Is it wrong to drink coffee while watching Holy Mass on EWTN?

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In a case such as this, there is no specific Church law forbidding it. I also am not sure there is a Church law forbidding drinking coffee during a Mass attended to in person, actually. Therefore, it’s up to the person. In the case of a real Mass, coffee would break the communion fast, but if someone attended and abstained from communion, then drinking coffee, although against social customs, would probably be technically legal. And in you own home, perfectly okay.

Who is to judge what another’s spiritual state of mind is. Why do we need to worry so much about what others do, and how they can best commune with Almighty God? We should worry about our own sorry state first.
 
The key here to watching the mass on tv is that you are not actually in the presence of the physical presence of God. At mass, in church, Jesus is physically there. I wouldn’t eat or drink in a church out of respect for Him.

When you are at home and watching the mass on tv, you’re not in the presence of the physical presence, and you’re not actually participating in the mass. That’s why it doesn’t count as fullfilling the obligation.

I sometimes casually watch the Mass, sometimes I pay attention and take part as I can through the tv.

I guess it’s kind of up to you. If you want to not eat or drink out of reverence to God, than that’s a good thing. If you’re watching mass as you’re getting ready in the morning and eating breakfast, I don’t see that as particularly wrong or offensive either.
 
I don’t drink coffee, and I agree with some, that if you are watching and participating (in spirit) then you probably should behave close to what you would if you could be there. I attend Mass daily, but I then watch ewtn to hear the homily which is better than the one I heard 99% of the time, and during that time I am usually doing something else also.
 
If I am going to watch the Mass with the intention of praying and spiritually participating in the Mass, then I do not drink or eat anything while watching it. I feel the same way about the Mass on Catholic radio as well. If I cannot give it my full attention spiritually, then I respectfully turn it off.

Blessings
 
I don’t believe that watching The Daily Mass on EWTN is like watching any other television show.

If I watch the re-broadcast at 12:00 noon, I make sure that I either have eaten lunch or wait until Mass is over to eat.

I follow the Mass using my Magnificat just as I do when attending Mass at my parish church. How can someone snack or drink coffee during the Consecration?

If you pray the Rosary with Mother Angelica and the Nuns, or pray the Divine Mercy Chaplet on EWTN, do you sit and snack or drink coffee while praying the Rosary or Chaplet?🤷

Do you watch any Mass celebrated by Pope Benedict on EWTN; would you snack while watching that Mass?🤷

Even on Sunday when I will be going to Mass at my church I watch the Daily Mass on EWTN at some point during the day when it is re-broadcast.
 
Forgot to say this -

Viewing the Daily Mass on EWTN has nothing to do with “daily obligation” or “duty”; it is a spiritual connection.

Their Mass is beautiful and as another poster has said - you won’t hear a homily at a local church to come anywhere near what you hear on EWTN’s Daily Mass.:harp:
 
I often clean or cook lunch while listening to EWTN’s Mass. I suppose most of you would frown on that, huh? 😉 Personally, I think God is thrilled anytime we turn our mind to Him, even if we need to do other things at the same time.
 
Well Jennifer, since you have a little army to take care of. I, for one, would not fault you for doing household duties while listening to the Daily Mass on EWTN.:rolleyes:

But, it would be nice if you could have the time to sit and watch and pray along with the Mass on one of the re-broadcast times. However, I certainly would not critize you for just listening.:grouphug:

:heaven::harp:
 
Of course you can’t drink coffee. Only Dr. Pepper or Diet Coke.
 
If you are watching the Mass because you are a shut in and you are trying to be faithful to you Mass obligation, I would say you shouldn’t be eating or drinking or answering the phone or anything else you wouldn’t do while at Mass. If you are watching the Mass for some other reason, I don’t see anything wrong with drinking coffee while you watch.’’’
 
Of the many questions found in this thread there were two which interested me.
  1. Is it ok to eat while praying?
  2. Is it ok to pray while eating?
It is not ok to eat while praying because when we are focusing on prayer we should try to avoid as many distractions as possible.

Is is ok to pray while eating because we are also to pray always.

Confused yet? lol!

I guess my point is that if you intend to pray one should not be eating, but it is perfectly acceptable to pray while eating because prayer should be incorporated into everything we do.
 
ServusDomini, I agree completely with your observation that it is okay to pray while eating, but not to eat while praying.:yup:

I find nothing wrong with saying short prayers (aspirations, etc.) while having lunch, etc. but I do think it is wrong to sit down to view the Daily Mass on EWTN and snack while doing so.😦

In fact, I just cannot understand how anyone could do that.🤷

And snacking while praying the Rosary? Please, no.:highprayer:
 
ServusDomini said:
Of the many questions found in this thread there were two which interested me.
  1. Is it ok to eat while praying?
  2. Is it ok to pray while eating?
It is not ok to eat while praying because when we are focusing on prayer we should try to avoid as many distractions as possible.

Is is ok to pray while eating because we are also to pray always.

Confused yet? lol!

I guess my point is that if you intend to pray one should not be eating, but it is perfectly acceptable to pray while eating because prayer should be incorporated into everything we do.
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Why is it not OK? If it was OK for St Teresa of Avila to pray while on the toilet, then having a cup of coffee or some food pales by comparison in terms of being a distraction!

In fact it is said that once a devil appeared to her whilst she was doing so, mocking her for praying at such a time. Her response? ‘What comes out of my mouth is for God, what comes out of the other end is for you, devil!’

The Mass IS, after all, a meal, is it not? Yes, I know it’s inexpressibly MORE than that, but nonetheless it does have the meal aspect to it.
 
Well you are watching Mass on TV. That is a good thing, you are enjoying a cup of coffee, another good thing. How could two good things be a wrong thing:confused:
 
mullenpm said:
Forgot to say this -

Their Mass is beautiful and as another poster has said - you won’t hear a homily at a local church to come anywhere near what you hear on EWTN’s Daily Mass.:harp:
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Although I do understand what you ment by this quote. Truely I’ve been to many a Mass that the homily’s just don’t compare to the one on EWTN daily Mass.

May I add we are very blessed at St. Joseph’s in Weare Township, MI. It’s a small very old Catholic Church. I have just recently started to attend there when I’m not out of state on the Truck. And the very first time I had heard Father’s homily there I knew without a doubt I’d be back. It was Awsome.

Since then I’ve been attending when I’m home and it’s just like the first time, he truely has a way to keep you Very Intrested in what he’s saying, (no he’s not entertaining us) but is truely teaching us.
 
LilyM said:
Why is it not OK? If it was OK for St Teresa of Avila to pray while on the toilet, then having a cup of coffee or some food pales by comparison in terms of being a distraction!

In fact it is said that once a devil appeared to her whilst she was doing so, mocking her for praying at such a time. Her response? ‘What comes out of my mouth is for God, what comes out of the other end is for you, devil!’
.
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😃 I must be in good company with St. Teresa of Avila. I too have prayed while on the toliet, in the shower, driving down the road, anywhere the moment hits, it doesn’t matter.

Back to the “toliet” scene. A lot of people have Magz. and such in their bathroom for “Reading Time” while sitting on the toliet.

I have a Bible that sits on a small table next to my toliet that I read…(and many more Bibles throughout the house) to read while I’m on the toliet. It is also a good thing to have there in case someone is staying with us, who although they don’t go to church, may be “tempted” to pick it up and read something out of it, while they are in my bathroom.

After all think about it this way…God created our bodies, so He knows we must visit the bathroom. If one can pray or read the Bible while sitting on the toliet, it’s called Multi-tasking… 😉
 
Paladin_V said:
Is it okay to pray while I eat? :ehh:
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You can pray at any time all through the day no matter what your doing, I would say its ok to eat & pray, unless your really down on your knees & strongly meditating in prayer, then I would say no, that would create a distraction, it`s easy enuff to be distracted in solemn prayer, without eating
 
Is it not possible to give one hour to watch the Daily Mass on EWTN without your hand on a cup of coffee?🤷

Why is that so difficult? Remember what Jesus said to the Apostles - could you not watch one hour with me.

Is that coffee such an addiction that you just can’t put it down even when you are praying?:confused:

Methodi, you are right. It is very easy to be distracted when saying prayers and snacking certainly would be a distraction even if you are not deeply meditating. I understand if one is saying prayers quietly when going about chores perhaps a cup of coffee is okay; but that is not what we are talking about here.

The OP asked if it was wrong to drink coffee while watching the Holy Mass on EWTN. That is the question here.

And I believe it is definitely a distraction - do you just sit and stare at the television screen and sip your coffee; if so, why do you even bother. What possible good could there be to blankly stare while the Holy Mass is being celebrated; and, it is being celebrated; you might just as well be watching a game show.:highprayer:
 
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