Not at all. It just means that there are germs on the Eucharist. I would never be so silly as to suggest that germs on the Eucharist can get Jesus sick. However, I would never be so silly as to suggest that germs on the Eucharist cannot get me sick.
A great story illustrating this point is one about St John of San Francisco. Once he was taking the Eucharist to a women in the hospital who was in the final stages of rabies....
He served the Holy Mysteries to a woman dying of rabies, and immediately after doing so, she had a fit, foaming at the mouth, and spitting up the Holy Gifts. Knowing that the Holy Gifts cannot be thrown away, St. John immediately picked them up and swallowed them, himself, even though rabies is extremely contagious and routinely fatal. He said, “Nothing with happen; these are the Holy Gifts!” and he spoke the truth.
I am not so sure that you are correct Papist...
St. Paul was bitten by a poisonous snake once as well, and just "shook it off"....
Jesus said, "if you drink any deadly thing it will not harm you" and that we're to "take up serpents".....I don't take those promises of Christ, and St. Paul's example to mean that if I'm bitten by a cobra I won't die without treatment. And yet Paul was bitten, and did not die.
The story about St. John doesn't "prove" anything, except that, yes he was a saint. I'm SURE because of his holiness, his great faith and trust in and love for God, and His love for the Holy Eucharist had some part to play in that event. I honestly cannot believe that if I had consumed the remaining Eucharist, the same thing would have occurred with me. It's not that the Eucharist can become "contaminated", but viruses and germs are microscopic organisms that can land "on" the body and blood. Its not like there is an invisible forcefield around the chalice. Again if fruit flies can land there, why can't microscopic "bugs"?
I understand what you're saying, and for those who have that faith, the faith of St. John of San Francisco, the faith of St. Paul, that's great. I just don't necessarily think such an event "proves" anything about the Eucharist itself, per se.....certainly St. John's sainthood, but not necessarily the Eucharist. The Eucharist isn't magic, and I think that is what Papist is trying to say. Stories of SAINTS doing wondrous miracles proves their saint hood (IMO), but that doesn't mean EVERYONE can follow suit and do exactly as they did. I mean St. Herman befriended a Kodiak bear, that doesn't mean EVERYONE can befriend a kodiak bear.
St. Paul was bitten and "should" have died, but didn't. And yet I'm pretty sure if I were bitten by a poisonous snake, and didn't get treatment, I would die. That doesn't make Jesus a liar, or his promise not true, it simply means my faith isn't strong enough AND I've not acheived a level of theosis that would allow me to do such a thing. (it's not just about faith like some protestants believe, but Theosis as well that makes these miracles possible) Both things go hand in hand. I'm not saying the Eucharist doesn't provide protection from sicknesses and diseases, because it most certainly does. (otherwise priests would be constantly sick) But is this because microscopic bugs cannot land on it, or is this because of the healing properties of the Eucharist itself? Or something else entirely? In the end it really doesn't matter as far I'm concerned. Because by doing what we're doing I think we're being a bit to
scientific about the whole thing. I guess I'm just saying that just because precautions are taken in the Catholic Church doesn't somehow "disprove" their sacraments....because as an Altar server I know precautions are taken in our Church as well, which simply goes unseen by 99% of the congregation who've never seen these precautions.
Trust in God, have faith that the Eucharist will not make you sick, (as I do) but let us not tempt God by assuming that no matter what we do, that that protection will always be there, because I just don't see God working that way in history. Again that's how I see it, and I may very well be wrong.
