www.byzcath.org Forums Faith & Christian Life Faith & Theology Morning Sickness and the Eucharist

Being in the first trimester of pregnancy, I am experiencing "morning sickness," which occasionally manifests itself in the form of vomit. Recently, after receiving the Sacred Mysteries, I had an episode of vomitting (about 15 or so minutes after receiving the Eucharist).

I am seriously wondering what, if anything, I should be doing if this happens so soon after receiving the Body and Blood of our Lord.

Does anyone know what the Church says to do, if anything, such things?

Thanks!

Kelly

Dear Kelly,

It is O.K. to experience morning sickness and contemplate going to Communion - as long as your married when the morning sickness begins, of course .

It would be best to see your Spiritual Father and follow his advice.

In general, we should not approach Communion when we are ill to the point that we cannot hold things down.

Holy Communion remains such until the Bread and Wine is no longer such after we have consumed them.

For example, the Eucharistic Miracles in which Holy Communion is transformed into actual flesh etc. The Church has always taught that at those times what is on the Altar is not Communion since the form has changed and it is no longer Bread.

Again, one can get into all sorts of mental gymnastics here. It is best to consult your Confessor and follow his advice.

Amendment to original post: Or else forget the freakin' Fathers and listen to Mother Sharon!

Alex

Kelly,

Not a theologian, just a mom of 3 here...

This Too Shall Pass, LOL.

Some preggo ladies find that keeping a little something in your tummy at all times helps. Midnight fasts are great..except they don't make sense for you now. What I'd try would be to have a very little bit of somethng - a cracker or two maybe just before church. You know how long your Liturgy is - at our parish, even if I threw the Twinkie into the bushes as I walked into church, I'd still have well over an hour before Communion, LOL.

Gentle hugs & congrats,

Sharon

Ah Sharon: Good, kind counsel---non-legalistic--so refreshing! Good job!

Answers tend to be more legalistic at times.

Not to make light of this, but I'm reminded of a scene in Frank McCourt's book "Angela's Ashes" where, after receiving the Eucharist for the first time, he vomits in his backyard, prompting his grandmother to run about the place screaming, "Jesus is in my backyard, Jesus is in my backyard!". She dragged poor Frank to a priest who was both amused and annoyed at the woman's concern.

But, since I've never experienced anything akin to morning sickness (I've been told the flu is "but a trifle" compared to it), I'll just be quiet now :p .

In Christ,
mikey.

We experienced a similar situation (well, not quite similar to yours ) when a priest of the ROC-MP became ill at the Altar after the priest's communion at Liturgy.

Fortunately there was a towel available and he was able to contain everything in it which he took home and burned.
************************

Perhaps the priest at your church could reserve some of the Eucharist for you and you could make an appointment to receive Communion at a time when you do not feel quite so vulnerable.

My congratulations also on your happy news!

Stefan-Ivan

Thanks all.

Stefan-Ivan, your example is exactly what I was wondering about. Should this happen again (the incident wasn't anticipated prior to receiving Holy Communion that day), is there some sort of special care I should be taking with the vomit? Of course, I'm referring to instances occuring shortly after (10-20 minutes) reception of this Holy Mystery.

With prayers for all of you,
Kelly

Not to worry. As Sharon points out, there may be some practical things that you can do that allow you to receive communion. (Twinkies?!?! Are you nuts!!!)

But since the body does what it does when it does it -- even without any control on our parts - then it seems best to just receive communion, say your prayers and thank God for the little gift you have. And if you should become ill, DON'T WORRY ABOUT IT. You have received the Body and Blood of Christ in the Eucharist, and the graces have come to you. The "substance" or "form" or whatever is essentially the act of receiving and the graces you receive in communing with the ekklesia. Should you become ill, you are ill. And you are NOT expelling the Eucharist; you are expelling bread with some wine. In that case, it's just "food".

May the Lord grant you tons of blessings, and may your little one come into this world with robust health and the assurance of being loved and cared for by his/her family and community. I rejoice with you and your family!

Blessings!

Kelly,

Don't forget that while you are pregnant or nursing you are exempt from all fasting rules. Obviously this does not mean to hit the McDonald's drive-thru for the extra value meal on the way to Divine Liturgy but it does mean that you should probably eat something prior to leaving for church.

Sharon's comments are most excellent (as they almost always are!).

Admin

Dear Dr. John,

If you could, would you please clarify what what you wrote above means? I think I get what you mean, but I had to read it a few times...thanks!

What I tried to say was this: Eucharist is sharing the meal of bread and wine, that - through consecration and epiclesis - becomes for those who partake of it, the Body and Blood of Christ. It is through the act of receiving communion that the graces come and the membership in the Body of Christ is confirmed. Once the act of receiving communion is completed, the graces and the action of reaffirmation is done. I'm emphasizing the communal reception of communion, and not focusing on whether the consumed bread and wine remain viably the Body and Blood of Christ after sitting in the stomach for a while. (I get real nervous when we tend to "magicalize" what should be a straighforward understanding of our belief.)

I have absolutely no doubt whatsoever about the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist. But the Real Presence comes about when the worshipping community, led by its bishop or priest, comes together to pray and repeat the sacred action of Eucharist. And the reserved Eucharist is still the Body and Blood of Christ because it is still intended to be distributed to the baptized faithful.

But, should the reserved Eucharist be stolen for use in a black mass or something else silly like that, then is the wafer still the body of Christ? I'm not sure, but I tend to think not. My reasoning is based upon my belief that God will not be mocked. And for those benighted souls who try to "steal Jesus" for other than sacred purposes, I believe that the Real Presence is withdrawn once the species of bread and wine are removed from the context of the praying, faithful community. I.e., you can't 'steal Jesus' because He is present only for believers. It's not "magic"; it is the grace-dispensing, love-encompassing Lord present for His people.

Blessings!

Dr. John, you seem to be denying the objective Presence in the Elements. That would be a heresey in either the Catholic or Orthodox Churches, so I hope you just misspoke.

On a unrelated note, you be careful there in VA. That whole sniping thing is scary.