Did I break the communion fast?

[jjb5985]

I asked this in Ask and Apologetic but maybe you guys have an answer.

My church usually lasts a full hour before receiving communion. Being a Holy Day for the Assumption however the Mass was shorter. I finished eating and as I was putting my plate away it was 11:46. I then took my various supplements (vitamins and what not) and got ready for church. I was worried about communion and ended up receiving communion right at 12:46. As I was standing in line however I remembered taking my various supplements and realized that I may have taken them at around 11:47 to possibly even 11:48. I still received communion because I wasn’t sure whether it was breaking the fast and I didn’t know the exact time I took them so as to not be scrupulous, but now I’m wondering whether I should have just abstained because I was very concious of what I was doing.

Basically, I may have taken something anywhere from 11:46 - 11:48 and I received communion at 12:46 - 12:47. Did I break the fast and should I go to confession sense I was thinking about this as I was in line? I suppos going to confession never hurts and its a minor thing. But I have long gotten over my scrupulosity and I hate to think its coming up again. Thanks.

 

[LittleMother]

I think the vitamins & supplements would fall under medicine & not break the fast, so as long as they were taken with water you didn’t break the fast.

 

[Orionthehunter]

I asked this in Ask and Apologetic but maybe you guys have an answer.

My church usually lasts a full hour before receiving communion. Being a Holy Day for the Assumption however the Mass was shorter. I finished eating and as I was putting my plate away it was 11:46. I then took my various supplements (vitamins and what not) and got ready for church. I was worried about communion and ended up receiving communion right at 12:46. As I was standing in line however I remembered taking my various supplements and realized that I may have taken them at around 11:47 to possibly even 11:48. I still received communion because I wasn’t sure whether it was breaking the fast and I didn’t know the exact time I took them so as to not be scrupulous, but now I’m wondering whether I should have just abstained because I was very concious of what I was doing.

Basically, I may have taken something anywhere from 11:46 - 11:48 and I received communion at 12:46 - 12:47. Did I break the fast and should I go to confession sense I was thinking about this as I was in line? I suppos going to confession never hurts and its a minor thing. But I have long gotten over my scrupulosity and I hate to think its coming up again. Thanks.

Since you admit that you have suffered with scrupulousity, I suggest that you just trust in Divine Mercy. He knows in your heart that you are sincere in trying to follow Discipline and He knows that discipline has sometimes been a distraction and even an attack on your pursuit of Holiness. (Note: I meant to cap Discipline and not cap discipline. Is the distinction clear? One is designed to make us more holy while the other can become its own end.)

Some of us need to take Discipline more serious. As you are one who struggles w/ scrupulousity, take this potential unintentional breach more lightly. Just say "Jesus, my friend, I think I might have did a boo boo. But I’m dang appreciative of your gift of Body, Soul and Divinity and that You love me perfectly in all my imperfections. You are the Greatest. Amen.

 

[jjb5985]

Yeah, well I read that it does break the fast for supplements unless its for actual medicinal use. I used to suffer from scrupulosity, but not so much recently. I hate the feeling of it coming back. I can always go to confession to be safe.

 

[otjm]

I would suggest that if you have suffered from scrupulosity, that you get a regular confessor and go to no one else; and you make sure that the confessor you pick is one who is well acquainted with the issue.

In short, your scrupulosity is coming back.

What are you to make of the story in the Gospels wherein Christ and the Apostles are confronted with the fact that they were breaking the Sabbath law concerning work, when they were shucking and eating grain on the Sabbath?

Do you believe that God plays “Gotcha!”? It would appear that you do.

I am not suggesting a casualness about the moral laws we are to obey. But the laws are there for a purpose; the purpose is not to “catch” you, and the Pharisees were very good about knowing all the laws and following them exactly; read the Gospels and see what Christ says about them and their exactness about the laws. Seems to me one of the comments was “whitened sepulchurs”. And if that phrase doesn’t make any sense, ask your confessor to explain it.