Sacramental bread

Sacramental bread, also calledCommunion bread,Communion wafer,Sacred host,Eucharistic bread, theLambor simply thehost(Latin:hostia,lit.'sacrificial victim'), is the bread used in the Christian ritual of theEucharist. Along withsacramental wine, it is one of two elements of the Eucharist. The bread may be eitherleavenedor unleavened, depending on tradition.
Catholictheology generally teaches that at theWords of Institutionthe bread's substanceis changed intotheBody of Christ(transubstantiation), whereas Eastern Christian theology generally views theepiclesisas the point at which the change occurs.
The wordhostis derived from theLatinhostia, which means 'sacrificial victim'. The term can be used to describe the bread both before and afterconsecration, although it is more correct to use it after consecration.
With the exception of Churches of theArmenian Rite, theMaronite Church, and theSyro-Malabar Church,Eastern Orthodox ChurchandEastern Catholic Churchesuseleavenedbread for the Eucharist. Thus, the sacramental bread is theResurrected Christ. The host, known asprosphoráor aπρόσφορον(prósphoron, 'offering') may be made out of only four ingredients: fine (white)wheat flour, pure water, yeast, and salt. Sometimesholy waterwill be either sprinkled into the dough or on the kneading trough at the beginning of the process.
Because leaven is symbolic of sin,theArmenian Catholic Churchand theArmenian Apostolic Orthodox Churchtraditionally offer unleavened bread (although it is distinctively different from the kind used by theCatholic Church) to symbolize the sinlessness ofChrist.
The baking may only be performed by a believing OrthodoxChristianin good standing, having preferably been recently toConfession, and is accompanied by prayer and fasting. Before baking, each loaf is formed by placing two disks of dough, one on top of the other, and stamping it with a special liturgical seal. The prosphora should be fresh and not stale or moldy when presented at thealtarfor use in theDivine Liturgy.
Often several prosphora will be baked and offered by the faithful, and the priest chooses the best one for theLamb(Host) that will beconsecrated.The remaining loaves are blessed and offered back to the congregation after the end of theDivine Liturgy(Eucharist); this bread is called theantidoron(αντίδωρον,antídōron), i.e. a 'gift returned', or 'in place of the gifts'.
TheByzantine RiteEastern Catholic Churches(like theEastern Orthodox Church) use leavened bread forprosphora(the Greek word for Eucharistic altar bread).
TheMaronite Churchhas adopted the use of unleavened bread due toliturgical Latinisation. TheSyro-Malabar Churchuses both unleavened bread as well as leavened bread in whichHoly Malkais added.
A host is a portion of bread used forHoly Communionin manyChristianchurches. InWestern Christianitythe host is often thin, round, unleavened hosts.
In theRoman Rite,unleavened breadis used as in the JewishPassoveror Feast of Unleavened Bread. TheCode of Canon Lawrequires that the hosts be made from wheat flour and water only, and recently made so that there is no danger of spoiling.
Hosts are often made bynunsas a means of supporting their religious communities. However, in New Zealand, the St Vincent de Paul Society hires individuals with intellectual disabilities to bake, cut out, and sort the bread, thereby offering paid employment to those who would not otherwise have that option.
TheGeneral Instruction of the Roman Missal§321 recommends that "the eucharistic bread[...] be made in such a way that the priest at Mass with a congregation is able in practice to break it into parts for distribution to at least some of the faithful.[...] The action of thefraction(breaking of bread), which gave its name to theEucharistin apostolic times, will bring out more clearly the force and importance of the sign of unity of all in the one bread, and of the sign of charity by the fact that the one bread is distributed among the brothers and sisters."
In 1995 Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger (the futurePope Benedict XVI), then Prefect of theCongregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, wrote a letter to the Episcopal Conferences in which he expanded the Code of Canon Law, stating that low-glutenbread would be considered "valid matter" for hosts as long as no additional substances "alter[ed] the nature of the substance of the bread".Since the 2000s, hosts with low gluten content have been manufactured in the United States, especially in parts of Missouri and New York.People withceliac diseasemust follow a strictgluten-free dietand maintain it for life to allow the recovery of the intestinal mucosa and reduce the risk of developing severe health complications.
In theCatholic ChurchtheTree of LifeinBook of Revelationverse 2:7 is the Eucharist.
In the varyingProtestantdenominations, there is a wide variety of practices concerning the sacramental bread used.LutheransandAnglicansvary by congregational tradition where some will use leavened breads while others—much like Roman Catholics—use unleavened bread.ReformedChristians use rolls which arebrokenand distributed to the faithful.
TheChristian Congregation, a Pentecostal denomination, uses leavened loaves of bread. Among those who use the unleavened hosts, there is a great deal of variation: some are square or triangular rather than round, and may even be made out ofwhole wheat flour.
Some, such as theChurches of Christ, usematzo.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saintshas no strict rules on the type of bread used for sacramental purposes. Latter-day Saint scriptures state: "For, behold, I say unto you, that it mattereth not what ye shall eat or what ye shall drink when ye partake of the sacrament, if it so be that ye do it with an eye single to my glory—remembering unto the Father my body which was laid down for you, and my blood which was shed for the remission of your sins." (Doctrine and Covenants27:2) Different congregations may use either commercial bread or homemade bread prepared by members of the congregation. It is permissible to substitute rice cakes or other gluten-free breads for members who suffer from food allergies.The bread is broken into fragments just prior to being blessed by one of the officiatingpriests.