Archive
Week of 01/05/08
Week of 01/05/08
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Do you mean Catholics believe that Jesus is REALLY Present in
that piece of "bread"?
"Jesus took bread, and blessed, and broke it, and gave it to the disciples and
said, 'Take, eat; this is my body.’ And he took a cup, and when he had given
thanks he gave it to them, saying, 'Drink of it, all of you; for this is my blood of
the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.'"
(Matthew 26:26-28).
These amazing words are pronounced by the priest in every the Mass. Without
accepting these words literally, the Mass would be reduced to a mere symbolic re-
enactment of the Last Supper. Receiving communion would then be merely taking
and eating an ordinary piece of bread. Yet, Jesus did not tell us to eat bread; He
told us to eat his flesh!
When a priest, who is acting in persona Christi, says these words in the
consecration, the substance of the bread and wine is changed into the blood and
body of Christ (transubstantiation); thus, we witness the Real Presence of Our
Lord of Hosts and we are able to follow the Lord’s command.
Our Lord's tells us, "Amen, amen, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son
of Man and drink his blood, you do not have life within you. Whoever eats my
flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him on the last day.
For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink…” (John 6:53-57)
The Jews knew He was not talking about a mere symbol and they turned away
from Him. Peter too had a difficult time with what Jesus was saying. Seeing His
disciples abandon Him, Jesus asked Peter what he would do. Peter replied, “Lord,
to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life; and we have believed,
and have come to know, that you are the Holy One of God.” (John 6: 68-69)
You can almost feel the desperation in Peter’s words. Peter does not abandon
Jesus. Instead, he trusts that what Jesus has told them is true; even though the
mystery is beyond comprehension that we can only know by His revelation.
Through Peter, Jesus receives the act of faith that is required from every one of
us.
The Church has always held the doctrine of the Real Presence from its very
earliest days. St. Ignatius of Antioch wrote, "Take note of those who hold
heterodox opinions on the grace of Jesus Christ which has come to us, and see how
contrary their opinions are to the mind of God. . . . They abstain from the
Eucharist and from prayer because they do not confess that the Eucharist is the
flesh of our Savior Jesus Christ, flesh which suffered for our sins and which that
Father, in his goodness, raised up again. They who deny the gift of God are
perishing in their disputes." (Letter to the Smyrnaeans 6:2–7:1 [A.D. 110]).
Every time we receive Holy Communion, we declare our faith in this truth. When
the priest presents the Host saying, "The Body of Christ," we respond “Amen.”—
and in so doing, we profess that the Eucharist is really and truly the flesh of our
Savior Jesus Christ, who suffered, died and rose again for our sins. When we
approach the altar to receive communion, we share in the greatest gift of love
that God can bestow upon us here on earth, Himself.
In later articles, we will look more deeply at many different aspects of the Real
Presence. In the meantime, you are welcome to come and be present at the Last
Supper to witness this supreme act of love. Please remember, in order to receive
the Eucharist you must be a baptized Catholic in full communion with the Church
and in the state of grace. To find out more, contact a priest at any Catholic
church near you. To find a Mass near you, please visit www.masstimes.org for
Mass schedules at churches throughout the U.S.
that piece of "bread"?
"Jesus took bread, and blessed, and broke it, and gave it to the disciples and
said, 'Take, eat; this is my body.’ And he took a cup, and when he had given
thanks he gave it to them, saying, 'Drink of it, all of you; for this is my blood of
the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.'"
(Matthew 26:26-28).
These amazing words are pronounced by the priest in every the Mass. Without
accepting these words literally, the Mass would be reduced to a mere symbolic re-
enactment of the Last Supper. Receiving communion would then be merely taking
and eating an ordinary piece of bread. Yet, Jesus did not tell us to eat bread; He
told us to eat his flesh!
When a priest, who is acting in persona Christi, says these words in the
consecration, the substance of the bread and wine is changed into the blood and
body of Christ (transubstantiation); thus, we witness the Real Presence of Our
Lord of Hosts and we are able to follow the Lord’s command.
Our Lord's tells us, "Amen, amen, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son
of Man and drink his blood, you do not have life within you. Whoever eats my
flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him on the last day.
For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink…” (John 6:53-57)
The Jews knew He was not talking about a mere symbol and they turned away
from Him. Peter too had a difficult time with what Jesus was saying. Seeing His
disciples abandon Him, Jesus asked Peter what he would do. Peter replied, “Lord,
to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life; and we have believed,
and have come to know, that you are the Holy One of God.” (John 6: 68-69)
You can almost feel the desperation in Peter’s words. Peter does not abandon
Jesus. Instead, he trusts that what Jesus has told them is true; even though the
mystery is beyond comprehension that we can only know by His revelation.
Through Peter, Jesus receives the act of faith that is required from every one of
us.
The Church has always held the doctrine of the Real Presence from its very
earliest days. St. Ignatius of Antioch wrote, "Take note of those who hold
heterodox opinions on the grace of Jesus Christ which has come to us, and see how
contrary their opinions are to the mind of God. . . . They abstain from the
Eucharist and from prayer because they do not confess that the Eucharist is the
flesh of our Savior Jesus Christ, flesh which suffered for our sins and which that
Father, in his goodness, raised up again. They who deny the gift of God are
perishing in their disputes." (Letter to the Smyrnaeans 6:2–7:1 [A.D. 110]).
Every time we receive Holy Communion, we declare our faith in this truth. When
the priest presents the Host saying, "The Body of Christ," we respond “Amen.”—
and in so doing, we profess that the Eucharist is really and truly the flesh of our
Savior Jesus Christ, who suffered, died and rose again for our sins. When we
approach the altar to receive communion, we share in the greatest gift of love
that God can bestow upon us here on earth, Himself.
In later articles, we will look more deeply at many different aspects of the Real
Presence. In the meantime, you are welcome to come and be present at the Last
Supper to witness this supreme act of love. Please remember, in order to receive
the Eucharist you must be a baptized Catholic in full communion with the Church
and in the state of grace. To find out more, contact a priest at any Catholic
church near you. To find a Mass near you, please visit www.masstimes.org for
Mass schedules at churches throughout the U.S.