M
mary_tim
Guest
in canon law the elderly do not have to fast for one hour before Holy Communion i have read that that is 60 is this so… the canon law does not give an age.
- Status
P
Phemie
Guest
Everyone is expected to follow the communion fast – it’s only an hour. The exception is if you have to take medication. No pass on this one for being old.
60 is the age at which people no longer have to fast on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday.
60 is the age at which people no longer have to fast on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday.
P
puzzleannie
Guest
the lenten fast is lifted at age 60, not the communion fast, but it never applies to anyone with a medical condition that prevents the one hour fast (hard to imagine what that would be, but there it is). In any case, medication is not covered by any of the fasting disciplines
J
jpjd
Guest
Phemie and Puzzleannie are correct.
I only have this point to add: given that Mass is generally one hour long, and that Communion is received at the end of that hour, it’s pretty hard to break the one hour fast.
I only have this point to add: given that Mass is generally one hour long, and that Communion is received at the end of that hour, it’s pretty hard to break the one hour fast.
1
1ke
Guest
Canon Law does not allow for exceptions to the one hour Communion fast for any reason such as illness or age-- one can simply refrain from the Eucharist if one has eaten within the hour.
The only thing it does allow is that water and medication can be taken without breaking the fast.
B
Br.Rich_SFO
Guest
There is no age exception. Everyone except those who are ill or those who care for them, are required to observe the one hour fast.
T
tee_eff_em
Guest
If they are receiving.
The ill and those who care for them are generally excepted from the duty to assist at Mass.
tee
B
Br.Rich_SFO
Guest
But many do receive weekly outside of Mass.
P
puzzleannie
Guest
there is another active thread with a similar discussion and I have cut and paste from Andreas Hofers post: now I will go back and try to find the thread link again.
The intention of the canon is more geared toward those who rely on a visiting minister to administer communion (after all, how often would someone caring for another person not be able to keep the fast?), but it does not confine the exemption only to those circumstances. Still, the distinction brought up by others between eating out of a medical “need” as opposed to quelling queasiness (which I think my wife, who gets terrible nausea, would also argue is fairly “necessary”) is probably helpful for determining whether a pregnant woman might break the fast.
P
puzzleannie
Guest
]there is another active thread with a similar discussion and I have cut and paste from Andreas Hofers post: now I will go back and try to find the thread link again.
False. The canon clearly exempts the infirm from even the 1-hour fast.
Can. 919 §1. A person who is to receive the Most Holy Eucharist is to abstain for at least one hour before holy communion from any food and drink, except for only water and medicine.
§2. A priest who celebrates the Most Holy Eucharist two or three times on the same day can take something before the second or third celebration even if there is less than one hour between them.
§3. The elderly, the infirm, and those who care for them can receive the Most Holy Eucharist even if they have eaten something within the preceding hour.
The intention of the canon is more geared toward those who rely on a visiting minister to administer communion (after all, how often would someone caring for another person not be able to keep the fast?), but it does not confine the exemption only to those circumstances. Still, the distinction brought up by others between eating out of a medical “need” as opposed to quelling queasiness (which I think my wife, who gets terrible nausea, would also argue is fairly “necessary”
personally, I think Canon 919 is speaking specifically of instances where communion is being brought to the sick, not distribution during Mass, but does make the point the rule is not absolute. That being said, I cannot think of an instance where a person well enough to go to Mass cannot fast for the time it takes to get to
Church and assist at Mass.
M
mary_tim
Guest
iasked this because i read that the 60th year is the age in the st. martin magazine an irish dominican publication and therefore spread reasonably widely. and also because i now fit into that category. i like your other correspondents do fast. and feel 60 hardly qualifies as elderly. i thought this must be so since i read it in a Catholic publication
P
puzzleannie
Guest
a Catholic publication may be edited and published under Catholic auspices, but unless it is intended for formal theological presentation or instruction, does not need an imprimatur, that is, a review by the local bishop that its teaching is doctrinally correct. In any case, the magazine was describing a discipline, not a doctrine, moreover one that can vary in other countries according to the norms set by those bishops. To find out what applies in your country, consult a reliable source in your diocese.
also re-read the magazine to see if the article was not about the Lenten fast rather than the communion fast, which obligation does end at age 59, or whether a correction was printed in a later issue.
also re-read the magazine to see if the article was not about the Lenten fast rather than the communion fast, which obligation does end at age 59, or whether a correction was printed in a later issue.
G
Ghoti
Guest
Try a diabetic whose blood sugar suddenly plummets (happened to my Mom once at Mass). I don’t think Holy Mother Church wants someone to go into a coma in the pew. Altho’ in this case the consumption of glucose (either in the form of a sugar packet, sugar pill, or a candy) would probably count as medication, due to its intent as opposed to form.
R
rpp
Guest
A couple of years ago at a parish I used to attend, we had a stretch where several people passed out at Sunday Morning Mass. For 6 consecutive weeks, we had to call an ambulance to at least one Sunday Mass. Seems there were some (borderline) diabetics who had not gotten up early enough to eat breakfast one hour before Mass started. They just skipped it.
Fortunately, no one was seriously injured that I am aware of.
The pastor was pretty worried about people and talked about the fast in the homily. He pointed out that the fast is before you receive, not before Mass begins (though he thought that is a good pious practice). He also mentioned that if you are sick or have a problem like diabetes, then for the sake of your health, **eat! **He concluded by saying that if God wanted you to die at Mass, you would have a heart attack!
Fortunately, no one was seriously injured that I am aware of.
The pastor was pretty worried about people and talked about the fast in the homily. He pointed out that the fast is before you receive, not before Mass begins (though he thought that is a good pious practice). He also mentioned that if you are sick or have a problem like diabetes, then for the sake of your health, **eat! **He concluded by saying that if God wanted you to die at Mass, you would have a heart attack!
- Status