Dreary Statistic!

[CMCM]

So if it's 1 in 90, and you think of all the uncomfortable symptoms....and then people get all these various drugs both prescription and over the counter and they think they are treating their problems, and how much of the time is it really celiac and they NEVER figure it out. Amazing.

[Noelle126]

Thanks for the explanation, Noelle.  As a Catholic girl, I wondered why Celiacs could not become priests--I had never heard such a thing until recently on here.  Your words make sense to me. 

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

No problem, I had wondered about it and so I went to ask. I no longer take the host at mass, but I still take the wine. I don't think it makes a difference really because it is all the same body and blood of Christ. The very sick sometimes can only have the blood and the dying sometimes are given a sip of the blood of Christ so I realized I could be upset about this or I could just realize that there are some people that cannot have the Blood (alcoholics) and some that cannot recieve the Eurcharist (people on feeding tubes, Celiacs etc). I've just adapted to what I can and cannot do.

[debmidge]

1 in 90; wow. Now I am not looking forward to others having celiac; but if they do have it, it's best that it's out in the open now. Too bad there aren't "celiac test drives" all over each year (not just at that university hospital).

Additionally, the more people diagnosed means the more manufacturers will have to come to the "table" with gluten-free foods and gluten-free ingredients and better ingredient statements. Also, the more people diagnosed the more accepted celiacs would be in eating establishments and perhaps at that point the arguing over gluten-free hosts for Roman Catholics would end as the church would have to relent due to large number of Catholics having celiac disease. That would end the problem then.

[mytummyhurts]

Hopefully the average of 11 years for a Celiac to be diagnosed in the U.S. will change soon too.

Laura

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Maybe this is already getting better. I was diagnosed on my first trip to the doctor.

[danikali]

An alcoholic cannot receive holy orders because alcoholism is considered a moral problem.  A celiac cannot receive holy orders because it causes controversy/scandal.  Now.. I don't care either way.  Jesus said, "Do this in memory of me."  He wasn't refering to a bread recipe he was showing the Apostles how to make.  There is no recipe.  There's the most likely recipe according to what would have been available at the time.  If a celiac eats a gluten containing host... it's the gluten that didn't change from gluten to God that's harming the intestines of the Celiac.  This fact unnerves the Catholic church.  It's petty and it's stupid.  It's also fear motivated.  And they're only making my point when they sweat nun's blood trying to devise a "low-gluten" host to keep it all relevant.  How low can the gluten go???  How little does there have to be to keep God in the host????        Since God is infinite, He can be infinitely smallllllll.....could a Celiac get away with sniffing a gluten containing host???? 

The church can't just change because some people can't take gluten. 

Oh yes the church can.  It changes from time to epic time when it realizes it's screwing up.  Whoo-hoo for Vatican II. The Catholic church is run by men and they screw up plenty. 

Apparently, there's more than "some people" if current statistics hold true.  What Jesus intended and what it's turned into are two different things entirely-- and only because a few men at the head of the Catholic church believe more that God needs them to correct His "mistakes" (whoops!  God didn't count on people with Celiac disease wanting to be Catholic!) than in the truth - which is that the intent of the commandment is more important than any recipe deemed "the one".   Things DO change in the Catholic church...even if they do change and move at a snail's pace.  This will change too.  This isn't about tossing a recipe Jesus told us to use for the bread.  It's about allowing everyone to participate-- oh, yeah.  Thanks for the wine.  I feel better now.    You can make excuses for the current rules all you want.  The truth is, the current rules are not following the spirit of the commandment.   I have faith that God's way more practical than some people give him credit for being.    Or are you just a more enlightened Catholic??  .....

Thanks for the insight into my thinking....I'll mull over your opinion of my faith..  

I think you have a problem with Church teachings.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I COMPLETELY COMPLETELY AGREE WITH YOU! GOD CREATED ALL PEOPLE, RIGHT? THAT INCLUDES PEOPLE WITH CELIAC DISEASE......am I right? Or am I right........ Now, with this simple statement in mind, that means God had no intention of secluding people with Celiac Disease-actually, anybody for that matter...... because that is just not the God we are all brought up to believe in........it's a double standard........I mean, if we can't have the host, then we can't completely follow the Catholic faith, which means we should just convert to Judism or some other religion? I don't think so...and I also think it is stuborn and wrong to not allow Celiac priests........I always thought the host was just a "symbol" of Jesus's body anyway, and I DO believe GOD is more realistic than a lot of people give God credit for.......after all, he did make EVERYONE, like I said before and that includes people who's bodies get sick from gluten........are we sinning because we get sick from bread? I don't think so. ......................just a little piece of my mind

[KaitiUSA]

Question for the Catholics here...

I am not a Catholic so I have not had a problem with taking communion with something that is gluten free. My church has been supportive about it and even offered to keep something gluten free in the kitchen for me to take when they have communion.

However, I have a friend who is a celiac and is Catholic and she tried a communion wafer during communion and got extremely sick. I know they believe the bread is transformed but if it was really transformed then she should have not got sick... correct? Because surely the body of Christ would not make someone sick right?

I agree with the point that God's presence can be in a gluten free wafer just as much as a gluten one....it's a symbol and a remembrance....God looks at the heart of the person not what the ingredients are in a communion wafer you eat. I do realize there is controversy on this issue...this is just my opinion on it and I respect the views that may be different.

Another question....what if it turns out that a priest or even the pope has celiac....do they get kicked out?

Also, doesn't it say in the Bible that our bodies are the temple of God and we should take care of ourselves(or something to that extent) and so wouldn't we be going against that by eating something that destroys our body?

[Jnkmnky]

Question for the Catholics here...

I am not a Catholic so I have not had a problem with taking communion with something that is gluten free. My church has been supportive about it and even offered to keep something gluten free in the kitchen for me to take when they have communion.

However, I have a friend who is a celiac and is Catholic and she tried a communion wafer during communion and got extremely sick. I know they believe the bread is transformed but if it was really transformed then she should have not got sick... correct? Because surely the body of Christ would not make someone sick.

I agree with the point that God's presence can be in a gluten free wafer just as much as a gluten one....it's a symbol and a remembrance....God looks at the heart of the person not what the ingredients are in a communion wafer you eat. I do realize there is controversy on this issue...this is just my opinion on it and I respect the views that may be different.

Another question....what if it turns out that a priest or even the pope has celiac....do they get kicked out? 

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I guess it's the same problem for a nursing mom. She has to quit eating gluten if her nursing baby has celiac disease. If a mother is wise enough and cares for her baby enough to alter her diet in order to properly feed her child... doesn't it make sense that if God was containing some gluten in "Him", he'd be wise enough to feed us "himself"...nurish His child with a gluten free version of Himself? The leadership of the Catholic church is not perfect. Only God is. They take a serious amount of time to change stuff that is wrong. God can exist in a rice cracker and provide gluten free nurishment for his Celiac children. We're all invited to "His supper".... He didn't mean to exclude 1-133 of His children. He invited us to His SUPPER, btw....not just for "drinks". So, thanks for the wine, but we're hungy too. .... Anyway, hungering and thirsting are supposed to be highly rated by God! Yes, the host becomes the body of Christ. I totally believe that. I am not against my Catholic faith when Wisdom makes herself known to me. The leadership in the Catholic church has turned it's back on Wisdom out of fear. Never a good thing. I do believe that ...eventually... this will be corrected.

[jajus100]

Kaiti,

I have two links on the previous page that discuss why there would still be the problem with gluten even though the host was now body, blood of Jesus. In Catholicism, communion is more than symbolic. That is the difference between it and many other Christian denominations. For Catholics, though, having the precious blood is every bit as good as taking the host. There isn't a difference from a theology standpoint.

[Jnkmnky]

Here is the response I got back from a Franciscan on the, "Ask a Franciscan" web site. Funny, huh?

I do not believe that the leadership of the Catholic church gets everything right. They make mistakes and they fix them...eventually. They'll get to this too, simply because the current decision lacks common sense at the same time it denys the very spirit of the commandment Jesus gave when he said to "do this in memory of me". If you are Catholic and you have a "problem" with the current interpretation of this commandment, you are not in conflict with the church to the point of having to "leave the church". Just wait patiently for Wisdom to enlighten the fellas in charge.

Answer:

Hello, I really do appreciate your thoughts AND your logic in this whole matter. I suspect many priests would agree with you, eg. FOR HEAVEN SAKES, WHAT THE BIG DEAL. But this is something the priest himself does not determine and like so many things,the church is very slow to change. I know there is movement inside and outside the church to make some accommodation but it will likely take time. So, I really do support your thoughts and your motherly wisdom. Reminds my of my own mother whom I consider a great theologian. She didn't know great theology, but her heart told her the best truths of all. But also, I admire, in the midst of your frustration, that you stay with the church, imperfect as it is. There is too much to give up by turning your back. I'm glad you are not. Check the internet. I did and came up with 10,000 website or articles about this. You may get some leads from that. In the meantime, may God bless you and your son. Fr. jim

Thank you for visiting Ask-A-Franciscan. Peace and all good!

Your Ask-A-Franciscan Ministry Team

[Felidae]

You know if 1 in 90 people have celiac, than the drug companies would actually benefit if more people were not diagnosed. So many people with IBS rely on so many medications that in my opinion may just be masking their symptoms. I am trying to spread the word about trying the gluten-free diet when all else fails on an IBS forum that I am a part of. I never would have considered going gluten-free until a friend of mine with IBS told me that going wheat free helped her.

[mightymorg]

You know if 1 in 90 people have celiac, than the drug companies would actually benefit if more people were not diagnosed. So many people with IBS rely on so many medications that in my opinion may just be masking their symptoms. I am trying to spread the word about trying the gluten-free diet when all else fails on an IBS forum that I am a part of. I never would have considered going gluten-free until a friend of mine with IBS told me that going wheat free helped her.

You are so smart! No, it does make complete sense. I've visited a couple of IBS boards, and all people talked about was what new meds or enzymes they were trying out...that WERE NOT WORKING! It's people like you who let people like me know about this, benefit from it, and help others benefit, too!

[jajus100]

To me, one of the biggest issues, is that Gluten intolerance seems to be much more of a problem than "just" celiac disease. There are also other food related intolerances. If the probability of celiac is 1/100, I wonder what the probability is that someone would have some kind of food related inolerance? I think part of the problem is that medical doctors don't look at the whole body. You have the GI who only wants to look at the digestive system. When people have issues outside of that, he just promptly ignores what they have to say, and certainly doesn't think to ask himself. Personally, I would be happy if I could find a doctor who was medically trained, but believed in holistic medicine as well. In NY, the naturopathic doctors can't even order blood tests. I don't think doctors think about the relationship between food and health.

I have children with special needs. It is a problem there as well. If a mother brings in her young baby with a problem, unless it is a broken bone or something "medically obvious" the doctor tends to ignore the issue.