Books in the Liturgy - Roman Missal

Roman Missal – This book includes the ritual prayers for Mass, the prayers the priest says and the how-to’s, called rubrics. The word rubric is from the Latin rubeus, meaning red. That is why the instructions for Mass are printed in red.

Books in the Liturgy - Book of the Gospels

Book of the Gospels – From the Greek Ευαγγέλιο, meaning good news. This book contains the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. The Book of Gospels is lifted high in the opening procession and right before the Gospel is proclaimed to both express and to deepen the reverence we give to God’s revelation in Christ, as recorded in these Gospels.

Low Gluten Hosts

In a recent letter to diocesan bishops, the Vatican said the bread used for communion must contain some gluten, the general name for proteins found in wheat. Despite reports to the contrary, this is not a new directive. The Church has always maintained that the eucharistic bread be composed purely of wheat:

The bread for celebrating the Eucharist must be made only from wheat, must be recently made, and, according to the ancient tradition of the Latin Church, must be unleavened.

 General Instruction of the Roman Missal 320.

The Vatican is responding to an increasing number of the faithful who are going gluten-free, either because they have celiac disease or because they have a sensitivity or allergy to gluten. Some manufacturers of communion breads make hosts that are totally gluten-free, by substituting rice, potato, or other non-gluten containing flours. In this most recent directive, the Vatican said that those hosts are not approved for use at a Catholic Mass.

In order for hosts to be considered low-gluten, they must contain less than .002 percent of wheat gluten, usually not enough to affect persons with gluten allergies. However, there are some people who are so gluten-sensitive that they can’t even consume the low-gluten hosts. The only option for these persons who wish to partake in communion is to only consume the Blood of Christ.

Likewise, those who can’t consume alcohol typically take only the Body of Christ or they might consume mustum, which is grape juice that is either fresh or preserved by methods that suspend its fermentation without altering its nature.

At St. Thomas Aquinas, low-gluten hosts are available for those with gluten allergies. Persons who wish to use these hosts should notify the sacristan before Mass and plan to receive communion from the priest-presider who will have the low-gluten hosts in a separate container.

Eucharist and Gratitude

My mother was big on saying thank you. Most of her gratitude came in the form of baked goods—scrumptious edibles like homemade Easter bread or Italian wedding cookies. She offered these mouthwatering treats to those who constantly showed kindness to us--the family doctor who never took a penny after our father died or the neighbors who plowed our driveway after massive snowfalls. Mom recognized goodness in the hearts of others and was eternally grateful. By focusing on the blessings rather than the pain of life, she often changed those potentially painful moments into moments of thanksgiving. Gratitude shifts our focus and teaches us to hold each moment like a precious stone.   

Like my mother, the Church through the liturgy, continually reminds us to say thank you. In fact, the word Eucharist comes from the Greek word for thanksgiving. At the heart of the liturgy is the thanksgiving offered in the Eucharistic prayer. That prayer begins with a dialogue that starts when the priest says “The Lord be with you,” and the people answer “And with your Spirit.” This dialogue begins what is called the Preface, the prelude to the Eucharistic Prayer. The word Preface comes from the Latin verbs fateor, meaning I speak, and prae, meaning out. The Preface, therefore, is a prayer of utmost importance. There are nearly 100 Prefaces from which to choose, all of them tied to a particular liturgical season or feast. Each Preface begins with a reiteration of the last part of the preface dialogue:

It is truly right and just, our duty and our salvation, always and everywhere to give you thanks.

If we listen closely, each line of the Preface gives us a reason to say “Thank you, God!”

Here is an example from Preface V of the Sundays in Ordinary Time which focuses on creation:

For you have laid the foundations of the world

and have arranged the changing of times and seasons;

You formed man in your own image

and set humanity over the whole world in all its wonder,

to rule in your name over all you have made and for ever praise you in your might works,

through Christ our Lord.

After naming reasons to give thanks, the presider invites us to join with the angels—indeed the whole company of heaven--in a song of praise and thanksgiving and we sing the Sanctus, (Holy, Holy, Holy). As this part of the Eucharistic Prayer teaches, when we acknowledge all for which we have to give thanks, our only response is to give thanks and praise.

Corpus Christi - Remember and Give Thanks

Today we celebrate the Solemnity of the Body and Blood of Jesus. Once again we will gather to remember the goodness of God and to give thanks.

For our Jewish ancestors, remembering the goodness of God wasn’t just simple recall, it was a way of life. We witness this in the psalms of lament. When the people lamented their present situation, they called upon Yahweh to remember how he had been there for them in the past, as a God who was gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in love and faithfulness. Remembering that God had acted on their behalf in the past lead them to hope that God would act in the same way on their behalf in the present. That lead them to trust that their situation would change and culminated in vows to praise, bless, and give thanks to God. Praising, blessing and giving thanks to God was celebrated in rituals such as meals, festivals and blessings.

Like our Jewish ancestors, our remembering leads to blessing and thanksgiving. We gather in order to ask God to remember us, but we also come together so that we can be reminded about the goodness of God. We are reminded of God’s goodness from the moment we walk into church. When we are warmly welcomed, we are reminded of God’s hospitality. When we bless ourselves with holy water, we are reminded that God has chosen us. When we witness the faith of our fellow parishioners who are struggling, we are reminded that God is living and active. When we listen to the scriptures and hear how God acted in the past, we are reminded that God is faithful. And when we hear the story of the death and resurrection of Jesus, we are reminded that God’s love is beyond our human comprehension.