LETTERS

National Catholic Reporter, March 16, 2001

Wheat Only

* Jesus had something profound and powerful to say about children being allowed to come to him. Surely some of those children were of Jennifer Richardson's age (NCR, Feb. 9).

The neo-Pharisees of our church have set up a new altar rail, built of rules and laws, to keep Jennifer and others from the table to which Jesus invites them. We trust that her parents have told Jennifer that Jesus did not set those rules nor did he write the laws.

The bleached, wheat germ removed, enriched white flour used in making those round, Styrofoam-like, white hosts bears little resemblance to the coarse, hand-milled wheat flour that was used to make the matzos that Jesus blessed and broke and shared with his friends. It is difficult to imagine Jesus being concerned about the "centrality of bread formed by wheat." But Jesus is concerned about and cares for a young girl named Jennifer. Woe to those who would give scandal to children.

DON KILLIPS Blanchardville, Wis.

* Though I can understand the anger, the disappointment or the frustration of the Richardson family, I wonder what their decision to join the Methodist church says to the people of their parish. What does their decision say to those many people with whom they worshiped and shared life for how many years? Though the decision to refuse to allow for the use of rice in Jennifer's reception of Holy Communion is an issue of concern, I also would think the total gift of one's Catholic Christian tradition is of great importance.

There are times when I am personally disappointed in certain rules or decisions of the Catholic church. However, I will continue to do my best to celebrate the total life of the Catholic Christian community. It would have been my wish that the Richardsons would have been able to do likewise.

(Fr.) BOB ROONEY Ord, Neb.

* Immediately after reading your report on the little girl's problem with receiving Holy Communion because of her allergy to wheat gluten, I rushed off to my ancient palimpsest of the gospel -- alas, apocryphal -- of St. Fictitious Canonicus to double check. There it was, chapter X, verses y-z:

"And it came to pass that they brought little children to him to be blessed. Seeing he looked tired, the disciples tried to prevent them; but the Master overruled them, saying: `Let these little ones come to me, for of such is the Kingdom of Heaven.' But then Peter (who had a knack of knowing better and of putting his foot in his mouth) reminded him of the problem with the bread. At once the Master's face turned sad, and with a great sigh said to Peter: `Thanks for reminding me that even though I am Lord of Heaven and Earth, even though I can walk on water, calm a storm, raise the dead, turn water into wine and feed the multitudes, there is one thing even I cannot do; namely, transubstantiate a wafer into my flesh and blood, unless it contains at least 32.95 percent wheat gluten -- preferably certified by the USDA by positron emission tomography. What a shame, they came from so far!'"

"The word of ..." Hey, wait a minute, this is apocryphal!

EDMUND F. KAL Fresno, Calif.

* When mentioning that in the wheat-only policy of the church, no exceptions could be made, one exception not mentioned in the article came to mind: namely, that alcoholic priests can receive dispensations to offer Mass by using grape juice instead of wine. If exceptions for valid reasons can be made, how hard would it be to allow similar exceptions in the Boston case?

(Fr.) ERNEST O. DREHER Fond du Lac, Wis.

* Jesus Christ himself favored neither wheat nor rice when he performed one of his greatest miracles. Remember, he sat the crowd down on the hillside, took the barley loaves and fishes, blessed them, and fed the crowd of 5,000 or more.

Perhaps one might ask, he thought or, better yet, knew there might be a few celiacs in that crowd?

JOHN F. BERGAN Middletown, Conn.

* As a neighbor to a practicing Catholic with celiac disease, and one who takes care whenever I am cooking to provide diet-appropriate food at any gathering where that person will be present, I admit to being disturbed by your reports related to the situation of Jennifer Richardson, and to the letter you published to her. Celiac disease is serious, but it is manageable -- manageable through diet and through avoidance. There is no reason that Jennifer could not have received the Eucharist under the species of wine, just as those who are alcohol addicted receive it only under the species of bread. The point is not so much whether the church could make a different ruling, but whether such a ruling is truly necessary or if the dispute is simply a matter of individuals who want what they want.

CATHARINE CARPENTER Quincy, Ill.

* I sorrow with Jennifer Richardson and her family over the institutional church's inflexibility in the matter of eucharistic bread. Isaiah said, "All flesh is grass" (40:4). God-become-man possessed flesh transubstantiated from cereal grain (grass). Rice wafers are biologically true grass as are wheat and corn wafers. God transubstantiates as authentically in rice and corn as in wheat. If rice or corn had been indigenous in Israel instead of wheat we would probably be "eating Jesus" in rice or corn wafers. Institutional insistence on wheat-bread-only Eucharist makes no sense biologically or theologically, it seems to me.