Rick Luquette
Luquette Lane
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Ali
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Posted: Fri Feb 8th, 2008 03:24 pm |
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CajunRick wrote: One hour before communion.
Oh, goody, help me practice with him . . . "Yes, dear, you were right. As usual"
You can say it, too, Rick. {giggles madly}
FTR, I'm not really *that* kind of wife. This is all in good fun!
But it was based on a disagreement we had on Ash Wednesday. I was going to eat a delicious bowl of homemade cheesy potato soup before we went to Mass. I was sitting down at 6:30, Mass started @ 7. He didn't think I should be eating (Hello? I didn't eat all day as it was!) until we got home. Although I think it had something to do with him being jealous that he couldn't eat with me at that time, since he just got home from work and had to rush to get ready and leave.
I did wait so we ate together when we got home. See, I'm *that* kind of wife
Ali
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CajunRick
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Posted: Fri Feb 8th, 2008 03:42 pm |
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Ali wrote: You can say it, too, Rick.
I always get the last word in my marriage.
"Yes, dear".
____________________
Understanding is the reward of faith. Therefore seek not to understand that you may believe, but believe that you may understand. - Augustine
Rick Luquette
Luquette Lane
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Dave Armstrong
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Posted: Mon Feb 11th, 2008 08:21 pm |
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Me too, Rick!:
"yes, boss."
 
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Ali
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Posted: Thu Feb 14th, 2008 01:26 pm |
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I'm glad you are both man enough to admit that
Ali
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Kayla
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Posted: Thu Feb 14th, 2008 03:27 pm |
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Maybe a wee bit of a follow up question in regards to the 'why' of fasting for an hour.
I have a friend who refuses to follow this rule because she thinks it's superfulous. She says that food doesn't digest in your stomach within an hour anyways and that there is no logical reason for it to be in place.
Thoughts?
____________________
I believe, Lord, help my unbelief.
Jesus, I trust in You!
There's not a lot of job security for us after death. I suppose that's one advantage of being a philosopher. - Peter Kreeft
http://kayla23mount.blogspot.com/
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David W. Emery
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Posted: Thu Feb 14th, 2008 07:04 pm |
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Somehow I don’t think digestion was uppermost in the minds of the ancients who put the fast in place. Formerly (before the 20th century) the fast was from midnight. This may be one reason why people preferred the early morning Mass. Be that as it may, by the time I entered the Church (1963), the Eucharistic fast was down to three hours. And then it shrunk to one hour — effectively no fast at all — about the time the new liturgy was officially promulgated (1968).
To fast before partaking of the Eucharist is seen as a sign of reverence and interior cleansing. If you check your Old Testament, you will see that there were a number of similar sanctions for Jews as they prepared to offer sacrifice.
David
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Dave Armstrong
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Posted: Fri Feb 15th, 2008 01:32 am |
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I'm glad you are both man enough to admit that
And you're woman enough to tease us about it! LOLOL
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I'm happy to offer whatever theological & personal assistance I can. My blog, Biblical Evidence for Catholicism, contains 2000+ papers & web pages (absolutely free) & 16 apologetic books (for sale):
http://www.biblicalcatholic.com/
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Prodigal Son
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Posted: Fri Feb 15th, 2008 03:40 am |
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I must say that this one hour Eucharistic "fast" (which does not even include abstinence from drinking water) is a scandal to Eastern Orthodox Christians looking at the Catholic Church. The Orthodox maintain a strict fast from all food and drink from Midnight before receiving Holy Communion. Some even insist on keeping this fast if receiving Holy Communion in the evening, though "liberal" or "modernist" Orthodox allow the fast to begin six hours before the beginning of an evening Liturgy, which would mean fasting over 7 hours before receiving Holy Communion. Except for those taking medication, for whom the Eucharistic fast must be modified to allow whatever liquid (or even food) is necessary to take the medication, even drinking a little water breaks the Eucharistic fast.
I say, bring back the three hour Eucharistic fast for Latin Rite Catholics!
Fr David
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Prodigal Son
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Posted: Fri Feb 15th, 2008 03:50 am |
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Kayla wrote:
Maybe a wee bit of a follow up question in regards to the 'why' of fasting for an hour.
I have a friend who refuses to follow this rule because she thinks it's superfulous. She says that food doesn't digest in your stomach within an hour anyways and that there is no logical reason for it to be in place.
Thoughts?
While I am no fan of a mere one hour fast before Holy Communion (see above), your friend has no right to dispense herself from the fast based upon her own reasoning, no matter how sensible it may sound. The Church decides this matter and it is the obligation of every Catholic to keep this rule.
By the way, I don't think that your friend is at all serious. It sounds as though she just wants freedom from any rules whatsoever. If she really thought the purpose of the Eucharistic fast was to receive Holy Communion on an empty stomach, instead of disregarding the rule, she would simply keep the former rule: fasting from Midnight, or at least a three hour fast.
Fr David
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CajunRick
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Posted: Fri Feb 15th, 2008 04:06 am |
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Prodigal Son wrote: I must say that this one hour Eucharistic "fast" (which does not even include abstinence from drinking water) is a scandal to Eastern Orthodox Christians looking at the Catholic Church.
As you have stated in other areas, western and eastern Christianity developed differently. A fast from midnight or even for six hours would be extremely impractical for those who attend daily mass. I know many people who attend mass each morning on their way to school or work, and a fast from midnight would force them to choose between breakfast and Eucharist as it would not be possible to have both. It would also eliminate as a practical possibility the attendance at liturgy during the lunch hour, or in the evening.
Eastern Christians, both Catholic and Orthodox, do not participate in daily liturgy,
The rules in the east favor a weekly liturgy; the rules in the west favor a daily liturgy. It should also be remembered that the one hour fast is a minimum. There are many who voluntarily extend the fast. As a diabetic I am not able to fast from midnight even to attend a mid-morning liturgy, but I customarily fast for three hours or more when I am able, and I am not alone.
Would Eastern Orthodox Christians require a diabetic like myself to fast from midnight, or even for six hours? To do so would virtually guarantee I would never be able to receive Eucharist.
____________________
Understanding is the reward of faith. Therefore seek not to understand that you may believe, but believe that you may understand. - Augustine
Rick Luquette
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Prodigal Son
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Posted: Fri Feb 15th, 2008 05:07 am |
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CajunRick wrote:
The rules in the east favor a weekly liturgy; the rules in the west favor a daily liturgy. It should also be remembered that the one hour fast is a minimum. There are many who voluntarily extend the fast. As a diabetic I am not able to fast from midnight even to attend a mid-morning liturgy, but I customarily fast for three hours or more when I am able, and I am not alone.
Would Eastern Orthodox Christians require a diabetic like myself to fast from midnight, or even for six hours? To do so would virtually guarantee I would never be able to receive Eucharist.
A daily Liturgy and daily Communion is certainly a good thing. The Eastern Catholic parishes I am familiar with do have Daily Liturgies, though typically at a later hour (8:30AM, 9:00AM, or 9:30AM) than one that permits most working people from attending, I would think. They are probably mostly attended by homemakers and retired people. You are correct that it is rare to have Daily Liturgies in Orthodox parishes, except Cathedral parishes. It is not rare, however, for Orthodox parishes to have one or two weekday Liturgies a week.
Nothing would preclude at 6:00AM, 6:30AM, or 7:00AM Liturgy in either an Orthodox or Eastern Catholic parish. That would allow workers to attend Liturgy before going to work. It would be no hardship to get a bite to eat afterwards before going to work. I just can't imagine having a bowl of cereal or bacon and eggs before receiving the Lord in the Most Blessed Sacrament. But that's me.
As I mentioned in my post: water, and even food, may be taken before receiving Holy Communion in cases were it is necessary to take medication. The same is true for diabetics and others who have a medical reason for needing to eat. For that matter, women in the earlier stages of pregnancy who suffer from "morning sickness" need to eat so that there is no danger of vomiting after receiving Holy Communion (a true disaster indeed!) I counsel all these people: eat and/or drink as early as possible, as little as possible, and as lenten as possible. (Lenten for Orthodox means foods without animal products like meat, eggs, or dairy.) That way, they are keeping the spirit of the Eucharistic fast even though they are unable for legitimate reasons to keep the letter.
Fr DavidLast edited on Fri Feb 15th, 2008 05:35 am by Prodigal Son
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Intercessor
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Posted: Fri Feb 15th, 2008 10:10 am |
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Fr. David,
I follow the rules of the Church, but would you explain how that eating breakfast right after Mass (after receiving the Lord) does not provoke squeamishness. What are the beliefs behind that differentiation between eating before and eating afterward, especially in your tradition?
Thanks,
Becky
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"He who will persevere unto the end is not he who will never fall, but he who after every fall will humble himself and rise again, relying on the infinite strength of God." Divine Intimacy, p. 885 Father Gabriel, O.C.D.
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Prodigal Son
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Posted: Sat Feb 16th, 2008 04:56 am |
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Intercessor wrote:
Fr. David,
I follow the rules of the Church, but would you explain how that eating breakfast right after Mass (after receiving the Lord) does not provoke squeamishness. What are the beliefs behind that differentiation between eating before and eating afterward, especially in your tradition?
Thanks,
Becky
Dear Becky,
The point of the Eucharistic fast is to place Jesus above all else, to make His Body and Blood the first food of the day, to come to Him empty so that He can fill us. After offering our worship and being fed by Him, we return to our lives in the world and may attend to our physical needs, such as eating a meal.
According to Catholic teaching, the physical presence of Christ within us ceases when the sacred Host (in the Christian East we call the particle of the Eucharist received the "Pearl") is physically broken down by our body, a matter of a few minutes. There is nothing inappropriate in taking a meal after this process has occurred.
I wish the Eucharistic fast was more intuitively understood by Roman Catholics, as I think it is by Eastern Christians. But after more than a generation of the one hour fast, that understanding seems to have been lost. Yet it was only one hundred years ago, I think, that all Catholics fasted from Midnight, as Orthodox Christians still do, before receiving the Body and Blood of the Lord.
Fr. David
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Pani Rose
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Posted: Sat Feb 16th, 2008 05:06 am |
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David W. Emery wrote: Somehow I don’t think digestion was uppermost in the minds of the ancients who put the fast in place. Formerly (before the 20th century) the fast was from midnight. This may be one reason why people preferred the early morning Mass. Be that as it may, by the time I entered the Church (1963), the Eucharistic fast was down to three hours. And then it shrunk to one hour — effectively no fast at all — about the time the new liturgy was officially promulgated (1968).
To fast before partaking of the Eucharist is seen as a sign of reverence and interior cleansing. If you check your Old Testament, you will see that there were a number of similar sanctions for Jews as they prepared to offer sacrifice.
David It still midnight in a lot of the East.
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Intercessor
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Posted: Sat Feb 16th, 2008 12:18 pm |
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Fr. David,
Even for a Roman Catholic moved by a desire to show particular reverence for the Lord by increasing the length of the fast beyond one hour, there might be issues like these:
Are you trying to be more Catholic than the Pope?
Have you fallen into scrupulosity?
Do you hope to earn God's favor by creating more stringent rules for yourself?
Yet, your response to our practice has given me pause.
Perhaps one could privately, quietly show the Lord such reverence whenever possible. As has been said, some of us receive the Lord daily. In my own case, I believe the early morning daily Mass offers an opportunity to change my practice somewhat.Last edited on Sat Feb 16th, 2008 05:59 pm by Intercessor
____________________
"He who will persevere unto the end is not he who will never fall, but he who after every fall will humble himself and rise again, relying on the infinite strength of God." Divine Intimacy, p. 885 Father Gabriel, O.C.D.
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David W. Emery
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Posted: Sat Feb 16th, 2008 08:03 pm |
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Pani Rose wrote:
It still midnight in a lot of the East.
Yes, to your credit. As a Latin Rite Catholic, my own practice is to fast three to four hours if I am able. But like Rick, I am diabetic and cannot fast all day or I will be very ill.
David
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CajunRick
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Posted: Sat Feb 16th, 2008 08:23 pm |
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David W. Emery wrote: Pani Rose wrote:
It still midnight in a lot of the East.
Yes, to your credit. As a Latin Rite Catholic, my own practice is to fast three to four hours if I am able. But like Rick, I am diabetic and cannot fast all day or I will be very ill.
That is also my practice for Sunday liturgy, but I am often not able to maintain a three hour fast for daily mass when I am privileged to attend. Also, I must sometimes eat something even during mass to avoid low blood sugar. And finally, if I am scheduled for ministry at an early morning mass, I may not quite make the three hours.
We each do what we can. The proscribed one hour fast should be considered a minimum.
____________________
Understanding is the reward of faith. Therefore seek not to understand that you may believe, but believe that you may understand. - Augustine
Rick Luquette
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Pani Rose
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Posted: Tue Feb 19th, 2008 09:28 pm |
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CajunRick wrote: David W. Emery wrote: Pani Rose wrote:
It still midnight in a lot of the East.
Yes, to your credit. As a Latin Rite Catholic, my own practice is to fast three to four hours if I am able. But like Rick, I am diabetic and cannot fast all day or I will be very ill.
That is also my practice for Sunday liturgy, but I am often not able to maintain a three hour fast for daily mass when I am privileged to attend. Also, I must sometimes eat something even during mass to avoid low blood sugar. And finally, if I am scheduled for ministry at an early morning mass, I may not quite make the three hours.
We each do what we can. The proscribed one hour fast should be considered a minimum.
My husband can't either due to diabetes and other health conditions. So he will most likely have a cup of yogurt and that takes him through till we get home between one and two, as we are at church usually between eight and nine. So he really takes in the bare minimum for sustinance.
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Jimmy Brousseau
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Posted: Fri Feb 22nd, 2008 03:31 pm |
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| One Hour before Communion.
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Jimmy Brousseau
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(I am a Roman Catholic)
CAF- http://forums.catholic.com/member.php?u=16038 /
Blog- http://jimbrousseau.blogspot.com/
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