Since I posted my conversion story
(here) and since I started telling people I was becoming Catholic, I've been asked many times questions that involve the same topic:
Why? What's the difference? How did you have your first communion when you became Catholic when you grew up baptist? What's the biggest difference between Catholics and Protestants? What is the Eucharist? How did you come to believe Jesus was really present in the Eucharist?
Those questions are a small sample of what I've been asked...but probably the most important question has been: Where is scripture does it say Jesus is present in the Eucharist? This was my question. I didn't care if 2000 years of tradition said it was Jesus, I came from a Protestant church and it had to be in the bible for me to believe it. Now I know the church came before the bible, the church put together the bible and determined what letters were inspired and what weren't but at the time of me studying about the Eucharist the bible was the only authority I would submit to and the bible led me to believe the tradition and the Church. (Note 1 Timothy 3:15 claims that the Church is the foundation and pillar of Truth, the bible never claims to be the authority but the Catholic Church does not teach anything contrary to scripture. )
So to understand we would have to go back to some of my first mass experiences. I had agreed to go to mass, because at the time I felt that the protestant church I couldn't go to - they didn't stand up for the unborn, they can't agree on doctrines and they are all founded on the bible and led by the Holy Spirit but going in different directions. I love my protestant friends and I wanted to go to protestant churches just to be with them but if I was to be obedient to where God was leading me I would have to at least consider the Catholic church. That to be said- I was determined to find something wrong with the Catholic Church....so I was considering it with a bias. If I could find something wrong well then at least I could go anywhere because they were all wrong.
Many things aren't divisive in the catholic church. They believe in Jesus, they care for the poor, the believe in charity, they have a hierarchy but so do many churches, they love babies, they believe in eternal life.... none of this was that crazy or outside of what I believed just maybe they explained some of it a little more. What I couldn't understand was the Eucharist. My husband told me "It remakes present the sacrifice of Christ." to which I heard "They are re-sacrificing Jesus?!?!! Don't they know Hebrews says that His sacrifice was once and for all. Heretics." ...And I was ready to leave it at that. See I didn't actually want to know the truth I wanted to believe what I wanted to believe. But the more I prayed the more I felt God really challenging me at least to know why I don't believe the Eucharist. So I began researching it and reading whatever I could.
I did a post a while ago on the historical writings about the Eucharist.
Here.
I want to go through Scriptural support in this post. Brace yourself. I'll try and be concise but it might be long.
1 Corinthians 10:16 The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not a communion in the blood of Christ? The bread which we break is it not a communion in the body of Christ?
This verse baffled me. Paul writes that it is a communion which means coming together to 1. He didn't write that we are in communion with each other when we do it, nor did he write that when we do it to call it communion. He said is it not a communion in the blood of Christ? Is it not a communion in the body of Christ? He says this as if it were obvious. Remember the new testament was written for Christians.
1 Corinthians 5:7-8 Christ our Passover lamb has been sacrificed. Therefore let us keep the feast!
Here Paul recounts that Christ is our Passover lamb but what does that even mean? If we look back in scripture to Exodus we see the Passover instituted:
The Passover Ritual Prescribed.
1The LORD said to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt:2 This month will stand at the head of your calendar; you will reckon it the first month of the year.3 Tell the whole community of Israel: On the tenth of this month every family must procure for itself a lamb, one apiece for each household.4 If a household is too small for a lamb, it along with its nearest neighbor will procure one, and apportion the lamb’s cost in proportion to the number of persons, according to what each household consumes.5Your lamb must be a year-old male and
without blemish. You may take it from either the sheep or the goats.6You will keep it until the fourteenth day of this month, and then, with the whole community of Israel assembled, it will be slaughtered during the evening twilight.7
They will take some of its blood and apply it to the two doorposts and the lintel of the houses in which they eat it.8They will consume its meat that same night, eating it roasted with unleavened bread and bitter herbs.9Do not eat any of it raw or even boiled in water, but roasted, with its head and shanks and inner organs.10You must not keep any of it beyond the morning; whatever is left over in the morning must be burned up.
11This is how you are to eat it: with your loins girt, sandals on your feet and your staff in hand, you will eat it in a hurry. It is the LORD’s Passover.12 For on this same night I will go through Egypt, striking down every firstborn in the land, human being and beast alike, and executing judgment on all the gods of Egypt—I, the LORD!13 But for you the blood will mark the houses where you are. Seeing the blood, I will pass over you; thereby, when I strike the land of Egypt, no destructive blow will come upon you
14
This day will be a day of remembrance for you, which your future generations will celebrate with pilgrimage to the LORD; you will celebrate it as a statute forever.15For seven days you must eat unleavened bread. From the very first day you will have your houses clear of all leaven. For whoever eats leavened bread from the first day to the seventh will be cut off from Israel.16On the first day you will hold a sacred assembly, and likewise on the seventh. On these days no sort of work shall be done, except to prepare the food that everyone needs.17Keep, then, the custom of the unleavened bread, since it was on this very day that I brought your armies out of the land of Egypt. You must observe this day throughout your generations as a statute forever.18From the evening of the fourteenth day of the first month until the evening of the twenty-first day of this month you will eat unleavened bread.19For seven days no leaven may be found in your houses; for anyone, a resident alien or a native, who eats leavened food will be cut off from the community of Israel.20You shall eat nothing leavened; wherever you dwell you may eat only unleavened bread.
Promulgation of the Passover.
21 Moses summoned all the elders of Israel and said to them, “Go and procure lambs for your families, and slaughter the Passover victims.22 Then take a bunch of hyssop, and dipping it in the blood that is in the basin, apply some of this blood to the lintel and the two doorposts. And none of you shall go outdoors until morning.23For when the LORD goes by to strike down the Egyptians, seeing the blood on the lintel and the two doorposts, the LORD will pass over that door and not let the destroyer come into your houses to strike you down.
24“You will keep this practice forever as a statute for yourselves and your descendants.25Thus, when you have entered the land which the LORD will give you as he promised, you must observe this rite.26 When your children ask you, ‘What does this rite of yours mean?’27you will reply, ‘It is the Passover sacrifice for the LORD, who passed over the houses of the Israelites in Egypt; when he struck down the Egyptians, he delivered our houses.’” Then the people knelt and bowed down,28and the Israelites went and did exactly as the LORD had commanded Moses and Aaron.
So some important things to point out:
1. A lamb without blemish was to be sacrificed. 1 Peter 1:19 " but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect."
2. They were to paint the doorposts ( note growing up all I remember learning about was this part...not number 3). Ephesians 1:7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace-
3.They were to eat the lamb and God spent a lot of time explaining how and where and to eat it. 1 Corinthians 5:7-8 Christ our Passover lamb has been sacrificed. Therefore let us keep the feast!
4. This day will be a remembrance - 1 Corinthians 23:26 23 For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread, 24 and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, “This is my body which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” 25 In the same way also the cup, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.” 26 For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.
Now I would have given you 1, 2, and 4 as a protestant but number 3 I would have said... well thats just crazy until I read what Paul said in Corinthians in the aforementioned verses. This wasn't enough to convince me though.
In the old testament I found:
Leviticus 7:15: The meat of the thanksgiving communion sacrifice shall be eaten on the day it is offered; none of it may be kept until morning.
- According to levitical law Aaronic sacrifices had to be eaten to bring you in to full communion with God. Christ is our sacrifice.
Nehemiah 9:15- 15 For their hunger you gave them bread from heaven, and for their thirst you brought water for them out of the rock, and you told them to go in to possess the land that you swore to give them. - God provided for them bread from Heaven. - Jesus is the bread of heaven (john 6)
Psalm 78:24-25 24 he rained down on them manna to eat, and gave them the grain of heaven. 25 Mortals ate of the bread of angels; he sent them food in abundance.- Jesus is the bread of Heaven (john 6).
Ezekiel 2:8-10; 3:1-3 8 But you, mortal, hear what I say to you; do not be rebellious like that rebellious house; open your mouth and eat what I give you. 9 I looked, and a hand was stretched out to me, and a written scroll was in it. 10 He spread it before me; it had writing on the front and on the back, and written on it were words of lamentation and mourning and woe.; 3 He said to me, O mortal, eat what is offered to you; eat this scroll, and go, speak to the house of Israel. 2 So I opened my mouth, and he gave me the scroll to eat. 3 He said to me, Mortal, eat this scroll that I give you and fill your stomach with it. Then I ate it; and in my mouth it was as sweet as honey. - Ezekiel was to eat the word of God which in John 1:1 we see Jesus is the Word of God.
and several more. Honestly if I listed all the eucharistic foreshadowing the post would be infinitely long.
To go through all the scripture of the new testament... I'd have to write out almost the whole new testament but I think it can be summarized into John 6 and then explaining some of the misnomers about John 6:
The Bread from Heaven
22 The next day the crowd that had stayed on the other side of the lake saw that there had been only one boat there. They also saw that Jesus had not got into the boat with his disciples, but that his disciples had gone away alone. 23 Then some boats from Tiberias came near the place where they had eaten the bread after the Lord had given thanks.24 So when the crowd saw that neither Jesus nor his disciples were there, they themselves got into the boats and went to Capernaum looking for Jesus.
25 When they found him on the other side of the lake, they said to him, ‘Rabbi, when did you come here?’ 26 Jesus answered them, ‘Very truly, I tell you, you are looking for me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves. 27 Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures for eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For it is on him that God the Father has set his seal.’ 28 Then they said to him, ‘What must we do to perform the works of God?’ 29 Jesus answered them, ‘This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.’ 30 So they said to him, ‘What sign are you going to give us then, so that we may see it and believe you? What work are you performing? 31 Our ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written, “He gave them bread from heaven to eat.”’ 32 Then Jesus said to them, ‘Very truly, I tell you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven. 33 For the bread of God is that which comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.’ 34 They said to him, ‘Sir, give us this bread always.’
35 Jesus said to them, ‘I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty. 36 But I said to you that you have seen me and yet do not believe. 37 Everything that the Father gives me will come to me, and anyone who comes to me I will never drive away; 38 for I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will, but the will of him who sent me. 39 And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day. 40 This is indeed the will of my Father, that all who see the Son and believe in him may have eternal life; and I will raise them up on the last day.’
41 Then the Jews began to complain about him because he said, ‘I am the bread that came down from heaven.’ 42 They were saying, ‘Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How can he now say, “I have come down from heaven”?’ 43 Jesus answered them, ‘Do not complain among yourselves. 44 No one can come to me unless drawn by the Father who sent me; and I will raise that person up on the last day. 45 It is written in the prophets, “And they shall all be taught by God.” Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to me. 46 Not that anyone has seen the Father except the one who is from God; he has seen the Father. 47 Very truly, I tell you, whoever believes has eternal life. 48 I am the bread of life. 49 Your ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. 50 This is the bread that comes down from heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die. 51 I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats of this bread will live for ever; and the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.’
52 The Jews then disputed among themselves, saying, ‘How can this man give us his flesh to eat?’ 53 So Jesus said to them, ‘Very truly, I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. 54 Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood have eternal life, and I will raise them up on the last day; 55 for my flesh is true food and my blood is true drink. 56 Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood abide in me, and I in them. 57 Just as the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so whoever eats me will live because of me. 58 This is the bread that came down from heaven, not like that which your ancestors ate, and they died. But the one who eats this bread will live for ever.’ 59 He said these things while he was teaching in the synagogue at Capernaum.
The Words of Eternal Life
60 When many of his disciples heard it, they said, ‘This teaching is difficult; who can accept it?’ 61 But Jesus, being aware that his disciples were complaining about it, said to them, ‘Does this offend you? 62 Then what if you were to see the Son of Man ascending to where he was before? 63 It is the spirit that gives life; the flesh is useless. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life. 64 But among you there are some who do not believe.’ For Jesus knew from the first who were the ones that did not believe, and who was the one that would betray him. 65 And he said, ‘For this reason I have told you that no one can come to me unless it is granted by the Father.’
66 Because of this many of his disciples turned back and no longer went about with him.67 So Jesus asked the twelve, ‘Do you also wish to go away?’ 68 Simon Peter answered him,
‘Lord, to whom can we go? You have the words of eternal life. 69 We have come to believe and know that you are the Holy One of God.70 Jesus answered them, ‘Did I not choose you, the twelve? Yet one of you is a devil.’ 71 He was speaking of Judas son of Simon Iscariot,[
i] for he, though one of the twelve, was going to betray him.
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Now let me say right now I could do an entire post on just John 6 and one day I might, but it was reading and praying over this passage that led me to all the other verses. It was asking God to show me what this meant. God taught me a lot and I'll make some quick points about it.
1. Manna is the prefiguring of Christ in the Eucharist.
Manna is the bread of heaven, the bread of angels and in Jewish tradition it was rained down from heaven from the heavenly temple to the ground. (Exodus 16 describes this) This bread fed the Israelites as they wandered in the dessert for 40 years and was so special to them they kept it in the tabernacle. Manna actually comes from the word " man hu" meaning "what is it?". It was a miraculous bread from heaven that they couldn't explain. It was a miracle. Remember back in Psalm 78 God commanded the doors of heaven to open and he gave the bread of angels. This manna was so special they kept it in the tabernacle with the 10 commandments and the Rod of Aaron. The Jews had obligation to see the face of God and they fulfilled this by lifting the Manna up on a table and visiting the bread of Heaven. As I learned more I realized how close this is to the Eucharist, where catholics each day go and visit Christ in the Eucharist in adoration and consume Him at mass. It was amazing to me how Jesus fulfilled the promise of the Manna in the old testament and then met the Jews requests John 6:31-34 "31 Our ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written, “He gave them bread from heaven to eat.”’ 32 Then Jesus said to them, ‘Very truly, I tell you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven. 33 For the bread of God is that which comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.’ 34 They said to him, ‘Sir, give us this bread always.’"
2. Jesus was very clear He was not speaking symbolically. If you read the first 5 chapters of John each time Jesus says something that people don't understand and they misquote, misunderstand or misspeak He corrects them. In John 6 however, Jesus doesn't leave any room for interpretation:
48 I am the bread of life. 49 Your ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. 50 This is the bread that comes down from heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die. 51 I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats of this bread will live for ever; and the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.’52 The Jews then disputed among themselves, saying, ‘How can this man give us his flesh to eat?’ 53 So Jesus said to them, ‘Very truly, I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. 54 Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood have eternal life, and I will raise them up on the last day; 55 for my flesh is true food and my blood is true drink. 56 Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood abide in me, and I in them. 57 Just as the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so whoever eats me will live because of me. 58 This is the bread that came down from heaven, not like that which your ancestors ate, and they died. But the one who eats this bread will live for ever.’
Verse 55 tore my heart and soul apart" For my flesh is true food and my blood is true drink." I couldn't find anyway to twist that into "symbolic" or "possibly not true." But it was my next point that I think really drove home the point.
3. Jesus again, was very clear. John 6:60-69:
60 When many of his disciples heard it, they said, ‘This teaching is difficult; who can accept it?’ 61 But Jesus, being aware that his disciples were complaining about it, said to them, ‘Does this offend you? 62 Then what if you were to see the Son of Man ascending to where he was before? 63 It is the spirit that gives life; the flesh is useless. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life. 64 But among you there are some who do not believe.’ For Jesus knew from the first who were the ones that did not believe, and who was the one that would betray him. 65 And he said, ‘For this reason I have told you that no one can come to me unless it is granted by the Father.’
66 Because of this many of his disciples turned back and no longer went about with him.67 So Jesus asked the twelve, ‘Do you also wish to go away?’ 68 Simon Peter answered him, ‘Lord, to whom can we go? You have the words of eternal life. 69 We have come to believe and know that you are the Holy One of God.
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So Just as in the first 5 chapters of John there is a clarification asked for "This teaching is difficult; who can accept it?" Can you imagine? Your Jewish and Jesus just told you to eat His flesh and His blood. You know you can't drink blood thats against the law, and eat His flesh? He must be crazy or He must be establishing a new covenant. He doesn't even say "Yea thats what I meant I'll give you time to soak it in. He's bold He says "Does this offend you? Then what if you were to see the Son of Man ascending to where he was before?" And we know He does ascend (see Acts 1:6-12). It's amazing how He responded and it changes everything. He didn't correct himself. He didn't say it was a symbol. In fact He says "The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life." No where in the bible is the
Spirit symbolic. The people knew He wasn't joking or lying or speaking in code because what did they do ? They turned their backs and no longer went about with Him. They left Him! So He turned to the 12 and said "Do you wish to go away?" It's as if He was challenging them: you leaving too? I'm not backing down on this one. But Peter beautifully says "lord to whom can we go? you have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe and know you are the Holy One of God."
It's only possible for Christ to be present in the Eucharist through God. Through a miracle. If he wasn't God it would just be bread and wine. But God can do anything including turn bread and wine into the body and blood of Christ and He does each day in the Catholic church.
4. Jesus taught them to pray for this:
Matthew 6:9-13
‘Pray then in this way:
Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name.
10 Your kingdom come.
Your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
11 Give us this day our daily bread.
12 And forgive us our trespasses
as we forgive those who trespass against us
13 And lead us not to temptation but deliver us from evil
Give us this day our daily bread. What does that mean? Am I asking for the steak I hope to have for dinner? Am I asking for the cheerios that I had this morning? Am I asking just that God would provide food and drink in the midst of praying for so many spiritual matters?
1. Gods will
2. FOOD?
3. Forgiveness
4 Grace
5 Protection from sin
6. Protection from Satan.
For me number 2 in this list just never seemed to add up. The word in the greek for daily is epiousios. Epi means on or above. Ousia means "being substance or nature" So Epiousios is most closely : Supernatural or Supersubstantial.
This isn't a new idea of this either. For example:
Saint Cyril, bishop of Jerusalem (313-386) wrote " Common bread is not super substantial, but this Holy Bread is supersubstancial"
So how much more does this list fit for what we pray for?
1. God's Will
2. Christ's presence.
3. forgiveness
4. grace
5 protection from Sin
6. protection from Satan
For me there was no denying this. I couldn't twist my way out of it. I couldn't find one verse that said "Communion is symbolic," or even one word that I could take out of context to say that.
I'm sure there will be a lot of comments but the ones I've come across in conversation:
1. "Isn't Jesus speaking about Him Spiritually being in Eucharist not Physically?
Paul wrote: 1 Corinthians 10:16: The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not a communion in the blood of Christ? The bread which we break is it not a communion in the body of Christ?
2. "Jesus says He is a lot of things: a door, a vine, ect. So how do you know He's being literal?"
As I spoke above He is pretty clear in John 6 that He is literal, but we can see that He is not literal in the various other places He calls himself a door or a vine.
in John 15 He calls himself the Vine. No one asks Him if He is literally the vine as they do in John 6.
In John 10 He calls himself the door but again no one asks Him if He is literally the door as they do in John 6.
They know He isn't kidding or speaking metaphorically in John 6 and they quiz Him on it, they walk away from Him because He is serious.
The most important thing is to remember Luke 1:37: For with God Nothing is Impossible
God definitely has the power to do this miracle and it is so beautiful.
3. "You believe in re-sacrificing Jesus? don't you know He was sacrificed once for the forgiveness of sins"
This was a struggle for me. Hebrews is clear the sacrifice is complete, and catholics would agree. The mass however is a sacrifice in that it remakes present that sacrifice, meaning we have the presence of the sacrificed lamb through a miracle of the Holy Spirit. Now remember the jews were to put the blood of the lamb on the doorposts and eat the lamb. The mass is called an "unbloody" sacrifice meaning we aren't re-killing Jesus. That's what it means when the Catechism says "the sacrifice of Christ and the sacrifice of the Eucharist are one single sacrifice." That's also why the Eucharist is termed the "unbloody Sacrifice," because the bloodshed was in the slaying of the Lamb, not the eating. In the Eucharist the Church is as it were at the foot of the cross with Mary, united with the offering and intercession of Christ. Catechism-1370. Catholics are not repeating the sacrifice of Christ but rather celebrating that He offers Himself on our behalf for eternity to the Father. It is because the death of the lamb was sufficient that we celebrate the Eucharist.
Protestant early church historian J.N.D Kelly writes that in the early church "the Eucharist was regarded as the distinctively Christian sacrifice...Malachi's prediction (1:10-11) that the Lord would reject Jewish sacrifices and instead would have a "pure offering" made to him by the Gentiles in every place was seized upon by Christians as a prophecy of the Eucharist. Didache indeed actually applies the term thusia, or sacrifice to the Eucharist... It was natural for early Christians to think of the Eucharist as a sacrifice. The fulfillment of prophecy demanded a solemn Christian offering, and the rite itself was wrapped in the sacrificial atmosphere with which our Lord invested the Last Supper. The words of institution "Do this" (touto poieiete), must have been charged with sacrificial overtones for second-century ears; Justin at any rate understood them to mean "Offer this"... The bread and wine moreover are offered "for a memorial (eis anamnasin)of the passion." a phrase which in view of his identification of them with the Lord's body and blood implies much more than an act of purely spiritual recollection (Early Christian Doctrines 196-97)
When I was part of various parts of the protestant church I could never understand how Jesus was to be everything for me. I could understand how He could fulfill me spiritually but being such physical people there was no physical way to connect with Christ. Now that I'm Catholic, I can physically encounter Christ through the Eucharist. Christ promises to never leave us, to be with us to the end of the age and He is, both Physically in the Eucharist and Spiritually. How beautiful. It's a miracle that it turns in to the true flesh and true blood of our Lord Jesus Christ through a miracle of the Holy Spirit.
In the Eucharist is contained His body,blood, soul and divinity and it's to that Catholic kneel, bow, and genuflect.
I know this is a lot to take in and you might have questions. Don't hesitate to comment or e-mail me at beautifulgoodtrue@gmail.com
God bless you.
Love,
Anita
