Posted on 04/09/2015 6:23:58 AM PDT by Alex Murphy
[SNIP]
Severely gluten intolerant, Celiac Catholics like myself can’t take the whole wheat hosts that are so prevalent in today’s Catholic churches, so we’re forced to receive our Lord in the form of wine. Problem is, with so many faithful receiving Holy Communion during Holy Week services, the consecrated wine runs out before Communicants do. During packed Holy Thursday and Easter Masses, as many as a third of the congregation may miss out on lifting the chalice. You can bet most of these are Celiac victims. That happened to me this past Thursday. I’ve received Holy Communion at over 57 consecutive Holy Thursday services in my lifetime. This past Thursday I wasn't able.
When I informed my pastor of my dilemma, he tried to convince me I still received a “spiritual Communion.” Then he proceeded to explain how I could go about buying my own hosts from his supplier and go about providing them for consecration.
Somehow that doesn’t seem fair.
[SNIP]
I mentioned my dilemma to one of my cancer treatment buddies in upstate Wisconsin. (Radiation kick started Celiac for me. He happens to be Lutheran.) His pastor has gluten free hosts available for all the congregation free of charge.
Aren’t we supposed to be more progressive here in California?
Is the Catholic Church a much bigger consumer of hosts?
[SNIP]
Wouldn’t it be easier for all parishes just to distribute gluten free hosts?
It shouldn’t hurt to go to Holy Communion.
(Excerpt) Read more at examiner.com ...
Is the issue with the author's Orange County-based parish, or with Catholic parishes overall? The "validity" of gluten-free communion wafers is an interesting topic in and of itself.
Related threads:
Gluten-free Communion Wafers Not Holy, Says Catholic Diocese in Ohio
Catholics with celiac disease can now take the host at communion with low-gluten wafer
Monsanto's genetically-modified Eucharist (Catholic / Orthodox Caucus)
Breaded bliss [one company makes 80% of all Catholic Eucharist wafers sold worldwide]
No Genetically Modified Jesus! (Important Issu!) [Catholic Caucus]
This is a non issue since he could receive under the other Sacred Species. He just wants to whine about life and how unfair it is.
Holy Cr@p! Have we gone totally nuts, or what?
Your pastor was absolutely right. Your desire to receive Communion under circumstances that make it impossible IS as blessed as actually receiving it.
I see that online you can order a package of 50 gluten-free hosts for $12.00, or 350 for $39.99 It seems a bit odd that this guy wouldn't spend $12 - $39 and supply all the celiacs in his parish for quite some time. I'd send it to him if I knew where to send it.
Maybe he just lacks verbal skills and doesn't know how to express himself gracefully, but this line ("... so we’re forced to receive our Lord in the form of wine...") really jumped out at me. Here's the reception of the most precious object in the whole Universe, the Blood of Our Lord, and he phrases it as if he's going to a vendor who doesn't have enough consumer options.
He needs to get his attitude right, I think.
“You can bet most of these are Celiac victims.”
I suppose you actually could do that. But only if you like making losing bets.
FReegards
Or actually get there early so as you can sit wherever the line for Communion begins to ensure one may receive.
Freegards
Completely bogus issue. The Catholic church holds that EITHER species contains the body, blood, soul and divinity of Christ. Ironically, this was a key point to Catholic opposition to the “morningstar of the Protestant Reformation,” Jan Hus. Hus insisted that people must receive the bread AND wine for the sacrament to be valid.
What a weird way to start the day. How many people are we talking about here?
It does seem rather weird that the priest suggested the person buy his own hosts, our parish has low gluten hosts for people with this problem.
Hey, I want in on this entitlement bandwagon too! I have severe anxiety disorder that is so bad I’ve been officially ruled disabled, I want my own private Masses so I don’t have to deal with crowds. I also would like for the parish to pay for the meds I have to take in order to go to Mass!
Newsflash to the original whiner, we all have our cross to carry.
Honestly....
I have TES - totally exhausted syndrome. I’m just to tired to listen to this crap.
If you proceed to the front of the church just prior to the communion, the priest or Eucharistic minster will take care of you with wine.
What got me was the “it’s not fair”. Through their gifts to the church the people buy the hosts and now he would like them to fulfill his special order.
I’m pretty sure our priest orders gluten free hosts also.
There’s a crumb of the Eucharist in the wine, so wine-only receivers are getting a little of the Host.
I had no idea they sell gluten-free hosts, so I can’t complain that this person didn’t know about them.
But you are right that he sounds like a whiny customer, not a person who has the privilege of receiving Our Lord.
I’m pretty sure Albino Assassin Monks are ready to kill without mercy if gluten intolerant Catholics cut in front.
Freegards
Makes me wonder if the reason Damien Thorne flipped out when arriving at the church was because he was allergic to the incense.
Whiner. I,I,I,I,I,ME,ME,ME,ME,ME.
My father was celiac, and he dealt with it without writing an article about it.
As noted by others, He can receive Communion under the species of the Precious Blood alone. And if he comes to Mass early enough, he can sit up front and be assured that they won’t run out of consecrated wine by the time he gets there. One drop of wine on the tongue, as is given to hospitalized patients who cannot take anything by mouth, is enough.
Or, he can buy low-gluten hosts in common with the apparent hordes of celiac Catholics in his parish and share the expense.
I agree that it sounds odd, maybe even crass. The part that I found weird was this:
"...with so many faithful receiving Holy Communion during Holy Week services, the consecrated wine runs out before Communicants do. During packed Holy Thursday and Easter Masses, as many as a third of the congregation may miss out on lifting the chalice.Couldn't the priest consecrate more wine during mass? Are there instances where the consecrated wafers have also run out? What does the priest say to the laity during mass, when this occurs?
Just another example of the I-Am-So-Offended brigade.
There are gluten free hosts.
Yes the priest could consecrate more wine in the first place but during Holy Week your average parish shouldn't be distributing the Precious Blood to begin with. But that's my own hobby horse.
I used to work for a priest who was a retired US Marine lt. col.. He would have the number of hosts to consecrate for Mass down to an exacting science, sometimes though he'd get it wrong and I'd know by the sound of the cracking of the Hosts as the last few people went through the line. I'm fine with priests or deacons breaking Hosts so that there are enough for everyone who wishes to Communicate... not too happy about extraordinary ministers doing that, but then I'm not too happy about extraordinary ministers period. Yet another of my little hobby horses.
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