Excerpti: The Eucharist, Part II: What is the matter of the Eucharist?

This is the second installment of Excerpti (extracts); the series is currently focused on the Eucharist, the Most Blessed Sacrament. This is Part II: What is the matter of the Eucharist? (Not "What is the matter with the Eucharist?")

Summary
Regardless of leaven in the bread (see below), the bread must contain wheat gluten; the wine must contain alcohol. Low-gluten bread and mustum are allowed under specific circumstances. (cf. Norms for the Use of Low-Gluten Bread and Mustum; The Use of Mustum and Low-Gluten Hosts at Mass)

In the Western tradition:

• Unleavened wheat bread. (Cf. CIC, can. 924 §§1, 2)
• Natural grape wine mixed with water. (Cf. CIC, can. 924 §§1, 3)

In the Eastern tradition:

• Leavened wheat bread (except in the Armenian and Maronite rites, where it is unleavened). (Cf. CCEO, can. 706)
• Natural grape wine mixed with water. (Cf. CCEO, can. 706)

The wine is mixed with water during the Offertory in the Western rites; the wine is mixed with the water during the Proskomedia in the Eastern rites.

Western Canon Law
"The most holy Sacrifice of the Eucharist must be celebrated in bread, and in wine to which a small quantity of water is to be added." (CIC, can. 924 §1)

"The bread must be wheaten only, and recently made, so that there is no danger of corruption." (CIC, can. 924 §2)

"The wine must be natural, made from grapes of the vine, and not corrupt." (CIC, can. 924 §3)

Eastern Canon Law
"In the Divine Liturgy the sacred gifts which are offered are bread made of wheat alone and recently made so that there is no danger of corruption and natural wine of the grape and not corrupt." (CCEO, can. 706)

Other Documents
"The bread for Eucharistic celebration is bread of wheat and, in keeping with the age-old custom of the Latin Church, unleavened." (Sacred Congregation for Divine Worship, 1970 - Liturgicae Instaurationes, n. 5)

"Faithful to Christ's example, the Church has constantly used bread and wine mixed with water to celebrate the Lord's Supper. The bread for the celebration of the Eucharist, in accordance with the tradition of the whole Church, must be made solely of wheat, and, in accordance with the tradition proper to the Latin Church, it must be unleavened. By reason of the sign, the matter of the Eucharistic celebration 'should appear as actual food.' This is to be understood as linked to the consistency of the bread, and not to its form, which remains the traditional one. No other ingredients are to be added to the wheaten flour and water. The preparation of the bread requires attentive care to ensure that the product does not detract from the dignity due to the Eucharistic bread, can be broken in a dignified way, does not give rise to excessive fragments, and does not offend the sensibilities of the faithful when they eat it. The wine for the Eucharistic celebration must be of 'the fruit of the vine' (Lk. 22:18) and be natural and genuine, that is to say not mixed with other substances. {Cf. Liturgicae Instaurationes, n. 5}" (Sacred Congregation for the Sacraments and Divine Worship, 1980 - Inaestimabile Donum, n. 8)

"Special hosts quibus glutinum ablatum est" -- that is, "whose gluten is removed" -- "are invalid matter for the celebration of the eucharist." (Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, 1994 - Norms for the Use of Low-Gluten Bread and Mustum, I.B.1)

"Low-gluten hosts are valid matter, provided that they contain the amount of gluten sufficient to obtain the confection of bread, that there is no addition of foreign materials and that the procedure for making such hosts is not such as to alter the nature of the substance of the bread." (Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, 1994 - Norms for the Use of Low-Gluten Bread and Mustum, I.B.2)

"Nevertheless, the permission to use mustum can be granted by ordinaries to priests affected by alcoholism or other conditions which prevent the ingestion of even the smallest quantity of alcohol, after presentation of a medical certificate." (Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, 1994 - Norms for the Use of Low-Gluten Bread and Mustum, II.B)

"By mustum is understood fresh juice from grapes or juice preserved by suspending its fermentation (by means of freezing or other methods which do not alter its nature)." (Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, 1994 - Norms for the Use of Low-Gluten Bread and Mustum, II.C)

"Following the example of Christ, the Church has always used bread and wine with water to celebrate the Lord’s Supper." (GIRM, n. 319)

"The bread for celebrating the Eucharist must be made only from wheat, must be recently baked, and, according to the ancient tradition of the Latin Church, must be unleavened." (GIRM, n. 320)

"The wine for the eucharistic celebration must be from the fruit of the grapevine (cf. Lk 22:18), natural, and unadulterated, that is, without admixture of extraneous substances." (GIRM, n. 322)

"Diligent care should be taken to ensure that the bread and wine intended for the Eucharist are kept in a perfect state of conservation: that is, that the wine does not turn to vinegar nor the bread spoil or become too hard to be broken easily." (GIRM, n. 323)

"Hosts that are completely gluten-free are invalid matter for the celebration of the Eucharist." (Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, 2003 - Prot. 89/78-174 98, A.1)

"Low-gluten hosts (partially gluten-free) are valid matter, provided they contain a sufficient amount of gluten to obtain the confection of bread without the addition of foreign materials and without the use of procedures that would alter the nature of bread." (Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, 2003 - Prot. 89/78-174 98, A.2)

"Mustum, which is grape juice that is either fresh or preserved by methods that suspend its fermentation without altering its nature (for example, freezing), is valid matter for the celebration of the Eucharist." (Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, 2003 - Prot. 89/78-174 98, A.3)

"The Ordinary is competent to give permission for an individual priest or layperson to use low-gluten hosts or mustum for the celebration of the Eucharist. Permission can be granted habitually, for as long as the situation continues which occasioned the granting of permission." (Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, 2003 - Prot. 89/78-174 98, C.1)

"The bread used in the celebration of the Most Holy Eucharistic Sacrifice must be unleavened, purely of wheat, and recently made so that there is no danger of decomposition. {Cf. CIC, can. 924 §2; GIRM, n. 320} It follows therefore that bread made from another substance, even if it is grain, or if it is mixed with another substance different from wheat to such an extent that it would not commonly be considered wheat bread, does not constitute valid matter for confecting the Sacrifice and the Eucharistic Sacrament. It is a grave abuse to introduce other substances, such as fruit or sugar or honey, into the bread for confecting the Eucharist. Hosts should obviously be made by those who are not only distinguished by their integrity, but also skilled in making them and furnished with suitable tools." (Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, 2004 - Redemptionis Sacramentum, n. 48)

"The wine that is used in the most sacred celebration of the Eucharistic Sacrifice must be natural, from the fruit of the grape, pure and incorrupt, not mixed with other substances. {Cf. CIC, can. 924 §§1, 3; GIRM, n. 322} During the celebration itself, a small quantity of water is to be mixed with it. Great care should be taken so that the wine intended for the celebration of the Eucharist is well conserved and has not soured. {Cf. GIRM, n. 323} It is altogether forbidden to use wine of doubtful authenticity or provenance, for the Church requires certainty regarding the conditions necessary for the validity of the sacraments. Nor are other drinks of any kind to be admitted for any reason, as they do not constitute valid matter." (Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, 2004 - Redemptionis Sacramentum, n. 50)

Excerpti: The Eucharist, Part I: Who is the minister of the Eucharist?

This is the first part in a new topic in the Excerpti series. I am now focusing on the Most Blessed Sacrament, the Eucharist: what is necessary for a valid and licit Eucharist. Every Sacrament has four components: minister, matter, form, and intent. The document that will get the most coverage in this series is Redemptionis Sacramentum from the CCDDS in 2004 which deals with "certain matters to be observed or to be avoided regarding the Most Holy Eucharist".

First, however, a bit of terminology. By valid, I mean that which leads to the Sacrament actually being confected. By licit, I mean that which leads to the Sacrament being confected lawfully. We are also dealing with confecting the Sacrament of the Eucharist, not with the ministering and reception of Holy Communion by the faithful -- I will leave that for another time. This means that I will be using the phrase "minister of the Eucharist", and this is not to be confused with "extraordinary minister of Holy Communion".

Here I will treat the minister of the Eucharist.

Summary
Only a priest (or bishop) has the ability to confect a valid and licit Eucharist.

• The only valid "minister of the Eucharist" is a validly ordained priest, end of story. (Bishops are already priests.) (CIC, can. 900 §1; CCEO, can. 699 §1)
• If any other person attempts to confect the Eucharist, they are committing a grave abuse, and the Eucharist is invalid (i.e. it is not confected). (Mysterium Ecclesiae, n. 6; Ecclesiae de mysterio, art. 7 §2)
• The Eucharist is confected validly but illicitly (i.e. unlawfully) by a priest who does so without the permission of the bishop. (Lumen Gentium, n. 26)

Western Canon Law
"The only minister who, in the person of Christ, can bring into being the sacrament of the Eucharist, is a validly ordained priest." (CIC, can. 900 §1)

"Any priest who is not debarred by canon law may lawfully celebrate the Eucharist, provided the provisions of the following canons are observed." (CIC, can. 900 §2)

Eastern Canon Law
"Only bishops and presbyters have the power of celebrating the Divine Liturgy." (CCEO, can. 699 §1)

Other Documents
"And the sacred Scriptures show, and the tradition of the Catholic Church has always taught, that this priesthood was instituted by the same Lord our Saviour, and that to the apostles, and their successors in the priesthood, was the power delivered of consecrating, offering, and administering His Body and Blood, as also of forgiving and of retaining sins." (Council of Trent, 1563 - Session XXIII, Chapter I)

"The ministerial priest, by the sacred power he enjoys, teaches and rules the priestly people; acting in the person of Christ, he makes present the Eucharistic sacrifice, and offers it to God in the name of all the people." (Second Vatican Council, 1964 - Lumen Gentium, n. 10)

"Every legitimate celebration of the Eucharist is regulated by the bishop, to whom is committed the office of offering the worship of Christian religion to the Divine Majesty and of administering it in accordance with the Lord's commandments and the Church's laws, as further defined by his particular judgment for his diocese." (Second Vatican Council, 1964 - Lumen Gentium, n. 26)

"[O]nly the priest can act in the person of Christ and preside over and perform the sacrificial banquet in which the People of God are united with the oblation of Christ. ... [T]he faithful who have not received priestly ordination and who take upon themselves the office of performing the Eucharist attempt to do so not only in a completely illicit way but also invalidly. Such an abuse, wherever it may occur, must clearly be eliminated by the pastors of the Church." (Sacred Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, 1973 - Mysterium Ecclesiae, n. 6)

"The Catholic Church has never felt that priestly or episcopal ordination can be validly conferred on women." (Sacred Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, 1976 - Inter Insigniores, n. 1)

"Although all the faithful indeed share in the one and same priesthood of Christ and participate in the offering of the Eucharist, it is only the ministerial priest who, in virtue of the Sacrament of Holy Orders, can confect the Eucharistic sacrifice in persona Christi and offer it in the name of all Christian people. {Cf. Lumen Gentium, n. 10}" (SCDF, 1983 - Sacerdotium Ministeriale, I.1)

"Since it is of the very nature of the Church that the power to consecrate the Eucharist is imparted only to the bishops and priests who are constituted its ministers by the reception of Holy Orders, the Church holds that the Eucharistic mystery cannot be celebrated in any community except by an ordained priest, as expressly taught by the Fourth Lateran Council." (SCDF, 1983 - Sacerdotium Ministeriale, III.4)

"The liturgy [shows] that every celebration of the Eucharist is performed in union not only with the proper Bishop, but also with the Pope, with the episcopal order, with all the clergy, and with the entire people. Every valid celebration of the Eucharist expresses this universal communion with Peter and with the whole Church, or objectively calls for it, as in the case of the Christian Churches separated from Rome." (Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, 1992 - Communionis Notio, n. 14)

"In eucharistic celebrations deacons and non-ordained members of the faithful may not pronounce prayers — e.g. especially the eucharistic prayer, with its concluding doxology — or any other parts of the liturgy reserved to the celebrant priest. Neither may deacons or non-ordained members of the faithful use gestures or actions which are proper to the same priest celebrant. It is a grave abuse for any member of the non-ordained faithful to 'quasi preside' at the Mass while leaving only that minimal participation to the priest which is necessary to secure validity." (Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, 1997 - Ecclesiae de mysterio, art. 7 §2)

"[I]t is the ordained priest who, 'acting in the person of Christ, brings about the Eucharistic Sacrifice and offers it to God in the name of all the people'. {Lumen Gentium, n. 10}" (Pope John Paul II, 2003 - Ecclesia de Eucharistia, n. 28)

"The ministry of priests who have received the sacrament of Holy Orders, in the economy of salvation chosen by Christ, makes clear that the Eucharist which they celebrate is a gift which radically transcends the power of the assembly and is in any event essential for validly linking the Eucharistic consecration to the sacrifice of the Cross and to the Last Supper. The assembly gathered together for the celebration of the Eucharist, if it is to be a truly Eucharistic assembly, absolutely requires the presence of an ordained priest as its president. ... It is the Bishop who, through the Sacrament of Holy Orders, makes a new presbyter by conferring upon him the power to consecrate the Eucharist. Consequently, 'the Eucharistic mystery cannot be celebrated in any community except by an ordained priest, as the Fourth Lateran Council expressly taught'. {Sacerdotium Ministeriale, III.4}" (Pope John Paul II, 2003 - Ecclesia de Eucharistia, n. 29)

"[T]he denial of one or more truths of the faith regarding these sacraments [of Eucharist, Penance, and Anointing of the Sick] and, among these, the truth regarding the need of the ministerial priesthood for their validity, renders the person asking improperly disposed to legitimately receiving them." (Pope John Paul II, 2003 - Ecclesia de Eucharistia, n. 46)

"There can be no substitute whatsoever for the ministerial Priesthood. For if a Priest is lacking in the community, then the community lacks the exercise and sacramental function of Christ the Head and Shepherd, which belongs to the essence of its very life. For 'the only minister who can confect the sacrament of the Eucharist in persona Christi is a validly ordained Priest'. {Cf. CIC, can. 900 §1}" (Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, 2004 - Redemptionis Sacramentum, n. 146)

"As has already been recalled, 'the only minister who can confect the Sacrament of the Eucharist in persona Christi is a validly ordained Priest'. {Cf. CIC, can. 900 §1} Hence the name 'minister of the Eucharist' belongs properly to the Priest alone." (Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, 2004 - Redemptionis Sacramentum, n. 154)

"The eucharistic Sacrifice absolutely requires a ministerial priesthood. The encyclical reminds us that the common priesthood [of the baptized] is not sufficient for the eucharistic celebration." (Congregation for the Clergy, 2003 - The Eucharist and the Priest (commentary on Ecclesia de Eucharistia), heading "The Eucharist and Ministerial Priesthood")

"The Church teaches that priestly ordination is the indispensable condition for the valid celebration of the Eucharist. {Cf. Sacerdotium Ministeriale}" (Pope Benedict XVI, 2007 - Sacramentum Caritatis, n. 23)