ASK FATHER: Blessed Wine Turns to Vinegar… Still Blessed?

The questions people come up with! Still, a good answer.

From Fr Z's Blog

From a reader…

QUAERITUR:

I had an almost empty bottle of wine I had blessed on the Feast of St. Blaise. I tasted it and it started to get a mild vinegar taste/smell to it. I still drank it, but am wondering if Blessed wine loses its blessing once it turns to vinegar (or any spoiled blessed food for that matter), and if so, what’s the proper way to dispose of such items when burying and burning them aren’t feasible?

First, I can't fathom why this problem arose.  Get the wine blessed and drink it!  Why wait?

I would say that it lost its blessing.  The analogy is that of the degradation of the substance for the Eucharist.  Once the accidents of the Precious Blood change and degrade, the substance is broken.  In other words, if the Precious Blood goes vinegary, the Real Presence is no longer there.

So, when you get your wine or food blessed, drink it and eat it.

Some people tend to get a special consumable, such as a fine olive oil, and for some reason they hesitate to use it and it, over time, goes bad.   When I get something, I use it up!  That’s what it’s for!

Anyway, the best way to dispose of these iffy things is to pour onto the ground, bury, burn and bury the ashes and so forth.  Don’t put them into the septic or sewer system.