Ingredients of the eucharistic host

[djrakowski]

My wife and I are investigating Catholicism for the first time. We’re currently members of an evangelical church, and have lots of questions.

I’ll start with this one: my 5 year old son has a number of physical impairments. Chief among those is a set of food intolerances that includes gluten. I’ve seen that certain Catholic authority figures have ruled that a eucharistic host that doesn’t contain wheat invalidates the communion for the person receiving it. How does the church address such situations as my son’s, for whom even the most minute amounts of gluten cause severe disgestive upset? Would my son not be permitted to commune in a Catholic church?

I’ve seen discussions that indicate that persons with such disabilities may be permitted to receive the wine only as a valid communion. My son must also not have alcohol. What happens in that case? My understanding leads me to believe that he would never be permitted to commune with the faithful, and then would never be a full member of the Catholic church.

This is an issue that greatly concerns me, and if my son were to be prohibited from receiving communion on the basis of an inborn, genetic inability to process these food products, I could not possibly become a Catholic.

I’m not interested in the individual interpretations of priests and laypeople, only the official teaching of the church.

Thanks in advance for your answers and understanding,
Dan

 

[The_Barrister]

A topic ripped from the headlines!

1st post, controversial topic, to which the Church has definitively stated a response, much to the chagrine of some folks.

Uh huh.

 

[djrakowski]

The Barrister:

A topic ripped from the headlines!

1st post, controversial topic, to which the Church has definitively stated a response, much to the chagrine of some folks.

Uh huh.

OK, help me out. What is the response of the church on this matter? Point me to such articles so I can read them.

Thanks,
Dan

 

[The_Barrister]

djrakowski:

OK, help me out. What is the response of the church on this matter? Point me to such articles so I can read them.

Thanks,
Dan

Forgive me if I was wrong about you, but we have good reasons to be suspicious on this board given a recent influx of Kerryites trying to hijack the board.

This topic truly is ripped from the headlines and has been done to death on these forums as well as elsewhere. Look up “celiac” and you will find responses.

This article contains the definitive church teaching. Good luck and may God bless your efforts.

 

[The_Barrister]

Here’s Karl’s take:

WHINE OR WINE?

It was the second such case to make the national headlines. A girl’s parents complained that their parish wouldn’t use a rice-flour wafer in Holy Communion. The girl has celiac disease, which prevents her from eating anything made of wheat because wheat has gluten in it. Rice doesn’t. The girl wants to go to Communion, so why not accommodate her by using some flour, such as rice, that doesn’t contain gluten?

Can’t be done, said the diocese. That’s insensitive and discriminatory, said the parents.

This is a replay of an earlier case. The result that time was that the parents left the Catholic Church and joined a Protestant church where their daughter could receive that church’s analogue of Communion in the form of a rice wafer. I don’t know what the result of the recent case will be–maybe the family will stay in the Church, maybe not–but reality needs to be respected and accepted.

The reality is that a valid consecration requires a host made of wheat flour and water. In the West, the host is unleavened; in the East, it is leavened. But otherwise the host is nothing but wheat by the time it is brought to the altar (the water already having evaporated, of course).

No other flour may be used: not rice, not barley, not corn, not rye, not anything else. The use of any flour other than wheat flour makes the bread invalid matter. If a priest said the words of consecration over such bread, nothing would happen. There would be no consecration, just as there would be no consecration if the wine were replaced with plain grape juice or with any other liquid.

Why did Jesus choose wheat bread and wine as the elements of the Eucharist? Why didn’t he choose, say, rye bread and water or cheese and beer? Theologians offer us several reasons, but the bottom line is that our Lord could have chosen whatever he wished as the elements. Wheat bread and wine may have been the most suitable, for many reasons, but he could have chosen anything.

We need to keep in mind that he did choose wheat bread and wine, and that’s that. Only those elements can be consecrated. Only those can be transubstantiated into his body and blood. Nothing else will work. This has been the constant teaching of the Church, from the earliest centuries, and it is an unchangeable teaching. Take it or leave it.

The family in the first case decided to leave. Instead of accepting the reality of the sacrament, they chose to redefine it according to their own desires. I hope the second family comes to understand the teaching of the Church–I hope someone at the family’s parish is adept at conveying that teaching–and not just understand but accept.

Those who suffer from celiac disease can be accommodated through the use of low-gluten hosts or, for those who can’t have even the slightest amount of gluten, through recourse to the chalice alone, even a separate mini-chalice into which no particle of the consecrated host is dropped by the priest.

 

[Sean_O_L]

Those who suffer from celiac disease can be accommodated through the use of low-gluten hosts or, for those who can’t have even the slightest amount of gluten, through recourse to the chalice alone, even a separate mini-chalice into which no particle of the consecrated host is dropped by the priest

The August 22, 1994 document from the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith on the matter of “the use of low-gluten altar breads and mustum as matter for the celebration of the Eucharist” may be viewed at adoremus.org/CDF_Lowgluten-mustum94.html

It primararily (but not solely) deals with the priests who have problems with gluten and alcohol in the use of valid matter for the celebration of Mass. It DOES specifically allow gluten intolerant laypersons to receive low-gluten hosts - following production of a medical certificate.

However, the matter of gluten intolerant PLUS alcohol intolerant laypersons is not covered except under Part II, E:

“In the very rare instances of laypersons requesting this permission (to use mustum. S. O.L.), recourse must be made to the Holy See.”

So! In “Dan’s” situation, I would suggest that, if he is a Catholic, he obtain a Medical Certificate for his child, present it to his local Parish Priest for on-forwarding through the Bishop to the Holy See.

I can’t help wonder, though, if becoming a Catholic is dependent upon the permission being received? There are many Catholics who, for one reason or another, may be unable to receive Christ physically - but who do so by means of a Spiritual Communion.

 

[WBB]

This is a replay of an earlier case. The result that time was that the parents left the Catholic Church and joined a Protestant church where their daughter could receive that church’s analogue of Communion in the form of a rice wafer.

Either way the kid did not receive communion in the Catholic sense of the word. At least if she were in the Catholic Church she could have received the Blood of Christ and fully partaken of the Eucharist. I have a friend who was diagnosed with Celiac disease at the age of 44. She says that if she goes to communion, she only takes a sliver of the Host or she drinks the Blood. Either way, she participates fully in the Sacrament.

 

[Jermosh]

In a jist there are a few things that are allowed that might help you.
They have approved a low-glutin wheat for the host. I do not think they are massed produced so it might have to be made by hand. Your pastor would be able to see if they can order them or get the proper recipe to make them yourself.
They also approved a frozen grape juice(forget name). It is not pasturised and does have some alchohol but just as much as regular grape juice or even some sodas for that matter. This is used for priests and laity who are recovering alchoholics, in coutries that strictly forbid alchohol of any form, or in your case allergies.
Next point is amount, there is no amount of presence in the Body and Blood, He is just fully present of substantial form. It does not make any differnace if they consume 1mg of Body or 1µl of Blood, its the same as if you consumed 1 Kg or 1 L. Either you consume or you do not.
In the end, trust God and all will be well. We have a family in our parish in the same circumstance as you, and their child has not had any ill form from the Eucahrist useing the above options.
Finally welcome home!!

 

[chicago]

I’ve seen discussions that indicate that persons with such disabilities may be permitted to receive the wine only as a valid communion. My son must also not have alcohol. What happens in that case? My understanding leads me to believe that he would never be permitted to commune with the faithful, and then would never be a full member of the Catholic church.

Even if your son’s case were truly such a rare one in which he could in no manner receive Sacramental communion, he would, nonethless, be every bit a full member of the Catholic Church through his baptism, thus incorporated into the Body of Christ.