Gluten Free Host at Mass

[Gorgias]

Less than 5ppm to meet Celiac guidelines which are stricter than FDA guidelines. Celiac experts say none is safe.

OK. So, “zero ppm” means that it’s impossible to consume a host that’s valid matter for the Eucharist. The Precious Blood is the possible alternative, then. I’d take @InThePew’s advice on how to proceed, if you’re meeting roadblocks at your parish.

 

[Kindnessmatters]

Not similar at all because it isn’t potentially deadly. Thanks though.

Why is it so hard to understand celiac patients should not ingest gluten and Catholics would like to recieve communion? I’d this that hard to understand?

 

[Gorgias]

Not similar at all because it isn’t potentially deadly. Thanks though.

I know a priest who has GI problems that require him to consume only mustum. So, yeah: “potentially deadly”.

Why is it so hard to understand celiac patients should not ingest gluten and Catholics would like to recieve communion? I’d this that hard to understand?

No, it isn’t. That’s why the suggestion “consume the Precious Blood” has been mentioned in this thread, along with suggestions to allow that to happen for you.

 

[Kindnessmatters]

Thanks. I have explained several times now that it. Is. Not. Available.

 

[Gorgias]

I have explained several times now that it. Is. Not. Available.

At. Your. Parish. Currently.

Again, @InThePew offered suggestions on how to address this situation.

 

[Kindnessmatters]

Thanks for continuing not to listen. How many miles do I drive? 100? 209? Or without being beat up for hours, can I just share current practices are not welcoming to celiac patients? Does it upset you that much that I don’t like being unwelcome at church?I went to bishops for twenty years about being sexually abused…they didn’t care. Now they will care about this? Clearly not.

 

[QContinuum]

Just because the FDA has conceded to the food industry and allowed foods that contain minimal amounts of gluten to be labeled gluten free, does not nullify its real effects on me or any other Celiac. The label is factually wrong. It is not gluten free. It is a product that has gluten contamination.

By the same token, should my spouse who takes blood pressure medication be assuaged by the fact that his drugs only contain a modicum of carcinogenic NMBAs? If the FDA labeled it NMBA-free and yet it had detectible particles of that substance, most people would say that the problem is the false labeling and the contamination. Not that someone is unwilling to tolerate a little bit of cancer causing contaminants in their meds.

Yet that’s exactly the kind of BS we Celiacs get all the time with tolerating gluten. Besides the fact that the 99% of the wheat that is grown today has been heavily genetically altered from what Jesus would have consumed, it’s ridiculous that we have to put up with the ignorance of people who give all kinds of advice about eating something we know is poisonous.

By the way, I can’t eat most of the grain-based crap foods that are labeled GF by our wonderful corporate-driven FDA. As I write this, I am coping with neuropathy in my extremities from an earlier attempt to eat GF pretzels.

 

[Gorgias]

Thanks for continuing not to listen.

Kindness,

I hear you. I’m terribly sorry that you feel marginalized because there’s not a substitute for hosts in the way that there are substitutes for other foods. I can’t imagine how frustrating it feels to believe that the Church is singling you out, not only because of your earlier experiences, but also because of your celiac condition.

There are alternatives, if you’re willing to pursue them. Going up the line within the Church, so that the Precious Blood might be made available to you, is one. Making a spiritual act of communion is another. I’m not convinced that the bishops “will not care” is true, although I understand why you might feel that it is true.

I’ll pray for your success in finding the grace of the Eucharist and for God’s grace to bring you peace of mind.

 

[Gorgias]

The label is factually wrong. It is not gluten free. It is a product that has gluten contamination.

So… who buys “gluten free” products with minimal gluten levels, then? Or are they merely ignored in the marketplace, but nevertheless continue to be produced? Are they acceptable for some with celiac? Most?

we have to put up with the ignorance of people who give all kinds of advice about eating something we know is poisonous.

Other than the advice, “well, then… don’t”?

 

[maryjk]

I don’t think you can say that low gluten hosts are safe for most Celiacs with any certainty but your own anecdotal data. The official medical position is that no amount of gluten is safe.

Actually the doctor I mentioned is a world known doctor that specializes in celiac disease. I’ve heard him speak at numerous conferences.

He is the one that said that it is safe for most celiac sufferers. It isn’t anecdotal.

“The low gluten hosts contain less than 0.01% of gluten which is safe for most celiac people according to Dr. Alessio Fasano of the University of Maryland. The ingredients used are wheat starch, water and lots of prayer.”

 

[runningdude]

If we as Catholics TRULY believe that the wheat host becomes our Lord then why would Jesus hurt our bodies if we have a disease that can’t have the wheat before it turns into Jesus?!?! Please explain!

Just because the host is the Body of Christ does not mean it is chemically incapable of causing harm. Consider, when Jesus walked among us, he could have punched Pontius Pilot in face, rather than be hung on the cross. Christ’s fist could have caused bodily harm, and sadly, his sacramental form can cause inadvertent harm to some.

The human body is a collection of fats, proteins, and starches, carefully arranged into cells and organs. The human soul, however, animates these basic components to form a living person.

Similarly, the consecrated host and wine are composed of fats, starches and proteins. These base materials do not change, but instead are animated by Christ’s human soul and divinity to form a living body, the Body of Christ physically in our presence. They stop being bread and wine, but retain the chemical properties of the original substance (which is why we consume only a sip of precious blood before driving home!).

If you are able to eat a traditional wafer, that is excellent news for you! However, trust that the church only permits wafers that are made with natural wheat, even so-called “gluten free” hosts. There is no requirement that the bread contain detectable levels of gluten, only that the wafer be made solely from wheat and water with no chemical additives added.

A group of nuns developed a specially kneading technique that naturally separates the gluten proteins from the wheat flour, and further developed a baking technique that allows the wafer to bake properly without gluten providing the primary molecular structure for the bread. A truly gluten free wafer, such as a rice wafer, would be invalid material for the host (because it is not a natural wheat product), but a wheat wafer even with the gluten separated remains valid for consecration.

 

[QContinuum]

Speaking as a non-Catholic who’s here merely for interesting dialogue and to gain more information on the CC perspective, I have to say there’s zero chance I’d convert. Not when the message is, Look, either drive to a branch that will maybe care enough to avoid poisoning you, or just deal with regular amounts of poison. Or, just sit back and refrain from partaking in the whole pinnacle and most critical part of the faith.

I don’t want to make you feel worse about it. I realize I don’t have the personal history and emotional connection I assume you do with the church.

 

[Gorgias]

I don’t need to be subjected to strokes, seizures, blistering skin and cancer so you can be satisfied I ate poison as Christ asked me to

I’m not suggesting that you “subject yourself” to physical illness. If low gluten hosts aren’t an option for you, then don’t attempt to consume them. If appealing the local decision doesn’t work for you, then don’t do it. If making a spiritual communion isn’t satisfying for you, then don’t do that, either.

…just don’t make the claim that options aren’t available.

(Still praying for you, though.)

Or, just sit back and refrain from partaking in the whole pinnacle and most critical part of the faith.

Actually, one participates in the Eucharist by being present at the Mass. That’s the “pinnacle” and the “most critical part”. No one is required to receive Eucharist when they attend Mass.

 

[Kindnessmatters]

Every Catholic knows that going to Christ’s table is the most important sacrament in our faith. If we are going to be picky about communion, let’s not pretend it’s not important. Why don’t we stop offering communion generally for a year or two, tell everyone to recieve spiritually, or tell everyone to appeal to the Bishop in order to recieve communion, and see how unreasonable I am to find it upsetting.

 

[Gorgias]

Why don’t we stop offering communion generally for a year or two, tell everyone to recieve spiritually, or tell everyone to appeal to the Bishop in order to recieve communion, and see how unreasonable I am to find it upsetting.

I’m sorry. It must be a real trial to have celiac disease. I can’t imagine.

But, equating unrealistic suggestions with an unwillingness to pursue real solutions isn’t going to help. If you want us to empathize, we do. Really and truly, we do. If you want us to agree with your assertion that there are no alternatives available to you, then that’s a tough sell.

 

[QContinuum]

So… who buys “gluten free” products with minimal gluten levels, then? Or are they merely ignored in the marketplace, but nevertheless continue to be produced? Are they acceptable for some with celiac? Most?

I don’t know, you’d have ask them? My guess is people who are not Celiacs who choose to go GF for whatever individual reason. There are quite a few of them considering Celiacs only make up 1% of the population. We certainly don’t provide enough demand alone for all those products. It’s a fad. Non-Celiac people with gluten sensitivities may also qualify. And probably newly diagnosed Celiacs or those who aren’t aware of subliminal damage.

But if you meet enough Celiacs, you will quickly learn most of us cannot tolerate even small amounts of exposure. Think of a peanut allergy and how even a small amount triggers a cascade of immune reactivity. That is similar to CD.

Other than the advice, “well, then… don’t”?

I was never in any danger of heeding foolish advice to take a gluten wafer. But that’s a little more of a loss for your fellow Catholic, Kindness.

 

[Kindnessmatters]

I have explained countless times that I have tried the options offered. You do not listen very well. I asked…my diocese has a policy in place. It does not meet my needs. You just won’t listen. I have heard your suggestion over and over and over and responded every time. I don’t wish to go to war with my bishop and cannot afford to move. My pastor is not helpful.

The diocese and church, with your full support, is ignorant about celiac disease. This disease primarily impacts people from certain origin countries, all of which are predominantly Catholic…Spain, Italy and Ireland. The message is basically “screw you”.

 

[QContinuum]

He’s a single doctor. Not a published peer reviewed study. And his singular opinion–which is individual and still anecdotal–does not comprise best practices or standards for the GI field. I was diagnosed by Mayo Clinic specialists. They all said, no gluten. But more importantly, that’s what the data indicates. It is fact that even the smallest amount of gluten induces a T-cell mediated immune response that can kill you if you persist in repeating the experience.

"Maintenance of a strict GFD is not a simple matter, as small amounts of gluten capable of causing relapse have been identified in several previously unsuspected sources, thanks to the recent availability of sensitive detection assays…

"Small amounts of gluten in the diet often do not cause clinical symptoms, nor increased serum levels of antigliadin antibody, nor gross changes of the jejunal histology; nevertheless, they seem to be able to activate mucosal cell-mediated immunity. This finding represents a warning in view of the recently reported protective effect of GFD against malignancies.

Source:

Effects of small amounts of gluten in the diet of coeliac patients - PubMed

A diet excluding wheat, oats, rye and barley is the cornerstone of the treatment of coeliac patients. Such a gluten-free diet (GFD) is recommended irrespective of the presence of symptoms. Maintenance of a strict GFD is not a simple matter, as small amounts of gluten capable of causing relapse...

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

 

[Gorgias]

You do not listen very well. I asked…my diocese has a policy in place. It does not meet my needs. You just won’t listen

@InThePew gave you a suggestion for the next step, beyond the diocese. This isn’t “going to war with your bishop”; it’s asking your Church to hear your plea.

 

[Kindnessmatters]

I went through that when I was sexually abused in the church. I am not sure why presumably intelligent people think that the people who don’t care that parishioners have been raped will care that we have a food sensitivity.

I guess I have had enough abuse and faced with things like this ignorant string am ready to pray at home alone for evil to leave the church before I die.