Fasting before receiving Holy Communion.  How long and what is the historical practice?

   Before we know how long to fast before receiving Holy Communion and its changes throughout history, we must know why.  Why do we/should we fast before receiving Holy Communion?

   If an important guest was coming to your house, would you wait to prepare a place for this special guest of yours until just before he arrives, or make sure to have a place prepared and fully cleaned well before his arrival?  Obviously the latter.  And should we not do so for ourselves before receiving Jesus into our being?  Or should He have to share a place with the pizza we ate 5 minutes before Mass?

   We want to give Jesus a proper place within ourselves.  The current law of the Church (not option or suggestion but law) is to receive Jesus after having fasted from all food and drink, except water, for one hour.  Those with medical necessities that make even that impossible or potentially harmful do not have any requirement to fast even for one hour.  And technically, the one hour fast is not before Mass, but before receiving Jesus.  If 40 minutes into Mass, you receive Jesus, you only needed to fast 20 minutes before Mass to receive Jesus.

   And what was the historical practice?  Well, it is unclear what the practice was in the first about 400 years of the Church.  Then, the practice became, or remained, fasting from all food and drink beginning at midnight before receiving Jesus.  It was not until 1953 that water would no longer break the Eucharistic fast.  And in 1957, the fast was reduced to 3 hours.  Then in 1964, the fast was reduced further to one hour.

   Now is a good time to remind ourselves that one hour is the minimum.  And as with any relationship, doing the minimum is a recipe for disaster unless you truly can only do the minimum.  I am reminded of this, “This people honors me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.” [Matthew 15:8]  And yet, we are called to “love the Lord [our] God with all [our] heart, with all [our] soul, with all [our] mind, and with all [our] strength.” [Mark 12:30]

   How long you fast to show your love for God is up to you, but make sure that you adhere to the Bride of Christ’s law by fasting for at least 1 hour before receiving Our Lord in Holy Communion.

   Jesus, we long to receive You into our being that we may be greater united to You. Help us to rid ourselves of all that prevents us from being completely united to You. Amen.