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Question 166

Pater it was nice to meet you and attend your service on Saturday past, one question , if someone has fasted to take holy communion is on medication and needs to take water in the morning with medication is this allowed?  

 

Answer to Question 166

 

The church teaches that we should not eat or drink from the time we go to sleep the previous night until we had received Holy Communion so that the first thing we receive is Christ. Many people need to take medication and if this medication cannot be postponed until after Communion then the right thing to do is to take it at the time as instructed by your doctor. Some people have no choice and must take their medication at the prescribed time and this would not bar them from Holy Communion, but others like myself have no problems delaying taking medication for a couple of hours. I take 17 tablets a day for various ills and have for over a week run out of 12 of them and hopefully will get to the doctors this week for a renewal prescription. I'm still alive so probable don't need all of them.