A reader writes:
Jimmy,
How could anyone catch a cold or the flu from the blood of Christ.
I have never had any fear of getting sick from the Precious Blood of Jesus.
You need not have any fear of getting sick from the Precious Blood. However, you do have reason to be feaful of getting sick from the germs deposited on the chalices/fingers/etc. of those distributing Holy Communion.
The sacred species are not a threat, but any germs attached to them are threats.
Author: Jimmy Akin
Jimmy was born in Texas, grew up nominally Protestant, but at age 20 experienced a profound conversion to Christ. Planning on becoming a Protestant seminary professor, he started an intensive study of the Bible. But the more he immersed himself in Scripture the more he found to support the Catholic faith, and in 1992 he entered the Catholic Church. His conversion story, "A Triumph and a Tragedy," is published in Surprised by Truth. Besides being an author, Jimmy is the Senior Apologist at Catholic Answers, a contributing editor to Catholic Answers Magazine, and a weekly guest on "Catholic Answers Live."
View all posts by Jimmy Akin
“The sacred species are not a threat, but any germs attached to them are threats.”
Theoretically speaking, couldn’t the sacred species be “a threat” if someone hacked up a wad of phlegm into the chalice? (Not to be irreverent here, but offering a hypothesis in line with the discussion.)
As I understand it, the sacred species retain all of the appearances of bread and wine, including their physical properties. Christ’s precious blood doesn’t “innoculate” the species from germs; indeed, someone who imbibed too freely of the precious blood could become drunk (in addition to committing sacrilege). So, couldn’t the cold and flu sufferers deposit germs into the sacred species itself and thus pass on their illnesses?
Or, maybe I’m misunderstanding the term sacred species? Does it refer to the accidents of bread and wine, or to the body and blood of Christ?
Good thing that the Jewish Seder has four cups at every table setting. And thus was it instituted.
This reminds me of a question I’ve debated with people in the past.
What is the origin and primary purpose of the purificator? Is it to keep from spreading germs between communicants or is it to safeguard the precious blood against drips, etc.?
Add’l info regarding question above. The reason this comes up is because my family regularly uses a “blessing cup” on special occasions and some people feel that we should use a napkin as a purificator. Although I understand the desire for keeping it sanitary, I wonder if it misses the point of the purificator and blurs the distinction between “blessing cup” and “Holy Communion” by treating mere juice or wine in the same way as the precious blood.