Situational Unawareness

Sometimes we get carried away..(click on cartoon to see caption)

[David M. Bueker]

Our priest used to use Bolla Valpolicella for communion wine.

Back when I was a student in the early 1970s, the Jesuit community at Holy Cross College switched from Gallo to Almaden for communion wine to support the United Farm Workers' unionizing effort in California.

-Paul W.

[Robin Garr]

I once interviewed a pleasant older Italian-American gentleman who made communion wine for his church from California Zin grapes trucked in by a friend in the fruit business. He "aged" it in used bourbon barrels that gave it considerable je ne sais quois and also kicked up the alcohol level. People at his church allegedly used to circle around the back and come through the line for a second shot at the wine.

In the Catholic Church, the priest usually adds water to the wine. The tradition goes way back to ancient times,
when in some instances wine actually tasted better when diluted. In Todays day and age I'm not so sure anymore.
Back when I was an alter boy, I was told the mixing of the water and wine was a symbol. Where the wine represented
divinity, and the water represented humanity. Mixing water and wine together it can not be easily seperated. (It
is because of Jesus humanity can never be permanately seperated from God).

Salute

In the Catholic Church, the priest usually adds water to the wine. The tradition goes way back to ancient times,
when in some instances wine actually tasted better when diluted.

Must try that with Retsina - think you might be onto something there!

I think the usual theological explanation is that it symbolises the water and wine issued from Jesus' side when he was speared to ensure he was dead. But one cannot help wondering if that was not a later idea, to explain something rooted in common wine-drinking practice.