Hi CA Mary,
I went to the URL you cited and was stunned by their conclusion about the communion wafer. Incredible! Imagine making a poor celiac youngster eat gluten and get sick during their first holy communion! Obviously, they don't even understand the science if they think that a "low gluten" wafer is OK - as we know, some are exquisitely sensitive to the smallest amount of gluten, myself included.
I can only shake my head and like you, chalk it up to human ignorance. I am happy that you have resolved the issue for yourself.
What I can never understand about Christianity is this.......from everything I was taught and have read, Jesus was all-inclusive as well as the epitome of tolerance. So how come we aren't the same way in all of our Christian sects?? This is just a rhetorical question, of course. I don't mean to start a religious discussion here - LOL!
Here's what I do when I take communion (I'm Episcopalian). I go to the rail, kneel, and when the priest puts the wafer in my hand, I slip it in my pocket. I then sip the wine. Later, when I'm outside the church, I toss the wafer on the ground to feed the birds. (I'm sure that St. Francis would approve, doncha think?!) Why couldn't you get some GF wafers and just take one up to the altar with you? You could make a quick change with the one you are given.
And hey! Why NOT write letters to the Pope and anyone else who makes decisions in the hierarchy? It might seem like banging your head against the wall, but it sometimes gets results. I am a regular letter writer - to the newspaper but especially to my elected officials......actually it's so easy nowadays with everyone having email.
For several years I have been writing to my Congressional Representive about an issue where I disagreed strongly with his position. Each time I would receive a "pat" response written by one of his staff that defended his position. Well, recently I received a letter from him informing me that he had changed his mind on this issue and was now going to take the opposite stance. I have no delusions that I was the one who changed his mind - but maybe enough of us wrote that he took a second look at the issue. At least I know that he is responsive to his constituents - that he followed up by letting me know of his change of mind.
Love,
Polly, who is now stepping down from the soapbox
Paging CA Mary - re musings on the wafer issue
Moderators: Rosie, Jean, CAMary, moremuscle, JFR, Dee, xet, Peggy, Matthew, Gabes-Apg, grannyh, Gloria, Mars, starfire, Polly, Joefnh
Paging CA Mary - re musings on the wafer issue
Blessed are they who can laugh at themselves, for they shall never cease to be amused.
Polly-
I hear you! I think the real problem is that Christianity is *fine* - it is the people in power of the various denominations who twist it to fit their agenda, even if it is in direct oppostion to Christ's teachings.....We humans seem to have the corner on "messing things up", lol!
The Jesus *I* know would never condone hate acts against homosexuals or the death penalty, yet many "Christians" have these beliefs, and strongly defend them...Bible citations aside, it is clear to me where Jesus would stand on this!!
And don't even get me started on that whack-job Fred Phelps and his "message"!!!!
Extremism is a bad thing in any religion. Unfortunately the Bible is written in a very ambiguous way, so that taken out-of-context a person can find scripture to support almost anything.
I like your "communion switcheroo" idea - that may work - if you can't fight ignorance - you need to find a clever way around it, lol!!
I understand the idea of letter writing - I just don't have the time/energy to make this my "hill to die on". Eventually - the errors in narrow-minded thinking will catch up to them! There is currently a grave shortage of vocations (priests) - well, since The Church refuses to ordain women, and has the *biologically-ridiculous* celibacy requirement, I believe they have created this problem for themselves, and get no sympathy from me
Okay - I'd better shut up before I get in trouble
Love,
Mary (a "cafeteria Catholic", and proud of it!)
I hear you! I think the real problem is that Christianity is *fine* - it is the people in power of the various denominations who twist it to fit their agenda, even if it is in direct oppostion to Christ's teachings.....We humans seem to have the corner on "messing things up", lol!
The Jesus *I* know would never condone hate acts against homosexuals or the death penalty, yet many "Christians" have these beliefs, and strongly defend them...Bible citations aside, it is clear to me where Jesus would stand on this!!
And don't even get me started on that whack-job Fred Phelps and his "message"!!!!
Extremism is a bad thing in any religion. Unfortunately the Bible is written in a very ambiguous way, so that taken out-of-context a person can find scripture to support almost anything.
I like your "communion switcheroo" idea - that may work - if you can't fight ignorance - you need to find a clever way around it, lol!!
I understand the idea of letter writing - I just don't have the time/energy to make this my "hill to die on". Eventually - the errors in narrow-minded thinking will catch up to them! There is currently a grave shortage of vocations (priests) - well, since The Church refuses to ordain women, and has the *biologically-ridiculous* celibacy requirement, I believe they have created this problem for themselves, and get no sympathy from me
Okay - I'd better shut up before I get in trouble
Love,
Mary (a "cafeteria Catholic", and proud of it!)
Hi Mary,
I sympathize. I play the organ in a Methodist church and can take communion with any kind of bread I choose. In fact, one of the ministers offered to bake me some gf bread. I sometimes bring it myself if I remember. Lots of other things are on my mind when I rush out at 7:30 a.m. on Sunday!!
I love the Catholic tradition and ritual, but the pope's rigid views are another story altogether.
Love,
Alice
I sympathize. I play the organ in a Methodist church and can take communion with any kind of bread I choose. In fact, one of the ministers offered to bake me some gf bread. I sometimes bring it myself if I remember. Lots of other things are on my mind when I rush out at 7:30 a.m. on Sunday!!
I love the Catholic tradition and ritual, but the pope's rigid views are another story altogether.
Love,
Alice
Hmmm... don't want to start a religous debate either. I'm Catholic born and raised. Recently I've had some questions due to the church not allowing gluten free hosts to be blessed. What's odd is that the church I go to there is a family there that has kids who have terrible allergies to gluten, so much so in fact that there is instant mood changes in one of their sons, he'll go into a screaming fit if the tiniest bit of gluten is ingested. Well, it appears that the pastor there allows these gluten free hosts to be blessed and recieved there. I'm guessing that it's because I think my church is a bit more "progressive" than other catholic churches. I'd have to say I'm more traditional in this sense and some things have turned me off a bit towards this church, but the no gluten wafers isn't one of them.
I have a hard time with this as I see in the bible and indeed as was the case during the time of Christ that the wafer was made only of wheat, but some cannot recieve it due to it being wheat. So I can see the reasons the church won't recoginze the gluten free hosts. Guess this is something I'll have to take up with God when that time comes. :)
But for catholics luckily we don't need to recieve only the wafer to recieve the body and blood of Christ. You can receive the wine that has been blessed and still receive the body and blood. This is what I've decided to do, just recieve the wine. It was awkward at first because I thought, what will people think of me skipping the host, but I decided that God knows what's really going on and what is in my heart. And that's good enough for me, so I don't care what the people in church think about me in this regard.
And as far as giving the wafer to birds, I have to say that it would be heavily frowned upon in the Catholic church, especially since we believe that the wafer, once blessed, is indeed containing the actually body and blood of Christ. So tossing the body and blood to the birds seems sacreligous, though only if it were indeed blessed and transformed into the body and blood of Christ.
Thanks,
Mike
I have a hard time with this as I see in the bible and indeed as was the case during the time of Christ that the wafer was made only of wheat, but some cannot recieve it due to it being wheat. So I can see the reasons the church won't recoginze the gluten free hosts. Guess this is something I'll have to take up with God when that time comes. :)
But for catholics luckily we don't need to recieve only the wafer to recieve the body and blood of Christ. You can receive the wine that has been blessed and still receive the body and blood. This is what I've decided to do, just recieve the wine. It was awkward at first because I thought, what will people think of me skipping the host, but I decided that God knows what's really going on and what is in my heart. And that's good enough for me, so I don't care what the people in church think about me in this regard.
And as far as giving the wafer to birds, I have to say that it would be heavily frowned upon in the Catholic church, especially since we believe that the wafer, once blessed, is indeed containing the actually body and blood of Christ. So tossing the body and blood to the birds seems sacreligous, though only if it were indeed blessed and transformed into the body and blood of Christ.
Thanks,
Mike
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kate_ce1995
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I turned down communion bread at Geoff's parent's church recently expecting to be offered the "wine" (aka grape juice) afterward, but they took it as a declination of the whole bit of communion. Geoff and I don't go to church often enough to make a big deal over it, so I didn't bother to say anything, although Geoff fully understood why I passed it up. My Mom has a fruit sensitivity and passes up the grape juice at her church, but then that comes around after the bread so she has already participated in the communion.
With as much knowledge as we have, you'd think these organizations would tweek traditions as necessary.
Katy
With as much knowledge as we have, you'd think these organizations would tweek traditions as necessary.
Katy
Mike-
A ? for you...do you worry at all about cross-contamination? I've never been a big fan of "the cup" - I think I get it from my mom who has hygienic concerns, and very rarely partakes...
I also remember from back when they *used to* break off a small piece of the host and drop it in the wine (we usually are sitting in the back, or the crying room - so I don't have much of a view...) - not sure if this is still done?
Mary
A ? for you...do you worry at all about cross-contamination? I've never been a big fan of "the cup" - I think I get it from my mom who has hygienic concerns, and very rarely partakes...
I also remember from back when they *used to* break off a small piece of the host and drop it in the wine (we usually are sitting in the back, or the crying room - so I don't have much of a view...) - not sure if this is still done?
Mary
Yeah, I worry about cross contamination, though only in the areas that I can control.
Yeah, I wasn't ever a big fan of the cup or partaking in the wine, but the miniscule amount of worry for me is worth less than receiving the body and blood of Christ.
Yes, indeed this was a question I posed to the pastor at our church, but he said that they don't allow folks to dunk the wafer/host into the wine. So as far as I can tell it's not done anymore and I don't see it done at this church at least. Might want to sit up front and watch for yourself. Which might also be good because I'm betting you'll see some folks only taking the wine as I found. Nice to know we're not alone that's for sure. :) That and I see it as an opportunity to make others who might not be comfortable in doing that also partake in the body and blood of Christ.
God Bless!
Thanks,
Mike
Yeah, I wasn't ever a big fan of the cup or partaking in the wine, but the miniscule amount of worry for me is worth less than receiving the body and blood of Christ.
Yes, indeed this was a question I posed to the pastor at our church, but he said that they don't allow folks to dunk the wafer/host into the wine. So as far as I can tell it's not done anymore and I don't see it done at this church at least. Might want to sit up front and watch for yourself. Which might also be good because I'm betting you'll see some folks only taking the wine as I found. Nice to know we're not alone that's for sure. :) That and I see it as an opportunity to make others who might not be comfortable in doing that also partake in the body and blood of Christ.
God Bless!
Thanks,
Mike