Precious Blood and legal drinking age

[tinalewis]

I’m still a fairly new EMHC and I honestly don’t recall this issue being discussed in our training and at the time it didn’t occur to me to ask the instructors.

Do you administer the Precious Blood to children and teens?

I have a round-about spiritual journey that included being Baptized and confirmed as an Episcopalian in 1974 when I was a teenager. Now, at that time and place, the legal drinking age was 18 and no one gave it any thought about offering the cup of wine (and it was genuine alcoholic wine) to children. Also at that time and place, the Episcopal children were confirmed and received their first eucharist at about age 9. We had communion rails at our church (yay!) and everyone continued kneeling at the rail for the distribution of the cup, including kids and young teens. No one batted an eye.

Is it the same nowadays? The drinking age where I live is now 21. Society is more sensitive to underage drinking these days. I don’t recall having children and young teens approach my cup while an EMHC, however I do know that our diocese doesn’t accept applicants to become EMHC for anyone under the age of 18. But that allows for the college-aged crowd to become EMHC and drink from and offer the cup of Precious Blood.

What are the rules on this?

Many thanks -

 

[benedictgal]

I’m still a fairly new EMHC and I honestly don’t recall this issue being discussed in our training and at the time it didn’t occur to me to ask the instructors.

Do you administer the Precious Blood to children and teens?

I have a round-about spiritual journey that included being Baptized and confirmed as an Episcopalian in 1974 when I was a teenager. Now, at that time and place, the legal drinking age was 18 and no one gave it any thought about offering the cup of wine (and it was genuine alcoholic wine) to children. Also at that time and place, the Episcopal children were confirmed and received their first eucharist at about age 9. We had communion rails at our church (yay!) and everyone continued kneeling at the rail for the distribution of the cup, including kids and young teens. No one batted an eye.

Is it the same nowadays? The drinking age where I live is now 21. Society is more sensitive to underage drinking these days. I don’t recall having children and young teens approach my cup while an EMHC, however I do know that our diocese doesn’t accept applicants to become EMHC for anyone under the age of 18. But that allows for the college-aged crowd to become EMHC and drink from and offer the cup of Precious Blood.

What are the rules on this?

Many thanks -

You pose an interesting question. The “drinking age” has nothing to do with this issue. This is a sacramental ritual, so there should not be a problem.

Furthermore, the amount consumed is minuscle and is not really a factor. The age of the communicant who receives the Precious Blood has nothing to do whatsoever with the age of the person who is distributing it, only that the EMHC should be 18 years of age or older.

Now, if one is concerned about this, there is always the option of intinction, but, the minister must be a priest in order for Holy Communion to be distributed in that manner.

 

[Havard]

It is legal for minors to consume alcohol as part of religious ceremonies in all of the states I know. I’m 99% sure the religious ceremony exception exists in all 50.

You pose an interesting question. The “drinking age” has nothing to do with this issue. This is a sacramental ritual, so there should not be a problem.

What does the sacramental nature have to do with making drinking age a non-issue? The exceptions which allow this are normally specifically written into states’ drinking age laws.

 

[malphono]

It is legal for minors to consume alcohol as part of religious ceremonies in all of the states I know. I’m 99% sure the religious ceremony exception exists in all 50.

What does the sacramental nature have to do with making drinking age a non-issue? The exceptions which allow this are normally specifically written into states’ drinking age laws.

It doesn’t: the so-called “exceptions” are there because of the Constitutional right of freedom of religion. Absent those “exceptions,” each and every one of those state laws would have (rightly) been challenged in the Supreme Court.

 

[Br.Rich_SFO]

I’m still a fairly new EMHC and I honestly don’t recall this issue being discussed in our training and at the time it didn’t occur to me to ask the instructors.

Do you administer the Precious Blood to children and teens?

I have a round-about spiritual journey that included being Baptized and confirmed as an Episcopalian in 1974 when I was a teenager. Now, at that time and place, the legal drinking age was 18 and no one gave it any thought about offering the cup of wine (and it was genuine alcoholic wine) to children. Also at that time and place, the Episcopal children were confirmed and received their first eucharist at about age 9. We had communion rails at our church (yay!) and everyone continued kneeling at the rail for the distribution of the cup, including kids and young teens. No one batted an eye.

Is it the same nowadays? The drinking age where I live is now 21. Society is more sensitive to underage drinking these days. I don’t recall having children and young teens approach my cup while an EMHC, however I do know that our diocese doesn’t accept applicants to become EMHC for anyone under the age of 18. But that allows for the college-aged crowd to become EMHC and drink from and offer the cup of Precious Blood.

What are the rules on this?

Many thanks -

We offer the Blood of Christ to all who have received their First Holy Communion because all secular laws have an exemption for religious practice, usually with parental permission.

 

[Br.Rich_SFO]

It is legal for minors to consume alcohol as part of religious ceremonies in all of the states I know. I’m 99% sure the religious ceremony exception exists in all 50.

What does the sacramental nature have to do with making drinking age a non-issue? The exceptions which allow this are normally specifically written into states’ drinking age laws.

Only because they do not realize that the wine no longer exists in the chalice and it is actually the Blood of Christ that is being offered to the communicant.

 

[malphono]

Only because they do not realize that the wine no longer exists in the chalice and it is actually the Blood of Christ that is being offered to the communicant.

True, of course, theologically, but not (in Western terms) accidentally. If it were, there would be no need for a provision for the use of mustum in certain cases. (As a side note, if the accident of wine ceases to exist (i.e. the contents of the chalice spoils and turns to vinegar) the chalice no longer contains the Real Presence. One of the reasons why the Sacrament is not reserved under both species.)

 

[CDNowak]

Only because they do not realize that the wine no longer exists in the chalice and it is actually the Blood of Christ that is being offered to the communicant.

Well that would be the case IF the accidents of alcohol didn’t remain* and it only applied to Catholics and Orthodox. However, the religious exception applies to any faith, including those with ‘symbolic’ communion (though it seems the majority have switched to grape juice), or outside of Christianity altogether. The Jewish holidays, for example, frequently make use of wine in their observances, particularly at Passover.

–
*note the approval of the use of mustum for alcoholic priests.

 

[PacoG]

Is it the same nowadays? The drinking age where I live is now 21. Society is more sensitive to underage drinking these days. I don’t recall having children and young teens approach my cup while an EMHC, however I do know that our diocese doesn’t accept applicants to become EMHC for anyone under the age of 18. But that allows for the college-aged crowd to become EMHC and drink from and offer the cup of Precious Blood.

What are the rules on this?

As a Texas attorney, I was intrigued by your question. I have look through the Texas statutes and constitution and I don’t find anything relating to this under the civil law (at least in Texas).

Not every situation is legislated for. This is one of those things that legislators would never forsee happening…armed state alcohol controlled agents storming a church, arresting priests, deacons and EMHCs for providing alcohol to minors in the communion line. In a country which values freedom of worship, the scenario is inconceivable. If it did happen, the courts would throw out the arrests and the Legislature would create a statutory exception that would sail through committee, both houses and be signed by the governor before anyone could take a breath.

I think there are two provisions that might apply in Texas. The first is article I section 6 of the Bill of Rights (which is largely modeled after the Pennsylvania state bill of rights which is used by several other states). Note the emphasis on liberty of worship, not just religion.

Sec. 6. FREEDOM OF WORSHIP. All men have a natural and indefeasible right to worship Almighty God according to the dictates of their own consciences. No man shall be compelled to attend, erect or support any place of worship, or to maintain any ministry against his consent. No human authority ought, in any case whatever, to control or interfere with the rights of conscience in matters of religion, and no preference shall ever be given by law to any religious society or mode of worship. But it shall be the duty of the Legislature to pass such laws as may be necessary to protect equally every religious denomination in the peaceable enjoyment of its own mode of public worship.

The other would be Texas Alcohol Beverage Code 106.04(b) which creates a defense to the offense of consumption of alcohol by a minor. This somewhat indirectly addresses the issue.
(b) It is an affirmative defense to prosecution under this section that the alcoholic beverage was consumed in the visible presence of the minor’s adult parent, guardian, or spouse.

Once again, this scenerio is something that is inconceivable to lawmakers in the United States with its tradition of freedom of worship. No one would ever forsee a scenerio. Even during Prohibition, there was an exception for sacramental wine.

 

[Br.Rich_SFO]

Well that would be the case IF the accidents of alcohol didn’t remain* and it only applied to Catholics and Orthodox. However, the religious exception applies to any faith, including those with ‘symbolic’ communion (though it seems the majority have switched to grape juice), or outside of Christianity altogether. The Jewish holidays, for example, frequently make use of wine in their observances, particularly at Passover.

–
*note the approval of the use of mustum for alcoholic priests.

My point was that we no longer have any “wine” in the chalice after the Consecration, but the Blood of Christ, which most of the time looks, smells and tasts like wine, most of the time. But even when speaking to non-Catholics we should always call the contents of the chalice the Blood of Christ, not wine.

 

[puzzleannie]

sacramental use of wine in all religions is and always has been exempt from civil laws regulating alcohol use, including by minors, during prohibition etc. If you have a question about laws in your state, why not just ask? I cannot believe this was not covered in training for EMHCs, well yes I can believe it, given the poor preparation most of you good people receive.