Best Before Dates-Holy Communion wafer

[Marijn]

Are there best before dates on Holy Communion wafer packets? Catholics believe in transubstantiation i.e that really IS the flesh and blood of Christ (not just a representation of it). So is it 2000 year old Jesus's flesh they are eating, or current Jesus's flesh? Is it Jesus's flesh when it's being made in the factory? Or when the priest blesses it? How does the priest know he is really doing that properly? Can paedophile priest's have the power to change the wafers into real flesh (if so, how come? as they're sinners, not real priests) So the people who've been taking communion from sinners, haven't really recieved Communion afterall. Can you get drunk on a bottle of Communion wine, if so, how? As it's really blood isn't it?
I expect 95% of Catholics don't even know they're supposed to believe it ACTUALLY IS the body and blood of Christ.

[naomi24]

Apparently so. Yuk! Splutter! What a disgusting idea it is!!

[jomifl]

who thought all this stuff up, anything in the bible about this naomi?

[naomi24]

The idea comes from the Last Supper when Jesus reputedly broke bread, offered it to his disciples, and passed the wine around, saying something like 'Do this in remembrance of me'. Personally, I think he meant them to gather together for a meal occasionally in remembrance of him - but the church clearly disagrees. It much prefers pseudo cannibalism.

[jomifl]

so if the catholic church infers so much from the actions of jesus why doesn't the pope travel by donkey?

[sandyRoe]

Jesus only traveled by donkey on Palm Sunday. Donkeys are only for high days and feast days

[jomifl]

Thanks Sandy, didn't mary travel on a donkey when she was pregnant?

[sandyRoe]

I stand corrected. Once in utero and once on Palm Sunday, then.

[mike11111]

Mary was allowed to ride a donkey because it was Christmas.

[boxtops]

On a different but similar tack - how come you can take water which has been flowing free in the open air, but once you put it in a bottle, it has a best before date? Is it because it becomes stagnant in the bottle?

[Marijn]

Caholics have real cannibalism though, not pseudo cannibalism. It's not symbolic to them, it is real.
Yes, water does become stagnant in a bottle. I've drunk water from a free flowing stream on ocassions and it's nice.
Thank you for replies.

[Marijn]

occasions

[woofgang]

before you drank it, did you check upstream for dead sheep?

[jomifl]

All water in bottles is stagnant almost by definition 'not flowing' except it becomes non stagnant when it is being poured out.

[jomifl]

so the pope can't travel by donkey except when he is 'in utero' and about to be crucified, other times he has to walk?

[jomifl]

boxtops..have you ever tried putting a label on a stream, they go rapidly downhill.

[sandyRoe]

Popes used to be carried on palanquins. They let lesser people do the walking for them.

[jomifl]

just as well jesus isn't here on earth today, I wouldn't give much for his chances if the catholic church found out, it would put a new meaning on the concept of loaves and fishes.

[Marijn]

Yes, I checked the stream ;-).

[jomifl]

sandy.. Is that lesser in the sense of 'lower in altitude', less holy, or smaller?

[sandyRoe]

Lesser in the sense of being further down the pecking order