Sacrament of Holy Eucharist has matter and form

Msgr. Pedro Lopez-Gallo

By perennial tradition, the essential elements of the Eucharist are bread, made from wheat only, and the natural wine from grapes. In theological terms, this is called the "matter." The "form" is the words of consecration: "Eat, This is My Body. Drink, This is My Blood."

To be valid, each sacrament needs these two elements: the form and the matter. In baptism the water is the matter, the form is the words: "I baptize you" while invoking the Trinitarian Godhead. In confirmation, the matter is the anointing with sacred chrism on the forehead and the form is the words: "Be sealed with the gift of the Holy Spirit," and so on for the other sacraments.

The Synoptic Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke relate quasi-verbatim the scene of the Institution of the Eucharist: "As they were at table, Jesus took bread. He broke it and gave it to His disciples, saying, `Take It and eat It; This is My Body.' He then took the cup and gave it to them, saying, `Drink, all of you; This is My Blood'" (Mt. 26:26-29, Mk. 14:22-25, Lk. 22:17-20).

The narratives of Matthew, Mark, and Luke are so alike that they can in many passages be placed side by side and viewed at a glance. The three are called Synoptic Gospels because they present a synopsis or same view of the events.

The Church wants to strictly conserve what Jesus Himself did and commanded at the Last Supper, and so requires that in the Latin rite the bread be unleavened, similar to the bread of the Passover.

Although the Church has never changed this traditional matter and form, for practical reasons two exceptions have been allowed. The first concerns those suffering from celiac disease, a genetically predisposed nutritional condition caused by an inability to digest gluten, a constituent of wheat; they become quite ill from ingesting even traces of gluten.

Communion can be given to persons with such a condition under the form of wine. Since 1967 bishops can allow those unable to receive Communion under the species of bread to receive it under the species of wine alone. This permission became general under the new Code issued in 1983 (canon 925).

The second exception is regarding the wine that must be from the "fruit of the vine," natural and pure, unmixed with anything else. With the permission of the Holy Father, chronic alcoholics are permitted to use "must," the expressed juice of grapes before fermentation. Theologians and canonists consider the unfermented grape juice valid, but its use is gravely forbidden except in cases of necessity, and only with Vatican authorization.

This consideration is provided to any priest or person who may be afflicted with alcoholism or some other condition wherein consuming even a minimal quantity of consecrated wine could have harmful effects.

It would be a grave sin, even under extreme necessity, for a priest to consecrate the bread without the wine, or even to consecrate both outside the celebration of the Mass.

The Church allows the distribution of the Eucharist under both species in a variety of ways: one minister may give the Body of Christ while another offers the chalice. In my parish, I prefer to do it by "intinction": the priest takes the Sacred Host, dips it into the chalice containing the Precious Blood, and puts it on the tongue of the communicant. In this way, contact of the chalice with saliva and germs is avoided.

Communion under the two species is highly recommended especially on Holy Thursday, on the Feast of Corpus Christi (the Feast of the Body and Blood of Christ), during the sacramental ceremony of marriage for newlywed spouses, and on significant anniversaries.

Let me say a few words about the problem of priests being asked to participate with a minister of another denomination in a mixed marriage. Although the ecumenical movement has made huge progress, Catholic priests are still prohibited from concelebrating the Eucharist with priests of churches which are not in full communion with Rome (canon 908). It is also not acceptable for the two clerics to jointly perform the wedding ceremony.

The rule is: if the wedding is performed in a Catholic church, the other minister who assists, be he Sikh, Muslim, or Protestant, must be treated as a lay person. He can proclaim one of the readings or be one of the official witnesses, but may not officiate with the Catholic priest or share in the exchange of matrimonial vows.

Likewise, if permission and dispensation has been obtained from the bishop for the Catholic to marry outside a Catholic Church, and if the ceremony takes place in a synagogue or any other place of worship, the Catholic priest can only participate as if he were a lay person as a reader or as a legal witness, but there should not be two homilies or a mingling of the matrimonial vows by the two clerics.

Msgr. Lopez-Gallo's columns are available in two volumes for $20 each from St. Andrew's Church Supply, 305 W. 8 Ave. in Vancouver, toll-free 1-800-663-7161. Proceeds will go to Hogar de Nazareth Orphanage in Mexico, which he sponsors.