What to do if you spill the wine?

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Ruth_Catherine

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The other day I was at Mass and went to take the Blood of Christ and my hand jerked just as I reached up and I hit the cup, and almost knocked it out of their hand. It didn’t spill. The person holding the cup just happened to have a good grip but it made me think. What if he didn’t? I’m sure there is a way the Church handles accidents like that.

Not too long ago I heard a priest from EWTN say that is one reason, along with others, why the cup is not offered at communion because of it being the Blood of Christ and wouldn’t want it spilled.
So, I think since my almost spilling it, I agree with that line of thinking. When we take the Eucharist we take the body, blood, soul and divinity of Christ at that moment and if a Eucharist falls it would be easier to handle respectfully.

Anyway, my question is, “what do you do when the Blood is spilled?”

Thanks
 
As to what is done, I don’t know. I’ve never seen it spilled at my church. If it did it would all soak into the carpeting.

However, I agree that this is one reason for not giving communion under both species. Why make it easier for abuse (whether intentional or not)? One person has told me that Our Lord knew that there would be occasions like this and he understands them, does that mean we shouldn’t take steps to prevent it? I don’t follow that line of thinking. It’s more of a “ho-hum, so what?” instead of actually caring.
 
In the Ordinary Form of the Roman Rite, if the wine spills you clean it up with the purificator. If the host falls on the floor, you pick it up and hold it between your fingers until you can get to the sacristy to properly dispose of it.

In the Extraordinary Form, the priest performs a purification rite where the Blessed Sacrament has fallen at his first opportunity after Mass. Of course, the wine is not an issue.

When vandals broke into St. Michael’s Chapel (SSPX) on Long Island several years ago, desecrated the sanctuary and scattered the Blessed Sacrament in the mud outside, Fr. Trevor Burfitt knelt and consumed each host from the mud and then consecrated the small patch of ground afterwards.
 
Ruth_Catherine said:
The other day I was at Mass and went to take the Blood of Christ and my hand jerked just as I reached up and I hit the cup, and almost knocked it out of their hand. It didn’t spill. The person holding the cup just happened to have a good grip but it made me think. What if he didn’t? I’m sure there is a way the Church handles accidents like that.

Not too long ago I heard a priest from EWTN say that is one reason, along with others, why the cup is not offered at communion because of it being the Blood of Christ and wouldn’t want it spilled.
So, I think since my almost spilling it, I agree with that line of thinking. When we take the Eucharist we take the body, blood, soul and divinity of Christ at that moment and if a Eucharist falls it would be easier to handle respectfully.

Anyway, my question is, “what do you do when the Blood is spilled?”

Thanks
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It’s reported straight to the Priest, who cleans it with the purifier, which is generally left on the spill untill after Mass, where the Priest can properly deal with the spill then.
 
The traditional Missal (in the defects of the Mass chapter) prescribes different methods, regarding where the Holy Blood is spilled. If possible it have to be licked up by tongue, if not it have to be washed and the water poured into the sacrarium.
X. 12. If through negligence any of the Blood of Christ is spilt, and it falls on the ground or on the table of the altar, it should be licked up with the tongue, and the place itself scraped as much as necessary, and the scraping burnt, and the ashes thrown into the sacrarium. If it falls on the altar-stone, the priest should mop up the spot, and the spot should be well washed, and the ablution thrown into the sacrarium. If on the altar linen, and it soaks through to the second or third cloths, the cloths should be thrice washed where the drop fell, with the chalice underneath, and the water of the washing thrown into the sacrarium. If on the corporal alone, or on the priest’s vestments, they must be washed in the same way, and the ablutoin thrown into the sacrarium. I ion the cloth or carpet: underfoot, that too must be well washed in the manner just described.
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catholicresearch.org/PopesCouncils/DeDefectibus.html
 
I think if we spill wine, it doesn’t really matter. We clean it up. But you make a valid point in that the true transubstantiation has occurred and it is no longer wine. It is the blood of Christ. I like the answers that everyone is offering. I think, I don’t know Father Trevor, but he’s one of my new heroes! What reverence he showed our Lord in consuming the Eucharist from the mud. In that situation, if I were him, I would too. As an extraordinary minister of the Holy Eucharist, I never considered this question before. I’m so grateful that you posed the question. And I’m grateful for the responses that prepare me to use the purificator should that ever happen, and God protect us from that happening, but if it does… it’s not a purposeful offense against God in our human weakness to not know it would happen, and in our desire to receive His cross and receive HIs precious blood, to accidentally spill. I wouldn’t advocate for not offering the Eucharist under both species. This sacrament, when celebrated in its entirety is an abyss of graces that we long for, that fills us. I know many people are afraid to receive Him from the chalice. Worry about colds and so forth, not understanding the purificator. But for those who step up to drink deeply, He should be given based on scripture. Take this all of you and drink it. All of yourself, and every one of you. We may not HAVE to, but for some of us, myself included, we feel - who wouldn’t want to? This is Jesus. His blood which cleanses me. The bread of life and the cup of salvation. I want it.
 
giuseppeTO said:
When vandals broke into St. Michael’s Chapel (SSPX) on Long Island several years ago, desecrated the sanctuary and scattered the Blessed Sacrament in the mud outside, Fr. Trevor Burfitt knelt and consumed each host from the mud and then consecrated the small patch of ground afterwards.
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Wow… That’s a horrible situation, but that’s so awesome to hear what he did.
 
giuseppeTO said:
When vandals broke into St. Michael’s Chapel (SSPX) on Long Island several years ago, desecrated the sanctuary and scattered the Blessed Sacrament in the mud outside, Fr. Trevor Burfitt knelt and consumed each host from the mud and then consecrated the small patch of ground afterwards.
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Thank God for such priests.
 
… and follow all clean up efforts with prayers of reparation for the careless and unnecessary means of distributing the Most Blessed Sacrament we have deemed acceptable.
 
giuseppeTO said:
When vandals broke into St. Michael’s Chapel (SSPX) on Long Island several years ago, desecrated the sanctuary and scattered the Blessed Sacrament in the mud outside, Fr. Trevor Burfitt knelt and consumed each host from the mud and then consecrated the small patch of ground afterwards.
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That is a horrible thing that the vandals did but the devotion of the priest is very beautiful.
 
I just posted the quote from the Council of Trent on a forum I’m on, and also a link to the Trent Decree: scribd.com/doc/31482784/De-Defectibus-Decree-of-Trent

I found no mention of it changing with Vatican II here:

vatican.va/archive/hist_councils/ii_vatican_council/

However, another member posted this, which does not mention licking (although I found several other references to it actually occurring):

the correct thing to do when the precious blood spills. The Church mandates that the place be washed with water, diluting the precious blood so that it no longer has the appearance of wine and so that Christ ceases to be present, and then the water is to be poured into the sacrarium. It is not permitted simply to leave a spill alone until it dries. The General Instruction of the Roman Missal states: “If any of the precious blood spills, the area should be washed and the water poured into the sacrarium” (239).

It is not permissible to pour the precious blood itself into the sacrarium; only the water that was used to wash and dissolve the species under which the precious blood was present may be poured into it. The U.S. bishops’ document This Holy and Living Sacrifice forcefully states, “It is strictly prohibited to pour the precious blood into the ground or into the sacrarium” (38).

This came from this forum:
catholic.com/thisrock/quickquestions/?qid=1076

So, is licking the blood up acceptable, not acceptable, desired?
 
In the Orthodox Church where I commune two Readers hold a napkin under the chalice to catch any drops which may escape. There is also a throw rug on the floor to deal with a bigger spill. Spilling the Precious Blood and Body big deal. There is an anecdotal story of one Saint who served communion to a believer who was dying of rabies. The recipient threw up the Body of Christ. The Saint consumed the Body of Christ from the vomitus and continued on…(from an infectious disease standpoint this would be foolishness).

John
 
I_love_rocks said:
This sacrament, when celebrated in its entirety is an abyss of graces that we long for, that fills us.
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You do not receive more graces by consuming under both species. Both the host and the wine each contain the body, blood, soul, and divinity of Jesus. Assuming both myself and the other person are both in the state of grace and not making a sacrilegious communion reception, I receive the same graces when I receive under the bread alone as the person who receives under both species. Now, if someone makes a sacrilegious communion reception, they receive no graces.
 
This brought a thought to mind…What if it spills on your clothing?
 
What to do if you spill the wine?
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Wine? What wine?

Have we become so ecumenical that we can’t talk about the Eucharist with respect anymore?
 
patrick127 said:
This brought a thought to mind…What if it spills on your clothing?
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You would clean your clothing in the same way you would clean a purificator. Most parishes have an altar society, and one of their jobs is to clean the purificators.

You would rinse it with enough water that there would be no consecrated wine left, at which point the garment is considered to have none of the blood of Christ remaining on it.

Dispose of the water in the ground in a place that would not be walked on or in a sacrarium (which goes directly to the ground in a place that would not be walked on).

Clean the garment as usual.
 
At_Trent said:
… and follow all clean up efforts with prayers of reparation for the careless and unnecessary means of distributing the Most Blessed Sacrament we have deemed acceptable.
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Never mind that for the majority of its history, the Church has permitted the reception of the Chalice by the laity, Blessed Pope John Paul II spoke favorably of it as a fuller sign,both Sacred Species are administered (differently) by the sui juris Churches, etc., etc., etc. :rolleyes: Of course, none of these antecedents ever had the advantage of being exposed to At Trent’s magisterium.

There are rules in place for taking care of such accidents (and that’s what they are: ACCIDENTS, not sacrilege or profanations, as those imply malicious intent. You can’t accidentally commit either). There are times when the Most Precious Blood cannot be offered to the laity under Its seperate Species due to the size of the congregation. We shouldn’t fuss when this happens. If the Chalice is offered and you don’t want to receive, make an act of reverence to it as you pass and don’t partake. If you do partake, partake carefully.
 
I was brought to this forum because I experienced this at mass again today. In just the past 5 months or so, I think I’ve seen the precious Blood on the floor at least 4 times (I go to daily mass about 2,3, or 4 times a week usually). It’s gotten to the point where it happens so often I wonder if it’s even a good idea to continue offering the precious Blood. Today I told the priest again that there was a spot of Blood on the floor and that I had wiped it up with my thumb. He told me to suck it off of my thumb and wash my thumb, then wet the purificator and wipe the spot on the floor, then dry it. The thing that concerned me as I was doing this is that the purificator already had stains from the precious Blood all over it, and here I was wiping the floor with it!
I really just wish people would be more careful, so I could avoid the anxiety of feeling like I need to scan the floor every time I go up. The way the light comes down on the marble floor, I can usually detect even a small spot of wetness. I think it may often be the result of a really elderly lady who always receives the Body of Christ and then dips it into the chalice and consumes it. I’m not sure why she does this, other than that she’s too old and frail to be handed the cup, but it’s during this transition that I think drips sometimes fall. Not good.
 
de_Tocqueville said:
I think it may often be the result of a really elderly lady who always receives the Body of Christ and then dips it into the chalice and consumes it. I’m not sure why she does this, other than that she’s too old and frail to be handed the cup, but it’s during this transition that I think drips sometimes fall. Not good.
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There is no excuse for the old lady to be doing that. It is not permitted. You should bring this up with your pastor and, if necessary take it up to the bishop, etc.
 
I attended Mass on one occasion, which sort of ground to a halt because the unconsecrated host apparently was flawed…a discolouration or whatever. The altar server returned with a suitable host and Mass continued.
 
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