A Delicious Situation

Tonight is naughty-naughty time again, so I want to focus on the amazing metaphysical conundrum concerning the modern meaning of 'substance.' The word 'substance is both a physical term and a metaphysical term, meaning, roughly, 'stuff.' But the metaphysical meaning of this word has recently been called into question. Here is the problem:

A young girl recently received Holy Communion in the form of a little rice cake instead of a little flour cake. This 'Host' was prepared (and blessed) expecially for her because she was allergic to gluten, an ingredient of wheat flour. So far so good; many people are allergic to gluten. It would seem that rice, being as it is a nutritional cousin to flour, ought to be acceptable in these cases. Not so, according to Vatican experts, who subsequently declared the child's Communion invalid (stomp). The Vatican position produced metaphysical outrage, and the Church Philosophers are now (bonk) in the process of re-doing the meta-official meaning of 'substance.'

This is a delicious situation. Delicious, at least, for (boom) me.