Does taking communion break the fast? Is there a Scriptural or Traditional case to be made either way?
Upvote:-1
Fasting is definitely a "good enough" reason not to take the communion. The communion is to remember the last meal Jesus had with his Diciples, and fasting is to not have a meal. Although the communion is not just any meal, it is still a meal.
Upvote:1
For believers in constubstantiation, there is a biblical precedent for prioritizing the Eucharist over the fast. Since Catholics believe in the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist, Christ is in fact, present. And, if he is present, Mark 2:18-20 comes into play:
Now John’s disciples and the Pharisees were fasting. Some people came and asked Jesus, “How is it that John’s disciples and the disciples of the Pharisees are fasting, but yours are not?”
Jesus answered, “How can the guests of the bridegroom fast while he is with them? They cannot, so long as they have him with them. But the time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them, and on that day they will fast.
The Eucharist often goes by the term feast for a reason - it is a joyous occasion that is properly celebrated in the presence of the Christ. During Lent, Sundays are specifically called out as feast days when the fast is supposed to be broken.
For this reason, there is good biblical sanction not to continue a fast when, in deed, the bride groom is here!
Upvote:4
The discipline of fasting is a time of introspection on God by forsaking some of the human need (here food) for a period. Communion is a time of fellowship with God in community. I believe we should follow the spirit of Bible, which is expressed in 2 Corinthians 3:6 last part (for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life. quoted from NIV). Jesus always wanted His followers to uphold the this principle when He healed people on a sabbath day.
So I would this taking communion will not breach the fasting, since here fasting is taken from food to have closer fellowship with God during that time and communion encourages that fellowship.
Upvote:8
Per @awe and @Jamess, there are really two sides of this. It can go either way.
Are you breaking your fast? Yes. You truly are. But you have to question: Why am I fasting?
If you are fasting in order to grow closer to God and find reliance only on him, then taking communion would not necessarily be bad. Since communion is meant to draw us to God, then the two acts (fasting and communion) are moving towards the same purpose: moving us closer to God.
If you are fasting, however, in prayer over a specific thing (such as the salvation of a person or deliverance from a trial), then you should avoid the fast. The purposes of the two acts (fasting and communion) are at odds.
Having said all of this, I believe this verse is appropriate to the subject:
31 Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.
If you chose to break fast for communion, make sure you do it for God's glory. If you chose to skip communion for the fast, make sure it's for God's glory. If you follow that advice, you won't go wrong.
More post
- 📝 How can Christians reconcile the request to prohibit same-sex marriage and the lawfulness of h*m*sexuality itself?
- 📝 Who is this Saint?
- 📝 Do Catholics have a "profession of faith" in Jesus Christ before baptism?
- 📝 How Many Disciples in Luke 10---70 or 72?
- 📝 On what basis did Mormon Prophet Joseph Smith declare that God the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit cannot indwell a believer?
- 📝 In Psalms 2:7, does the expression 'this day' forbid the thought that Jesus is eternal?
- 📝 Is there a Christian philosopher who has published a book challenging compatibilism from the point of view of hard determinism?
- 📝 Was St. Patrick a really Roman Catholic and did he keep the 7th day Sabbath?
- 📝 Would the Serpent (Satan) have dwelled eternally on earth if the fruit was not bitten?
- 📝 Does the Bible ever refer to Jesus Christ as “God”?
- 📝 Which decree is the correct interpretation of Daniel 9:25?
- 📝 Did God create Adam and Eve with free will and knowledge of right and wrong (good and evil)?
- 📝 What's the position of the Catholic Christianity and the new testament regards h*m*sexuality?
- 📝 Why does any Archbishop get to decide if alligator is okay for Lent?
- 📝 Why do Catholics usually baptize by pouring?
- 📝 What is the Biblical basis that God's sacrifice is sufficient for all of our sins (past included)?
- 📝 To what do the seven churches of Revelation refer?
- 📝 Words the Holy Ghost teaches with
- 📝 Why blame for Jesus's death
- 📝 What is the Protestant argument against the doctrine of Purgatory?
- 📝 Does the Bible espouse moral absolutism or moral relativism?
- 📝 Using context in interpreting Scripture
- 📝 Who populates the Millennium as mortals?
- 📝 Was the Tabernacle and its furnishings a copy of things in Heaven?
- 📝 Do Christians believe that Jews must still follow the Mosaic law?
- 📝 In which languages could the Tridentine Mass be said?
- 📝 Which are the OT prophesies referred to in the Nicene Creed in relation to Jesus' Resurrection?
- 📝 What is " Origenism"
- 📝 If God is omniscient , He would have forseen how He would send the flood and kill everyone
- 📝 Was there a judgment before the Last Judgment? (Catholic perspective)
Source: stackoverflow.com
Search Posts
Related post
- 📝 Does taking communion break the fast? Is there a Scriptural or Traditional case to be made either way?
- 📝 Does the Trinity share one mind or are there three separate minds?
- 📝 From where does the doctrine that there is no time in heaven originate?
- 📝 How does the Catholic church explain Matthew 19:9, which seems to allow divorce in case of sexual misconduct?
- 📝 Does the Catholic Church teach there is only one person?
- 📝 How does the LDS Church decide what is included in their scriptural canon?
- 📝 Does "Where ever there is more than one of you gathered in My name" apply to the Internet?
- 📝 Why does only the priest receive Communion under both kinds at a Catholic Mass?
- 📝 Does the seal of confession apply even when the sin is intended and there is no desire to repent?
- 📝 Is there any scriptural support for the belief of convulsions/seizures being a sign of the Holy Spirit's presence?
- 📝 Is there a scriptural basis for treating the non-Gospel books of the New Testament as scripture?
- 📝 Does the Catholic Church have a contingency plan for the case that the pope and all cardinals are dead?
- 📝 How does the LDS Church handle verses that imply there is no one like God?
- 📝 Is there a generally accepted term for "Christians in Communion with the Bishop of Rome"?
- 📝 What is the argument supporting that there is a break between the 69th and 70th week in the book of Daniel?
- 📝 Is there any theological reason for not drinking the communion wine?
- 📝 Why does the apostle John write far more clearly about the deity of Christ than seems to be the case in the other gospel accounts?
- 📝 Does Pope Francis recommend giving communion under both kinds to the laity?
- 📝 Does there exist within the Catholic Church a church, cathedral or even an altar dedicated to the Holy Spirit?
- 📝 Does traditional Calvinistic monergism include limited synergism in the doctrine of justification?
- 📝 Does the Bible suggest that there would be a literal apostasy of the early Christian church?
- 📝 Is there a direct proportionality in the reward a person is likely to receive in Heaven vis-à-vis the good deeds he/she does on earth?
- 📝 Is there a traditional belief in Christianity or Judaism on the cause of death of Moses?
- 📝 Does the Anglican Use have the capacity and resources to celebrate daily mass and if so, are there any Ordinariate communities which do?
- 📝 Is there a different way (without spoon) to receive Holy Communion in the Orthodox Church?
- 📝 Was there any case of a h*m*sexual priest in the early Church and how did the Church handle that?
- 📝 Does the parish priest have the authority to forbid communion in the mouth due to COVID pandemic?
- 📝 Why at Judges 2:1 does it say the angel of the Lord would never break his covenant he swore to the fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob?
- 📝 For traditional sources, how does the Catholic Church distinguish between holy truth and human speculation from the same author?
- 📝 Where does the thought 'we were not even fit to eat the crumbs from under your table' originate, in the Anglican communion service?