The Host at Mass; Jesus Truly Present or Symbolic Memorial? The Host consecrated at a Catholic Mass is referred to by Catholics as the Holy Eucharist, the Body of Christ. Catholics believe that during Mass bread and wine are transformed into the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ. This is known as the Real Presence because Catholics understand Jesus is truly present, body and soul, humanity and divinity. Stated another way, it is that Jesus is not present figuratively but that Jesus Himself is physically present. Why would Catholics believe something so astounding? Could this belief be invented or misunderstood? The Catholic Church did not make up this belief. It comes from Christ. Scripture is full of evidence for this teaching of the Church. Foreshadowing Old Testament Manna in the desert God feeds His people bread (Exodus 16:15) Bread of the Tabernacle Bread was placed in the most sacred place in all of Judaism, the Holy of Holies in the temple in Jerusalem,.Today in Catholic churches the Eucharist is kept in tabernacles. Regularly on each Sabbath day this bread shall be set
out afresh before the Lord, offered on the part of the Israelites by an everlasting agreement. It shall belong to Aaron and his sons, who must eat it in a sacred place, since, as something most sacred among the various oblations to the Lord it is his by perpetual right. (Lev. 24:8-9; 1 Sam 21:7: Ex 25:30). Foreshadowing New Testament Jesus feeds the multitude by multiplying the loaves and fishes (Lk 9:11-17) Jesus changes water into wine at Cana (Jn 2:1-11) Jesus is physically feeding bread and wine to people in a miraculous way. If He did this, could He not do more? He changes bread and wine into His Body and Blood at the Last Supper. Direct Evidence in Scripture All four Gospels discuss the Eucharist so it must be important. Three of the four, plus one of St. Paul s letters, use nearly the same language. Then he took the bread, said the blessing, broke it, and gave it to them, saying, This is my body, which
will be given up for you; do this in memory of me. And likewise the cup after they had eaten, saying, This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which will be shed for you. (Luke 22:19-20) (See also Mt 26:26-28, Mark 14:22-23; and 1 Cor 11: 23-25.) Notice Jesus does not say this is LIKE my Body, or this is a SYMBOL for my Body, but this IS my Body. John s Gospel Leaves No Doubt The sixth chapter in the Gospel of John is clear. It opens with the crowd challenging Jesus. They want Him to perform a miracle. They say that God fed Jews manna in the desert (see foreshadowing link above) and they ask what can Jesus do. He responds: I am the bread of life... this is the bread that comes down from heaven so that men may eat it and not die. I am the living bread that came down from heaven; whoever eats this bread will live forever; and the bread that
I will give is my flesh for the life of the world. The Jews quarreled among themselves saying, How can this man give us his flesh to eat? (John 6: 48, 50-52) Notice Jesus audience understood Him literally about eating His flesh. There would be no reason to quarrel if the term were understood symbol-ically. Jesus understood what they were saying. How did He react? 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. (John 6:53) Jesus says clearly again and again you must eat His flesh and drink His Blood to have eternal life. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him on the last day. (John 6:54) For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. (John 6:55) Whoever eats my flesh and
drinks my blood remains in me and I in him. (John 6:56) Just as the living Father sent me and I have life because of the Father, so also the one who feeds on me will have life because of me. (John 6:57) This is the bread that came down from heaven. Unlike your ancestors who ate and still died, whoever eats this bread will live forever. (John 6:58) After Jesus hammers home the point without compromise, His audience reacts. Again they interpret Jesus literally. Then many of his disciples who were listening said, This saying is hard; who can accept it?... As a result of this, many of His disciples returned to their former way of life and no longer accompanied him. (John 6:60,66)
The reaction of the crowd is critical to understanding Jesus. They would not leave over merely symbolic language. But they did leave, demonstrating again that they understood Jesus literally. Jesus does not call them back. He never says He was only speaking symbolically. He does not correct their literal understanding. They leave Jesus and never come back. Jesus wants only followers who will accept this teaching. He lets everyone go who will not accept it. Notice that in other places where people INCORRECTLY understand Him literally, Jesus corrects their understanding. For example, He corrects Nicodemus about being reborn. Amen, amen, I say to you, no one can see the kingdom of God without being born from above. Nicodemus said to him, How can a person once grown old be born again? Surely he cannot enter his mother s womb and be born again, can he? Jesus answered, Amen, amen, I say to you, no one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and Spirit. (John 3:3-6)
Also, when He talks about being a vine or door or gate, it is clear He is speaking symbolically, because the Gospels say so. I am the true vine, and my Father is the vine grower. He takes away every branch in me that does not bear fruit, and every one that does he prunes so that it bears more fruit. You are already pruned because of the word that I spoke to you. Remain in me as I remain in you. Just as a branch cannot bear fruit on its own unless it remains on the vine, so neither can you unless you remain in me. (John 15:1-4) Although Jesus used this figure of speech they did not realize what he was trying to tell them. So Jesus again said, Amen, amen, I say to you, I am the gate for the sheep. (John 10:6-7) [Emphasis added] In each case, the Gospel says that the terms are symbolic, but not when describing the eating of my flesh. Returning to John, Chapter 6, after Jesus
talks about the necessity of eating His flesh to have eternal life, and the crowd who cannot accept this teaching leaves Jesus, He turns to His apostles and takes a very hard line on this teaching. He invites them to leave if they won t accept it. Jesus then said to the Twelve, Do you also want to leave? (John 6:57) Christ asks all of us this question. Will we reject Him because of this hard teaching? Simon Peter answered him, Master, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. (John 6:68) Who believed Jesus was truly present in the Eucharist? The Apostles and eventually all their followers. They devoted themselves to the teaching of the apostles and to the communal life, to the breaking of the bread and to the prayers. (Acts 2:42; See also Acts 2:46 and 20:7) St. Paul believed Jesus Christ was in the Eucharist, not symbolically, but actually. Therefore, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord unworthily will have to answer for the body and blood of the Lord. A person should examine himself, and so eat the bread and drink the cup. For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body, eats and drinks judgment on himself. (1 Cor 11:27-29) It s not reasonable to think that God will bring judgment on someone for drinking a symbol unworthily, but isn t it reasonable to believe that God will bring judgment on someone who receives Jesus unworthily? Early Christians also believed Jesus was
truly present in the Eucharist. St. Justin the Martyr (ca 155 A.D.) describes the Eucharist to Emperor Antoninus Pius (138-161 A.D.) in the same language and sense as used today in the Catholic Mass. (Apologiae 1, 65-67; 6, 428-429) Even Martin Luther believed Jesus is truly and actually present in the Eucharist, not symbolically (although not exactly as Catholics believe). (Sermon on the Blessed Sacrament) Throughout all of the last two thousand years only the Catholic Church has maintained this truth fully. It may be you have not known about this great gift of God, or that your Church has rejected this teaching of Christ, like the crowd in the Gospel. This is understandable. However, if you are truly committed to knowing truth and knowing God more deeply, including His desire to come personally to us, this may inspire you to learn more deeply about the Eucharist.
The Host at Mass; Jesus Truly Present or Symbolic Memorial?
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