There are some people who have an allergy to wheat or gluten and therefore will not receive the host. This confuses me. If transubstantiation is a true doctrine then that means that what appears to be bread is not bread…rather, it is the true flesh and blood of Jesus Christ. With that said, how could someone with a gluten allergy get sick from eating the host when it isn’t bread anymore?
Hi praestat_fides
Catholic’s believe when at His Last Supper, Jesus said: “This is my body”, what he held in his hands still had all the appearances of bread: the “species” or “accidents” remained unchanged. However, when Jesus made that declaration, the underlying reality (the “substance”) of the bread was changed into that of his body, blood, soul and divinity. In other words, it actually was his body, blood, soul and divinity, while all the appearances open to the senses or to scientific investigation (accidents) were still those of bread, exactly as before. We believe the same change of the substance of the bread and of the wine occurs at the consecration of the Eucharist.
Thus they can still get sick from the accidents or species that remain. Thus those with gluten intolerance can also recieve under the accidents of wine.
Now, you might be thinking *“Well, Josh, thats not much, I could say my wooden desk transformed into a metallic seat, the accidents of my wooden desk remain but the substance of it is a metallic seat.” *However, this is where scripture comes into it (John 6) and the many Eucharistic Miracles (not to mention personal experience but we can’t exactly use that as it’s just that, personal experience) I believe we are reassured of this teaching through the so many Eucharistic Miracles that have taken place throughout the history of the Catholic Church, just like the people were reassured before such teaching by Jesus’ feeding of the five thousand men.
What are Eucharistic Miracles? Throughout the history of the Catholic Church, Jesus has proven beyond any doubt that He is truly present in the Holy Eucharist. Why did He have to prove this to us? It is because at certain times in history, there were heresies that denied the Real Presence in the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist. On other occasions, some priests doubted the Real Presence of Jesus in the Holy Eucharist. And yet, on other occasions, the Holy Eucharist was abused by believers and non-believers alike.
What follows are some of the Eucharistic Miracles that took place throughout the history of the Catholic Church. All of these have received the full approval of the Catholic Church.
Eucharistic Miracles of the World -
therealpresence.org/eucharst/mir/engl_mir.htm
I would like to draw particular attention to two recent Eucharistic Miracles that have undergone vigerous scientific analysis.
Eucharistic Miracle of Poland, Sokólka, October 12, 2008
Sokólka, October 12, 2008 (Part 1) – (PDF: 1.41M)
Sokólka, October 12, 2008 (Part 2) – (PDF: 1.31M)
Sokólka, October 12, 2008 (Part 3) – (PDF: 1.41M)
And the Eucharistic Miracles of Argentina, Buenos Aires, 1992 - 1994 - 1996
(note: The scientific investigations into this Eucharistic Miracle were actually instigated and latter the miracle officially approved by Pope Francis then known as the Argentina Archbishop Jorge Bergoglio).
Buenos Aires, 1992 - 1994 - 1996 (part 1) - (PDF: 1.46M)
Buenos Aires, 1992 - 1994 - 1996 (part 2) - (PDF: 1.42M)
Buenos Aires, 1992 - 1994 - 1996 (part 3) - (PDF: 1.25M)
Extract from the book linked in my signature 'Unseen by Ron Tesoriero and Lee Han':
No one can call the Hosts-to-Heart cases spiritual. They are 100% physical. But the fact that these transformations have all occurred in a Christian context cannot be avoided. And neither can the fact that they confirm the original and enduring doctrine of the ‘real presence’ of Jesus Christ in the Eucharist. *“I am the living bread which came down from heaven. If any man eat of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread which I will give, is my flesh, for the life of the world” *John 6:51
If these words of Christ are true, these outrageously audacious, almost unthinkable words are true, these words uttered many thousands of times for thousands of years, every single day in every corner of the planet are true, that bread does become real flesh, then it certainly seems the height of folly to not soberly consider everything else this man had to say.
Please continue to next post -
