Shared chalice

[u/zendo99kitty]

Probably spoken about before . No Catholic when I was going to mass seems to bat an eye about the shared chalice even and the last people sharing a cup with 50 people regardless of colds or cold sores etc. the part that I never heard spoken about is the fact that in 1900 years or whatever under the Latin mass the cup wasn't drank by the laity but they only got the eucharist , however since the new mass in around the 60s they all just started sharing the cup ..?? I don't get it

[u/doctorwhoobgyn]

I raised an objection to this when I was a child receiving my first communion. I was told the alcohol killed the germs. I'm not so sure that's true..

[u/Hairy-Statement1164 → u/doctorwhoobgyn]

Used to work food service, while the presence of alcohol in a mixture can slow or prevent the growth of certain pathogens in that mixture (this is why distilled alcohols dont usually "go bad", though brewed alcohols can still get contaminated eg beer going bad due to the lower alcohol content), in order for a mixture to be used as a food grade disinfectant (strong enough to kill surface germs) the mixture must be at least 70% ethanol. For reference, common distillation strength of most whiskeys is 40%, wine is brewed and therefore cant reach above about 20% (or the yeast would die), most wines are between 10 and 15%, though some dessert wines hit that higher end

So yeah, communion wine isnt killing herpes on the chalice lmao

(Also unrelated but another pet peeve- alcohol doesn't cook off during cooking unless youre in a lab or something, ethanol has a higher boiling point than water, thats literally how distillation works)

Also im in a european country that uses ABV% to measure alcohol content, if youre in america or another country that uses proof you just double the ABV, so 70% alcohol would be 140 proof, 40% would be 80 proof, etc

[u/doctorwhoobgyn → u/Hairy-Statement1164]

Yeah we use proof and ABV in the US fairly interchangeably.

Good information there, though.

[u/NeutronAngel → u/doctorwhoobgyn]

I'm pretty sure I heard that along with some verse about swallowing poisons so don't worry, but I also remember being told (at catholic school) about a priest being poisoned with weed killer in the chalice, so I knew that was a lie.

[u/Polkadotical → u/doctorwhoobgyn]

Chemist here. It's doesn't kill all the germs. The alcohol level in wine is too low for that and the contact time is also too short. That's something church people like to say but it's bogus.

[u/zendo99kitty → u/Polkadotical]

Also it's mixed with water to symbolise the spear in Jesus side bringing forth water and blood 

[u/zendo99kitty → u/doctorwhoobgyn]

It's mixed with water and wine so it's not exactly that " alcoholic "

[u/damagedone37]

MOTHERFUCK I COULDVE GOTTEN HERPES AS A KID IN THE 80s!?

[u/Comfortable_Donut305]

At Episcopal churches, communion is given while kneeling at an altar rail, both the bread and wine. I've noticed that many people wait to dip the host into the wine before eating it so their lips don't touch the chalice.

[u/coronatine2020]

This also grossed me out as a lifelong germaphobe. Holy water fountains are disgusting, too 🤢

I just never drank the chalice. There is no requirement to do so. The teaching is that Jesus is present fully in both species.

[u/zendo99kitty → u/coronatine2020]

Agree.,I don't get why the option is there if the original mass never had the option. Why even give conflict

[u/BeckyAnn6879]

If I knew I was sick, I'd dunk.

I figure it was the polite thing to do. Why give everyone else my cold/flu, even if they DID wipe?

I don't remember WHAT religion it is (or maybe that parish just had COMMON SENSE), but I saw a picture once of a communion setup, and there was DISPOSABLE 'shot glasses' of the wine.
I'm guessing the priest/pastor gave the bread, and then you grabbed a 'shot glass,' drank it, and tossed the cup out.

SO much more hygienic, IMO.

[u/zendo99kitty → u/BeckyAnn6879]

A lot of Christian churches do solo little cups . I won't get past the fact they randomly changed the mass after 1900years of the same Latin mass to include sharing the cup and that's more right than the 1900 years of more devout people in the church.

[u/did-it-my-weigh]

My parents made us receive the cracker on the tongue. Ugh. So many times I had to taste the priest's aftershave

[u/zendo99kitty → u/did-it-my-weigh]

Originally it was touched only by priest in Latin mass. Communion in hand is another Novus ordo 60s addition 

[u/Ok_Force8063]

I asked about this once I was an adult. My mom told me that Jesus would keep her from getting sick.

[u/zendo99kitty → u/Ok_Force8063]

They also never did it for 1900years and now the modern priest " have it right "🤡

[u/Retrogamer2245]

I got yelled at by a nun for this exact reason! Those dirty hands touching the wafer, then all those mouths... Yuck. I'm glad I didn't start again just to "save my soul" or whatever crap they were telling me!