Cigarettes, chewing gums, toothpaste and fingernails before communion?

[janjic222]

One hour before eucharist nothing may be eaten!
My priest, however, smokes and I have seen him smoking before mass. Is that lawful?
I have also seen a man spitting his gum before recieving eucharist.(???) I am almost sure that that is not OK, but I still wondder since he hasn’t swallowed chewing gum…
Is it OK to brush teeth before mass, since wr could swallow toothpaste?
What about people that have disgousting habit of eating their fingernails?

 

[Richard_White]

Smoking is not eating, so I think that would be fine. Chewing gum during Mass is inappropriate, so I wouldn’t do that. Brushing your teeth is fine, you’re not eating it even if you accidentally swallow some. If you’re worried, then don’t brush before Mass. Biting one’s fingernails in not eating. It’s a nervous habit.

 

[grasscutter]

Smoking is not eating, so I think that would be fine. Chewing gum during Mass is inappropriate, so I wouldn’t do that. Brushing your teeth is fine, you’re not eating it even if you accidentally swallow some. If you’re worried, then don’t brush before Mass. Biting one’s fingernails in not eating. It’s a nervous habit.

Yes. All of these may be inappropriate (to different degrees), but they don’t constitute breaking the fast. By the way, if you read the ingredients on chewing gum, it becomes quickly clear that this is in no way food!

 

[sscott]

If it’s not food it’s not breaking the fast. I have read this on the priests’ post on this website over and over again.
Your priest might do well to cut down on smoking, it would improve his health.

 

[robwar]

One hour before eucharist nothing may be eaten!
My priest, however, smokes and I have seen him smoking before mass. Is that lawful?
I have also seen a man spitting his gum before recieving eucharist.(???) I am almost sure that that is not OK, but I still wondder since he hasn’t swallowed chewing gum…
Is it OK to brush teeth before mass, since wr could swallow toothpaste?
What about people that have disgousting habit of eating their fingernails?

toothpaste is not food, even if you accidently swallowed it. Smoking is generally unwise again. you are splitting hairs here. Stop focussing on others and what they are doing and worrying about it.

 

[pianistclare]

One hour before eucharist nothing may be eaten!
My priest, however, smokes and I have seen him smoking before mass. Is that lawful?
I have also seen a man spitting his gum before recieving eucharist.(???) I am almost sure that that is not OK, but I still wondder since he hasn’t swallowed chewing gum…
Is it OK to brush teeth before mass, since wr could swallow toothpaste?
What about people that have disgousting habit of eating their fingernails?

Yes, all these thing can be troubling. But we are called to watch and take care of our own practices…leave the rest to God.

 

[OraLabora]

Fingernails? I’m in big trouble.

For the life of me, at 56, I still can’t break the habit…

 

[grasscutter]

Fingernails? I’m in big trouble.

For the life of me, at 56, I still can’t break the habit…

I used to be you!!! I thought I would never stop (and I really didn’t devote that much thought to it, either). I became gravely ill several years ago (life support, etc. thank God for letting me still be here!) and when I became fully conscious my nails were quite long but I was so grossed out about hospital germs that I couldn’t bear to bite them.

When I got home, enough time had elapsed that it didn’t occur to me to continue biting them.

Obviously, I don’t wish that you could experience something that drastic to stop… But, you never know, one day it might just seem distasteful to you and then it’s over.

 

[praestat_fides]

Does anyone here remember when you couldn’t eat anything from midnight the night before you received communion? How did you cope?

 

[LaughingBoy1503]

I have read a online pamphlet with a priest addressing some of the issues of people with scruples. This pamphlet had the “Nihil Obstat” and “Imprimatur” too. Those things sound like the worries of a scrupulous person. I am a bit scrupulous sometimes, but those things do not even worry me

Smoking is not wise at all, but it is not the same as eating. Chewing gum is highly inappropriate to do during Mass, but not the same as eating. Fingernails… oh come on If I wake up only a hour or so before Mass is going to start, I am still going to brush my teeth. It is not eating and im sure The priest appreciates it considering I receive on the tongue. And guess what… I know how to brush my teeth so I’m not gonna swallow any toothpaste in the process lol. Don’t worry so much. I am known to be scrupulous (ask the priests that I regularly confess to) and I have no issue with any of those things. Well, except chewing gum during Mass.

 

[StrawberryJam]

These questions lead me to believe you have no trust in your relationship with your Lord, let alone your local priest who could clear this up for you if you took the time to meet with him.

 

[janjic222]

These questions lead me to believe you have no trust in your relationship with your Lord, let alone your local priest who could clear this up for you if you took the time to meet with him.

Well, you are wrong. What makes you believe there is something wrong in my relationship with the Lord? I can’t ask my priest as many questions I want and that is the reason why there is Catholic ANSWERS forum… Why do you think I never met my priest?

 

[praestat_fides]

I have read a online pamphlet with a priest addressing some of the issues of people with scruples. This pamphlet had the “Nihil Obstat” and “Imprimatur” too. Those things sound like the worries of a scrupulous person. I am a bit scrupulous sometimes, but those things do not even worry me

Smoking is not wise at all, but it is not the same as eating. Chewing gum is highly inappropriate to do during Mass, but not the same as eating. Fingernails… oh come on If I wake up only a hour or so before Mass is going to start, I am still going to brush my teeth. It is not eating and im sure The priest appreciates it considering I receive on the tongue. And guess what… I know how to brush my teeth so I’m not gonna swallow any toothpaste in the process lol. Don’t worry so much. I am known to be scrupulous (ask the priests that I regularly confess to) and I have no issue with any of those things. Well, except chewing gum during Mass.

I agree with you LaughingBoy

 

[Wassermann]

Does anyone here remember when you couldn’t eat anything from midnight the night before you received communion? How did you cope?

People often ate more then they would have before midnight and they went to early morning Mass. “Breakfast after Mass” used to be a huge tradition.

 

[Tarpeian_Rock]

Does anyone here remember when you couldn’t eat anything from midnight the night before you received communion? How did you cope?

I also want to remember that many more Masses were clustered earlier on a Sunday morning - maybe a 6:30, certainly a 7 plus an 8 or 8:15, then a 9 or so. I don’t think a lot of people, in the days of the fast from midnight, typically held off until an 11 or 11:30 Mass, which seem to be more common today as people “sleep in.”

 

[andrewstx]

Does anyone here remember when you couldn’t eat anything from midnight the night before you received communion? How did you cope?

You went to early Mass, and had breakfast afterward.

And of course in the past people communed much less often than now.

 

[praestat_fides]

People often ate more then they would have before midnight and they went to early morning Mass. “Breakfast after Mass” used to be a huge tradition.

Yes, I can still remember my Italian grandmother making meatballs after mass on Sundays.

 

[ProVobis]

And of course in the past people communed much less often than now.

And more used to go to confession beforehand as well. But you’re right, after the 9am Mass, fewer and fewer communed. Maybe they just felt they would be less judged on the state of their souls that way. Just a thought.

 

[cececole]

One hour before eucharist nothing may be eaten!
My priest, however, smokes and I have seen him smoking before mass. Is that lawful?
I have also seen a man spitting his gum before recieving eucharist.(???) I am almost sure that that is not OK, but I still wondder since he hasn’t swallowed chewing gum…
Is it OK to brush teeth before mass, since wr could swallow toothpaste?
What about people that have disgousting habit of eating their fingernails?

At least he was spitting the gum out…I have seen people go up to Communion with the gum still in their mouth!! Once I was ushering at Confirmation and a teenager got out of the pew to the main aisle for proceeding to receive chomping visibily (must have been gum). Other time I was sitting behind a family who were so irreverent–they joked and chatted aloud during the Consecration. They were chewing gum visibly also and did not remove it before doing to Communion. I was so distraught, I just didn’t know what to do.

 

[Cat]

Please keep in mind that there are people who suffer from extremely dry mouth, often due to meds for other conditions.

I’m not just talking dry mouth, I’m talking about a mouth that is so dry that the person chokes for lack of saliva production. I’m talking about a mouth so dry that the skin and tongue crack.

These people are often given the direction to chew gum to keep their mouth moist.

There is another medical condition I can think where gum is chewed, and that is a habitual smoker who can’t even go an hour without a smoke. The nicotine gum may be the only way they can last the entire Mass.

Now I’m not stupid. I’m pretty certain that most people who chew gum at Mass are not doing it for either of the above serious reasons.

But isn’t it better for Christians to take the charitable viewpoint? After all, what good does it do us or them if we fret about their lack of obedience?