From the reports that I have read, we still have a couple more weeks of flu season, but it seems that it has mostly past through our area. That being the case, we will resume offering Holy Communion under both species at the Mass of the Lord’s Supper (Holy Thursday).
During the time when we were only offering Holy Communion under the species of the host, it came to my attention that a few of our parishioners suffer from gluten intolerance. They never brought it up because they would just receive the sacred Blood from the cup, but our concern for spreading the flu (which they completely understood) meant they just did not receive Holy Communion during that time. While I truly appreciate their sacrifice, it is not one that I want them to make. The Eucharist is the source and summit of the Christian life, so I want everyone who are properly prepared to receive Holy Communion to do so.
Towards that end, I have ordered some low-gluten hosts, and four pyx which are marked “Low Gluten” (two for each church). I would ask any parishioner who has been medically diagnosed as being gluten intolerant to please follow the following procedure.
Arrive early enough before Mass to inform the priest or deacon that you are gluten intolerant.
The deacon or priest will put one of the low-gluten hosts in one of the specially marked pyx, and put it either on the Altar or on a tray to be brought up to the Altar at the offertory.
The priest will place the pyx with the low-gluten host on the Altar for the consecration.
The priest will take the pyx with them as he gives out Holy Communion, so the person who made the request should go to the priest for Holy Communion.
When you get the priest tell him that you requested the low gluten host, and he will say “the Body of Christ” as he gives you the pyx, and you can then open the pyx and give yourself Holy Communion. Be sure to return the pyx to the priest or deacon after Mass.
This procedure should minimize any touching of the low-gluten host by the priest, who will have gluten on his hands from the other hosts. Of course, persons who are gluten intolerant may continue to receive the Blood of Christ alone if they do not wish to receive the special host.
You might wonder why the host is “low-gluten” and not “gluten-free”. Theologically, we must use the same basic matter that Jesus used when He gave us the Eucharist. That means wheat bread, and grape wine. All the sacraments are made up of “form” and “matter” (like we are made up of “body” and “soul”). The “form” is the words and ritual used in the sacrament, and the “matter” is just that, the material. In baptism the form is “I baptize you in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit,” and the matter is the water. You can’t use orange juice and different words. If you do, the sacrament is invalid. For the Eucharist the form is the words of Consecration, and the matter is wheat bread and grape wine.
In Europe, the standard for a product to be called “gluten-free” is that it has less that 0.01% gluten. Here in the USA, we basically use that same standard. The low-gluten hosts that have been approved by the Vatican as proper matter for the Eucharist has less than 0.002% gluten, so much less than what would be given the “gluten-free” label. But the Church tries to be very honest, so since it does have an extremely small amount of gluten, we call it “low-gluten.”
As I said, if your doctor fears that even that small amount would be medically harmful, then follow your good sense, and just receive the Precious Blood.