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I am only required to receive Communion once a year, and the Church in her wisdom has determined that since Christ is alive and cannot be divided, that the entirety of His substance - Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity - is really and truly present in every particle of Eucharistic bread and every drop of Eucharistic wine. Therefore, whenever I receive the Eucharist under the appearance of bread, I am receiving Christ's Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity. Nothing is lacking because Christ is complete and undivided.
Thanks for your explanation. I understand that this is your belief, and I leave God to be both yours and my judge. That said, there is nothing in Scripture which says that the entirety of His substance is present in the bread alone. Therefore it is a tradition of men.
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Hey Mike, I have no issue with you believing the teachings of the Catholic Church. My objection is when you try to pass them off as coming from God. Call them what they are. Traditions of men. They are not from God. In fact, Jesus made His feelings clear about them in Matthew 15. The Pharisees were notorious for it.
If the teachings of the Catholic Church are not in fact from God, but mere "traditions of men", then to hell with them.
If I didn't believe that the Catholic Church teaches with the Authority of Christ, then I wouldn't follow it.
I truly believe in the presence of Jesus when we take the bread and cup, but I don’t believe we are literally eating His body or drinking His blood.
U r exactly right. Jesus died ONCE for all. No need for His blood over and over again. No need for the “sacrifice of the mass.”
Funny, but you never read about the early church eating the body and drinking the blood …probably because they understood it to be symbolic.
It is Jesus himself said that his flesh was real food and his blood real drink (JN 6:55).
Since you don't believe, it is you who is following the traditions of men (those who turned and walked away - Jn 6:66 !)
If the teachings of the Catholic Church are not in fact from God, but mere "traditions of men", then to hell with them.
If I didn't believe that the Catholic Church teaches with the Authority of Christ, then I wouldn't follow it.
I understand that, and the only way you will ever change your mind is through genuine study of the Bible and lots of prayer. In order to do that, you have to have a desire for truth. I believe God wants that from all of us. He wants us to examine His Scriptures daily so we can know that what is being taught to us is truth, like the Bereans did. I think that’s why He put the example of the Bereans in Acts 17:11. He wants us to do likewise imho. Nothing I will ever say on a public forum will change your mind, but if I can influence you towards the Scriptures, and get you to consider what God has to say on each matter, then I think He’d be pleased.
It is Jesus himself said that his flesh was real food and his blood real drink (JN 6:55).
Since you don't believe, it is you who is following the traditions of men (those who turned and walked away - Jn 6:66 !)
Yes He did say that! But I believe He was speaking metaphorically. John 6 has nothing to do with the Lord’s Supper. It has to do with consuming His life and teachings.
Jesus is the bread of life. He who eats this bread will not die. The bread he gives is his flesh, which he gave on the cross for the world. The Jews, like Catholics, believed/believe that Jesus spoke of his physical flash to eat. But Jesus was speaking of eating his flesh and drinking his blood in a spiritual sense. We must consume Christ. Unless you consume him spiritually, you won’t have life.
Pay close attention to John 6:63. Jesus tells us that the words He speaks are spirit. He says the flesh profits nothing.
“It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life.” (John 6:63)
Furthermore, the bigger issue is where in Scripture do we see an apostle, bishop or priest changing the bread and cup to the body and blood of Christ?
Last edited by MissKate12; 01-11-2023 at 12:35 PM..
I understand that, and the only way you will ever change your mind is through genuine study of the Bible and lots of prayer. In order to do that, you have to have a desire for truth. I believe God wants that from all of us. He wants us to examine His Scriptures daily so we can know that what is being taught to us is truth, like the Bereans did. I think that’s why He put the example of the Bereans in Acts 17:11. He wants us to do likewise imho. Nothing I will ever say on a public forum will change your mind, but if I can influence you towards the Scriptures, and get you to consider what God has to say on each matter, then I think He’d be pleased.
You're making some serious accusations here:
1) I have not studied the Bible genuinely
2) I have not done lots of praying
You're also implying that I don't have a desire for truth.
What if it was precisely through my study of Scripture and prayer that I have come to the conclusions I have?
This has been an excellent discussion bringing out some very good points
In my opinion it can be very productive when those vying for ‘the faith’ can come to a stage of separating the individual from the collective while still understanding that the original collective itself has importance in the greater scheme
All this requires patience and self control and taking into account and understanding that others have perspective and bias which they/we do not conscious control over as we religiously all have been indoctrinated (that is part of the original design for the fathers and teachers to do)
This comes down to what the female is and what the male is in the religious/doctrinal sense and their very different roles in ‘the church’
Yes He did say that! But I believe He was speaking metaphorically. John 6 has nothing to do with the Lord’s Supper. It has to do with consuming His life and teachings.
Jesus is the bread of life. He who eats this bread will not die. The bread he gives is his flesh, which he gave on the cross for the world. The Jews, like Catholics, believed/believe that Jesus spoke of his physical flash to eat. But Jesus was speaking of eating his flesh and drinking his blood in a spiritual sense. We must consume Christ. Unless you consume him spiritually, you won’t have life.
Pay close attention to John 6:63. Jesus tells us that the words He speaks are spirit. He says the flesh profits nothing.
“It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life.” (John 6:63)
Furthermore, the bigger issue is where in Scripture do we see an apostle, bishop or priest changing the bread and cup to the body and blood of Christ?
Jesus himself shows us right there at Luke 22 19-20
And He took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is My body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me.”
Likewise He also took the cup after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood, which is shed for you.
These exact words are used in each and every Catholic mass. Why would we need to do it any other way than what Jesus himself showed us? Why would we ADD words like 'symbol' or 'like' - Jesus himself used neither!
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