Catholic Communion

[momma-rawma]

I have searched high and low and cannot find my answer.

I understand the importance of being 100%....but frankly....taking communion wafers is part of my faith.

So what have other Catholics (who are still Catholic :D ) reconciled this.

I could easily ditch the wine. :)

[solongng00dnite]

I still have it and I dont think it matters really at all. I dont have the wine but I never did. If you do I would continue to. Really it is up to you

[momma-rawma]

Thanks...I was reading Alissa's book yesterday and had this uh oh moment with Sundays. :)

[sport]

It is what you do most of the time that matters.

[ShelShel]

I'm not Catholic, but we still take Communion and I actually chose not to the 1st few months I was 100%...(we do this once a month at our church)...and then I thought...what if I bring a grape...and piece of raw bread...then I thought...this is nuts! :p It's my faith, remembering what He did for me...I'm not altering this once a month bite of this and sip of that because I'm a raw foodist. I'm having Communion with those who believe the same and enjoying the experience.

I said all that to say this, do what you feel is right in your world, your life...and it's what you do with your eating 99.8% that counts, not the .2% that is to honor God!

My opinion!:rolleyes:

[Nurse in the Raw]

In Messianic Judaism, we do the Berakhah on the Sabbath with a pinch of Challah bread and grape juice. I participate because it is more important to me spiritually, than being raw. Got to have our priorities right.

[DavidZaneMason]

Opinion:

-If (for example) you were 100%, and you ate a small amount of bread/wine/wafer as part of an uplifting spiritual experience/communion...I don't think you'll have a problem. Just my experience (having partaken of the weekly bread/water that my faith utilizes) after being raw for several years.

-David Z. Mason

[healinglisa]

Lets all remember that nourishment is important on ALL levels- especially spiritual. Its too easy with this particular lifestyle choice to get unnecessarily sucked into confusing ones priorities. When you go to communion, i think you're going to honour a deeper part of yourself, right? That part of yourself is going to be untouched by the fact that you've consumed a piece of white bread despite the fact that you are a raw-fooder.

Thats my 2 pence worth anyway :)

[Frugal Raw]

The bread and wine are sanctified by your priest prior to the sharing. That brings its vibrational level to one much higher than standard fare. I therefore do not believe that they should be viewed the same as a eating a bite of cookie and slogging back some grape juice on the front lawn.

Long story short - it shouldn't be an issue. You are feeding your soul with something made sacred, that in the grand scheme of things, probably only amounts to less than 1%.

[StarFire]

Amen and Amen.... partake of both the Communion wafer and the wine... It is sacred and beautiful... ;)

I also agree with Mattye.... it has been sancitfied by your priest and therefore is at a higher vibrational level....

blessings.... :D

[Stina]

Yeah, just chew it extra slow, extra long, your saliva enzymes will dissolve it; it'll practically be a homeopathic!

[blix]

I agree with all of the above. The wafer and wine are transformed into the body and blood of Jesus. It has nothing to do with eating. Jesus says that "man cannot live on bread alone" God will sustain you in all ways if you just do what He tells you to do. I am not going 100% raw, as there are some things which I will not give up, like tea, and I prefer cooked beans and lentils. But I will not die until God tells me to.

[Conscious Midwife]

Isn't the wine as much a part of the faith practice as the bread/wafer?

If that was my religious/faith/spiritual practice then I would continue with both. Sacrements are just that... SACRED!

Don't split hairs over it, trust me you are going to run into a non raw nut one day too, or some sort of seasoning blend, oh and many frozen fruits are blanched, oh and what about that nutritional yeast or the infamous LIAR BARS?!?!?!?!?

My point is that you should just be a RAW FOODIST, without attempting to justify it with precentiles. Ultimately you know you and your intent.;)

[Carlsbad]

I continue to take communion (though we use grape juice). In terms of quantity, it is the teeniest bit of bread dipped in the juice, so I don't think it does any harm. In terms of quality, I believe that God lead me to raw foods so that I could truly honor my body as His temple and live my best life. I also believe that thanking Him for that and all the other gifts He's given me through the worship experience of communion will never bring me harm. Trust and obey keeps playing in my head. :)

[Blazin'Jane]

I've been a practicing Catholic all my life. The communion bread has never been a issue for me. However, I am an alcoholic and just that little bit of wine starts a chain reaction in my head that can lead to trouble for me, so I don't drink it. It's a flat out health issue for me--bocy, mind, spirit. I don't find that after eating the sacred bread I'm craving in any way anything more than what I was given. If I did, I might consider it differently.

[blix]

I've been a practicing Catholic all my life. The communion bread has never been a issue for me. However, I am an alcoholic and just that little bit of wine starts a chain reaction in my head that can lead to trouble for me, so I don't drink it. It's a flat out health issue for me--bocy, mind, spirit. I don't find that after eating the sacred bread I'm craving in any way anything more than what I was given. If I did, I might consider it differently.

Val, on gogreen, was an alcoholic. She says that the raw food detoxed her of the addiction and now she is not an alcoholic any more and don't get cravings. Why don't you email her on this subject. I was addicted to valium for 12 years and now I am not. I know of a man, an old seafarer, who was alcoholic and he sipped the wine in the Mass and it didn't set him off with cravings. I know how bad addictions can be though. Communion and the wine are food for the soul. God set me on this path of raw food, not to be a fanatic, but because I asked Him how I can be healed, what can I do to help myself. Then I came up with all this.:)

[Rawkinlocs]

I'm not Catholic, but a Christian all the same and we take Communion...I always will take it. Without getting TOO much into things as we're really not supposed to be discussing religious subjects here (check out the "Rules Forum") but I will say this...it wouldn't and really shouldn't even be an issue once we realize and accept what the scriptures say concerning this - we are NOT to even think of it as "bread and wine" any longer once it's been blessed...we who are of this faith all know what it represents and what it becomes once it's blessed so as long as your heart and mind and spirit are in tune with the TRUE reason we do this (In remembrance of Him) then all of the "should I or shouldn't I" is all null and void and it really all boils down to how you are viewing this in your own mind and spirit...just my humble opinion.

[Raspberry4]

It's just my opinion - But I feel that eating raw is eating in the way that God intended us to eat (Garden of Eden "Eat from the fruit of every tree..." - No animals mentioned). Anyway.... taking the Host is one more way to honor God. Do what feels right to you.

[slickerk]

I am not Catholic or Christian and I say do what you feel is right.
If it is important to you, then it is just as good for your soul as raw is for your body, and you need both to be WHOLE!

[jenimac]

In Messianic Judaism, we do the Berakhah on the Sabbath with a pinch of Challah bread and grape juice. I participate because it is more important to me spiritually, than being raw. Got to have our priorities right.

This answers the question I came in here looking for! Nice to find another Messianic on here. ;)

[hunny99]

I don't practice a faith that requires communion so this is a null issue for me. But I wanted to chime in and say that although the rules say this forum is not for religious discussion, it is such a blessing to be a part of a community that was able to have a positive and supportive discussion about a relgious aspect of someones life. It is just another proof that I am in the right place and on the right path. Thanks to all who posted supportive comments to the original poster, you never know who is watching and who may come into the Raw lifestyle just by the positive energy of the community.

Hunny

[OneBite@aTime]

I'm Catholic, and even when I'm doing a Master Cleanse I receive the body and blood-I was Catholic long before RAW, it's who I am and way more important to me than my way of eating.

[momma-rawma]

I don't practice a faith that requires communion so this is a null issue for me. But I wanted to chime in and say that although the rules say this forum is not for religious discussion, it is such a blessing to be a part of a community that was able to have a positive and supportive discussion about a relgious aspect of someones life. It is just another proof that I am in the right place and on the right path. Thanks to all who posted supportive comments to the original poster, you never know who is watching and who may come into the Raw lifestyle just by the positive energy of the community.

Hunny

I agree--I hadn't wanted to commence a religious discussion that was agains the rules.

Just wanted some info about something I put in my mouth and it just wasn't addressed anywhere.

Thank you for the insight everyone!

[daisyduke]

I am thankful for this thread, as this issue came up in my family over the holidays. What do you all feel about Jesus eating fish?

[Rawkinlocs]

I am thankful for this thread, as this issue came up in my family over the holidays. What do you all feel about Jesus eating fish?

Hi Daisyduke,


I'm sorry but...that's a bit much to get into here...the communion is fine but...nah, we can't delve too deeply into all of that...not here. Thanks!

[Teo]

Well, actually here in my country wine is given in very few churches! And it is anyway optional. It surprises me to read that wine is so common there, and I live in a country where wine is...very important! :-)

[Tenuviel]

I wouldn't worry about consuming such a small little wafer, I don't see how it would hamper results in the least bit.. if it brings you closer to God then it would be absolutely worth it!... however, I often wondered, for personal reasons, what do people with celiac sprue do in this situation? Do they eat the bread every week, even though they will get sick and never allow their intestines to heal?

[Teo]

I wouldn't worry about consuming such a small little wafer, I don't see how it would hamper results in the least bit.. if it brings you closer to God then it would be absolutely worth it!... however, I often wondered, for personal reasons, what do people with celiac sprue do in this situation? Do they eat the bread every week, even though they will get sick and never allow their intestines to heal?
No, there're several solutions and regulations for that, and I agree with you about eating such a small amount of bread for raw foodists

[Mad Mex]

And again, if you believe in something or you are a rawfoodist it should always fill you up with hapiness.

If it is a burden, it cannot be right. Rawfood as believe in something is supporting you NOT pressuring you.

I'm a conservative catholic and I do take communion.

Saludos,

Marcel :cool:

[OnMyJourney]

I'm not Catholic, though I am Christian and I take communion without a second thought. Raw Foodism is not my belief system, it is a lifestyle. I live/pursue this lifestyle for optimal health, and my choice is not rooted in dogma. I "feed" my spiritual and physical needs accordingly.

[D'vorah]

I'm Messianic, but don't have a compatible place of worship, so it hasn't come up for me except in taking communion in my own home.

I believe that traditions are good for the soul. From the standpoint of commitment to raw, I don't think that tiny bit of food that is so powerfully symbolic is problematic; it's a spiritual thing, as others have said. I don't see it as "cheating" on the lifestyle the way of eating something in a restaurant.

But I'm also terribly addictive to grain, so, from that standpoint, I wouldn't have any problem whatsoever with tucking a bit of flax cracker into my purse for a substitute, so that I could partake. If others had issue with my doing so, it would not be a lie to say that crackers / bread make me sick, because they do. Every time I've failed on raw, it's been because of these addictive responses of my body.

Deborah

[kaybee]

tenuvial-- ive heard that people with celiac and or/wheat allergies are advised to just receive the wine. The catholic church considers both the bread and wine to be equally ?sacred?effective? (not sure what word to use but you get the point ;p) i believe there were some people trying to develop a rice or other gluten free wafer but the Catholic church holds that the original substance of what was used by Jesus for the bread needs to be retained (i.e. wheat) in order for the consecration to be legitimate/in order for the sacrament to be valid, so this wasnt allowed.

EDIT: i just researched further because i was curious. it looks as though the church now allows the subsitution of a gluten free wheat wafer for celiacs, and/or that it can also be requested to have separate wine set aside that does not come in contact with the wafer the priest dips in the wine and eats himself before distributing to the congregation, or in some catholic rites is dipped in the wine before being given to each person...i hadnt even thought of the fact that the wine had had wheat dipped in it and how that could be a problem! Apparently the gluten-free wafers now approved by the church are super-low gluten (i.e. processed wheat starch) , that dont cause a reaction in most people, but still contain a minute amount of gluten so as to be consistent with the church's code of canon law and the belief that the same materials as Jesus used must be used in order to have a valid sacrament (the church believes that its power over some elements of the sacraments is not absolute and that it must respect those elements which it understands as having been determined by Jesus himself, the exclusive use of grape wine and wheat bread being among these. the church believes that because these elements are essential, that by allowing celiacs or other wheat intolerant people to receive a wafer not containing wheat, that these people might not actually be receiving a sacrament because the church believes that the host may not have been geniunely consecrated if it is not made of the essential materials, so to allow this would be doing a potential disservice to its celiac members. it looks as though anyone with celiacs can speak to their pastors personally to arrange either for the gluten free wafers, or for separate wine that doesnt come in contact with the wafers.

[D'vorah]

Interesting Kaybee.

I have a friend who is sick for days if she comes into contact with so much as a crumb of gluten grain.

I wonder though, because, it's my understanding that what was called "wheat" back then isn't the same thing that we call "wheat" today, but I don't know if it contained gluten. I need to research this. :)