Any catholics on here who can answer a question for me?

[TrySleepingWithABrokenHeart]

I go to church every Sunday and although I take communion, I don’t have the wine.

Is this disrespectful of me? Or is this optional?

I feel like I have a strange fear of it for some reason. I also struggle to share cups etc with other people so the combination of these two things is the reason why.

I definitely don’t want to be disrespectful so I’d be really grateful for your opinions on this. Thanks.

About 12 years ago.

@Toddlerteaplease
Yes it is the body and blood of Christ if you believe in transubstantiation but do you , really?

I never have and never will- I'm a germ phobe so hate the idea. In my culture the bread is immersed in the wine so I refuse that one too. In RC church I only have the bread placed in my hands.

@TheCanterburyWhales whereabouts in Italy are you?

When I lived there we did have wine but it's probably a local thing. But yes mass in Italy is about as lax as it comes. I have never seen more people attend mass but not pay the slightest bit of attention to it in my life. The chatting and answering phone calls amazed me.

I see someone else has mentioned transubstantiation ...

Much more comfortable with the little teeny cups and allegories of Methodism!

Brilliant story @parkheadparadise re your mum. I hope he brought a single malt and non of that blended stuff ...

But yes mass in Italy is about as lax as it comes. I have never seen more people attend mass but not pay the slightest bit of attention to it in my life. The chatting and answering phone calls amazed me.

I remember as a teenager being dragged to Mass on holiday and the members of congregation went out for a smoke if they fancied it

People talking during Mass is one of the things that still shocks me living in Italy.

I have the reputation here of being terribly devout because I go to Mass every Sunday. I am about the most progressive leftie Catholic there is, so this makes a refreshing change from being treated like a dangerous heretic (the last place I was actively Catholic was an English university town with a minority of incredibly zealous converts).

I'm not allowed to take communion because I dared to divorce my emotionally abusive, cheating husband.
Also I then had 2 children out of wedlock and then "married" in a hotel.
However apparently I am now committing bigamy because they don't recognise my divorce 🤦‍♀️
So I'm a sinner !
My DF is devout and it upsets him that when I visit him I refuse to go to church because of this.

I went off tangent , at our family church they always offer wine when you take communion

Me and my best friend years ago volunteered to be altar boys. We used to neck a bit of altar wine after the mass when we were shutting down the church and tidying up [ grin] . I particularly enjoyed being in charge of the smokey hand bag. Even now many years later that smell of incense brings back memories ...

I particularly enjoyed being in charge of the smokey hand bag.

@Arnoldthecat
😂😂😂😂
I'll never be able to sit through Mass again without laughing at the smokey handbag.

I've never done the wine and I've been a Catholic my whole life. I notice lots of others skipping it too.

I'm laughing at stories of talking during mass above because a couple easters ago we were at church and the congregation was given a firm telling off from the priest for talking.

Love the corrections re the use of Wine rather than Blood.

But no one's correcting the coeliacs and saying they should take the Body as it's not bread.

Ours rarely offers wine unless it’s a big mass, Easter for example. I normally dodge it as I’m germphobic so I wouldn’t worry.

I don’t go for the wine - no one at church passes comment. I would say it’s mainly the older generation that seem to take it.

I'm catholic , I don't often attend church but like to occasionally, I don't take communion and nobody seems to mind - they seem to just like that you attend.

Old. Rubbish Catholic. Never had wine in my life. Don't know anyone, including devout Catholics, who gives a shit about whether you have wine or not.

No problem with divorcees or children born out of wedlock here either (south of Italy)
It is true though that many people, especially teengers attend churchy functions for the social life (Catholic youth club is a hotbed of copping off believe me) rather than anything to do with him upstairs.

I was raised Catholic in the US in the 80s and I seem to recall at some point in that decade (a few years after they taught us to take Communion in our hands, which took some getting used to when it had been impressed upon us what a mortal sin it was to TOUCH the host 🤨) they introduced wine/blood for all, and I definitely recall being a Eucharistic Minister while I was at university in Virginia in the late 80s and being on wine/blood detail. As I recall it was totally optional and plenty of people didn’t partake. If you had a cold it would have been bad manners to have some.

In our church wine is optional & I used to take it until I noticed a floater, never taken it since and never will unless I’m first in the queue 😉.

They offer both at each service in all the churches I've been to, but I only take the wine rarely. And my children don't take the wine at all. Mass locally is in an old people's home, and my kids are germy primary school age.

ItsEarlyMorningIn my Catholic Church , you would not be refused Communion just because you were divorced. Not considered a bigamist because of non Church wedding . And your children " out of wedlock " would be most welcome and baptised if you wanted tovthem to be.
Maybe have a chat with your DF parish priest if you feel itNis important to you or him.

mommybunny

a few years after they taught us to take Communion in our hands, which took some getting used to when it had been impressed upon us what a mortal sin it was to TOUCH the host

I remember that! I think U-turns like that have a fair bit of responsibility for my nearly-lapsed status.

Altar wine is horrible cheap sherry - wouldn’t touch the stuff!