Eucharistic breadmakers

[Fransol]

dear anyone,

My visiting sister will not attend Mass with me on Sunday anymore because she does not trust that the parishioners follow the correct recipe for making unleaven bread. She says that the consecration is invalid because the bread tastes ‘sweet’ and she thinks they added honey, or oil from their hands, while preparing it. How can I convince her that these minor additions to the baking do not invalidate the consecration?
Thank you so much. (I need to know before next Sunday 1-25-09 or she will not go with me to Mass, but instead will go to the hospital Mass.)
Fransol

 

[kage_ar]

**Canon 924 §2. **

The bread must be only wheat and recently made so that there is no danger of spoiling.
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The instruction Redemptionis Sacramentum further specifies:

[48.] The bread used in the celebration of the Most Holy Eucharistic Sacrifice must be unleavened, purely of wheat, and recently made so that there is no danger of decomposition. It follows therefore that bread made from another substance, even if it is grain, or if it is mixed with another substance different from wheat to such an extent that it would not commonly be considered wheat bread, does not constitute valid matter for confecting the Sacrifice and the Eucharistic Sacrament. **It is a grave abuse to introduce other substances, such as fruit or sugar or honey, into the bread for confecting the Eucharist. **Hosts should obviously be made by those who are not only distinguished by their integrity, but also skilled in making them and furnished with suitable tools.

jimmyakin.typepad.com/defenso…istic_bre.html
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[passus]

dear anyone,

My visiting sister will not attend Mass with me on Sunday anymore because she does not trust that the parishioners follow the correct recipe for making unleaven bread. She says that the consecration is invalid because the bread tastes ‘sweet’ and she thinks they added honey, or oil from their hands, while preparing it. How can I convince her that these minor additions to the baking do not invalidate the consecration?
Thank you so much. (I need to know before next Sunday 1-25-09 or she will not go with me to Mass, but instead will go to the hospital Mass.)

                Fransol

Fortunately, God is careful to make sure that it’s pretty difficult to have an invalid consecration.

In sacramental theology, we understand the validity of the Eucharist to be affected by: minister, matter, form, and intent. Your sister’s question would fall under the heading of “matter,” which states that the bread must be only wheat and, in the Latin rite of the Church, unleavened ( 924CIC).

It is understood that, for both species, as long as the “bare minimum” of wheat bread and grape wine are present, and without prejudice to the matters of minister, form, and intent, there will be valid consecration. What that means is that other ingredients can be (illicitly, of course) added to the recipe for the bread or wine without affecting the validity of the sacrament. As long as the bread has the form, taste, and appearance of bread and the wine has the form, taste, and appearance of wine, and the bread has wheat as its base and the wine has grapes as its base, it doesn’t matter what else is added to the matter to be consecrated with regard to the sacrament’s validity.

As I said, changing the recipe for the matter to be consecrated is a very serious liturgical abuse and an illicit practice. If you truly suspect this is going on, you should approach your pastor with the concern so that a proper investigation can be carried out.

 

[gelsbern]

I am not aware of many parishes who make their own hosts. Is this common?

 

[Adenauer]

dear anyone,

My visiting sister will not attend Mass with me on Sunday anymore because she does not trust that the parishioners follow the correct recipe for making unleaven bread. She says that the consecration is invalid because the bread tastes ‘sweet’ and she thinks they added honey, or oil from their hands, while preparing it. How can I convince her that these minor additions to the baking do not invalidate the consecration?
Thank you so much. (I need to know before next Sunday 1-25-09 or she will not go with me to Mass, but instead will go to the hospital Mass.)
Fransol

The bread would still be transformed into the Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus Christ even if it contained sweeteners in addition to wheat flour and water.

Using such matter would be an abuse as others have noted but the transformation would still take place.

 

[passus]

I am not aware of many parishes who make their own hosts. Is this common?

No, it is not.

 

[puzzleannie]

dear anyone,

My visiting sister will not attend Mass with me on Sunday anymore because she does not trust that the parishioners follow the correct recipe for making unleaven bread. She says that the consecration is invalid because the bread tastes ‘sweet’ and she thinks they added honey, or oil from their hands, while preparing it. How can I convince her that these minor additions to the baking do not invalidate the consecration?
Thank you so much. (I need to know before next Sunday 1-25-09 or she will not go with me to Mass, but instead will go to the hospital Mass.)

Fransol

you can’t convince her because she is right. Unless you have proof the bread is made from wheat flour and water only with no additions, it is not valid matter for the sacrament. however the sweet taste can come from whole wheat flour itself especially if freshly ground so by itself that is not a definite indication. Unless the pastor has control of the process and can insure that each and every batch has been properly prepared the practice is ill-advised of having parishioners supply the bread.

 

[Phemie]

you can’t convince her because she is right. Unless you have proof the bread is made from wheat flour and water only with no additions, it is not valid matter for the sacrament. however the sweet taste can come from whole wheat flour itself especially if freshly ground so by itself that is not a definite indication. Unless the pastor has control of the process and can insure that each and every batch has been properly prepared the practice is ill-advised of having parishioners supply the bread.

I was going to say the same thing about the flour. I’ve made altar bread with only 50% stone ground whole wheat & 50% white flour and water. The bread was quite sweet tasting but contained nothing illicit.

 

[Aramis]

I am not aware of many parishes who make their own hosts. Is this common?

Many Eastern Catholic parishes make their own bread for the Eucharist. Most of the Eastern Catholic Rites (Byzantine, Coptic, and Syriac) use leavened bread validly and licitly, tho syriac churches may use either.

The recipes for the leavened bread are water, wheat, and yeast.

Unleavened is water and wheat. Leavened would be valid but illicit for Latin use.