Water bottles, cups of coffee, juice boxes at Mass. What's next...beer?

[JMJ_coder]

Hello,

ANYTHING by mouth without a medical condition, an hour before communion, is breaking the fast. To the best of my knowledge this includes water. Unless, like I said, it is for medical reasons. Cmon people! Its only ONE hour! The only thing you sould be bringing with you is an open heart to recieve our Lord. My 2 cents.

Can. 919 §1. A person who is to receive the Most Holy Eucharist is to abstain for at least one hour before holy communion from any food and drink, except for only water and medicine.

Water does not break the fast.

 

[JMJ_coder]

Hello,

Just about all of us in the choir brought water bottles with us today for our Mass of Ordination. Practice started at 9:30 and Mass ended at 1:00 PM. The catherdral has no water fountains and we did a lot of singing in that time.

We were mostly unseen in the loft and it was more of a necessity than a party atmosphere.

For a regional confirmation last month and our Eucharistic Congress in August, we were encouraged to use straws so we could be more discrete. Both celebrations had about 10,000 participants, so they took a while.

It sounds old fashioned, but common sense solves a lot of problems. We should be reverent at all liturgies.

You better believe choir members use water bottles. Our choir director even supplies them for when we have big moments - like Christmas, when we sing for a half hour solid prior to the start of the Liturgy, and during a 2-1/2 to 3 hour Liturgy with a whole lot of singing.

Of course, like you, we are also up in a loft so are out of view of most people.

 

[Charitychick]

My husband watched a mom feed her kid cheerios and juice (they were in the front row). He wasn’t really bothered too much until the mom pulled out a “gogurt” (yogurt in a tube).

I don’t allow my kids to have food at Mass. It makes it harder when they see other kids snacking. I’d prefer it if they would take their kids to the Narthex or the cry room if they are going to snack.

I also wince when I see adults and teens chewing gum.

Of course, if I was really recollected, I wouldn’t notice all this, would I?

 

[bpbasilphx]

I’m dependent on public transportation to get to church (or anywhere else) and it gets very hot in my city. I carry a big mug of lemon juice and water to keep from getting dehydrated and electrolytes up, but i make sure the mug is carefully sealed and under my seat during Divine Liturgy.

 

[Sarabande]

I absolutely think you did the right thing. You drank water out of necessity for health, yet you went out of your way to be discreet so as not to give the wrong idea to those who don’t know any better.

Kudos to you!

I agree with this. Having sung in our cathedral choir for a few years, the water is a necessity especially during those huge masses. The choir would also bring water bottles to the loft for Holy Week, Confirmations, Ordinations, etc. because we’d be there ALL DAY. When you have 40+ people packed up there in choir robes, hot, standing for much of the time, many not having any food for that entire time, you do need the water to keep you hydrated and to help in not passing out (as we’ve had people faint in the past during those big events). We were always discreet about it as well - which was easy to do since we were all the way in the back in the loft. So, I agree that your choir did the right thing.

 

[Neophyte_Rose]

Even last week I slipped and brought a soda to a church meeting because I am pregnant again. And I haven’t received Communion in 3 months because of a combination of morning sickness and inability to restrain my appetite.

Even if I am excused for not knowing, and my sins have been washed away by my Baptism, I still take responsibility for offending or distracting anyone during Mass. It was at best ignorant of me, and at the worst disrespectful. My most sincere apologies, thank you, OP, for giving me something to think about. What would be a good penance for this?

Correct me if I am wrong, but pregnant women are excused from the fast, are they not?

I really think you should speak to your priest about this, hun… ask him if he thinks there any need for a penance, and ask him to clarify if you even need to be concerne with the fast as a pregnant woman… obviously do the best you can, but don’t be ridiculously harsh on yourself.

Pax Christi,
Esther Rose

 

[JMJ_coder]

Hello,

Correct me if I am wrong, but pregnant women are excused from the fast, are they not?

I really think you should speak to your priest about this, hun… ask him if he thinks there any need for a penance, and ask him to clarify if you even need to be concerne with the fast as a pregnant woman… obviously do the best you can, but don’t be ridiculously harsh on yourself.

Pax Christi,
Esther Rose

I don’t know about the Communion fast. I mean, it is only one hour.

 

[Hellisreal]

When I am distracted… at those times I have seen a range of things
Lipstick re-application
Nail filling
programming or doodling with cell phones/ipods
switching toe rings to other toes
Earring manuvers and replacements with hand mirror check when done
Retainers being removed and left on pew until return from receiving
and the normal cheerios crushed on the floor
When I am focused, the place could be on fire and they would have to drag me out

Am I the only one who sees these things at Mass? (And I’m not talking about milk bottles for the babies.)

This is another abuse that was UNTHINKABLE just a few years ago, but now it’s almost commonplace.

I saw a woman just this morning with a large Starbucks cup (Grande Mocha?) sitting in the fourth pew just slirping away like she was at the theater or something. And forget about the whole communion fast thing… Perhaps she used it to wash the host down too…I don’t know.

I’m all for downing a cold one myself, but can’t it wait? Sheesh!