Communion Fast observance

[ctos]

The broader value of fasting is not the point. A two- or more-hour fast would preclude communions in a widespread way, unless people embraced inconveniences that in themselves are meaningless, such as gulping on the run or spending money to eat unhealthy food out. Receiving our Lord is much more important than fasting. The Church was wise to set the fast at one hour. I have sometimes heard the opinion that it should be longer, but this opinion is uncharitable. It’s not a question of it being “hard to do”. It’s just irrelevant to sanctity, that I’m going gulp a candy bar instead of eating breakfast or lunch, or what have you. It’s neither here nor there. Everyone is a Catholic in spe, in hope. Not everyone has a ponderous and infinitely flexible lifestyle in which they can rearrange their schedule to accommodate a two-hour fast. Some people have to get to work and get moving. That’s just the way it is. Try to think of everyone.

 

[bear06]

The broader value of fasting is not the point. A two- or more-hour fast would preclude communions in a widespread way, unless people embraced inconveniences that in themselves are meaningless, such as gulping on the run or spending money to eat unhealthy food out.

Sorry, can’t agree with you here. Preparing to receive Our Lord is never meaningless whether Church mandated or not. And you haven’t really proven why someone would need to gulp their food or eat on the run.

Receiving our Lord is much more important than fasting. The Church was wise

 

[Semper_Fi_1]

An excellent question Tom.

I am sorry I have not made the intent more clear. As you may recall the church of the 1950’s stipulated a minimum 3 hour fast, and before that was a fast from midnight.

Assuming traditionalists are in favor of restoring and promoting older forms of the liturgy and public pieties, even to the point in many cases of using the older form of the Breviary instead of the modern LOTH, I was interested to see if this attitude has extended to personal preparation for the Holy Eucharist.

Naturally, adopting the older standards of fasting is 100% voluntary, officially the church requires a one hour minumum. However many traditionalist Latins are voluntarily adjusting their own personal practices in other ways, so I had wondered if it influenced this practice as well.

Thanks,
Michael

Michael,

I attend NO Mass (as well as Byzantine and Maronite), am not what most would consider a traditionalist, rather an orthodox and I fast from midnight if I am eligible to receive communion that Sunday.

 

[ctos]

the Church has done what they believe to be spirirually best for the case and time in which the rule was held

Egg-zactly.

And the reason why a two- or more-hour fast would be inappropriate today is because lifestyles would not accommodate it. People would be excluded. In fact, for people who can attend Mass only near lunch time, and are very busy and simply unable to rearrange their schedules, it is possible to get the eucharistic fast reduced to 15 minutes. Reception of our Lord is more important than fasting to receive our Lord.

All attempts to make it appear that I am indifferent to fasting or uninformed about preparing for our Lord will fall on deaf ears. I am making a specific point, and I am correct. A discipline is to help, not hinder.

 

[Mary_Henley]

Egg-zactly.

And the reason why a two- or more-hour fast would be inappropriate today is because lifestyles would not accommodate it. People would be excluded. In fact, for people who can attend Mass only near lunch time, and are very busy and simply unable to rearrange their schedules, it is possible to get the eucharistic fast reduced to 15 minutes. Reception of our Lord is more important than fasting to receive our Lord.

All attempts to make it appear that I am indifferent to fasting or uninformed about preparing for our Lord will fall on deaf ears. I am making a specific point, and I am correct. A discipline is to help, not hinder.

I love it!

 

[bear06]

are very busy and simply unable to rearrange their schedules, it is possible to get the eucharistic fast reduced to 15 minutes.

Where have you seen this? From what I am aware of, 15 minutes only applies to those with health issues and the elderly or those caring for them. I don’t think it was for the sick, elderly and busy.

So, if Pope Benedict decide to go back to a 3 hour fast, would you still think it inappropriate?

 

[ctos]

Where have you seen this? From what I am aware of, 15 minutes only applies to those with health issues and the elderly or those caring for them. I don’t think it was for the sick, elderly and busy.

So, if Pope Benedict decide to go back to a 3 hour fast, would you still think it inappropriate?

I don’t remember where I saw about the 15 minutes.

As for changes to the fast rule, I would cleave to believing that Father Knows Best. I don’t think he will go back to the three hour rule, though, because for over a century at least the Church has been trying to increase Communions, and attendance, and participation, and a lengthy fast is just completely anti-worker, so to speak. It’s a fast that only the wealthy can afford.

 

[BobP123]

It can get tricky though. After I have fasted from the night before, confessed at Saturday evening vespers and said my prayers I have to keep focused. I have had discussions with friends about this, a major concern is that sometimes a girl will show up in church too provocatively dressed. That’s it, no communion for me today! Attitude is everything.

:twocents:

Michael

Personally I think there should be more people like you.

You should never follow the crowd just because they are all receiving. When I was still going to the NO, I had buddies going to Communion even though they bragged about scoring with their dates the night before.

In cases where we feel we are not worthy to receive, we should do the Spiritual Communion. In fact, the Spirtual Communion was encouraged by the Council of Trent, and it works even today.

Being worthy is a state which very much involves your level of comfort and proper disposition, as you may have mentioned. If you’re not comfortable, do the SC and don’t let anyone on this board tell you otherwise. It’s a sacrilege if you receive Communion in a state of mortal sin. If you feel you may have committed a mortal sin, don’t start rationalizing it by thinking you may not have given full consent, etc., just tell them you didn’t fast and do the SC. (Maybe chew on a mint so you don’t lie about the fast. )

 

[ctos]

Just recall the distinction between willing an illicit pleasure, vs. brushing away a stray thought. Scoring with a date is not in the same league as noticing someone dressed inappropriately, and realizing that you need to look away.

 

[paramedicgirl]

This comment exhibits your persistent inability or refusal to understand the purpose of the communion fast. The very fact that you could claim the discipline has no purpose beyond itself shows how incredibly ignorant you are of its spirituality. I try not to recklessly risk offense, but there is no better way to describe that statement than ignorant.

I notice your ideal conditions contain absolutely no requirement of sacrifice for the sake of spiritual growth. If something is hard, you are automatically of the opinion it is unreasonable. If I could translate the last quoted line above, it would read “It is inappropriate to expect anyone to change their life patterns to advance in his spiritual life.” The whole point of the fast is preparation - communion is something that requires us to change, not something about which we have any reason to expect the world to change for us. Aggiornamento was supposed to find new ways to speak to the world, not new ways to surrender to it.

Andreas is right - Self mortification and sacrifice is indeed important for spiritual growth, and it seems that the attitude Andreas is talking about is unfortunately very prevalent in our society today. How can people grow in holiness if they want everything their way?

 

[bear06]

I don’t remember where I saw about the 15 minutes.

As for changes to the fast rule, I would cleave to believing that Father Knows Best. I don’t think he will go back to the three hour rule, though, because for over a century at least the Church has been trying to increase Communions, and attendance, and participation, and a lengthy fast is just completely anti-worker, so to speak. It’s a fast that only the wealthy can afford.

I’m pretty sure you’ve got the 15 minute rule incorrect. It’s not for busy people. Busy people simply must abstain.

The Holy Father does know best and he may or may not change the fast rule and you should be perfectly happy whether he does or not. I find your last statement rather over the top. Was the Church anti-worker in the 50’s before the midnight change? Were they anti-worker before the 70’s? Please.

 

[bear06]

Andreas is right - Self mortification and sacrifice is indeed important for spiritual growth, and it seems that the attitude Andreas is talking about is unfortunately very prevalent in our society today. How can people grow in holiness if they want everything their way?

I don’t think a fast should necessarily be made longer but I certainly think people should learn to love the value of self-sacrifice and mortification. If it is made longer well that’s peachy too.

 

[ctos]

Busy people simply must abstain.

Is that in the Gospel somewhere?

I don’t know where I found the 15-minute fast. But if a person is too busy to fast for an hour, they should talk to their confessor about it. One shouldn’t unilaterally reduce one’s own fast time.

 

[ctos]

How can people grow in holiness if they want everything their way?

It’s not a question of wanting “everything their way”. It’s a question of needing to balance responsibilities in the world, with a need to receive our daily bread.

 

[paramedicgirl]

It’s not a question of wanting “everything their way”. It’s a question of needing to balance responsibilities in the world, with a need to receive our daily bread.

No, I think it is a question of the present attitude that motivates the “Me” generation. What ever happened to sacrifice? Self mortification? Penance? They have all been replaced with the need for self gratification, and rationalization for why we shouldn’t inconvenience ourselves.

These are all paths to holiness, and we do ourselves a great spiritual injustice by buying into the concept of instant gratification and indulgences.

 

[ctos]

I guess I don’t know any other way to explain that some people cannot accommodate a fast, reception of Our Lord, and work schedules. Their activity level doesn’t make them unworthy in any particular way.

 

[bear06]

Is that in the Gospel somewhere?

I don’t know where I found the 15-minute fast. But if a person is too busy to fast for an hour, they should talk to their confessor about it. One shouldn’t unilaterally reduce one’s own fast time.

Actually, the Church has laid out the rules and they are quite clear in their application. A priest shouldn’t be directing someone to break the rules of the fast for any reason. The rules already provide for those who cannot fast and a busy person isn’t covered there.

 

[bear06]

It’s not a question of wanting “everything their way”. It’s a question of needing to balance responsibilities in the world, with a need to receive our daily bread.

You seem to fail to recognize the fact that fasting can help us balance our daily responsibilities. You don’t seem to be answering my repeated questions. If the fast were moved back to, say, 3 hours would you feel that the Church has now imposed a detrimental rule?

 

[paramedicgirl]

I guess I don’t know any other way to explain that some people cannot accommodate a fast, reception of Our Lord, and work schedules. Their activity level doesn’t make them unworthy in any particular way.

Seriously, ctos, I think it’s all your own perception that the vast majority of people can’t handle fasting. Nobody is unworthy for following the current Church teaching on fasting. Sin is what makes people unworthy of receiving Holy Communion.

The point you and I disagree on is that fasting is some medieval torture that our society just can’t tolerate. We can talk circles here, and I will keep saying that what our society needs is a return to penance, a return to sacrifice, and a return to self mortification. Self-imposed, so that it comes from the heart to purify the soul.

 

[bear06]

I guess I don’t know any other way to explain that some people cannot accommodate a fast, reception of Our Lord, and work schedules. Their activity level doesn’t make them unworthy in any particular way.

No, what you’ve failed to explain is how a fast longer than 3 hours is going to hamper someone from attending Mass. As someone who regularly has to eat in the car because, well, I have six kids and live in the car, I can tell you that this can be done in the same healthy manor as home. Apples, carrots, etc., etc., etc., can all travel quite nicely so, if I ever had to go back to a 3 hour fast there would be little to no inconvenience. How about trying to accomodate the rules of our Church into our lives rather than the other way around? The amount of graces that can be obtained by doing this is immeasurable.