You all have given some good reasons for not partaking of the wine. I would like to add to your list…
- Sickness ( to prevent the spread of germs to others) However,
our priest said he has never had an outbreak of colds after a mass.
- Alcoholism (they should not ever receive )
- Allergies (many people are allergic)
- **Medication ( many people can not have any alcoholic bevereges due to medications they are taking)
- Dislike (many people can’t stand the stuff).**
We have even had people who were allergic to the host, when this is known in advance, a special host can be brought in for them.
God Bless You!
I’m not sure that I can agree with all of these reasonings. At the inception of the Lord’s Supper He gave His church 2 elements - the bread and wine. I understand that His whole body is present in the bread, but to reject the wine is to reject a portion of the symbolism that he provided for us at the Last Supper.
Jesus didn’t tell his disciples to take the cup unless they suspect that someone may have a cold or other sickness. The fact that there is alcohol in the cup would prevent the spread of many if not all of the germs.
Are alcoholics forbidden to take the cup? I’ve worked with alcoholics for 10 years and have never heard of such a thing? They are able to distinguish that the cup is a sacred thing and they would rarely be triggered. I will admit that taking the cup may not be the best idea in very early recovery.
Yes, there are people who are allergic to alcohol, but it would be a rare thing for that allergy to be triggered by just a sip of the cup. If someone is truly allergic to a tiny bit of alcohol then other provisions can be made.
Yes, there are some medications that are not to used with alcohol, but in reality most of these medication will still be very effective if you only take a sip from the cup. Now if you drink the whole cup then it may very well nuetralize the effects of the meds.
My wife doesn’t like red wine (or alcohol for that matter, unless it is a sweet mixed drink), but she would tolerate a sip of the cup if was done for the Lord. I don’t find the wafer very tastey either, but I eat it. My wife is easily choked on dry food and has choked on the wafer (host), but it hasn’t stopped her from continuing to take the elements.
I’m not trying to offend anyone, but it seems that some of these excuses are a little lame.
Ken