What is the proper matter for Communion?

By Father David Esquiliano
Canon Corner

If you visit any social media account of a parish these days, you will likely find pictures of happy children receiving their first Communion. In our parish (Cathedral Parish), we recently celebrated this significant event in the lives of over 100 children.
 
These children underwent at least one year of religious education or sacramental preparation and likely attended a retreat and other events. A few years ago, one of these activities in some parishes would have involved making the bread they would receive at their first Communion. As cute as this may have been, and as meaningful as we might believe it was, it is fortunate that this practice is not as prevalent anymore.
 
 As with many aspects of the sacramental life of the church, the law is clear on what should be used for the celebrations, which is referred to as proper matter. For example, in the case of baptism, the proper matter is water. If a priest were to use milk, for example, for a baptism, the baptism would not be valid, as the proper matter would not have been used.
 
 In the case of the Eucharist, Canon 924 of the Code of Canon Law states that the proper matter for the celebration of the Eucharist is bread and wine, to which a little bit of water is added. Regarding the bread, it further states, “The bread must be only wheat and recently made so that there is no danger of spoiling.” 

Canon 926 adds, “According to the ancient tradition of the Latin Church, the priest is to use unleavened bread in the eucharistic celebration whenever he offers it.” The strong language in these canons makes it clear that this is not a suggestion but a requirement.
 
 In the post-conciliar era of experimentation, ideas like having children make the bread they would use for their first Communion often lacked the necessary care to ensure that the bread was made of wheat alone. 

I have heard stories of parishes where salt, sugar, cinnamon, or other additives were used to make the bread taste better. In those cases, unfortunately, the children would not have received the Eucharist, but rather flavored bread, which would not have been valid matter. In the worst-case scenario, if the priest also used that flavored bread for himself, then the Mass would have been completely invalid.
 
 At this point, one may ask what happens with people who have celiac disease. Does that mean they have to consume bread and thus gluten if they want to receive Communion? In simple terms, the answer is yes, but there are alternatives. We are allowed to use low-gluten hosts, which are still made with just water and wheat, in the form of wheat starch, and have a very low gluten content. 

Hosts made with other ingredients to be gluten-free do not fulfill the requirement for validity. Alternatively, people who cannot consume even the smallest amount of gluten may receive Communion under the species of Precious Blood alone.
 
 Regarding the Precious Blood, Canon 924 also states that “The wine must be natural from the fruit of the vine and not spoiled.” The General Instruction of the Roman Missal, which lays out the rules on how to celebrate Mass, further states, “The wine for the celebration of the Eucharist must be from the fruit of the vine (cf. Lk 22:18), natural and unadulterated, that is, without the admixture of extraneous substances.”
 
 The law is clear that only wine from grapes can be used; therefore, any wine made from other fruits is not to be used for Mass. The law also states that it must be unadulterated; wine that has turned into vinegar cannot be used for Mass. Lastly, it says that no extraneous substances must be added; this would include sugar, flavoring, or any other substance. Sulfites, which help prevent the wine from spoiling, are allowed in minute amounts.
 
 As with bread, there are considerations for priests who are allergic to alcohol or who are unable to consume wine due to struggles with alcoholism. In this case, the priest is allowed to use Mustum, which is a wine with an extremely low alcohol content. Grape juice is not proper matter.
 
In both cases of bread and wine, we strive to do exactly as Our Lord told us to do at the Last Supper. Since he was celebrating the paschal meal, he would have been drinking real wine from grapes and unadulterated unleavened bread. 

This is why the church insists on these as proper matter. We also use pure substances because they will become the body, blood, soul and divinity of Christ, who is all pure, through transubstantiation.