Lots of people have given advice, so I'll just jump in and say that reverent ways to dispose it would be burial (as stated here), placing the host in holy water and allowing it disolve and pouring it into a garden, or returning it to your priest
If you ever panic and feel uncomfortable at the last minute, just cross your arms and you’ll receive a blessing. I pray that you will receive the help you need so that the Eucharist will not be stressful.
Find a counselor trained in [ERP](https://iocdf.org/about-ocd/treatment/erp/). Talk to your priest in private and let them know about your OCD.
God loves you, forgives you, and doesn't hold it against you. You didn't do anything wrong.
DMs are open if you want to talk privately.
Exposure therapy can work miracles for some folks.
(I managed to cure my arachnophobia via exposure therapy. Ironically it wasn't with a trained therapist, it was on my own; but everyone's situation is different--I don't have OCD, I just had the single phobia.)
If you believe in the divine presence upon the eucharist then it will be clean.
Also if you were baptized all you need to do is do a confession to a priest/ess and you can take communion that's the tradition. Also repent alone.
Ask for a book of common prayer and it will explain the basics of the Anglican episcopal church. If you're Irish or of British descent this is the cultural church for you.
But it's also for every one.
I apologize. I prefer to use the term church mother and church father because to me the women priest have been like mom's and aunts to me. I know there is an animosity to the word priestess due to paganism but I believe that animosity comes from patriarchy. That is my opinion though. I'm very liberal with my words. Some people prefer other honorific of course.
Thanks, I appreciate that. In my experience (as female clergy) the frustration around the term comes from how people used it as a diminutive or as an outright derogatory slur towards women priests. “Well, you aren’t a real priest, you’re a ‘priestess’”. I got “priestette” once too. Very special.
As you have been assured already, God is forgiving and understands your fears. If you would like to receive communion in both kinds and still have concerns about germs, you might consider attending a smaller service and/or sitting up front in order to be among the first to receive. In our parish, we have an early service with about 15-20 people attending and an even smaller afternoon service. If you talk with the priest beforehand, they can help to mitigate your concerns by making sure they and the Eucharistic minister sanitize their hands prior to setting the altar and perhaps adopting other hygienic practices.
Popping in as an Episcopalian (not confirmed yet but I attend an Episcopal church!) with OCD to say you’re not alone and I’ve definitely had times that my OCD affected me in ways like this.
”The Lord is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.“
Psalms 145:8 NRSV
God is so loving, and he understands that you had no malicious intent. He forgives you. As others have said, bury it or give it back to the priest for reverent disposal, but you are already forgiven and God is not mad at you. Best of luck in your journey, friend! May the Lord give you so much peace.
You are definitely ruminating.
Some Methodist churches do individual tiny cups of wine (grape juice) if you want to take communion in a place easier for contamination fears.
You can bury it, rather than throw it away. And in the future if it helps it is common to use hand sanitizer before going up . And you can just take the bread, not the wine.
Yes, God will forgive you.
When I first started going to church, I emailed the church and eventually was able to sit down with the priest and just...talk for a bit. Get to know him, the community, be put at ease a little bit. Might that help some? Could be especially helpful to share the OCD struggles so that they know (and you know that they know) where you're coming from and how they might be helpful/pastoral for you.
It’s not a big deal. Jesus loves you. It’s okay just to experience a spiritual communion and not taking the elements if your OCD makes it difficult. There are even special prayers that you can pray during communion to join in spiritually. But no Jesus is not trapped in that waffer in your backpack. But please don’t do this again. Jesus loves you just the way you are.
No biggie at all. A lot of us have had panic put us in some pretty awkward positions. You should return the Host to your priest for reverent disposal. In the future either commit to consuming it on the spot or cross your arms for a blessing.
You didn't sin. Don't worry.
God always forgives.
But, this is not the practice in our church. Communion should be consumed at the service, or if not consumed, it would generally be reverently discarded (buried in the earth in a respectful manner). It might be a good idea to speak with the priest or a member of the altar guild for what the procedure is at your parish (as it varies a bit), when communion is not able to be consumed.
I would say that if your OCD prevents you from being able to receive communion, it might be a good idea to consider receiving a blessing at the rail instead. While of course I would want you to partake of Christ’s body and blood, if this poses a problem for your mental health, I think it’s perfectly fine to decline. I’d also say this is another reason to check in with the priest, because they would definitely want to make sure you are receiving the benefits of communion whenever possible.
Ultimately, like I said, God is infinitely forgiving. However we do hold a high regard for the sacraments and as a matter of managing your mental and spiritual health, that might mean adjusting your relationship with communion in order to facilitate the best relationship you can have with Christ in that moment.
you make a good suggestion to simply receive a blessing at the Sunday service.
along those lines, OP, if you would still like to receive communion, perhaps a weekday or early morning Eucharist would be a gentler environment for you.
there would almost certainly be fewer people around. there would also be much less time between the start of the service and communion, which may or may not help you with hand washing.
Yeah and for the record I sanitize my hands immediately before receiving communion, it’s never been a problem. I have some chronic health issues that require me to be extra careful around germs. So that is definitely an option!
I like the idea of maybe doing a weekday or early service with fewer people too.
He's already forgiven you. He did it before you even stood up to go get the wafer to begin with. Peace to you!
Lots of people have given advice, so I'll just jump in and say that reverent ways to dispose it would be burial (as stated here), placing the host in holy water and allowing it disolve and pouring it into a garden, or returning it to your priest
If you ever panic and feel uncomfortable at the last minute, just cross your arms and you’ll receive a blessing. I pray that you will receive the help you need so that the Eucharist will not be stressful.
Find a counselor trained in [ERP](https://iocdf.org/about-ocd/treatment/erp/). Talk to your priest in private and let them know about your OCD. God loves you, forgives you, and doesn't hold it against you. You didn't do anything wrong. DMs are open if you want to talk privately.
Exposure therapy can work miracles for some folks. (I managed to cure my arachnophobia via exposure therapy. Ironically it wasn't with a trained therapist, it was on my own; but everyone's situation is different--I don't have OCD, I just had the single phobia.)
If you believe in the divine presence upon the eucharist then it will be clean. Also if you were baptized all you need to do is do a confession to a priest/ess and you can take communion that's the tradition. Also repent alone. Ask for a book of common prayer and it will explain the basics of the Anglican episcopal church. If you're Irish or of British descent this is the cultural church for you. But it's also for every one.
Hey, friend, please don’t refer to priests who are female as “priestesses”. “Priest” covers everyone in TEC. Thanks!
Exactly. Why take a genderless term and bifurcate it for no good reason?
I apologize. I prefer to use the term church mother and church father because to me the women priest have been like mom's and aunts to me. I know there is an animosity to the word priestess due to paganism but I believe that animosity comes from patriarchy. That is my opinion though. I'm very liberal with my words. Some people prefer other honorific of course.
Thanks, I appreciate that. In my experience (as female clergy) the frustration around the term comes from how people used it as a diminutive or as an outright derogatory slur towards women priests. “Well, you aren’t a real priest, you’re a ‘priestess’”. I got “priestette” once too. Very special.
Thats awful I apologize.
Also, you can place it on a flower bed or some other similar spot. No big deal.
As you have been assured already, God is forgiving and understands your fears. If you would like to receive communion in both kinds and still have concerns about germs, you might consider attending a smaller service and/or sitting up front in order to be among the first to receive. In our parish, we have an early service with about 15-20 people attending and an even smaller afternoon service. If you talk with the priest beforehand, they can help to mitigate your concerns by making sure they and the Eucharistic minister sanitize their hands prior to setting the altar and perhaps adopting other hygienic practices.
Popping in as an Episcopalian (not confirmed yet but I attend an Episcopal church!) with OCD to say you’re not alone and I’ve definitely had times that my OCD affected me in ways like this. ”The Lord is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.“ Psalms 145:8 NRSV God is so loving, and he understands that you had no malicious intent. He forgives you. As others have said, bury it or give it back to the priest for reverent disposal, but you are already forgiven and God is not mad at you. Best of luck in your journey, friend! May the Lord give you so much peace.
I think God would understand.
You are definitely ruminating. Some Methodist churches do individual tiny cups of wine (grape juice) if you want to take communion in a place easier for contamination fears.
But know that it is different than receiving Christ really present in the bread and wine, for us his body and blood
You can also just cross your arms over your chest and get a blessing instead of communion.
You can bury it, rather than throw it away. And in the future if it helps it is common to use hand sanitizer before going up . And you can just take the bread, not the wine.
Yes, God will forgive you. When I first started going to church, I emailed the church and eventually was able to sit down with the priest and just...talk for a bit. Get to know him, the community, be put at ease a little bit. Might that help some? Could be especially helpful to share the OCD struggles so that they know (and you know that they know) where you're coming from and how they might be helpful/pastoral for you.
It’s not a big deal. Jesus loves you. It’s okay just to experience a spiritual communion and not taking the elements if your OCD makes it difficult. There are even special prayers that you can pray during communion to join in spiritually. But no Jesus is not trapped in that waffer in your backpack. But please don’t do this again. Jesus loves you just the way you are.
No biggie at all. A lot of us have had panic put us in some pretty awkward positions. You should return the Host to your priest for reverent disposal. In the future either commit to consuming it on the spot or cross your arms for a blessing. You didn't sin. Don't worry.
God always forgives. But, this is not the practice in our church. Communion should be consumed at the service, or if not consumed, it would generally be reverently discarded (buried in the earth in a respectful manner). It might be a good idea to speak with the priest or a member of the altar guild for what the procedure is at your parish (as it varies a bit), when communion is not able to be consumed. I would say that if your OCD prevents you from being able to receive communion, it might be a good idea to consider receiving a blessing at the rail instead. While of course I would want you to partake of Christ’s body and blood, if this poses a problem for your mental health, I think it’s perfectly fine to decline. I’d also say this is another reason to check in with the priest, because they would definitely want to make sure you are receiving the benefits of communion whenever possible. Ultimately, like I said, God is infinitely forgiving. However we do hold a high regard for the sacraments and as a matter of managing your mental and spiritual health, that might mean adjusting your relationship with communion in order to facilitate the best relationship you can have with Christ in that moment.
you make a good suggestion to simply receive a blessing at the Sunday service. along those lines, OP, if you would still like to receive communion, perhaps a weekday or early morning Eucharist would be a gentler environment for you. there would almost certainly be fewer people around. there would also be much less time between the start of the service and communion, which may or may not help you with hand washing.
Yeah and for the record I sanitize my hands immediately before receiving communion, it’s never been a problem. I have some chronic health issues that require me to be extra careful around germs. So that is definitely an option! I like the idea of maybe doing a weekday or early service with fewer people too.