Friend is angry about grandson's first communion

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djrakowski

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Hi folks,

I’ve posted on this subject before, and I’ve come to accept the Church’s direction on this matter. However, I’m trying to answer it from a slightly different angle for a friend whose grandson can’t receive gluten, but is preparing for his first communion. Here are the statements I’m having trouble answering:
Every parish I call I get the same answer - in order to resemble the bread that Jesus used during the Last Supper there has to be some gluten in it in order to be called bread. I would really like to see where this is written in the Bible.
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and
I don’t even know where there is proof that Jesus used wheat bread 2000 years ago in the Middle East. Maybe bread was made from rice back then.
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Of course, there is no mention of any other grain used for making bread in the Bible, but I somehow think that won’t convince her. Can anyone help me give this lady some answers?

Thanks!
Dan
 
  1. The Bible isn’t the sole source of authority.
  2. There are low gluten hosts. Or is his celiac so severe that he can’t tolerate even the minutest amount of gluten?
  3. The Eucharist is complete in either species. It is perfectly fine to just partake of the cup.
  4. Jesus gave the church the authority to bind. Canon law requires wheat. (Is rice even indiginous to that area?)
 
axolotl said:
1. The Bible isn’t the sole source of authority.
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She should know that, considering that she’s a lifelong Catholic. But, the basis of communion is in the Bible, and since it is based upon the Passover meal, it is easy to give Biblical evidence. I thought that maybe someone here has a resource that would help determine if the words used in the Exodus account of the Passover meal indicate bread made from wheat flour (it is obvious to me, and perhaps you, but not her, and I want to help her understand without being confrontational. She asked for Biblical evidence, and I want to give it.)
  1. There are low gluten hosts. Or is his celiac so severe that he can’t tolerate even the minutest amount of gluten?
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Yes, as is my son’s. But I’m not concerned about that, considering that he’d be able to receive from the cup. No problems there.
  1. The Eucharist is complete in either species. It is perfectly fine to just partake of the cup.
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Yup, I mentioned that.
  1. Jesus gave the church the authority to bind. Canon law requires wheat. (Is rice even indiginous to that area?)
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Good question about rice, and as far as I know, it isn’t. I seem to recall that rice needs tons and tons and tons of water in order to grow.

Thanks for your answer,
Dan
 
My daughter has the same issue and received a drop of the wine.

While it is ridiculous to assume that God is so limited that God can only consecrate wheat bread and that God requires wheat bread, it is hopeless to fight something so bound up in emotional traditions. The early church did away with the Jewish ritualisms, but the leaders have been quite good at creating new ones.
 
Someone who slams the church about “emotional traditions” or do I side with countles highly intelligent theologians who across the centuries have said that the church is the pillar and foundation of truth. Sorry patg I am going to have to go with my gut feeling on this one.
 
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patg:
My daughter has the same issue and received a drop of the wine.

While it is ridiculous to assume that God is so limited that God can only consecrate wheat bread and that God requires wheat bread, it is hopeless to fight something so bound up in emotional traditions. The early church did away with the Jewish ritualisms, but the leaders have been quite good at creating new ones.
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sorry you feel that way… but at least you know you are having difficulties with your feelings… your bio says you think you are Catholic.

Idications are that you have issues with the authority of the Church, as do many. We need to pray about that one… is is often the first and biggest concern that results in man forming another denomination (30,000+/- and counting).
 
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djrakowski:
Hi folks,

I’ve posted on this subject before, and I’ve come to accept the Church’s direction on this matter. However, I’m trying to answer it from a slightly different angle for a friend whose grandson can’t receive gluten, but is preparing for his first communion. Here are the statements I’m having trouble answering:

and

Of course, there is no mention of any other grain used for making bread in the Bible, but I somehow think that won’t convince her. Can anyone help me give this lady some answers?

Thanks!
Dan
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I think that Leviticus has the instructions on making unlevened bread. Catholic Matter for Holy Communion in the western Church is dreived from Jewish tradition of unlevened bread.
 
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MrS:
Idications are that you have issues with the authority of the Church, as do many. We need to pray about that one… is is often the first and biggest concern that results in man forming another denomination (30,000+/- and counting).
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Getting this back on the topic of my original post… I think the problem with my friend and her grandson has to do with more than gluten-free communion. Quite often, in my social circle (primarily in the autism support community), these issues are wedges into other problems they’re having with the Church, which stems from a refusal to accept its authority on a number of matters. These often include, but are not limited to, ordination (men vs. men & women, celibate vs. married, hetero vs. homosexual), marriage (traditional vs. same-sex, indissoluble vs. allowance of divorce), etc. Knowing this particular friend, I’m guessing that the issue of gluten-free communion is just another in her long list of complaints against the Church.
 
An amount of the Host the size of 1/6 of the eye of a needle is STILL the Body Of Christ. Very few people could not tolerate that small amount. Even smaller than that would be The Real Presence. Even a piece so small that you would have to use a microscope to see it - is The Real Presence.
 
Br. Rich SFO:
I think that Leviticus has the instructions on making unlevened bread. Catholic Matter for Holy Communion in the western Church is dreived from Jewish tradition of unlevened bread.
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That helps, thanks! I will give it a read this evening.

Earlier, I did a search on the words ‘bread’ and ‘wheat.’ There are several occasions in which bread was mentioned in a context that didn’t explicitly mention wheat, but the word ‘flour’ was nearby. That should be enough, I think.
 
Well I have to say I agree that those having issues wih substitition for wheat also have authority issues, and as for saying God could have consecrated anything of course He could have but that is not point. God used grain, probably wheat bread and since the Early Church it has been done that way and for a reason. Since Jesus laid down the formula and since the apostles the Church has done it this way is reason enough not to argue with something so sacred. By this reasoning we could start using any edible food to be consecrated as the Body of Christ! :eek:
 
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djrakowski:
Quite often, in my social circle (primarily in the autism support community), these issues are wedges into other problems they’re having with the Church, which stems from a refusal to accept its authority on a number of matters. These often include, but are not limited to, ordination (men vs. men & women, celibate vs. married, hetero vs. homosexual), marriage (traditional vs. same-sex, indissoluble vs. allowance of divorce), etc.
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So true.
 
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kitkatty:
By this reasoning we could start using any edible food to be consecrated as the Body of Christ! :eek:
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I’ve seen a number of reports from folks on these forums in which the most bizarre matter, stuff not even remotely close to bread and wine, was used to (supposedly) confect the eucharist.
 
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djrakowski:
Getting this back on the topic of my original post… I think the problem with my friend and her grandson has to do with more than gluten-free communion. Quite often, in my social circle (primarily in the autism support community), these issues are wedges into other problems they’re having with the Church, which stems from a refusal to accept its authority on a number of matters. These often include, but are not limited to, ordination (men vs. men & women, celibate vs. married, hetero vs. homosexual), marriage (traditional vs. same-sex, indissoluble vs. allowance of divorce), etc. Knowing this particular friend, I’m guessing that the issue of gluten-free communion is just another in her long list of complaints against the Church.
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I suspected this when I read the OP. Because, most devout Catholics would simply explain to their child/grandchild that although they cannot have the host, they are receiving every bit the same amount of body, blood, soul and divinity of Christ in the Precious Blood as they would in the host. Children are much more accepting of these things than we give them credit for. Which is why Jesus said that we must make ourselves like children in order to enter into the kingdom of Heaven. It sounds like your friend may have a problem with hardening her heart and I doubt that any “proof” you provide from Scripture can solve that problem. Only prayer can help in that case. I hope that you can help her in this matter, though. You are a good friend. I will remember your situation in my prayers.
 
What, the host has to contain Gluten?

In our church there are gluten free hosts for those with allergies.
 
I’ve just posted the following answer to the listserve of our autism support group. What do y’all think? Keep in mind that the primary purpose of this listserve is not theology, so I had to keep it as factual and neutral as possible.
The Catholic Church believes that the Eucharist was instituted at the Last Supper, in which Jesus celebrated the Passover meal with his disciples. One of the requirements of the Passover meal is the consumption of unleavened bread made from wheat flour (as I understand from my reading of the Old Testament and Church history).
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In my search of the Old Testament, the word “bread” was always either mentioned alone, or somewhere in the context of the verse, the words “flour” or “wheat” were mentioned. As I understand it, the Catholic Church insists upon its current formula for the eucharistic elements because it believes it does not have the authority to change what Jesus instituted as the Eucharist at the Last Supper.
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Rice requires tons and tons of water to grow, so it isn’t likely that it was ever grown in the Holy Land. It is certainly possible that there were other materials used to bake bread in that location and at that time in history (see Ezekiel 4:9 - but even there, the bread contained wheat, and it wasn’t used for the Passover meal), but none of those other items were ever mentioned in conjunction with the celebration of the Passover meal.
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I’m not sure if I said this in my first message, but there are two more things to remember. The communion is valid if received only under the species of wine, and even the smallest possible drop is considered valid, as well. There are also suppliers of low-alcohol wines (known as mustum) that have been approved for liturgical use by the Catholic Church.
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Feel free, everyone, to correct any theological, historical or other errors in this message.
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kitkatty:
Well I have to say I agree that those having issues wih substitition for wheat also have authority issues, and as for saying God could have consecrated anything of course He could have but that is not point. God used grain, probably wheat bread and since the Early Church it has been done that way and for a reason.
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For a good reason?
Since Jesus laid down the formula and since the apostles the Church has done it this way is reason enough not to argue with something so sacred. By this reasoning we could start using any edible food to be consecrated as the Body of Christ! :eek:
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So Jesus laid down the formula, did he? He also said the magic words to actually perform the consecration in Aramic NOT in English. How do we know the exact words aren’t at least as sacred as the exact recipe (which we really don’t know)? He also only gave the consecrated items to men - how is women can receive them? He also said “This is my body” for the bread and “This is my blood” for the wine - notice he didn’t say This is my body and blood" for either of them.

I’ll admit to just being just a little obstinate here but I’m doing so to express a point - are the details of the ritual more important than purpose and expression of the ritual?
 
I hate to say this, but this is really a silly argument. Give him a drop of the wine, it is still the body and blood of Christ fully present. You don’t need to receive the bread. And if for some extreme reason he is ullergic to the wine as well, have him make spiritual communion. There are several saints that I know of who for medical reasons could not receive Holy Communion and received only spiritually their whole lives.

You are really making a big deal out of nothing.
 
Wheat and barley are the only grains indiginous to the middle east. I don’t think barley makes good bread. Incidently, its the gluten that makes wheat flour the best flour for bread baking.
 
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