Any other Celiacs here (allergic to wheat)

[Seatuck]

I don’t have an autoimmune disease triggered by Christ, I have an autoimmune disease triggered by wheat.

[Edited] I suffer daily with a disease and an ill person is in no mood for petty arguments. [Edited]

[Edited] You are choosing to ignore the very important point that the poster made. We may not refer to the Body and Blood of Christ which is present after consecration as bread and wine. It is not thologically correct and it is disrespectful to our Lord. I’m sure you did not intend to be disrespectful . He gently pointed this out . It’s an important distinction. It does not deny that the accidents of bread and wine are present and do still affect the body.

Have you read the church documents on the subject?

usccb.org/liturgy/celiasprue.shtml

and

usccb.org/liturgy/innews/1103.shtml

You know your own health best . Make the decision based on your experience and the advice of your doctor as to how to receive communion. You will have to speak to your Priest before hand when it comes time for you to take part in the Sacraments after you figure out the marriage issues.

 

[ajcoley1]

Lisa 44,
if I were to take Communion every Sunday I would be very ill. One day out of the year, yes I am ill for part of Easter Sunday, that is all & it is enough. It doesn’t work for everyone, I know. Only you know the state of your health & how to handle it.
I tend to get frustrated about the whole Only Wheat Is Acceptable for Communion thing-but then, only I know how this disease affects me. And I’ve learned how to respond to confrontational people who insist I must be in a state of Sin because I don’t take Communion.

 

[ajcoley1]

I know that my friend with neuralogical type of celiac does this. It causes some pretty bad stuff, but she can control most of the external effects with medicine.

Yes, and knowing that I can control how I feel physically & that the headache will not be continuous because I KNOW why I have them, is a BIG relief!

 

[peary]

Can you tell me how you have resolved your allergy with the eucharist? Ie: does the Priest give you wine when everyone else is taking the bread?

I haven’t asked my Priest yet because I became a Catholic AFTER I was married. We can’t have a sacramental marriage until or if my husbands first marriage is annuled.

Anyways, what do you do if you go to another Church where special provisions have not been made for you? Do you go up for a blessing or just sit there?

Do you feel alienated at all because you have Celiac Disease?

(This is a very selfish thought, but when i first became a Catholic just over a year ago, I thought, why would Jesus have made the center of a ritual a food that many people are deathly ill to?)

Do you think that is why he gave us bread AND WINE? Is the wine for those of us who can’t consume wheat?

What are your thoughts on being a Catholic with Celiac Disease?

Thanks

**First, why are you receiving the Eucharist when your marriage is not valid? The Church forbids this.

However, to answer your question, yes, wine can be offered to those who have celiac disease because the Church teaches that Christ is fully present under either species. **

 

[ajcoley1]

**First, why are you receiving the Eucharist when your marriage is not valid? The Church forbids this.

**

I think it was a question of curiosity, I asked that question when returning to the faith after divorcing my husband. It souns to me like she knows she cannot recieve the eucharist, but what does she do when the time comes? That type of thinking, not I am recieving the Eucharist when I know I shouldn’t and btw, I have Celiac disease!

 

[choirnut]

Lisa 44,
And I’ve learned how to respond to confrontational people who insist I must be in a state of Sin because I don’t take Communion.

Sounds familiar. Though not being a Celiac here, but a recovered alcoholic where I can’t partake of the wine. I never felt any less guilty about it and don’t let those who deem me a sinner have their last say either.

God knows our health issues, too! If I WAS a sinner for not receiving His blood (wine) every Sunday, I’m sure I would have heard from Him already.
It only matters what He says…and not the negative opinions of others.

 

[Seatuck]

Sounds familiar. Though not being a Celiac here, but a recovered alcoholic where I can’t partake of the wine. I never felt any less guilty about it and don’t let those who deem me a sinner have their last say either.

God knows our health issues, too! If I WAS a sinner for not receiving His blood (wine) every Sunday, I’m sure I would have heard from Him already.
It only matters what He says…and not the negative opinions of others.

I’ve never heard of anyone having that experience of needing to defend their not receiving communion to anyone. There are many reasons besides being in sin. I usually experience quite the opposite. I feel like such a sinner ( if my abstaining on a particular Sunday is due to sin) if I take the time to see how few the people who remain in the pews are.

 

[Lisa44]

Thanks Senor Salsa,…

I hope the Church will annul my husbands first marriage or its a moot point for me as I will have no chance of ever recieving the Eucharist. If that happens I’ll feel pretty bad.

First, why are you receiving the Eucharist when your marriage is not valid? The Church forbids this.

If you read the thread you would see that I am not able to have the Eucharist until my husbands first marriage is annulled. I was simply enquiring as to how I would be able to recieve it in the future.

 

[Lisa44]

You are choosing to ignore the very important point that the poster made. We may not refer to the Body and Blood of Christ which is present after consecration as bread and wine.

From the usccb website-

What if a person cannot consume low gluten hosts?
Such communicants may still receive the Precious Blood. Catholics believe that whoever receives Holy Communion only under the form of bread or only under the form of **wine **still receives the whole Christ, in his Body and Blood, soul and divinity.

It is not thologically correct and it is disrespectful to our Lord. I’m sure you did not intend to be disrespectful . He gently pointed this out . It’s an important distinction. It does not deny that the accidents of bread and wine are present and do still affect the body.

Have you read the church documents on the subject?

usccb.org/liturgy/celiasprue.shtml

and

usccb.org/liturgy/innews/1103.shtml

You know your own health best . Make the decision based on your experience and the advice of your doctor as to how to receive communion. You will have to speak to your Priest before hand when it comes time for you to take part in the Sacraments after you figure out the marriage issues.

No offense, but I know I know my own health best. And I know I will have to speak to my Priest about it. I was asking other Celiacs what choices they made with regards to communion.

I find the type of lecturing I’m getting from non-Celiacs to be really condescending, not all, just some posters. I was merely referring to the “bread” and the “wine” as I’m dealing with the nutritional element of the Eucharist and not the Spiritual element. Just as that website referred to the “bread” and the “wine”.

You don’t have Celiac Disease and you are not dealing with the difficulty over recieving Communion. You are just telling me the obvious, except to correct my semantics.

Is that really helpful? I mean honestly. You really think I have sinned by calling it “bread”? Did you just want to point out that I have sinned when I am confessing that I have not yet been able to recieve communion and will have difficulty when I am ready due to my disease. But you just thought you’d throw in that I am sinning by referring to the “bread” which causes us illness.

You know, people who never suffer (physically) they tend to be quite smug when it comes to issues related to physical suffering I’ve noticed. I thank God that I have this disease because it makes me more sensitive to other people who have illness and disease.

 

[Lisa44]

Don’t you mean a valid marriage? In any event he means that if you live a life of continence - no marital relations- it is possible that with spiritual direction from a priest you may receive the sacraments.

What!? Live with my husband like he is my brother???
Uhhh. Ohhhh Kaaay.
That is the most bizarre thing I’ve ever heard of.

 

[Aramis]

What!? Live with my husband like he is my brother???
Uhhh. Ohhhh Kaaay.
That is the most bizarre thing I’ve ever heard of.

Until prior marriages are annulled, and your civil marriage convalidated, that is what is called for from remarried persons; Otherwise, one is committing adultery.

 

[Seatuck]

From the usccb website-

What if a person cannot consume low gluten hosts?
Such communicants may still receive the Precious Blood. Catholics believe that whoever receives Holy Communion only under the form of bread or only under the form of **wine **still receives the whole Christ, in his Body and Blood, soul and divinity.

No offense, but I know I know my own health best. And I know I will have to speak to my Priest about it. I was asking other Celiacs what choices they made with regards to communion.

I find the type of lecturing I’m getting from non-Celiacs to be really condescending, not all, just some posters. I was merely referring to the “bread” and the “wine” as I’m dealing with the nutritional element of the Eucharist and not the Spiritual element. Just as that website referred to the “bread” and the “wine”.

You don’t have Celiac Disease and you are not dealing with the difficulty over recieving Communion. You are just telling me the obvious, except to correct my semantics.

Is that really helpful? I mean honestly. You really think I have sinned by calling it “bread”? Did you just want to point out that I have sinned when I am confessing that I have not yet been able to recieve communion and will have difficulty when I am ready due to my disease. But you just thought you’d throw in that I am sinning by referring to the “bread” which causes us illness.

You know, people who never suffer (physically) they tend to be quite smug when it comes to issues related to physical suffering I’ve noticed. I thank God that I have this disease because it makes me more sensitive to other people who have illness and disease.

I never said you sinned. Please show where I did.

Yes the accidents of bread and wine are present. The appearance of bread and wine are present but it is no longer considered bread or wine. That’s why the document uses the phrase “under the form of”. I wanted to point out the wording because our non catholic brothers and sisters do not believe in the real presence so its better to call it what it is. Another important distinction to make is that we receive communion we do not take it . It is a gift that we receive .

So did you find the link helpful to see what your options in the church are? My relatives who have this problem tend to receive a small particle on an infrequent basis.They do not have reactions but are conscience of the amount of gluten they ingest in as a whole on a daily basis with an eye toward cumulative damage. I had a patient once who received a whole host once or twice a year. She didn’t mind the symptoms. It really depends upon the severity of the allergy. In my capacity as an EMOHC I know we have two people in the parish with this illness. When I serve the cup I make sure they receive first or I take extra time to wipe the rim to insure no lipstick residue is present as I know that can be an issue for the really sensitive.

 

[Lisa44]

Until prior marriages are annulled, and your civil marriage convalidated, that is what is called for from remarried persons; Otherwise, one is committing adultery.

Wow, this is news to me, why didn’t anyone in RCIA tell me that?

Oh my! Its funny, the Priest didn’t say anything to me about it either when I explained my situation to him.

 

[susankndrck35]

Wow, this is news to me, why didn’t anyone in RCIA tell me that?

Oh my! Its funny, the Priest didn’t say anything to me about it either when I explained my situation to him.

Funny? No I would not say it was funny that a Priest failed to inform you of this.

 

[Lisa44]

I never said you sinned. Please show where I did.

You said it was “disrespectful” to our Lord. Which I translated into sin (to disrespect God) but its not sin, just disrespectful.

Yes the accidents of bread and wine are present. The appearance of bread and wine are present but it is no longer considered bread or wine. That’s why the document uses the phrase “under the form of”. I wanted to point out the wording because our non catholic brothers and sisters do not believe in the real presence so its better to call it what it is. Another important distinction to make is that we receive communion we do not take it . It is a gift that we receive .

So did you find the link helpful to see what your options in the church are? My relatives who have this problem tend to receive a small particle on an infrequent basis.They do not have reactions but are conscience of the amount of gluten they ingest in as a whole on a daily basis with an eye toward cumulative damage. I had a patient once who received a whole host once or twice a year. She didn’t mind the symptoms. It really depends upon the severity of the allergy. In my capacity as an EMOHC I know we have two people in the parish with this illness. When I serve the cup I make sure they receive first or I take extra time to wipe the rim to insure no lipstick residue is present as I know that can be an issue for the really sensitive.

Well, I apologize to everyone I have offended. I really didn’t know how to talk about the accidents of the bread and wine, without offending God.

There is so much to learn in the Catholic faith it is unbelievable.

I didn’t realize “in the form of…” or “in the material signs of…” were not just wording but were critical terms.

I really just wanted to discuss the difficulty of being a Catholic who has Celiac disease.

However, I am glad for this instruction, it was necessary. I don’t want to offend God or Catholics for that matter.

 

[Seatuck]

Well, I apologize to everyone I have offended. I really didn’t know how to talk about the accidents of the bread and wine, without offending God.

There is so much to learn in the Catholic faith it is unbelievable.

I didn’t realize “in the form of…” or “in the material signs of…” were not just wording but were critical terms.

I really just wanted to discuss the difficulty of being a Catholic who has Celiac disease.

However, I am glad for this instruction, it was necessary. I don’t want to offend God or Catholics for that matter.

I am certainly not offended and I certainly don’t think you sinned. I just gave you a little fraternal correction such as I get from others from time to time. Sometimes I find message boards to be a difficult medium to communicate with . We can’t always pick up intent and so on. Even with smilies.
I personally think it is good to discuss this difficulty.There is nothing wrong with you starting this thread. There are many Christians not aware of it despite the news stories on the subject in recent years. However many Catholics who had to witness the church being bashed in the news and even on this board over those stories might be a wee bit sensitive.
In reality we all have crosses to bear , some more difficult than others and we can’t assume that everyone is minimizing our particular cross because they don’t quite respond in the way we’d like.

 

[Lisa44]

Funny? No I would not say it was funny that a Priest failed to inform you of this.

Sorry, I meant funny as in odd. Like, thats odd, thats funny…

 

[ajcoley1]

I am certainly not offended and I certainly don’t think you sinned. I just gave you a little fraternal correction such as I get from others from time to time. Sometimes I find message boards to be a difficult medium to communicate with . We can’t always pick up intent and so on. Even with smilies.
I personally think it is good to discuss this difficulty.There is nothing wrong with you starting this thread. There are many Christians not aware of it despite the news stories on the subject in recent years. However many Catholics who had to witness the church being bashed in the news and even on this board over those stories might be a wee bit sensitive.
In reality we all have crosses to bear , some more difficult than others and we can’t assume that everyone is minimizing our particular cross because they don’t quite respond in the way we’d like.

I Don’t think you offended anyone. I call it ‘bread’ and ‘wine’ because I can have neither, but I do realize if is a Gift, and it hurts sometimes that I cannot even recieve His Blood and Body BECAUSE of the bread and wine.

 

[Aramis]

Wow, this is news to me, why didn’t anyone in RCIA tell me that?

Oh my! Its funny, the Priest didn’t say anything to me about it either when I explained my situation to him.

Considering that it is biblical…

Luke 16:18

"Everyone who divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery, and the one who marries a woman divorced from her husband commits adultery.

usccb.org/nab/bible/luke/luke16.htm

Matthew 19:9
I say to you, 7 whoever divorces his wife (unless the marriage is unlawful) and marries another commits adultery."
usccb.org/nab/bible/matthew/matthew19.htm

Annulment establishes that the prior marriage was, in fact, unlawful.

 

[Trishie]

I’m celiac! I make low-gluten hosts with wheat-starch and water, dropped in my flat sandwich toaster and squished into a small round host. I make them tiny as one shouldn’t have wheat at all, but according to Canon Law wheat is non-negociable. I put the little host in a pyx marked with my Christian name and ‘coeliac’ [which is how we spell this autoimmune illness in Australia.]

If there is some circumstance where it might be inconvenient to the priest to bring down my pyx from the altar for Communion eg at a funeral, I refrain and receive the Precious Blood only…which is a problem in those parishes that don’t offer the chalice. So far I’ve encountered no opposition to my tiny wheat hosts. In all other instances I avoid wheat, barley, oats and rye. Some people however can’t risk ingesting the tiniest abount of wheat.

I found it very difficult to become accustomed to requiring of priests that they make special provision for me. One doesn’t wish to be a possible inconvenience. I think each of us who are Celiacs have to work out our own ways of coping with the issues of how we receive Communion, in keeping with Church law. I do know of those who refrain from Communion altogether because of the illness, which is sad.

God bless you, Trishie