Eating Ice Cubes before Mass

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sdkahler123

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I know this is kinda silly but I go to Mass at 12 noon and sometimes I’m still sucking on Ice Cubes from my Iced Coffee in the morning. Somtimes within the one hour before receiving the Eucharist.

Is Ice considered water ? I know that water is ok before Mass.

There is absolutely no Coffee left in the cup by this point, it’s just ice. No discoloration of the Cofee is left at this point. There is no detectable sign of it in the cup and the Ice cubes are perfectly clear just like water.

Thanks, Steve
 
My thoughts are that you are able to receive communion if there is just ice. But it might seem a bit scandalous to others if they see you drinking from the cup if it has some obvious coffee store label.
 
We are to fast from FOOD. Ice cubes are not food, but, ice cubes that are still there at noon from a morning iced coffee are miracles!
 
I wouldn’t do it. Chances are there’s some remnant of the coffee with the ice. Also, the ice is given as part of the drink, not simply as ice or water itself…

Its your call though, not exactly something to beat yourself up over.
 
No need to worry about breaking your one hour fast by eating the melting ice cubes left from your iced coffee.
 
I’m assuming that as the morning progresses you will drink off the melted ice water as it forms, so the coffee would have “rinsed out” by the noon mass. So I’d say you are basically drinking/eating frozen water, which is ok. I think it would be different if you were scooping out the ice from a drink that still contains coffee.

Even if there were trace amounts of coffee on the ice, wouldn’t it be likely that the stomach would have moved the liquid on by the time you receive Jesus?

I think things start to get weird when we get too focused on the letter of the law. Like someone saying it is ok to eat a full 3 course meal and then one hour later receive communion. NO WAY that meal has digested and is out of the stomach yet. But them people will say it is ok b/c it has been an hour.

Ask the priest next time. He’ll be able to answer you best.
 
I think it’s personal choice and devotion. If you’re fasting to make Christ special that’s great although I personally don’t do an hour fast. I think it’s important for priests to do an hour fast. I’m married to a non-Catholic who is always late in the mornings and hogs the bathroom so I’m shoving toast down my throat before I run to mass on Sunday. I also get fainting fits in Church so I need to eat. It’s up to you.
 
How 'bout going back to the traditional 3-hour fast? Then you don’t need to worry at all! 😉

God bless.
 
budgie2 said:
I think it’s personal choice and devotion. If you’re fasting to make Christ special that’s great although I personally don’t do an hour fast. I think it’s important for priests to do an hour fast. I’m married to a non-Catholic who is always late in the mornings and hogs the bathroom so I’m shoving toast down my throat before I run to mass on Sunday. I also get fainting fits in Church so I need to eat. It’s up to you.
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Actually, it’s a matter of following Canon Law (which all Catholics are bound to do):
Can. 919 §1. A person who is to receive the Most Holy Eucharist is to abstain for at least one hour before holy communion from any food and drink, except for only water and medicine.
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§2. A priest who celebrates the Most Holy Eucharist two or three times on the same day can take something before the second or third celebration even if there is less than one hour between them.
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§3. The elderly, the infirm, and those who care for them can receive the Most Holy Eucharist even if they have eaten something within the preceding hour.
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From what you have said, you may qualify as one of the exceptions in §3, but this is not the norm. All Catholics are required to fast for an hour before receiving the Eucharist, provided they are physically able to do so.
 
thunderballs75 said:
How 'bout going back to the traditional 3-hour fast? Then you don’t need to worry at all! 😉

God bless.
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Well, if you want to talk about “traditional” then you really ought to suggest no eating after midnight.

I say again… if it’s just ice cubes/water, no problem. If there could still be coffee in there then no. And it’s best not to give anyone the IMPRESSION that you could be drinking something more than water/ice.
 
Can. 919 §1. A person who is to receive the Most Holy Eucharist is to abstain for at least one hour before holy communion from any food and drink, except for only water and medicine.
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Coffee doesn’t qualify as over-the-counter medication? Not even naturopathic medication? I thought it was prophylactic against morning headaches.

(or is there a “hair of the dog” exception somewhere in canon law, too? :rolleyes: :D)
 
EasterJoy said:
Coffee doesn’t qualify as over-the-counter medication? Not even naturopathic medication? I thought it was prophylactic against morning headaches.

(or is there a “hair of the dog” exception somewhere in canon law, too? :rolleyes: :D)
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:rotfl:
 
Certainly where I live (Britain) among my age group you’re lucky if you go to Church at all. I don’t know if you’re in a tight knitted Church group because certainly nobody would pay attention if somebody broke the 1 hour fast amongst my group. I’m sure there’s value in doing the fast however, and personally try to fast on Fridays but I don’t always do the 1 hour fast. I think it’s only for 7 years and older and might be harder to do when your children are small.
 
budgie2 said:
Certainly where I live (Britain) among my age group you’re lucky if you go to Church at all. I don’t know if you’re in a tight knitted Church group because certainly nobody would pay attention if somebody broke the 1 hour fast amongst my group. I’m sure there’s value in doing the fast however, and personally try to fast on Fridays but I don’t always do the 1 hour fast. I think it’s only for 7 years and older and might be harder to do when your children are small.
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The fast is for those who are receiving the Eucharist, and since those under 7 ordinarily do not receive the Eucharist, then they do not have to fast. I have children under 7, though, and I do not find it difficult for myself to fast for an hour before Communion.

Keep in mind, too, that the hour long fast refers to the time of the reception of Communion, not the beginning of Mass. With all the running around and getting kids dressed and ready, coupled with the fact that the distribution of Communion is usually 40 minutes into the Mass, I’d almost have to grab fast food on the way to Mass to break the fast. I’ve never found it that difficult. 🤷

The fast is part of Canon Law, and we’re all obligated to follow it.
 
Where would you be chomping on this ice? In the car on the way to Mass? Standing out front? Surely not in the church itself.

In the car, you wouldn’t be giving scandal because nobody else would see you unless some other parishioner just happens to be on the same route as you. Leave the cup in the car. You don’t need it in church, and then nobody will see.

Father Serpa specifically mentioned coffee as breaking the fast on Ask An Apologist. Someone wrote asking if coffee with cream broke the fast, and he said coffee in any way breaks the fast.

Budgie, this is a pretty hard and fast rule. How about getting up a few minutes earlier and eating before you get your turn in the bathroom? This may not seem like something important, but it’s a very definite requirement. I’m almost 59 and diabetic. I fast from the time I get up, about 7:15, until after Mass and choir practice, about 11. Most diabetics would probably have a problem with that, but it doesn’t bother me at all. If you put your mind to it, you can figure out a way to make this work.

I don’t know but I’ve always thought it was a mortal sin to break the fast before Communion.
 
OK so I have a question about something.

Today we had Mass at my school, and I attended. I came 5-10 minutes before to get seated and realized I had gum in my mouth. I was going to go spit it out or swallow it, but I got caught up in a conversation with someone. Then about 10-15 minutes into the Mass, I realized I was still chewing the gum! I had not even noticed I had the gum in my mouth. So then I immediately swallowed it. Later on in the Mass, as communion was approaching, I was wondering to myself if I should recieve communion, or not? Because I have heard that if you have eaten anything besides water or medication within an hour before communion, then you should not recieve the Eucharist. But in the end, I did recieve the Eucharist. Was this a sin? If I completely forgot to spit out my gum? I’m a little worried, but this could just be my scruples getting the best of me…
 
thunderballs75 said:
How 'bout going back to the traditional 3-hour fast? Then you don’t need to worry at all! 😉

God bless.
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The “three hour fast” is not traditional, but a 20th century relaxation (by Pius XII) of the fast from midnight or the evening before!
 
thunderballs75 said:
How 'bout going back to the traditional 3-hour fast? Then you don’t need to worry at all! 😉

God bless.
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That doesn’t always work in all cases, for instance, people with medical issues or pregnant women or growing kids. I’ve seen young men faint during noon Mass at the Latin Mass parish I go to, because their blood sugar got too low.
 
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