Curious about avoiding the wine/blood and being a server

[paperwight66]

Extraordinary ministers of Holy Communion are commissioned by a pastor to help him distribute Holy Communion. People’s opinions aside, it would be up to your pastor to determine whether or not your setting conditions on your involvement in this ministry would be helpful enough to him, or practical.

When members of the congregation witness an EMHC not receiving from the cup, they may wonder whether that person has a cold or something contagious (which would mean they shouldn’t be distributing the host either). Your pastor would want an EMHC to be as enthusiastic about distributing the Precious Blood as the Host. You obviously wouldn’t be equally enthusiastic about serving the Eucharist under both species. Your not receiving from the cup, in other words, might be a distraction to the assembly, and thus not practical.

I would suggest you discuss this with your pastor, and only your pastor, since it would be his policy.

I’m bit confused. I always understood that ‘serving at the altar’ meant being an altar-boy in old terminology, fetching and carrying, ringing bells and so on.

But on this thread some seem to be referring to serving at the altar as being an EMHC.

Which are we meant to be discussing?

 

[foundmyfaith]

:knight1:

Lets set the record straight here. Even the Church doesn’t teach that the accidents of the Body and Blood of Christ, which is the appearance of bread and wine, can prevent or cure diseases. Its not about loss of faith. We even have special low-gluten hosts for those who have issues with gluten. Its just the reality of things.

 

[Brendan]

It is nothing to do with luck, we trust it is the body and blood of Christ. I felt a great sadness at our loss of faith in Christ when flu was prevalent, and the wine was withdrawn.

Blessings

Eric

It is BECAUSE of our Faith that the chalice was withdrawn. Our Eucharistic Faith is the the Substance of the species change, but the Accidental properties ( taste, temperature, color, density, chemical composition etc…) remain.

One of those accidental properties is the ability of certain pathogens to remain in the species for a period of time.

That property remains after TransSubstantion (by defintion).

So it is BECAUSE we have a Eucharistic Faith that the chalice was removed. Otherwise, we would fall prey to superstitions which are contrary to the Faith.

Eric,

If you found out before Communion that a malicious person put cyanide into the wine just before Mass. Would you attempt to inform the priest and parishioners prior to their reception of the cup, or would you suppose that the cyanide was rendered inert by it’s presence within the Blessed Sacrament.

 

[puzzleannie]

My parish makes a big deal of having the blood of Christ available. I would like to train to be a server, but I’m wondering if my position on the practice would exclude me?

.

you would have to ask your pastor, it certainly would not here, where in any case the congregation is offered the chalice only rarely on important feasts.

 

[Seatuck]

For health reasons, I always avoid drinking the wine/blood sacrament. I don’t care how careful, the threat of nisserria meningititis is all too real. The wife almost died of it. Kids in college spread it through sharing drinks, so I’m not being paranoid here. Comments in these forums and my priest said that the body/bread is all that is needed.

My parish makes a big deal of having the blood of Christ available. I would like to train to be a server, but I’m wondering if my position on the practice would exclude me?

By the way, in all my world travel, only the priest drinks the blood of Christ at masses.

It shouldn’t but it is up to your priest . No one has to receive from the cup(except the celebrant), not even the EMHC.

 

[Marsha_Adams]

you would have to ask your pastor, it certainly would not here, where in any case the congregation is offered the chalice only rarely on important feasts.

Really? In my area the cup is offered to the congregation at every Sunday Mass, and at Our Lady of Ransom at every week day Mass as well.

 

[Eric_Hyom]

Hello Brendan

If you found out before Communion that a malicious person put cyanide into the wine just before Mass. Would you attempt to inform the priest and parishioners prior to their reception of the cup, or would you suppose that the cyanide was rendered inert by it’s presence within the Blessed Sacrament.

Whatever chemicles, germs or viruses are on the cup or in the wine before they are blessed is almost irrelevant, once the priest has blessed them, he has put everything in the hands of God. Here is a short story that might help explain my beliefs.

Once Nabi Musa had a very bad stomachache. So he prayed to God. God told him to get the leaves from a certain plant, boil the leaves and drink the brew. He did as he was told. His stomachache was healed. Some time later, he had the same ailment. Again he prayed to God for succor. Again he was told to do the same thing which he did with the same good result. The third time he had the same stomachache, without praying to God, he went ahead to get the leaves, boiled them and drank the brew. To no avail. Then he begged God to tell him why it didn’t work as before. God told him that the failure resulted from his belief that it was the leaves, and not God, that healed his stomachache. God and only God alone has the power to make things happen.

God created the heavens and the Earth, he can raise people from the dead, God has the power to do all things, this is the faith I struggle with at times, even knowing that people with germs and viruses may have gone before me.

I am not asking that other people believe as I do, it is just how I view my faith.

Blessings

Eric

 

[Brendan]

Eric,

Have you ever read Matthew 4:7

Jesus answered him, “It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’”

What does that mean to you?

 

[Eric_Hyom]

Hello Brendan;

Jesus said to take the bread and wine as our spiritual food, hopefully I am not putting God to the test by doing this, even if I am at the back of the queue.

I guess we can pick out scriptures to try and justify what we do, but as I said earlier these are my beliefs, and I am not asking anyone to do as I do.

Every blessing

Eric

 

[Rome_Always]

I myself am an ExtraOridinary Minister of Holy Communion. However, I am allergic to the Yeast in the Wine and must receive a Gluten Free Host due to my gluten intolerance. At the beginning of the year, I told my Mass Coordinators (Liturgical Coordinators) that I would be happy to assist in distrubuting the wine but would be unable to finish consuming the wine. So, just talk to whomever is available and they should be able to assist you the same way they have done for me where I just help distribute the Body… Hope this helps!

 

[maryjk]

I myself am an ExtraOridinary Minister of Holy Communion. However, I am allergic to the Yeast in the Wine and must receive a Gluten Free Host due to my gluten intolerance. At the beginning of the year, I told my Mass Coordinators (Liturgical Coordinators) that I would be happy to assist in distrubuting the wine but would be unable to finish consuming the wine. So, just talk to whomever is available and they should be able to assist you the same way they have done for me where I just help distribute the Body… Hope this helps!

Not to get off track, but I hope you are receiving a “low gluten host” not a “gluten free host.”

 

[puzzleannie]

It I

I am in no way trying to start a ‘don’t drink from the chalice’ mutiny. I was just explaining my reasons for not doing so.

nor are you required to give any explanation here or in your parish. It is always a matter of choice.

 

[peresieh]

John 6:53 says “unless you eat of the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His Blood, you shall not have life everlasting.” You cannot drink bread. The body and blood of Christ bring healing and everlasting life. This does not mean that someone cannot poison either species. In that case, they are corrupt and should not be received. However, ordinary germs can get into the blood of Christ and, for that matter, onto the host (how many dirty mouths or hands does the priest touch when giving the host?) The alcohol in the wine turned into blood kills most of these germs. What about germs received from the host? One should not fear receiving the blood of Christ because of bacteria. One should be more worried about getting sick from touching the hymnals or pew books or another’s hand during the sign of peace. Do not fear the blood of Christ nor the gold or silver vessel which holds it.

 

[foundmyfaith]

John 6:53 says “unless you eat of the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His Blood, you shall not have life everlasting.” You cannot drink bread. The body and blood of Christ bring healing and everlasting life. This does not mean that someone cannot poison either species. In that case, they are corrupt and should not be received. However, ordinary germs can get into the blood of Christ and, for that matter, onto the host (how many dirty mouths or hands does the priest touch when giving the host?) The alcohol in the wine turned into blood kills most of these germs. What about germs received from the host? One should not fear receiving the blood of Christ because of bacteria. One should be more worried about getting sick from touching the hymnals or pew books or another’s hand during the sign of peace. Do not fear the blood of Christ nor the gold or silver vessel which holds it.

Hand sanitizer is 70% alcohol. The blood is not. I trust my Priest to wash his hands.

 

[JPayne]

The chalice is offered on Sundays and holy days of obligation at my parish. Daily masses only the host is offered. Most of the time if partake of both. On the other hand my wife only takes the host because of the other people before us. If she was ever the first to drink she herself would probably take the cup. Now, she did take the cup on our first Holy Communion when we came into the Church.
I do remember last year when the chalices that we drank from were sent off to be replated and we could not recieve the cup for almost 6 weeks. I didn’t like that very much and was very happy to have them back.

God bless,

Jesse

 

[anmrivera]

I am a Eucharistic Minister and there have been times, due to illness, that I don’t drink from the cup. All I do is place my hands across my chest as the priest brings us the cup and he just hands it to me instead of offering it to me. Now, at the end, when it has to be consumed, you can ask the other minister to drink the rest for you. Just my $.02

 

[Mary_Schwarz]

If it helps, they do wipe the chalice after each person drinks from it.

You are correct – the Body, Blood. Soul, and Divinity are all present in the host. Drinking from the chalice is not required.

As far as being a server I don’t think your position should exclude you. Would you be unwilling to offer the wine to some one who wanted it? If so explain your views to the co-ordinator of communion distributors. They should be able to assign you to distributing the hosts only.

Why do we say “wine” after the consecration? It is no longer wine, but only the Blood of Christ.

 

[MissRose73]

My mother is one of the people who one of the people who assist with the cups at Communion time.

Due to her health reasons, she does not partake in the cup when the minsters get Communion from the priest before they assist him with distribution of Communion. No one is offended that she does that. She is not alone, as a few others do not partake in the cup.

I only avoid the cup if I have a cold/flu, and only take the host. Otherwise, I receive in both forms no matter if I assist as a minister or just part of the congregation.

 

[whipp711]

One should not fear receiving the blood of Christ because of bacteria.

Drinking from a cup, bottle, or glass is the easiest way to transmit nisseria miningititus (sp) from someone else. Catching that can result in loss of hands, arms, feet, legs, and a high probabilty of death (60%). I trust God, but not the person in line in front of me. Sorry.

Nisseria M. originated in the north Africa and the Middle East, and it has spread to this part of the world. After watching the impact on my wife, I will chose to overprotect.

 

[ConstantineTG]

Why do we say “wine” after the consecration? It is no longer wine, but only the Blood of Christ.

There’s nothing that prevents us from calling it by the accidents that remain. While it is more theologically correct to call it the Precious Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, when talking amongst like minded Christians there is no danger of making a wrong teaching. If you read Acts they always refer to the Eucharist as Breaking Bread, not Breaking the Body of Jesus Christ.