Does recieving Holy Communion break a fast?

[Dtmccameron]

Sounds crazy, I know, but it was a thought I had nonetheless. It all started when I thought on the Blessed Sacrament, and isn’t the flesh of Our Lord the ‘Bread of Life’? Well, that sounded like a meal to me, and if you’ve eaten a meal, you haven’t fasted.

So, does recieving the Most Blessed Sacrament count as a meal?

 

[pigtown]

Interesting comment. Many years ago anyone who was receiving Communion had to fast from Midnight until receiving so I guess that meant that taking Communion was breaking the fast.

 

[rowermath]

However I don’t feel that it breaks a fast in the other sense. I think that the two fasts are somewhat different. There is the Eucharistic fast for which the communicant fasts to honor and reverence Christ who is present in the Eucharist. The other general fasting from food has a whole other reason, doesn’t it? It is so that our material hunger forces us to turn toward the Lord. Receiving Christ in the Eucharist completely satisfies this, right? From this reasoning, I do not believe that the Eucharist breaks a fast.

Hope this helps!

m.a.t.h.

 

[LilyM]

The blessed sacrament isn’t considered a meal for purposes of fasting any more than Christ’s Eucharistic Body is considered warm-blooded flesh for the purposes of abstinence. We can have His Eucharistic Body any day, includng Ash Wednesday and Good Friday, and any other day when we happen to be fasting or abstaining.

Remember that the definition of ‘fasting’ includes the intent as well as the action. Going hungry because we forgot to bring lunch or lunch money to school, or because we’re on a diet, isn’t fasting. Fasting is where the deprivation is done with the intent of spiritual purification. Such spiritual purification ALSO mandates that we receive the Eucharist whenever we can, including on those fasting days.

 

[Strategery]

The blessed sacrament isn’t considered a meal for purposes of fasting any more than Christ’s Eucharistic Body is considered warm-blooded flesh for the purposes of abstinence.

Remember that the definition of ‘fasting’ includes the intent as well as the action. Going hungry because we forgot to bring lunch or lunch money to school, or because we’re on a diet, isn’t fasting. Fasting is where the deprivation is done with the intent of spiritual purification. Such spiritual purification ALSO mandates that we receive the Eucharist whenever we can, including on those fasting days.

Very well said.