Gluten-Free Wafers in Communion

[EqualinHim]

Apparently, this has become quite an issue in some churches, and not just catholic ones:

Part 1:
allbeggars.blogspot.com/2011/06/case-for-gluten-free-christ.html
Part 2:
allbeggars.blogspot.com/2011/06/jesus-used-wheat-probably.html

I personally think that offering ‘low gluten’ wafers instead of ‘gluten-free’ wafers is ridiculous! Nowhere in the bible nor in any other document does it specify that the host has to contain gluten. And for people with severe celiac disease, ‘low gluten’ wafers aren’t even an option! Some of these people can even get reactions from people who even TOUCH gluten items and then touch the celiac’s food.

I am lucky that I am only ‘gluten intolerant’, and not celiac, so I can have the tiny bit of bread once a month at the methodist-style communion. But what are your thoughts on this matter? Should churches, regardless of denomination, be able to accommodate celiac/gluten sensitive parishioners by request?

 

[Gorgias]

Nowhere in the bible nor in any other document does it specify that the host has to contain gluten.

You may not recognize the document as authoritative, but the Catholic “General Instruction of the Roman Missal” (GIRM) states:

1. The bread for celebrating the Eucharist must be made only from wheat, must be recently made, and, according to the ancient tradition of the Latin Church, must be unleavened.

EqualinHim:

And for people with severe celiac disease, ‘low gluten’ wafers aren’t even an option!

See this article.

EqualinHim:

Some of these people can even get reactions from people who even TOUCH gluten items and then touch the celiac’s food.

For persons that are this sensitive to gluten, it is still possible to drink the Precious Blood; in Catholic theology, even the smallest amount of either the host or the Precious Blood is fully Christ.

EqualinHim:

Should churches, regardless of denomination, be able to accommodate celiac/gluten sensitive parishioners by request?

I don’t mean to sound haughty, but Catholics would say that Catholic (and Orthodox) Eucharist is truly Christ, whereas non-Catholic Christian communion is not. Therefore, to a Catholic, whether a non-Catholic Christian communion is gluten-free or not is immaterial: either way, it’s still not the Eucharist.

 

[1ke]

But what are your thoughts on this matter?

Our thoughts on the matter are not relevant in any way. Without the proper matter, the Eucharist is not confected. Proper matter is wheat. Wheat contains gluten. Low gluten hosts have the least amount of gluten possible to still be valid matter.

A celiac can receive the Precious Blood.

Should churches, regardless of denomination, be able to accommodate celiac/gluten sensitive parishioners by request?

The Church already has such an accommodation-- a celiac may receive the Precious Blood.

 

[Holly3278]

Why can’t people with Celiac disease simply receive from the chalice? Its still completely Jesus’ Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity just as the sacred host is.

 

[1ke]

Why can’t people with Celiac disease simply receive from the chalice?

That is what they do already, Holly.

 

[Holly3278]

That is what they do already, Holly.

Oh okay. I understand. So what’s the issue?

 

[1ke]

Oh okay. I understand. So what’s the issue?

There is no issue.

The OP is not a Catholic, and therefore likely did not know how the Catholic Church handles the situation.

 

[EphelDuath]

I wonder if you need pontifical permission to receive the Blood when celebrating the Extraordinary Form, since pre-Vatican II that was only done in extraordinary circumstances…

 

[maryjk]

Apparently, this has become quite an issue in some churches, and not just catholic ones:

Part 1:
allbeggars.blogspot.com/2011/06/case-for-gluten-free-christ.html
Part 2:
allbeggars.blogspot.com/2011/06/jesus-used-wheat-probably.html

**I personally think that offering ‘low gluten’ wafers instead of ‘gluten-free’ wafers is ridiculous! **Nowhere in the bible nor in any other document does it specify that the host has to contain gluten. And for people with severe celiac disease, ‘low gluten’ wafers aren’t even an option! Some of these people can even get reactions from people who even TOUCH gluten items and then touch the celiac’s food.

I am lucky that I am only ‘gluten intolerant’, and not celiac, so I can have the tiny bit of bread once a month at the methodist-style communion. But what are your thoughts on this matter? Should churches, regardless of denomination, be able to accommodate celiac/gluten sensitive parishioners by request?

Ridiculous? Really??

How about this?

I have Celiac. I am extremely sensitive. EXTREMELY. Just a small piece of a crumb will make me sick for weeks. Touch my food after touching wheat? I will be sick.

Yet, every week I receive a low gluten Host. How? Because it isn’t just “low gluten.” Here is a description of the parts per million or micrograms.
altarbreadsbspa.com/lowgluten.php

The measurement cited here, 0.01%, represents 100 PPMs (parts per million). But the more important number is 37 micrograms, because it is daily exposure to gluten that counts. The best current information shows that 10 milligrams a day should be safe.

Ten milligrams is the same as 10,000 micrograms. If you divide 37 micrograms into 10,000 micrograms, you will find that you would have to eat 270 wafers every day to reach the danger point. At most, celiacs would consume one wafer per day or about 0.04% (four tenths of one percent) of the amount considered dangerous.

 

[Tantum_ergo]

Apparently, this has become quite an issue in some churches, and not just catholic ones:

Part 1:
allbeggars.blogspot.com/2011/06/case-for-gluten-free-christ.html
Part 2:
allbeggars.blogspot.com/2011/06/jesus-used-wheat-probably.html

I personally think that offering ‘low gluten’ wafers instead of ‘gluten-free’ wafers is ridiculous! Nowhere in the bible nor in any other document does it specify that the host has to contain gluten. And for people with severe celiac disease, ‘low gluten’ wafers aren’t even an option! Some of these people can even get reactions from people who even TOUCH gluten items and then touch the celiac’s food.

I am lucky that I am only ‘gluten intolerant’, and not celiac, so I can have the tiny bit of bread once a month at the methodist-style communion. But what are your thoughts on this matter? Should churches, regardless of denomination, be able to accommodate celiac/gluten sensitive parishioners by request?

yoiu think that, "Nowhere in the bible nor in any other document does it specify that the host has to contain gluten?: Actually, it does. The Church has specifically stated (CCC 1492 and CIC 924) that the bread must contain WHEAT flour and water. Wheat, by definition, contains gluten.

 

[garysibio]

Apparently, this has become quite an issue in some churches, and not just catholic ones:

Part 1:
allbeggars.blogspot.com/2011/06/case-for-gluten-free-christ.html
Part 2:
allbeggars.blogspot.com/2011/06/jesus-used-wheat-probably.html

I personally think that offering ‘low gluten’ wafers instead of ‘gluten-free’ wafers is ridiculous! Nowhere in the bible nor in any other document does it specify that the host has to contain gluten. And for people with severe celiac disease, ‘low gluten’ wafers aren’t even an option! Some of these people can even get reactions from people who even TOUCH gluten items and then touch the celiac’s food.

I am lucky that I am only ‘gluten intolerant’, and not celiac, so I can have the tiny bit of bread once a month at the methodist-style communion. But what are your thoughts on this matter? Should churches, regardless of denomination, be able to accommodate celiac/gluten sensitive parishioners by request?

I think the church is being pharasaical in handling this situation. Yes, they did not have gluten-free hosts in Jesus’ time. The people who could not tolerate gluten didn’t survive back then. Its attitude reminds me of the Pharisees who criticized Jesus for allowing His disciples to pick grain on the Sabbath.

 

[garysibio]

yoiu think that, "Nowhere in the bible nor in any other document does it specify that the host has to contain gluten?: Actually, it does. The Church has specifically stated (CCC 1492 and CIC 924) that the bread must contain WHEAT flour and water. Wheat, by definition, contains gluten.

The CCC is not infallible.

 

[Holly3278]

There is no issue.

The OP is not a Catholic, and therefore likely did not know how the Catholic Church handles the situation.

I didn’t think there was an issue. I was asking questions in the hopes to get the person who had the issue to think about their problem and find out whether or not there really is an issue.

 

[Mike_from_NJ]

Our thoughts on the matter are not relevant in any way. Without the proper matter, the Eucharist is not confected. Proper matter is wheat. Wheat contains gluten. Low gluten hosts have the least amount of gluten possible to still be valid matter.

A celiac can receive the Precious Blood.

The Church already has such an accommodation-- a celiac may receive the Precious Blood.

I know not all churches offer the wine with the bread (I personally have never been to one that did.) What can a celiac do in cases like that? Should they speak to the priest about special accomodations?

 

[Tantum_ergo]

I think the church is being pharasaical in handling this situation. Yes, they did not have gluten-free hosts in Jesus’ time. The people who could not tolerate gluten didn’t survive back then. Its attitude reminds me of the Pharisees who criticized Jesus for allowing His disciples to pick grain on the Sabbath.

Key words “you think”.

The Church does not have the authority to change valid matter of a sacrament.

Case closed.

 

[maryjk]

I know not all churches offer the wine with the bread (I personally have never been to one that did.) What can a celiac do in cases like that? Should they speak to the priest about special accomodations?

They have many options.

If they are just visiting, they simply don’t receive that day. That is what I do, when I am visiting a church that doesn’t offer the Chalice.

If they live there, they can either request that the priest offer the Chalice or they can request that the priest order and offer the low-gluten hosts.

It really isn’t that hard.

 

[1ke]

I know not all churches offer the wine with the bread (I personally have never been to one that did.)

Well, it is actually the Host and Precious Blood that are offered. And, yes, it does vary from place to place as to whether communion is offered under both species.

What can a celiac do in cases like that? Should they speak to the priest about special accomodations?

Yes, they would make their needs known to their pastor ahead of time.

 

[PoorKnight]

Ridiculous? Really??

How about this?

I have Celiac. I am extremely sensitive. EXTREMELY. Just a small piece of a crumb will make me sick for weeks. Touch my food after touching wheat? I will be sick.

Yet, every week I receive a low gluten Host. How? Because it isn’t just “low gluten.” Here is a description of the parts per million or micrograms.
altarbreadsbspa.com/lowgluten.php

My wife has celiac and this is the document I was just looking for. The ppm of gluten is lower than the threashold of reaction.

This is akin to mustim being used for priests who are either alcoholics or (more likely) on medications that would react with alcohol.

For those who believe that celiacs should “just” recieve the Precious Blood, while this would be the same amount of Grace (I don’t know whether to say ‘given’ or ‘transmuted’ or what) however it misses out on the “Greater Symbol” of recieving both Christ’s Body and Blood as Pope Benidict explained.

My wife has felt very called to recieve the Body and the Blood whenever possible. Even to the point where when the Precious Blood is not offered and we are not at our parish - which has a system set up for distributing low gluten hosts - she recieves the Body anyway and just puts up with the reaction to the accidentals.

She’s an inspiration to me. Literally the accidentals in the Body may cause her stomach or intestinal cancer but she feels called to do that rather than pass on recieving God’s Grace in the Blessed Sacrament.

 

[Brendan]

Well, it is actually the Host and Precious Blood that are offered. .

Even more ‘actually’ it is the Host (Hostia - victim) that is offered, and He is offered under the Species of bread and wine.

The Host is present fully ( Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity) in both species.

The Precious Blood is fully and equally present in either species.

My wife has felt very called to receive the Body and the Blood whenever possible. .

PoorKnight, assure your wife that she IS receiving the Body and Blood, no matter which species she receives. It is the One, True, Living, Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Christ.

 

[superamazingman]

I wonder if you need pontifical permission to receive the Blood when celebrating the Extraordinary Form, since pre-Vatican II that was only done in extraordinary circumstances…

From what I understand, no dispensation was needed in that case, if an acceptable host could not be obtained. But that is off the top of my head, so don’t quote me on that.