Gluten-intolerant Catholic Laura Bechara misses two things in life—Lebanese bread, and the Bread of Life.
The gifted academic student’s health quickly declined in her final year of school in 2019 due to what she later found out was coeliac disease, an autoimmune condition only treatable by completely removing gluten from her diet, which included Holy Communion.
“I thought about taking the Eucharist and copping whatever happens to my body, but I know I’d be anxious about the repercussions, even from consuming just a little bit,” Laura told The Catholic Weekly.
While studying, the Our Lady of Lebanon parishioner from Harris Park suffered influenza twice, stomach issues, and had problems retaining information with increased brain fog. The symptoms were later found to be result of her intolerance.
“My antibodies were through the roof, in the thousands, when they’re supposed to be less than a hundred—even one crumb of gluten could cause an attack,” Laura said.
“If you’re not strict about it, you end up with health issues down the track which can develop into something a lot more serious.”
Laura has since adopted an entirely gluten-free diet, spending much of her time reading the ingredients list on packages and even needing to take such extreme measures as using a separate toaster for gluten free bread.
At Mass, Laura can only receive the precious Blood of Christ.
“The teaching of the Catholic Church is that there has to be at least some gluten [in the host],” explained Fr Dan Drum, assistant priest at St Charles Borromeo Catholic Church in Ryde.
“It’s got to actually be unleavened bread made from wheat which contains gluten, so it still retains that property as bread to be consecrated as a host.”
Fr Dan and the priests at Ryde have accommodated its gluten-intolerant parishioners since 2019 with low-gluten hosts, providing some relief to many of its faithful in the Eucharist.
But an entirely gluten-free host would be an invalid one.
“For a sacrament, the matter and the form are both important—I can’t change the words of the Eucharistic consecration, and I also can’t change the material we use,” Fr Dan said.
“It’s the same with Baptism—I can’t baptise with Coca-Cola, it must be water, otherwise the matter’s changed too much to be considered valid according to the church.”
The directive was published by the Vatican in 2017, clarifying the matter.
Though it is ideal to receive Christ completely in body and blood to commemorate the Last Supper, it is perfectly valid to only receive the wine.
Laura has come to terms with this directive. After the congregation has received Eucharist each Sunday, she approaches the foot of the altar where the priest brings the wine separately prepared for her.
The altar servers and acolytes at St Charles are also acutely aware of the procedure when someone with gluten-intolerance approaches the altar.
But if God intends for us to eat his body, and the wafer requires gluten, why has he designed humans so that some are afflicted with this?
“The broken nature of the world,” Fr Dan said.
“It’s a little bit like the questions we all have at one point or another, like why does God allow certain people to suffer from certain diseases?
“This topic is on the same wavelength, but the good news is God provides an alternative.
“The overarching lesson to recognise—which shows God’s true love within the brokenness—is that all people are called and invited to sacrament; the Catholic Church always calls all people home and to participate in communion with the faith.”
For Laura, coeliac disease is a small cross to carry.
“I can’t control the fact I have this condition, but I’m thankful that through the Lord there’s always another path to him.
“God finds a way.”