Among other faults, we seem to be in an age of panic and stampede.

As well, bishops and pastors cannot be certain that if some parishioner picks up a disease – no matter how or where – the parish and diocese won't be hauled into court for their relatively deep pockets of insurance funds.

We live in sad times commensurate with the idiocy of 'political correctness'.

And – interesting – the rise in numbers of lawyers -
in the USA, now at a point of ten times the number of lawyers per thousand citizens than anywhere else in the world -
and the decline of real parishioners
seem to have occured over the same time frame – these past forty years.

Pretty sure that "holy" does not mean antiseptic or sterile.

I'm not sure what the "political correctness" is in this case. It seems an overreaction, to be sure on the part of the parish, but still well within the prudential judgment of the priest or local ordinary to try to minimize the spread of a potential contagion. H1N1 seems to be the subject of a lot of hype in the media right now in the U.S. but not so ino other parts of the world,where the "hype" is needed because outbreaks are more severe. The USCCB has instructions here for the faithful.

The best advice is for those showing symptoms of H1N1 to stay home.

In Christ,
Michael

"The Christian ideal has not been tried and found wanting; it has been found difficult and left untried."
- G.K. Chesterton

I considered carfully my thought on this.
I would submit for your judgment and consideration two propositions.
1) to shrink from embracing a lepor full of running sores out of charity for he/she is a lack of faith in the creator of charity.
2) it is best for those who are strong in faith to help the weaker by obstaining from anything that might cause them to sin.

My application is thus:
if the cup or the water are there I will not hesitate from them, and if asked I oppose thier withdrawl on the principle that they build community.

if others are made uncomfortable and feel excluded because there lack of faith makes it impossible for them to partake of the water or shake hands , I leave it up to the pastor to decide if thier number are sufficent to ask all to obstain from these things 'for the duration'.

As to this flew itself. If it is truely a pandemic everyone will eventully get it and those who God wills will die form it and there is no such thing as a containment of it, only slowing it down.