When the Sacred Host ceases to be the Body of Christ

[Caesar]

I was reading The Faith Explained by Fr. Leo Trese (an older book based on the Baltimore Catechism, suggested by my spiritual director), specificaly the section about the Eucharist, where Fr. Trese explains that when the Host ceases to bear the appearance of Bread it is no longer physicaly the Body of Christ (he was talking about the consumption of the Host- when it is broken down in the stomach Christ ceases to be physicaly present, but the Grace from Holy Communion remains).

I am curious about this since, as Roman Catholics, we believe that even the smallest particles of the Host are the Sacramental Body of Christ and we take great precautions to avoid losing any particles (or at least we used to, but thats a whole other issue). However, is it not true that small particals do not bear the appearance of Bread? How small does a particle of the Host have to be when it can no longer be said that Christ is present in it?

 

[John_Lilburne]

Perhaps the following will help.

Catechism of the Catholic Church:
“1377 The Eucharistic presence of Christ begins at the moment of the consecration and endures as long as the Eucharistic species subsist. Christ is present whole and entire in each of the species and whole and entire in each of their parts, in such a way that the breaking of the bread does not divide Christ. [footnote 205: Cf. Council of Trent: DS 1641.]”

Father McNamara wrote: "… The process of dissolving the host in water may be used in special conditions if a host had been seriously soiled. Once the host is dissolved, the water may be poured directly upon the earth or down the sacrarium – the special sacristy sink that leads to the earth, not to a drain.

It should not be poured down a common sink.

With respect to the presence of Christ, most theologians would hold that, although the host externally remains intact for several days, the real presence would cease as soon as the host is fully soaked with water as from that moment the species is no longer exclusively that of bread.

It is necessary to wait for the host to dissolve, out of respect for what once contained the presence of Christ and in order to avoid any danger or appearance of a host being discarded or profaned."
(At zenit.org/english/visualizza.phtml?sid=71485 ).

 

[Br.Rich_SFO]

I was reading The Faith Explained by Fr. Leo Trese (an older book based on the Baltimore Catechism, suggested by my spiritual director), specificaly the section about the Eucharist, where Fr. Trese explains that when the Host ceases to bear the appearance of Bread it is no longer physicaly the Body of Christ (he was talking about the consumption of the Host- when it is broken down in the stomach Christ ceases to be physicaly present, but the Grace from Holy Communion remains).

I am curious about this since, as Roman Catholics, we believe that even the smallest particles of the Host are the Sacramental Body of Christ and we take great precautions to avoid losing any particles (or at least we used to, but thats a whole other issue). However, is it not true that small particals do not bear the appearance of Bread? How small does a particle of the Host have to be when it can no longer be said that Christ is present in it?

Reasonableness must come in here at some point. If a reasonable person, with reasonable eyesight, can recognize that this is a piece of Host and this is a flake of paint. Then the Host IMO is still the Body of Christ. When you need a microscope it has reverted into a simple particle of wheat.

 

[BobP123]

I was reading The Faith Explained by Fr. Leo Trese (an older book based on the Baltimore Catechism, suggested by my spiritual director), specificaly the section about the Eucharist, where Fr. Trese explains that when the Host ceases to bear the appearance of Bread it is no longer physicaly the Body of Christ (he was talking about the consumption of the Host- when it is broken down in the stomach Christ ceases to be physicaly present, but the Grace from Holy Communion remains).

I am curious about this since, as Roman Catholics, we believe that even the smallest particles of the Host are the Sacramental Body of Christ and we take great precautions to avoid losing any particles (or at least we used to, but thats a whole other issue). However, is it not true that small particals do not bear the appearance of Bread? How small does a particle of the Host have to be when it can no longer be said that Christ is present in it?

When I mentioned this on a chat board some time ago, I got heavily ridiculed by those who thought I was adoring the Atomic Christ. Receive on the tongue, insist on a paten, and don’t worry about it.