Posted on 12/05/2013 7:48:10 AM PST by Alex Murphy
Celiac.com 08/09/2012 - Among many gluten-free catholics, there's been a good deal of excitement lately about low-gluten and gluten-free communion wafers for Mass in the Catholic church.
Photo: CC--fradaveccsHowever, much of that excitement seems to have been misplaced, at least in Ohio. That's because the Catholic Diocese of Columbus recently said that gluten-free wafers don’t meet Vatican standards because they don’t contain wheat.
For Catholics, consecrated bread and wine are the literal body and blood of Jesus, and the sacrament of Holy Eucharist is “the heart and the summit of the Church’s life,” according to its catechism.
Because Jesus ate wheat bread with his apostles before his Crucifixion, church law requires the host to be wheat and only wheat, said Deacon Martin Davies, director of the Office for Divine Worship at the Diocese of Columbus. Without wheat, the wafers cannot be consecrated and used in Mass, so no gluten-free wafers.
In 1995, the Vatican said low-gluten hosts are valid if they hold enough gluten to make bread. Worshippers wanting the low-gluten option were required to present a medical certificate and obtain a bishop’s approval.
The policy was loosened in 2003 to eliminate the medical-certificate requirement and to allow pastors to grant approval. The Vatican also said that Catholics with celiac disease could receive Communion via wine only.
However, for faithful catholics with celiac disease and gluten intolerance who want to participate more fully, the low-gluten version, which some say tastes terrible, remains the only communion wafer option.
U.S. Catholic bishops have approved two manufacturers of low-gluten wafers. One is the Benedictine Sisters of Perpetual Adoration in Missouri; the order’s website says it has provided hosts for more than 2,000 celiac sufferers. The other is Parish Crossroads in Indiana, which provides low-gluten hosts made in Germany.
The low-gluten wafers made by the Benedictine Sisters contain less than 100 parts per million, says Mary Kay Sharrett, a clinical dietitian at Nationwide Children’s Hospital. She said the amount of gluten in one of the hosts is 0.004 milligrams and that researchers have found it takes about 10 milligrams per day to start a reaction.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has proposed a rule that says products could be labeled gluten-free if the gluten content is less than 20 parts per million.
Those allergic to wheat can consume only the transubstantiated wine which contains both the Body and Blood of Christ.
sigh. Not gonna fight a Holy War over the way Protestants do communion versus the Roman Catholics. It just shows that our manmade divisions (Catholic, Protestant, type of protestant, type of Catholic, Orthodox, etc.)sometimes get in the way of His intention and His sacrifice for ALL of us. Yeah, I’ve read the Catholic and the Protestant versions of the Bible. It’s our denominations that make a lot of “doctrinal decisions” about stuff that can get into the “my way is better/special/right” that detracts from us truly following Him.
One day at His heavenly table He will welcome ALL of His followers who have accepted Him as their Lord and Savior and He won’t be asking them which denomination (”label”) they called themselves on earth!
Merry Christmas and blessings to you and yours—and may His peace be upon you and your family!
Uh—I don’t think that there is any confusion with transformation with transubstantiation in my answer—if you re-read it, I have substituted the word “properties” for “accident” because outside of a certain philosophical universe it is more likely to be understood, and I haven’t bothered to list the accidents because they might further obscure a simple answer, but I don’t think that the substance of my post differs from yours.
Now that has some real substance as a possibility...was that lame?
soooo Transubstantiation can only happen with gluten? - why do they limit God like that? (/sarc)
“eat this bread”
To be exact, the bread (which is derivative of Passover matzo) can be made from any of the 5 grains five grains mentioned in the Bible as appropriate: wheat, barley, spelt, rye or oats -— the grains are all listed as OK in Exodus.
The only one with gluten is wheat, I believe.
Whoever is putting down this rule is an idiot.
Oops, my bad I meant to paste another name in my post. I did not realize you already answered the other posts.
The comedy of superstitious ignorance!
I guess Jesus can only turn bread and wine into Jesus.
AMEN to that.
Either species is sufficient.
Good idea. The rest of your post shows you to be unarmed.
It just shows that our manmade divisions (Catholic, Protestant, type of protestant, type of Catholic, Orthodox, etc.)sometimes get in the way of His intention and His sacrifice for ALL of us.
You are correct that these are manmade divisions. However, they weren't made by the Catholic Church. The name "Catholic" means universal. We didn't divide what was universal... you did.
Yeah, I’ve read the Catholic and the Protestant versions of the Bible.
Did you note that I used the main Protestant version in my post to avoid this particular line of discussion?
It’s our denominations that make a lot of “doctrinal decisions” about stuff that can get into the “my way is better/special/right” that detracts from us truly following Him.
That's true. But you don't find that in the one, holy and Apostolic Catholic Church. You find that in the fractalization of the Protestant congregations. What are we up to now... 25,000?
Merry Christmas and blessings to you and yours—and may His peace be upon you and your family!
And to you and yours... despite the snarkiness of my post. Just feeling snarky today. God bless you.
That’s ok. Paul was probably pretty snarky until he was blinded on his way to Damascus and then had to be fed by someone else for three days. That kinda changed him from being a snarky Jew into a dynamic believer! :)
Besides, I’m married to a naval aviator so I am used to snarky comments. Especially since I wore USAF uniform and he had to deal with at least 3 Navy ones! :)
Again, Merry Christmas! (BTW: The “universal” catholic church had unity problems way before the protestants/Martin Luther! Ya’ll couldn’t agree about stuff when you had the Holy Roman empire breaking up on you, and your power base was getting ripped! But then that is another debate for another day! :) )
That which is not in the Bible get made up in Rome out of whole cloth.
This wasn't a "comedy" thread.
25,000 congregations?
I sincerely hope it's more than that!
Let's count!
I'll do mid-conservative Presbyterians:
OPC: 270
PCA: 1777
EPC: 462
ARP: 296
KAPC: 340
RPCNA: 79
PRC: 6
So that is, ummm, that equals 3230 Moderate to Conservative Presbyterian congregations in the US.
If our little corner of Christianity has 3230 congregations I'll bet we are way over the 25,000 mark
Oh, wait! Our beloved FRiends over at the Southern Baptist Convention have over 45,000 congregations!
May I suggest your numbers are way off?
The wheat of the 21st century is not the same as the wheat of Biblical times. Its chemical composition has been altered in the quest for higher yields and a shorter, tougher stalk.
Regardless.
From the Jewish Virtual Library: “MATZAH, unleavened bread made from one of five species of grain – wheat, barley, spelt, rye, and oats”. I would think that Jesus ate the same matzah that the average poor people ate, that is more likely barley but definitely NOT wheat. How can the Catholic Church make such a deal about not using anything but wheat bread?
That religion surely has their hooks into these poor people...Any way they can to keep them under bondage...
Jesus could turn a Jimmy Carter peanut into a kite if he wanted to...
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