Talk about abuse…He got mad at me and told me I was overreacting…I don’t think so!
As such it is not forbidden by the Church but you would have difficulty getting it approved today, or should have difficulty for a number of reasons. Primarily to make sure that the recipe is followed correctly and that each host is of the same consistency, size, shape and will not readily crumble whether in storage or when handled. Also as was mentioned before it must be cooked correctly so it will not readily deteriorate while in storage either prior to consecration or in the Tabernacle. Absolutely no preservatives are allowed. I understand THE recipe is “wheat flour and water.” Period. Absolutely no additions or changes for any reason. I don’t know what the grind would be called but it must be such that when it is baked it holds together well and there are no crumbs. And dry enough so there would be no mold in storage.
My church uses a home-made wheat flour + water bread, and I know from personal experience that it is hard to guarantee that it is cooked correctly - this Sunday it wasn’t, so the host was very doughy, almost raw inside! Also, in the past, there were a few different illicit recipes that were used that included honey and other stuff. Occasionally someone who isn’t on board with the correct wheat + water recipe will revert to one of the old recipes, which is hard to tell without tasting the bread before mass.
I think the wafer hosts vary widely in thickness and imprint, depending on who makes them. One parish near me uses hosts with an imprint of a lamb, another uses an imprint of a cross, and others have no imprint. And some are thicker, some are thinner.
When the bread is made at home it is not made in the form of flat wafers, like that which is bought; it looks more like regula bread only relatively flat, since no levening is used (if one makes it correctly).
I’d wager it was. The very early Christians probably used something resembling pita or naan bread, i.e. leavened flatbread cooked quickly on an open fire. Freshly-baked pitas produce very few crumbs; they have more of an elastic consistency than the thick loaves that are eaten in the West today. As long as the bread is kept over a plate or cloth, any crumbs that do fall can be easily collected and consumed.
Correct me if I’m wrong, but I believe the early Christians distributed the Eucharist in the same manner as the Eastern Christians do today: a small cube of the Precious Body was dipped into the Precious Blood by the Priest and given to the faithful via a spoon. It appears that in the Eastern churches, the crumb problem is dealt with before the distribution during the Office of Proskomidia. Rather than attempt to explain it and fail miserably, here’s a link to a nifty Byzantine Catholic page that explains the whole deal saintelias.com/Liturgy_elia/Proskomidia_elia/Proskomidia_elia.htm
I have recalled since my previous post that honey was one of the ingredients…so I guess I didn’t have to worry about the crumbs after all… AnnunciataI don’t know about now, but 30 years ago we had a organization in our parish called “Christian Family Movement”, does anyone remember it?
Once a month we would gather in each member’s home for Mass, etc. Once,when it was my turn, I baked the bread for Communon… I don’t even remember the recipe only that it was lumpy and raised… The “new priest” had given it to me…
I had to take my pewter ridged dish, which he used for consecration, next door to the sacristy the next day when I found CRUMBS (the Body of our Lord!) still left in it!!
Well, the proskomidi is really only preparing the Lamb. During the communion of the clergy, the priest still has to divide the Lamb into enough pieces for all the communicants, which generates a fair amount of crumbs. If the Lamb was previously dried, as when it is prepared for a celebration of a Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts, the priest usually lets it soak in the wine before attempting to divide it, lest it explode into a shower of crumbs everywhere.
Aha! I stand corrected, and thank you
My understanding is that preservatives are not allowed in Communion Bread. Wheat & water, and that’s it. Not even salt!