ToJesusMyHeart Posted March 29, 2013 Share Posted March 29, 2013 I posted this in the Scholar Board for a definite answer, but they usually take awhile to reply and I need a reply as soon as possible for this. Here is what has happened to me in the last 30 minutes: So, the scariest thing just happened to me. I got home for Easter weekend from college, and my mom gives me all sorts of stuff from my grandparents, some scapulars, a Bible, a old-time Catechism, and then she goes...."And look at this. You'll never believe it!" Then she showed me a paper packet and pulled out from it a large rectangle host. It has engraved into it an image of the Holy Family at the Christmas manger. She said, "It's a host! Nanny's priest gave them out!" And I just stood there like ........ :shocking:..........and I said "Wait...what? Is this host consecrated?" And my mom said "Yeah, I think so!" And I said, "No, it can't be. They can't do that. It can't be. This isn't Jesus...is this Jesus? They can't give Jesus away like that....this can't be Jesus!" :ohno: And my mom just kind of stood there, not knowing what to say. She thinks it has been consecrated, but I can't imagine a parish priest would give away consecrated hosts to the parishioners in little paper baggies. The paper baggies have font on them. The priest apparently handed these host-wafer-things out at Christmas time. It says on the paper baggie that the host came in, "Glory to God in the highest. Peace on Earth to people of good will." And then on the back, it says "A legacy from the past: Wigilia/Stedry Vecer/Kucios--The Vigil of Christmas Eve. Begun millenniums ago in Poland, Slovakia, Lithuania, this Christmas Eve ritual continues wherever the blessed Oplatek--the Christmas Wafer--is shared. An opening carol may be sung. With the sign of the cross, we gather now to say the ancient canticle reserved for this day.... We share the holy wafers. through this sharing we are God bound to forgive each other all the wrongs, real and imagined, which have been committed through the year...and promise never to return to them. Only then do we have a valid sharing of the holy wafers. As Christ forgives us, we we forgive each other. Then Bethlehem, the House of Bread, where the True Bread from heaven was born, is born from above, among us, in us. For this reason the Christmas Wafer is called the "Bread of /Unifying Love." Then it instructs, "The holy wafers are now shared with all present, each breaking a piece from the other. Exchange may include the traditional, "I wish you much health, happiness, and good fortune, and after this life an eternal crown in heaven." It says at the very bottom of the paper baggie, "Christmas Wafers produced exclusively in Poland. Father Krysa's A Polish Christmas Eve is available." I'm sorry for the long story, but I figured you might need to know the details to give me the answer I need: It is possible that this "holy Christmas wafer" is actually a validly consecrated host....that the Body of Christ is sitting on my bedroom dresser? Obviously this is crucial...because if this host is actually Jesus...then we have a huge problem. I don't think it is....but if it is, what on Earth do I do? Take it to the parish and tell the priest? Consume Him? Worship Him? Is it the Body of Christ or just a piece of bread? Thank you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nihil Obstat Posted March 29, 2013 Share Posted March 29, 2013 Some preliminary investigation on my part is indicating that these are not consecrated. This is the first I have heard of such a thing, but it seems that they are more comparable to the Orthodox antidoron than to consecrated Hosts. I believe that you can rest easy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nihil Obstat Posted March 29, 2013 Share Posted March 29, 2013 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christmas_wafer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ToJesusMyHeart Posted March 29, 2013 Author Share Posted March 29, 2013 Some preliminary investigation on my part is indicating that these are not consecrated. This is the first I have heard of such a thing, but it seems that they are more comparable to the Orthodox antidoron than to consecrated Hosts. I believe that you can rest easy. the Orthodox antido----what? I've been praying that if this is Jesus, I'm sorry for not adoring Him, but I don't think it is Him... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nihil Obstat Posted March 29, 2013 Share Posted March 29, 2013 (edited) the Orthodox antido----what? I've been praying that if this is Jesus, I'm sorry for not adoring Him, but I don't think it is Him... The antidoron is blessed but not consecrated. It seems that these Christmas wafers are a similar, perhaps analogous custom. I do think that you can rest easy. Although if it really troubles you, you could simply consume it reverently. Edited March 29, 2013 by Nihil Obstat Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ToJesusMyHeart Posted March 29, 2013 Author Share Posted March 29, 2013 "The unleavened wafers are baked from pure wheat flour and water, are usually rectangular in shape and very thin; they are identical in composition to a round wafer which become the Host after the Consecration during Mass in the Roman Catholic Church. Being only a reminder of the Body of Christ used in private homes, Opłatki lack sanctification by a priest or bishop." *Phew* I hope wikipedia is right on this one. Thank you, Nihil. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PadrePioOfPietrelcino Posted March 29, 2013 Share Posted March 29, 2013 (edited) Some preliminary investigation on my part is indicating that these are not consecrated. This is the first I have heard of such a thing, but it seems that they are more comparable to the Orthodox antidoron than to consecrated Hosts. I believe that you can rest easy. For what it is worth I concur. Edited March 29, 2013 by PadrePioOfPietrelcino Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ithinkjesusiscool Posted March 29, 2013 Share Posted March 29, 2013 At every Coptic Orthodox Mass/Divine Liturgy the Priest always gives you bread afterwards. It looks exactly like the bread used in the Eucharist...tastes good... Didn't know Latin Catholic received Xmas wafers :pope2: :eat: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mortify Posted March 29, 2013 Share Posted March 29, 2013 Its a Polish custom to hand out and break off a piece of the wafer while offering best wishes to that person. Its performed on christmas eve and the hosts are not consecrated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SuscipeMeDomine Posted March 29, 2013 Share Posted March 29, 2013 It's a Polish Christmas custom called an oplatek. See Wikipedia here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christmas_wafer You can purchase them on Amazon, eBay, and from stores. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dominicansoul Posted March 29, 2013 Share Posted March 29, 2013 Like everybody has shared here, its a Polish custom, and the wafer is not consecrated. At the DSMME, we all tore off a little piece of wafers and shared them with one another. One of our sisters was Polish and her family sent the convent the blessed wafers for Christmas :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnneLine Posted March 29, 2013 Share Posted March 29, 2013 I was thinking the same thing. It's not a consecrated host, but it may be 'blessed' so I would treat it with appropriate respect. I also vaguely recall from St. Therese's autobiography that when St. Therese was too little to go to Mass with her family (which I always throught was kind of interesting), that they would bring her home a piece of 'blessed bread' and that was something she looked forward to getting. One Sunday they arrived too late, and when Therese was super-upset, Celine went to the bread cupboard, sliced off a piece, made a sign of the cross over it and gave it to Therese, who said it tasted just like the real 'blessed bread'. So I guess this custom may be in many, many cultures... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ToJesusMyHeart Posted March 29, 2013 Author Share Posted March 29, 2013 Thank you everyone for your answers! I think it is blessed, so I'll go ahead and eat it respectfully. :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Apotheoun Posted March 29, 2013 Share Posted March 29, 2013 Thank you everyone for your answers! I think it is blessed, so I'll go ahead and eat it respectfully. :) Eat it with a little honey (if you have any). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ToJesusMyHeart Posted March 29, 2013 Author Share Posted March 29, 2013 Eat it with a little honey (if you have any). I do have some! Thanks for the idea. :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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