Every so often, someone will comment that we don’t hear much about some particular topic these days. Someone recently said something to me along those lines, and I realized that she was right. I also realized that it was something we should hear about, and I soon realized that I had my column topic for this week. The comment that caught my attention had to do with the requirement that we fast before receiving Holy Communion.
When I was a boy, my mother would never allow me to snack when dinner time was drawing near for fear that it would “spoil my appetite.” Obviously, if I ate too many cookies, I wouldn’t be hungry for the good food she served for dinner. Even if I claimed I wouldn’t eat enough to spoil my appetite, Mom told me that I would appreciate my dinner more if I didn’t eat now. That latter argument particularly relates to the Eucharistic fast. If we refrain from bodily food, we can concentrate more completely on the spiritual food we are going to receive.
The Eucharistic fast is not meant to be burdensome. Before the 1950s, Catholics could not eat or drink anything from midnight until after receiving Communion. Some people even refused to brush their teeth on Sunday mornings for fear that they might accidentally swallow a drop of water and not be able to receive Communion. Pope Pius XII changed that rule to require a fast from food and drink for three hours, and the new rules stipulated that water did not break the fast.
Today’s rule is even less burdensome. In 1964, Blessed Pope Paul VI gave us the current rule that we have to fast from food and drink (except water) for one hour before Communion. If we consider that we do not receive Communion at the beginning of Mass, then it is hardly burdensome. Furthermore, it is important to note that medicine does not break the fast.
There are other exceptions as well. People who are elderly or sick, particularly those who are homebound or are in a hospital, should try to fast for at least a quarter of an hour. This exception recognizes the difficulty of balancing the scheduled visit of a Eucharistic Minister along with home nurses or other caregivers. We cannot always schedule these visits down to the minute, and we do not want such people to miss out on the Eucharist. For most of us, however, we know more or less when we are going to Mass and when we should consider it to be within an hour.
The Eucharistic fast is just one element in what could be a larger discussion of our reverence toward the Blessed Sacrament. For today, though, it is enough to say that if we fast before receiving Communion, we will not spoil our spiritual appetite.
Father H
