Flu is still going wild around here. Some schools are still closed today, Sunday school was canceled at the Methodist Church our family attends. Saturday evening we attended a service at the Catholic church our family also sometimes attends (but we choose one service per week, more or less alternating).
I do not partake in Catholic communion, as I am not Catholic. I will not get into my thoughts on the lack of open communion again. But, I must say, I have never understood the common cup thing. I would not ask 100 strangers if I can have a sip of their drink, even if I wiped the rim before and after. Churches I have attended have always used intinction (dipping the bread in the wine/juice) or had the little individual cups.
In this time of flu outbreak (at least locally), I really don't understand the common cup. When we got to church, I asked hubby if he was planning to drink from the cup. He looked at me as though I were crazy, and said yes. At communion, I noticed maybe one out of every dozen, at most, actually drank from it. Most just had the bread. Hubby did drink from it, but later said he would think about it next time, if the flu is still running wild.
I know at least a few Catholics read this, so what are your thought about the common cup? Particularly during a time of widespread illness?
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19 comments:
I am a former Catholic now Episcopalian. We do communion at my church too (only you don't have to be Episcopalian to take communion, you can just be baptised in any Christian rite and it's ok.) But I noticed that most people at my church hold on to their bread and dip it into the wine instead of drinking directly from the cup and I prefer that too. When I was Catholic, I had no problem drinking from the cup, I figured it's alcohol right? Still though, I wonder with the flu scare if churches wil start addressing the whole thing?
My ex-husband was Catholic and I have to say that the common cup always grossed me out even when the flu was not going around.
That seems like one of those "The Catholic Church is slow to change" kind of things. I mean, we've only known about germs for a hundred or so years, right? And they just forgave Galileo in my lifetime? I have a feeling this one's going to take a while. Not that I'm Catholic or anything, but I did just thoroughly enjoy reading Ken Follet's "World Without End," which dealt with some mightily un-budge-able 14th Century priests which sort of reinforced my belief that the church is slow to change, even in the face of cold-hard facts.
I'm not Catholic, so I guess I'm not really qualified to comment (will I let that stop me? - Nooooo), but the common cup = disgusting. Bleeccchhh.
I actually never do the wine thing. I only do the bread. I have always thought it was a little gross, I'm sure God understands. :)
Little Pea - I'm okay with dipping, as long as everyone is. If some people are drinking, and I dip in there, I think I'm still getting germs. The Catholic church we attend specifically said in their bulletin not to dip, and if you're worried, abstain until after flu season.
SS - I've always been uncomfortable with it, but never put much thought into it, since I can't partake.
Noelle - I'll have to find that book for hubby. He enjoys fictional Catholic books, like the DaVinci code & other Dan Brown novels.
Rockygrace - Of course you're qualified to comment. :-)
Stacey - My favorite thing I've heard today: "I have always thought it was a little gross, I'm sure God understands" Thanks. :-)
We drink from the common cup in the Episcopal church. It doesn't bother me--never has. We're pretty considerate people, so I guess I'm just confident that anyone feeling under the weather will choose intinction that day instead, if they've come to church at all. And really, I feel much more at risk from public door handles and such.
So, if God chooses to take me through contaminated communion wine, I guess that's that. ;)
Liz - You just tied with Stacey for my favorite phrase of the day. :-) "So, if God chooses to take me through contaminated communion wine, I guess that's that. ;)"
The common cup does not seem like a good idea. The solutions some churches have come up with sound like a much better idea.
I think every church I have ever gone to puts a little notice in the bulletin from time to time asking people not to drink from the cup if they are sick or aren't feeling well. I follow that rule. The common cup doesn't gross me out, but I can see why others would be grossed out.
I was never sure whether I was supposed to drink while I was pregnant. I think I chose not to, not that one sip of wine was going to make a difference.
One thing I like: my current church and the last one I went to both had the Eucharistic ministers clean their hands using Purell or the equivalent before serving the Eucharist.
Your hands are covered with germs. All you need is for one person to misjudge by a quarter of an inch, and the whole cup is contaminated.
-R- - The Purell seems like it should be mandatory...But I'm sure it isn't.
Megan - Then little cups for everyone, I say. :-)
growing up on the communal farm school situation that i did... i can't say communal cups or germs in general really gross me out, even if they should :-) i just feel like i'm already pretty much covered in germs, and touching the same cup as 100 other people - while maybe not the smartest thing - is also not going to be the tipping point whether or not i get sick ;-)
I am Catholic and the communal cup does nto bother me .. I rarely take from it though ... its a person's personnal choice if they take the wine .. which is REAL wine BTW ... or not .. and its tradition ... so (and read this with sarcasm PLEASE) all you protestants stop trying to change the Catholic Church .. you go to a different for a reason;)
I'm Catholic and it's totally okay to only take the host and not drink from the cup. I've always had issues thinking about "backwash" when it comes to that cup. I've only had the wine once and that was at my confirmation and I was the first person in line! LOL.
I'm not a practicing Catholic, but I have always been grossed out by the common cup. I realize I'm not supposed to think about it (seeing as it's sacred and all), but I don't care... Germs! Backwash! Ew.
When I spend the weekend with my parents, I go to communion, but I take only the host, not the wine. Lots of people do the same, so it's no big deal.
So interesting--hardly any Catholics I know take wine, but I don't know a single Episcopalian who doesn't. It's just not considered optional. And the common cup is common for a reason, you know...it's supposed to remind us that we're all one in Christ. :)
I grew up in the Lutheran church. We always had little shot glasses of wine. I remember taking my turn as an alter girl and holding the tray of full glasses. Seems like a much more sanitary method to me.
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