Communion for Alcoholics

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In the Byzantine Traditions of Eastern Catholicism and there Orthodox counterparts it is my understanding that the Body and Blood are mixed and administered with a spoon. How does an Alcoholic receive in these churches?
 
I’m sure it wouldn’t be a problem if one spoke to the priest ahead of time.
 
The amount of alcohol involved would be less than one would ingest from rinsing with (not guzzling) Listerine.
 
In the Byzantine Traditions of Eastern Catholicism and there Orthodox counterparts it is my understanding that the Body and Blood are mixed and administered with a spoon. How does an Alcoholic receive in these churches?
The same way everyone else does. :confused:
 
The amount of alcohol involved would be less than one would ingest from rinsing with (not guzzling) Listerine.
Yes, but you can still taste a flavor of wine, and for some that would be enough to cause a relapse.
 
talk with the priest then and ask to not mingle the Body and Blood:confused:
I don’t think this is permitted in the Eastern Rite.

The simplest solution would be to just attend Mass in the Roman Rite, and receive only the Host, until sufficient time has passed for the craving for alcohol to go away or become manageable.
 
why not ask the priest what can be done first if you haven’t. i’m sure this isn’t the first time it has come up so they may have permission for an exception???

if they cannot accomodate then do as jmcrae suggests. best wishes.
 
Not possible. The Blood of Divinity is incapable of causing harm.
You are very fortunate to have never witnessed truly desperate alcoholism. The Blood of Divinity still contains alcohol, and even a sip is enough to trigger a relapse.
he simplest solution would be to just attend Mass in the Roman Rite, and receive only the Host, until sufficient time has passed for the craving for alcohol to go away or become manageable.
This will be “never” for most alcoholics.

Sadly, I would suggest to find a new church.

Miz
 
You are very fortunate to have never witnessed truly desperate alcoholism. The Blood of Divinity still contains alcohol, and even a sip is enough to trigger a relapse.

This will be “never” for most alcoholics.

Sadly, I would suggest to find a new church.

Miz
How can you say that for sure when you’ve never experienced it?
 
You are very fortunate to have never witnessed truly desperate alcoholism. The Blood of Divinity still contains alcohol, and even a sip is enough to trigger a relapse
My friend you don’t know what I have and haven’t witnessed. I am a recovering alcoholic (three years sober on 7/8 this year). I’ve been to detox twice, was drinking an entire bottle of 151 proof rum every single day. I almost killed myself on several occasions both from alcohol poisoning and extremely severe withdrawal symptoms. I can remember having hallucinations and seeing a little girl in a red dress at the other end of the couch.

My sponsor in AA is Orthodox as well and he receives just like the rest of us. He was an alcoholic for over twenty years. Neither of us nor any of the other alcoholics I know who happen to be Orthodox have had a single issue with the Eucharist. Who could we? The Precious Blood heals, it never harms. It is impossible.
This will be “never” for most alcoholics.

Sadly, I would suggest to find a new church.

Miz
Find a new Church? Sounds like an awfully Protestant way of looking at things my friend. As Jesus said to St Peter, “do not be afraid.” You can trust in Him. 🙂

Yours in Christ
Joe
 
How can you say that for sure when you’ve never experienced it?
I grew up with 4 alcoholic grandparents–one of whom literally drank herself to death–and numerous other relatives who had/still have serious drinking problems.
My friend you don’t know what I have and haven’t witnessed. I am a recovering alcoholic (three years sober on 7/8 this year). I’ve been to detox twice, was drinking an entire bottle of 151 proof rum every single day. I almost killed myself on several occasions both from alcohol poisoning and extremely severe withdrawal symptoms. I can remember having hallucinations and seeing a little girl in a red dress at the other end of the couch.

My sponsor in AA is Orthodox as well and he receives just like the rest of us. He was an alcoholic for over twenty years. Neither of us nor any of the other alcoholics I know who happen to be Orthodox have had a single issue with the Eucharist. Who could we? The Precious Blood heals, it never harms. It is impossible.
You are to be commended on your 3 years of sobriety! 👍 You are very fortunate indeed to be able to handle the Eucharist. Numerous members of my previous church cannot.
Find a new Church? Sounds like an awfully Protestant way of looking at things my friend. As Jesus said to St Peter, “do not be afraid.” You can trust in Him. 🙂
Or maybe if the specific parish you attend is no longer meeting your needs, God is telling you it’s time to move on? (Note that I’m not saying to leave the Catholic Church–and I do apologize if that’s how I originally came across–but just to find another parish with a different method of distributing the Host.)

Miz
 
In the Byzantine Traditions of Eastern Catholicism and there Orthodox counterparts it is my understanding that the Body and Blood are mixed and administered with a spoon. How does an Alcoholic receive in these churches?
Do you apply the same principle to the Body of Christ?
You may believe it or not- I would be lying if I said I was totally confident one way or the other. You’re more likely to find this assumption in the Orthodox and I imagine Eastern Catholic Churches (that is that the Holy Mysteries absolutely may not cause deleterious effects.

An example from the life of St John Maximovitch:

“He served the Holy Mysteries to a woman dying of rabies, and immediately after doing so, she had a fit, foaming at the mouth, and spitting up the Holy Gifts. Knowing that the Holy Gifts cannot be thrown away, St. John immediately picked them up and swallowed them, himself, even though rabies is extremely contagious and routinely fatal. He said, “Nothing with happen; these are the Holy Gifts!” and he spoke the truth.” allsaintsofamerica.org/orthodoxy/john.html
 
You may believe it or not- I would be lying if I said I was totally confident one way or the other. You’re more likely to find this assumption in the Orthodox and I imagine Eastern Catholic Churches (that is that the Holy Mysteries absolutely may not cause deleterious effects.

An example from the life of St John Maximovitch:

“He served the Holy Mysteries to a woman dying of rabies, and immediately after doing so, she had a fit, foaming at the mouth, and spitting up the Holy Gifts. Knowing that the Holy Gifts cannot be thrown away, St. John immediately picked them up and swallowed them, himself, even though rabies is extremely contagious and routinely fatal. He said, “Nothing with happen; these are the Holy Gifts!” and he spoke the truth.” allsaintsofamerica.org/orthodoxy/john.html
Then why do people with Celiac Disease get terribly sick from receiving the Body of Our Lord? I’m not trying to sound rude or anything, but if it was true that the accidents left over after the Consecration didn’t still retain temporal properties [that could possibly cause physical harm] then people with Celiac Disease would be able to receive the Body of Christ without any detrimental effects.

And in the case of Saint Maximovitch the danger didn’t come from the Eucharist itself, but from a disease it came into contact with the Eucharist; I would take them as two different scenarios.
 
Then why do people with Celiac Disease get terribly sick from receiving the Body of Our Lord? I’m not trying to sound rude or anything, but if it was true that the accidents left over after the Consecration didn’t still retain temporal properties [that could possibly cause physical harm] then people with Celiac Disease would be able to receive the Body of Christ without any detrimental effects.

And in the case of Saint Maximovitch the danger didn’t come from the Eucharist itself, but from a disease it came into contact with the Eucharist; I would take them as two different scenarios.
Do they get terribly sick? Do you have any documentation of this happening?
 
Do they get terribly sick? Do you have any documentation of this happening?
Sure. Celiac Disease is a high sensitivity to gluten, and even a small amount of it can result in intense diarrhea and other symptoms like ulcers; the intensity of the reaction, of course, depends on how intense the person’s sensitivity to gluten is.

As for documentation, there are many people on this forum who have Celiac disease, and as such there are a lot of threads from Celiacs who are looking for a way to receive Communion (here and here for instance). Also, if you type in “Celiacs and Communion” or some variant there of into google you’ll find a lot of offers for low-gluten hosts and people who need them.
 
Sure. Celiac Disease is a high sensitivity to gluten, and even a small amount of it can result in intense diarrhea and other symptoms like ulcers; the intensity of the reaction, of course, depends on how intense the person’s sensitivity to gluten is.

As for documentation, there are many people on this forum who have Celiac disease, and as such there are a lot of threads from Celiacs who are looking for a way to receive Communion (here and here for instance). Also, if you type in “Celiacs and Communion” or some variant there of into google you’ll find a lot of offers for low-gluten hosts and people who need them.
That just proof that a number of people with the disease are afraid of a reaction to communion- not that they have experienced one. If this is a real need in your Church why not just give them the precious blood and not the body? What’s the need for a low gluten host? Please forgive me for wondering why your soon to be Church’s Eucharist is harming people. I have never heard this come up in the Orthodox Church, and I’m positive we have members with the same disease who partake of communion. :confused:
 
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