What's The Matter?

The Catechism of the Catholic Church defines a sacrament as an “efficacious sign of grace, instituted by Christ and entrusted to the Church, by which divine life is dispensed to us” (No. 1131). Thus, a sacrament is tangible, a gift from God. In a sense, heaven meets earth each time we participate in a sacrament. But how can we determine that a sacrament is valid?

We derive validity from sacred Scripture and the teachings of the Church. For every sacrament there must be two essential components: form and matter. Simply put, form is what is said and done, and matter is whatever is required to be present. In the case of the Eucharist, the form is the words of institution that Jesus used at the Last Supper. The priest must say these words exactly as they are printed in the Roman Missal while celebrating Mass (“This is my body …”, “This is the chalice of my blood …”).

And what about the matter of the Eucharist? As you might suspect, this the bread and the wine. The Catholic Church is quite particular about the makeup of both of these items. Since the basis of the Eucharist is Scriptural, the makeup of the bread and wine must be identical to that which Jesus used. The bread must be wheat-based, and the wine must be made from the juice of the grape and contain alcohol. No other substances can be substituted whatsoever.

Bread made from wheat can cause issues for those with celiac disease, who cannot tolerate high levels of gluten. Bread made entirely without gluten (so-called “gluten-free hosts”) are invalid matter for Holy Communion. However, low-gluten hosts, made with an extremely small amount of gluten (only enough to still allow it to be bread, without the addition of any foreign substances) are permitted. Similarly, mustum, a special type of wine made from grape juice in which fermentation is halted, is allowed for priests who cannot consume regular wine.

Through Jesus, the “true bread from heaven” (John 6:32), and wine, the “cup of blessing” (1 Cor. 10:16) celebrated since the days of the Old Testament, we are fed, body and soul, for our journey on earth.

Questions? Comments? Suggestions? Contact me at eucharist@stmli.org.