You know I never got how there was that whole meat rule, yet catholics every Sunday pretend to be eating Jesus' flesh and drinking his blood. Someone please enlighten me I'm dying to know how this makes sense. Respect Jesus... But let's eat him! Yum!
Ugh.
The early pagan Romans also did not understand this nor some of the Jews as is evidenced even in the scriptures themselves (John 6:66). But the early Christians were quite clear in their own minds that the bread and wine were indeed miraculously converted into His body and blood just as he said in the scriptures. We know this because these early Christians wen to their death accused of cannibalism by the Roman state rather then deny His true presence in the consecrated bread and wine.
The basis for their belief was of course the teaching of the Church as the canon of the scriptures was as yet undetermined but what we see in the scriptures to support this idea is the following.
Jesus identifies the bread and wine as His body and blood.
Mar 14:22 And as they did eat, Jesus took bread, and blessed, and brake it, and gave to them, and said, Take, eat: this is my body.
Mar 14:23 And he took the cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them: and they all drank of it.
Mar 14:24 And he said unto them, This is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many.
The Greek term used for "is" is the word estee meaning "truly is" or "literally is" NOT just "symbolic represents" as some would have you believe.
Jesus claims that whoever eats His body and drinks His blood will have eternal life.
Joh 6:54 Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day.
Joh 6:55 For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed.
Joh 6:56 He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him.
Paul makes it clear that Jesus is not being symbolic when he points out that one is in danger of damnation if one treats the bread and wine unworthily (something that amounts to idolatry if the bread and wine are mere symbols) by not recognizing the Lord's body.
1 Cor 11:27 Wherefore whosoever shall eat this bread, and drink this cup of the Lord, unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord.
Finally the Lord tells us to repeat this sacrament.
Luk 22:19 And he took bread, and gave thanks, and brake it, and gave unto them, saying, This is my body which is given for you: this do in remembrance of me.
This is not just a reminding ourselves of the last supper. The Greek word used here for remembrance is anamnesis, which is used only 4 times in the New Testament always in context of the Eucharist or in referring to the calling to God's mind of a sacrifice previously offered. Similarly this term appears only in the Septuigant (the Greek translation of the Old Testament) in the seame sense. Other rememberings of other events used in the New Testaments use other Greek words to describe that other form of reminding ourselves.
So this may not work as a proof for you who do not accept the scriptures as the word of God, but to the early Christians this was plain enough that they should participate in the Eucharist as He told us to and consume His true presence in the consecrated bread and wine.
Modern philosophical terms such as transubstantiation address the issue of the
substance and accidents of the bread and wine and His body and blood, thus explaining why the outward appearance does not reflect the inward reality, but I doubt you are interested in those technical discussions.
I hope that helped you understand.
But lay catholics only take the bread. The priest gets the cup and bread. How do you repeat it if only taking half of it?
Christ did not divide it up that way.
19. And he took bread, and gave thanks, and brake it,
and gave unto them, saying, This is my body which is given for you: this do in remembrance of me.
20.
Likewise also the cup after supper, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood, which is shed for
you.
"Them" and "you" being His apostles.
No lay or priest folk here. All the apostles took both the bread and cup.
1 Corinthians 11:23.
For I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you, That the Lord Jesus the same night in which he was betrayed took bread:
24. And when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for
you: this do in remembrance of me.
25. After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood: this do
ye, as oft as
ye drink it, in remembrance of me.
26. For as often as
ye eat this bread, and drink this cup,
ye do shew the Lord's death till he come.
"You" and "ye" being the church at Corinth, them that are made Holy in Christ Jesus and all that in every place call upon the Lord's name.
1 Corinthians 1:2. Unto the church of God which is at Corinth, to them that are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, with all that in every place call upon the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both theirs and ours:
No lay folk here, but all the members of the Corinthian church are priests, according to Peter. Priests definitely were involved here, but not a seperate priesthood, but all the faithful at Corinth.
1 Peter 2:5. Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house,
an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ......
9. But
ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light
Revelation 1:5. And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood,
6.
And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.
All are partaking of the bread and the cup. It is not seperated as bread for lay and both for priest.
When did this horrendous decision to change, adulterate and divide the Eucharist into bread for the lay and both bread and cup only for "priests" occur? It seems a definitive contradiction of the very book catholics credit themselves with compiling.
Ollie
Author