One hour before Mass or Communion?

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Amy77025

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I needed clarification of the fasting rule on Sundays. I make sure that I don’t eat an hour before the start of Mass, but my mother and others say that it’s an hour before Communion. Which is it? And how do you know what time Communion will be anyways? If that was the case you would only be “fasting” 30 minutes before Mass. It doesn’t really seem like much of a sacrafice. IMHO…:hmmm:
 
In preparation for Mass, one needs to obstain for one hour before the start of Mass. If you need to have water or medication for medical purposes, then you may do so. Fasting for one hour prior to receiving the Eucharist, is at best, splitting hairs.

I wonder how many of us need to eat or drink during every hour…now that I am seeing water bottles being brought into Churches to ‘sustain’ people during the l-o-n-g hour of Mass, I think we Americans have gotten into a picnic mentality!
When we toured the Capitol in Washington D.C. no one was permitted to bring water, juice or any sort of liquid into the building. There was a huge receptacle that people had to deposit their ever present bottle. I wonder how many Catholics went along with that willingly, or decided that they were the exception to the rule…just a thought!
 
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chimakuni:
Fasting for one hour prior to receiving the Eucharist, is at best, splitting hairs.
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It may be splitting hairs, but one hour before communion is all that is required.

One’s person devotion may be different, though, as in fasting all morning prior to mass, or (mine) keeping away from secular “stuff” (TV, books, etc) before mass. Still, the one hour before receiveing communion is all that is required
 
Canon 919 of the *Code of Canon Law *states, “One who is to receive the most Holy Eucharist is to abstain from any food or drink, with the exception of water and medicine, for at least the period of one hour before Holy Communion.” Fasting from secular stuff, whilst admirable, is not a substitute. It would be a better addition.

I dont think any of us can exactly p(name removed by moderator)oint the moment you will receive? One hour before Holy Communion is what is asked as a minimum and if your happy with bare minimum then fine!!
But I find that with different Priests the Holy Mass take different lengths. I could put time into trying to guess who it will be guess when the moment of Holy Communion will be or I can be certain of observing the fast by starting the fast one hour before Holy Mass.
One hour before Mass helps us all to make certain that we are clear to receive as far as the one hour fast is concerned.
Guessing has the effect of eroding the certainty.
I sometimes practice a vigil fast i.e.not eating at all from bed time until after Holy Mass the following morning. This way when I attend early Holy Mass my physical hunger reminds me of the hunger of the heart for the presence and indwelling of Christ.
With the Holy Eucharist I would be suprised if people were down to spiltting hairs and not ensuring that the fast was observed. If in doubt then err on the side of a longer fast.
Blessings,
Fergal,
Naas
Ireland
 
It is as pointed out one hour before Communion. So if Father shortens his homily (right) and you finished that last sip of coffee 55 minutes ago DO NOT receive Communion! I think it would be better to just stop eating a little sooner. Personally I fast from Midnight Saturday. I also look forward to a good meal after Mass.
 
What would some of us do if it was the “old days” the 3 hour fast!

I would just wonder, since fasting is a sacrifice, why we have to push it to the bare minimum? I understand if you have to take medicine…but why are we so opposed to doing anything “extra” for the Lord? Look what He did it for us…!!! Just my:twocents:
 
EWTN specifically states “…ONE HOUR BEFORE RECEIVING” (for Latin Rite Catholics) before each Mass in The Sublime Gift of the Most Holy Eucharist.
 
I really don’t think it’s all that hard to determine when to begin your fast - yes, it can vary by a matter of minutes, but obviously receiving the Eucharist isn’t going to happen right at the start of Mass. It seems reasonable to say that, if you begin fasting 20-30 minutes before Mass, you are within the required limits. This doesn’t mean you can’t do more. I also don’t think that there’s any reason to be critical of those who choose not to practice more than the minimum. Different things have meaning for different people. It seems to me (though I admit I am no expert) that the fast is simply a matter of respect for what you are about to do. It’s not a matter of keeping the Body and Blood away from other consumed foods - otherwise, we’d be fasting after Mass, too. If a person follows the requirements of the Church and receives Communion with respect for the sacrament, it seems to me that that person is fulfilling everything that God would wish them to do. If there’s more to it than that, please tell me - I always want to learn more!
 
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Annunciata:
What would some of us do if it was the “old days” the 3 hour fast!
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Hey, in the REALLY old days, it was fasting from midnight the night before! That’s why we had a lot of early Masses!.

JimG
 
Two questions:
** 1**. Is there a different rule for a divine liturgy in the Eastern churches?

** 2**. One of my elders mentioned that back when they were in Catholic school, bags were put over the drinking fountains so that people wouldn’t use them for a period prior to the afternoon mass. What was that rule?
 
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JimG:
Hey, in the REALLY old days, it was fasting from midnight the night before! That’s why we had a lot of early Masses!.

JimG
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Jim, some us remember when the midnight fast included water. Midnight masses were pretty popular too.

Charlie
 
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Charliemac:
Jim, some us remember when the midnight fast included water. Midnight masses were pretty popular too.

Charlie
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Oh yes. Refraining from drinking water was worse than fasting from food! But our habit on Sunday mornings was to get up, get dressed, go to Mass before thinking of any of that.

JimG
 
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JimG:
Hey, in the REALLY old days, it was fasting from midnight the night before! That’s why we had a lot of early Masses!.

JimG
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Apparently, my father nearly fainted from it at my parents’ wedding!
 
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JimG:
Hey, in the REALLY old days, it was fasting from midnight the night before! That’s why we had a lot of early Masses!.

JimG
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JimG,
I came into the Church in 1963 and I can’t remember if that was still in effect–when did it change?
Annunciata:)
 
Well though the rule is 1 hour before Mass …

I fast from midnight - it’s just a tiny sacrifice - but a much larger one was made for me.

“Could you not watch and pray one hour ?”
 
My husband and I get up on Sunday morning and have a cup of coffee. I feel eating anything in the morning before communion would be wrong, I want by whole body open for Jesus.
maggiec
 
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maggiec:
My husband and I get up on Sunday morning and have a cup of coffee. I feel eating anything in the morning before communion would be wrong, I want by whole body open for Jesus.
maggiec
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I agree. I try not to eat any solid foods until after Mass. But I always gotta have that coffee :whacky: .
 
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Annunciata:
JimG, I came into the Church in 1963 and I can’t remember if that was still in effect–when did it change?
Annunciata:)
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I don’t remember when the change in discipline took place. It went first to 3 hrs, then to 1 hr. By 1963 we may have been on the 3 hr fast.

JimG
 
Jim, I don’t know the whole chronology, either; but by the time I started school in 1967, it was 1 hour before. Strangely, though, the Felician nuns who taught us also had us not eating anything for an hour afterwards, either.

Another question for everyone: How many were taught that it was sinful to “bite” or chew the host? No matter how badly it was stuck to the roof of the mouth, one was never to touch the host nor do anything to “injure” Jesus. So sayeth Sr. Leviticus…and there was no arguing with her at all!
 
loyola rambler:
Another question for everyone: How many were taught that it was sinful to “bite” or chew the host? No matter how badly it was stuck to the roof of the mouth, one was never to touch the host nor do anything to “injure” Jesus. So sayeth Sr. Leviticus…and there was no arguing with her at all!
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I don’t recall being taught that; although I do remember learning later in theology class that it was impossible to “injure” Jesus in receiving communion. (other than by receiving unworthily.) Those nuns always did like to push the parameters just a little farther than necessary!

JimG
 
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