Caught up - and thinking of folding for the night except I need my luggage....

[kyrielle]

Still waiting for the luggage. Driver called a while ago (a couple HOURS) to get directions, but no luggage yet. I'm going to call them shortly. But first: I am caught up on reading LiveJournal entries (or skimming them, as the case may be). Assorted things that caught my eye as worth sharing:

A little girl (Catholic) who can't have wheat has had her first communion invalidated because the wafer must have wheat in it - even though wheat can threaten her health and life. Excuse me? There is no dispensation, no allowance, no anything for her medical condition? I'm not sure why it has to have wheat anyway, but why would there not be an allowance for those whose very bodies can't handle the wheat? Did God make them only to say they must either die or not partake of the sacrament? I'm disturbed now, but, it's not my religion and I haven't done any reading/research beyond that article, so on the one hand, I find it awful, and on the other, I am speaking from not much knowledge.

On a much lighter note, a kittenbreak!

An absolutely gorgeous shot of lightning. (Permanent link on Buzznet.)

Staring at this is bad for sanity.... (Permanent link on Buzznet.)

And, as I was writing this last up, my luggage was delivered by a very cheerful older gentleman who has, no doubt, been hauling luggage all over the metro area all evening. I am Pleased by this.

Oh! And this is an older post at This is My Body, This Is My Blood. Warning: It does name parts of the body that may not pass worksafe filters. Trust me, though, even I wasn't offended by the content - it's not discussing the body part in question. Do NOT drink anything while reading, in case of laughter.

Oh, and there's this meme going around where you ask people to create an lj icon for you that they feel represents you. I'd love to ask that of those who read me, but it's beyond me to do for anyone, so take that wish with a grain of salt. (It's not the "create an icon" part that defeats me - though my skills are basic in such, they're decent basic - it's the "making it represent someone else" thing.)

Comments

[lady-of-mists.livejournal.com]

I'm not a member of the Catholic church, so you'd have to take what I say with a grain of salt. The Lord's Supper states that it should be unleavened bread. That, to me, is the lack of yeast resulting in something like a cracker.

God would not put a burden on someone that they could not bear when it comes to something like a commandment. Therefore, I would say she could use anything that would fit the definition of bread without leaven -- i.e. barley, spelt, rice, corn, etc.

That judgment by a priest has me angry. It is a classic case of the letter of the law being followed without any thought to the meaning behind it. He should remember that God was angry at people who put burdens on others and didn't lift a finger to help them bear it.

:shakes her head and sighs: But I'm also not a Catholic, as I said before.

[pheon.livejournal.com]

Actually, one has to wonder why the girl's parents went public with this except to get publicity. I have seen some other posts (e.g., here) that show that there are alternatives:

• the Church has developed a wafer that while wheat contains only 0.1% gluten
• the sacrement of communion can, by canon law, be fulfilled while taking only the wine.

Note, that the story says that she "...refused the options of the low-gluten wafer or wine...."

[kyrielle]

Ah! I did not know the sacrament could be fulfilled with just the wine. (I did pick up about the low-gluten wafer, but I didn't see how low it was - and as I know someone with a similar condition, any amount of gluten can be a problem for her, even tiny amounts. I can see why the girl and her family would be wary of the low-gluten wafer, just on habit and principle.)

I do still wonder why on earth the wafers have to contain wheat, though.

[pheon.livejournal.com]

I wonder about that, too. In my somewhat decrepit memory from catechism all those years ago [and I was raised High Episcopal, not Roman Cathlolic], the wafer need only be "unleavened." I have no idea where the wheat requirement came from. Probably some pope in the 15th century was from the wheat growers consortium ....