Eucharistic fast- knowing it is less than one hour

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When I know it’s been less than 1 hour since I ate (by a minute or two), I have walked up in line and received the Eucharist but I hold it in place in my mouth and will not chew until the time has elapsed. I assumed this was not breaking the fast but I wondered what others think about it? Or am I being too picky looking at it right down to the minute?
 
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What a funny idea. I am sorry if I am rude to say it but I am continually amazed at the stuff we humans come up with.

Just quit eating in time or don’t receive. Don’t sit there for minutes with Jesus in your mouth waiting to chew.

What would happen if you needed to sneeze?

Set yourself a little fasting alarm if need be.
 
Deditus_Domina said:
What a funny idea. I am sorry if I am rude to say it but I am continually amazed at the stuff we humans come up with.

Just quit eating in time or don’t receive. Don’t sit there for minutes with Jesus in your mouth waiting to chew.

What would happen if you needed to sneeze?

Set yourself a little fasting alarm if need be.
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Yikes. Good point re sneezing… I just wasn’t sure if I was being too picky going right down to the minute.
 
I would stick with the hour. if you don’t you will have to set up some other formal cutoff. Is 58 minutes OK but not 57 minutes? what about 55 minutes? Pretty soon you have a defacto rule of I fast for 57 minutes before communion. which would be your own funny little rule and not the church’s
 
One hour before Mass starts. Period. That way you know you have some leeway. 51% beeswax, 51% holy water, same principle.
 
Sbee0 said:
When I know it’s been less than 1 hour since I ate (by a minute or two), I have walked up in line and received the Eucharist but I hold it in place in my mouth and will not chew until the time has elapsed. I assumed this was not breaking the fast but I wondered what others think about it? Or am I being too picky looking at it right down to the minute?
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It’s one hour before you receive Holy Communion, not one hour before you sallow the Blessed Host. It’s one hour before you say “Amen” and the priest (or deacon or the EM) places the Blessed Sacrament in your hand or on your tongue.

Therefore, wait at least one hour before you get into the Communion line. If an hour hasn’t yet passed since you last ate food and the Holy Communion rite has ended, then sorry but you ate too late. Do better next time.
 
You are obliged to attend Mass every Sunday. You are not obliged to receive communion every Sunday. If you fail to make the one hour fast, then abstain until next time. Simple as that.
One hour is the absolute bare minimum. Traditionally, Catholics fasted from the evening before.
 
Hereiam said:
Yes, as is at least one other poster. You border on being scrupulous, and some are aiding you in your scrupulosity.
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This is EXACTLY correct. Yes, you are being scrupulous, yes, others are inadvertently adding to your scrupulosity.

On a typical Sunday Mass, with travel time and such it is quite hard to break the fast without doing so on purpose. Holy Communion is usually about 45 minutes into Sunday Mass.

Thanks for getting to Mass, all of you on this, the Lord’s Day!

Deacon Christopher
 
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I think the suggestion was to plan an hour before Mass in order to have a cushion of time and not have to worry each week.
 
DaveBj said:
One hour before Mass starts
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Yes, I know that my statement is technically incorrect. However, we know the exact minute Mass is scheduled to start. If we clock it back from that, there is no need to have pangs of scrupulosity, and God appreciates the extra discipline. After all, do you remember nothing to eat since the night before? I do. One hour from the beginning of Mass is nothing.
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Jerusha said:
After all, do you remember nothing to eat since the night before? I do. One hour from the beginning of Mass is nothing.
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Actually, I don’t remember that; I was in RCIA 15 years ago. One hour before the beginning of Mass isn’t a problem, but it is bad information and can play on someone’s scruples.

D
 
Do the full hour or don’t receive.

One time I cut it a little close because I was traveling and had eaten hotel breakfast before I realized how early the nearest Mass was. I received, but I might have been a couple minutes short of an hour. I felt bad about it and confessed a week or two later. I haven’t done that again since.
 
Saint Paul in Colossians 2:18-23 has an opinion.
You might do meditation on the 1 hour .
And ask God to reveal its purpose to you
 
I go to morning mass and on a couple days a week we have a meeting that starts one hour before mass. Communion is usually 25 min. after mass starts, So I have coffee with cream and intend to stop drinking in time to have a one hour fast before communion. One morning I took a sip about 5 minutes late. So I go to the priest in the sanctuary and ask him for dispensation from the fast. He gives it to me but with a gesture and a smirk said why are you worried about such trivia.

I really believe it is the spirit of the law that counts and we need not be Pharisees about the law.
 
Sbee0 said:
When I know it’s been less than 1 hour since I ate (by a minute or two), I have walked up in line and received the Eucharist but I hold it in place in my mouth and will not chew until the time has elapsed. I assumed this was not breaking the fast but I wondered what others think about it? Or am I being too picky looking at it right down to the minute?
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This is being too scrupulous and is frankly a horrible idea. If the priest notices you doing that, he will run after you because that’s ONE way devil worshipers sneak hosts out of churches.
  • Either receive without thinking twice - though I would recommend refraining
  • Wait until the end of the communion line and then receive last
  • or refrain from communion.
Whatever you do, please do not continue this practice of keeping the host in your mouth until the time has pasted.

God Bless
 
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Jerusha said:
One hour from the beginning of Mass is nothing.
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Your’re telling me… In my opinion, fasting for one hour before receiving communion is really close to no fast at all. Honestly, I fail to understand how the OP (and anyone for that matter) can break this fast on a Sunday…? 😐
 
The one hour fast is CCC and should be upheld in nearly all cases. Correct me If I am wrong but wasn’t this rule brought in to stop the richer people from eating full table meals in the house that the eucharistic meal was being served and in most cases right up to the point of receiving Our Lord. The logic behind it is quite reasonable, but I must determine that to unintentionally eat something small within the very begining of the fast to me is perfectly acceptable if not made a habit of… please chime in with reasons why we are so strict on this rule and not just because it is in CCC
 
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