Eucharistic Fast

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Latin Rite Catholics are required to perform a Eucharistic fast. Is this one hour before recieving the Eucharist or one hour before Mass? Second, how serious is it if we don’t observe this one time? i don’t want opinions i want a good answer
 
It is one hour before receiving the Eucharist. If the Mass is really long with lots of ceremonies and rituals (like the Easter Vigil) and there are plenty of people present to receive communion before you, it is theoretically possible that you could eat right before Mass and still meet the fast requirements.

The fast is absolutely necessary (except in case of illness, advanced age, or other grave reason). Not observing the fast (again, without grave reason) means that one is not properly dispensed to receive the Eucharist. It is just as necessary to fast as to be in a state of grace, so it is pretty serious, even if it is ‘just this one time’.
 
ok here is the problem

I ate breakfast today before going to mass. Lets say that I finished eating at 12:10. I recieved Eucharist at 1:05. I was aware of the obligation of a one hour fast. I was uncertain about whether it was one hour before mass or before recieving. I went to confession before I ate breakfast, and have not recieved communion for several weeks. I realllly wanted to recieve and I was not sure if it was a big deal. Is this a mortal sin?
 
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Anonymous_1:
ok here is the problem

I ate breakfast today before going to mass. Lets say that I finished eating at 12:10. I recieved Eucharist at 1:05. I was aware of the obligation of a one hour fast. I was uncertain about whether it was one hour before mass or before recieving. I went to confession before I ate breakfast, and have not recieved communion for several weeks. I realllly wanted to recieve and I was not sure if it was a big deal. Is this a mortal sin?
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Two points: First, you say you were uncertain about the nature of the obligation. That uncertainty means, in my opinion, that there was less than the full knowledge necessary for a sin to be mortal.

Second, while the obligation is for a one hour fast before receiving communion, it is not necessary to time it down to the second. It should be thought of as a moral hour rather than a precision hour.

Given the time frames you mentioned, I don’t see how you could be certain of the precise times. Unless you deliberately intended to flout the requirements of the fast, there would not be a mortal sin.

(I don’t understand what you mean by you went to confession before you ate breakfast. There were confessions before Mass? You went to church, went to confession, left the church, went to breakfast, then came back to the church for Mass? If that’s the case, it seems like you might as well have just stayed at church after confession and waited for breakfast until later.)
 
I had an appointment for confession. I went at 10:30 was done at like 11:15. Mass is at 12:30. I went home between because I was very hungry. By the time I made breakfast and ate it was like 12:10. Knowing very well that we are obligated to observe a fast I brought my cell phone. I figured if Communion was distributed after 1:10 I would be ok. but it wasn;t it was distributed at 1:05. But i wanted to recieve so bad because I hadnt for so long that I just figured it wouldn;t be a big deal, so I did. I hope this makes sense.
 
Nobody here can judge whether you commited a sin or not. Only you can do that, judging your own intent, knowledge, and obligation. If you are not able to make a decision, mention it to your confessor.

My own opinion, (which has no standing!) is that the sin was not mortal. You state that you “just figured it wouldn’t be a big deal.” Based on that, I’m thinking that your intent and knowledge was insufficient to make this sinful. It’s not possible to commit a mortal sin without knowing it.
 
PS–Re-reading your initial post, I remain convinced that you did not sin. If you had been certain of the seriousness of the action, you would not have asked. Don’t let this weigh you down. Just mention it in your next confession. Tell him you fasted 55 minutes instead of an hour. I suspect he will not make a big deal of it either.
 
I was always taught that it was an hour before the start of Mass.

If it’s an hour before actually communion, it makes a lot of things a whole lot easier on Sunday – we can eat in the car during the 90 minute drive to Mass.
 
It is an hour before receiving communion. If your drive is 90 minutes, that makes the timing much safer to figure than, say, an individual whom drives 10 minutes there.
 
Sir Knight:
I was always taught that it was an hour before the start of Mass.

If it’s an hour before actually communion, it makes a lot of things a whole lot easier on Sunday – we can eat in the car during the 90 minute drive to Mass.
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did you say you have a 90 minte drive to a mass?
 
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wjp984:
did you say you have a 90 minte drive to a mass?
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Once a month and on Christmas & Easter, we attend a church that has special meaning to us which is about 90-120 minutes (depending on traffic and road conditions) away.

Our children were baptized in that church. My wife & I were married in that church. I was baptized in that church. My parents were married in that church. Etc. So my family has a long history with that church dating back nearly a century and we make it a point to visit it once a month for mass (usually, but not always, the first Sunday of the month).

The rest of the time our drive to Sunday mass is about 15-20 minutes. Oddly enough, we always make it in plenty of time to the church that is further away but are racing in the door during the entrance song when we go to the closer church. :rolleyes:
 
Sir Knight:
I was always taught that it was an hour before the start of Mass.

If it’s an hour before actually communion, it makes a lot of things a whole lot easier on Sunday – we can eat in the car during the 90 minute drive to Mass.
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Wow, that’s commitment, I only have a 3 minute walk.

My hat comes off to you sir :tiphat:
 
WIthout intention of binding burdens on your back, and agreeing with advice to consult with your confessor:
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Anonymous_1:
ok here is the problem

I ate breakfast today before going to mass. Lets say that I finished eating at 12:10. I recieved Eucharist at 1:05. I was aware of the obligation of a one hour fast. I was uncertain about whether it was one hour before mass or before recieving.
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Regardless if you were uncertain of whether the fast is an hour before Mass or an hour before Communion – I don’t see how this is relevant to a reception after 55 minutes (1:05 - 12:10 = 55 minutes)? Surely Mass began sometime in between (and indeed you later note: 12:30)?

:confused:
tee
 
tee, the reason i asked was because I wanted to know for future reference.
 
Canon 919:
Can. 919 §1 Whoever is to receive the blessed Eucharist is to abstain for at least one hour before holy communion from all food and drink, with the sole exception of water and medicine.

§2 A priest who, on the same day, celebrates the blessed Eucharist twice or three times may consume something before the second or third celebration, even though there is not an hour’s interval.

§3 The elderly and those who are suffering from some illness, as well as those who care for them, may receive the blessed Eucharist even if within the preceding hour they have consumed something.
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