When does the Precious Blood stop being Jesus?

[mc366]

In our parish, after Mass, the vessels are cleaned by Extraordinary Ministers of the Eucharist. The vessels, as well as the purificators (the small towels used to wipe the vessels) are taken to the sacristy and the purificators are put into a laundry bag hanging in a closet. Once a week a woman in the parish takes the bagful and washes them. There are pretty large spots of Christ’s Blood on some of them because some EMEs wipe out any excess Blood from the Cups with the purificator. Our pastor says this is not a problem because it’s not Jesus anymore, since it soaked into a cloth and dried. I can’t find any info on the proper cleansing of the purificators, or anything on when the Precious Blood is no longer the true presence of Jesus. Any suggestions?

 

[Marauder]

The purificators are supposed to have an initial cleaning in water, that is then drained into the sacrarium or other sacred ground. Then the linens can be washed “in the usual way” meaning a normal laundry.

Any stains left over after the “first” washing would no longer be considered the Sacred Blood.

If in fact the purificators are not having an initial cleaning then there this is an issue that needs to be brought up with the Pastor and if he does not correct the situation the Bishop.

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[/I]

**120. **Let Pastors take care that the linens for the sacred table, especially those which will receive the sacred species, are always kept clean and that they are washed in the traditional way. It is praiseworthy for this to be done by pouring the water from the first washing, done by hand, into the church’s sacrarium or into the ground in a suitable place. After this a second washing can be done in the usual way.
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[Deacon_Ed]

Maurauder’s answer addresses part of your concern, but not the initial question. My answer will be, of necessity, a little techinical, but I’ll try to explan.

Our theology teaches that the substance of Jesus is present under the form of bread and wine. That is, the accidents which we perceive as bread and wine. As long as the accidents remain the substance of Jesus remains. When what is left no longer has the appearance of bread or wine then the presence of Jesus also ceases. Is that helpful?

Deacon Ed

 

[mc366]

That is helpful to me, but our pastor seems to believe that once the “wine” is dried, it is no longer the substance of wine, therefore not Jesus. What constitutes “substance”?

 

[Marauder]

This is not official, but my interpretation of what has been told to me about the Body of Christ. Deacon Ed may be able to give a better answer. A piece of host stops being the Body of Christ when the piece is so small that it can not be recognized as being a piece of bread any more. Whether some theologian has determined what size that is or not I don’t know but visable crumbs of the consecrated host are still the Body of Christ.

The parallel to the Blood would be. What happens when you place the purficator with the dried Precious Blood in water? If say the blood was originally red wine (since red wine is allowed and red wine would be more visable in this case) would the water start turning red. Then enough of the accidents remain in the precious blood to still contain the Blood of Christ. Of course if it is white wine or small drops this would be hard to see but I think you get the idea. Why take a chance? Instead go by the policies as stated in RS. Rinse/Wash it once in water and pour the water on sacred ground or in a sacrarium. Then wash it the normal way.

I know a place where this abuse was fixed when someone put it this way. We believe that the bread and wine become the Body and Blood of Christ. Shouldn’t you have a problem with washing the Blood of Christ down into the city sewar system, since that is where a normal laundry machine would send the waste water.

 

[Deacon_Ed]

Marauder:

This is not official, but my interpretation of what has been told to me about the Body of Christ. Deacon Ed may be able to give a better answer. A piece of host stops being the Body of Christ when the piece is so small that it can not be recognized as being a piece of bread any more. Whether some theologian has determined what size that is or not I don’t know but visable crumbs of the consecrated host are still the Body of Christ.

The parallel to the Blood would be. What happens when you place the purficator with the dried Precious Blood in water? If say the blood was originally red wine (since red wine is allowed and red wine would be more visable in this case) would the water start turning red. Then enough of the accidents remain in the precious blood to still contain the Blood of Christ. Of course if it is white wine or small drops this would be hard to see but I think you get the idea. Why take a chance? Instead go by the policies as stated in RS. Rinse/Wash it once in water and pour the water on sacred ground or in a sacrarium. Then wash it the normal way.

Marauder,

You are precisely correct. And, no, the size of a crumb is not defined by the Chruch – this is a matter of “comnon sense.” The basic definition is that when a reasonable person looking at a crumb would not know it was bread. The stain on a purificator is caused by the various components of the wine. It is not wine any more, but since the recombination with water could produce what a “reasonable person” would be unable to distinguish from wine, it is the direction of the Church that this should be “pre-washed” and the water either poured down the sacrarium or, in its absence, on the ground where people will not walk on it. Due to modern plumbing codes not all churches have sacrariums, so the alternative must then be employed. In fact, one new church I visited had a small patch of ground that had a concrete wall (about a foot high) built around it and a locked cover. This is where the parish poured the pre-wash.

Deacon Ed

 

[Br.Rich_SFO]

mc366:

In our parish, after Mass, the vessels are cleaned by Extraordinary Ministers of the Eucharist. The vessels, as well as the purificators (the small towels used to wipe the vessels) are taken to the sacristy and the purificators are put into a laundry bag hanging in a closet. Once a week a woman in the parish takes the bagful and washes them. There are pretty large spots of Christ’s Blood on some of them because some EMEs wipe out any excess Blood from the Cups with the purificator. Our pastor says this is not a problem because it’s not Jesus anymore, since it soaked into a cloth and dried. I can’t find any info on the proper cleansing of the purificators, or anything on when the Precious Blood is no longer the true presence of Jesus. Any suggestions?

Each purificator must be rinsed in the sacrarium and dried before being placed in the landry bag. The remaining Precious Blood is never to be soaked up from the chalice, it must be consumed and then the chalice rinsed and that water consumed. It may then be rinsed a second time in the sacrarium . It is correct to say that the Real Prensence is no longer there after the Blood of Christ has dried. But until then the chalices and purificators have the Blood of Christ in and on them and must be treated like the Blessed Sacrament.