The Bible Proves the Real Presence
of Christ in the Holy Eucharist

The Mystical Press and Christ in Glory - by Marco dal Pino (Marco da Siena) - from the Vatican Museum . . . . . .
Symbolic of the Eucharistic Sacrifice. Depicts the Infinite Supply of Merits and Grace accumulated by the Sufferings of Jesus in order to:

Pay the Debt of Men's Sins;
Reconcile Men to God and Reopen the Gates of Heaven to Mankind;
Vivify the Seven Sacraments of the Church, Instituted by Christ;
Deliver Men from the Power of the Devil; and
Restore the Divine Life and Vision of God to Men.

 

My Soul, if you wish to Penetrate the Depths of this Mystery, your Gaze must be Illumined by Love! You need to See and Understand! Contemplate the Last Supper: see Jesus Who knows that He will soon be Separated-from the Body of His Humanity, and yet Wishing to be United to us Forever; Contemplate the Love by which He Institutes this Sacrament which Permits Him to be Corporeally and Forever United to Mankind. O Inextinguishable Love! O Love of Christ! O Love of the Human Race! What a True Furnace of Love! O Jesus, You already saw the Death which awaited You; the Sorrows and Atrocious Tortures of the Passion were already Breaking Your Heart, and yet You Offered Yourself to Your Executioners, and Permitted them, by means of this Sacrament, to Possess You Forever as an Eternal Gift, O You, Whose Delights are to be with the Children of Men!

O my Soul, how can you Refrain from plunging yourself ever Deeper and Deeper into the Love of Christ, Who did not forget you in Life or in Death, but Who Willed to give Himself Wholly to you, and to Unite you to Himself Forever?

- St. Angela Foligno

 

The Bible Proves the Real Presence
of Christ in the Holy Eucharist

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by Father Daniel Maher

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In the Sixth Chapter of the Gospel of John, Jesus promised to give us His Flesh to Eat and His Blood to Drink. To those of us who Profess Belief in Christ in the Twentieth Century, the Thought that Jesus would become for us, Actual Food, and thereby enter into us, to provide Nourishment and Refreshment to our Soul, is a Wonderfully Consoling Thought. For those Christians who Profess the Faith of the Catholic Church, this Thought is much more than mere Consolation, it is the Core Belief of Catholics regarding their Encounter with Christ in the Action termed Holy Communion.

eucharist10.jpg (34212 bytes) If we Project ourselves back to the Time of Christ, and Envision ourselves as among those of a Jewish Background, who had been Drawn-by the Dynamic Preaching and Inspiring Example of Jesus of Nazareth, His Promise would perhaps be seen in quite a Different Light. Upon Jesus' Extraordinary Revelation contained in this Section of the Gospel, there occurs a Mass Exodus of Followers from His Camp, seeming to Indicate that those who were somewhat Skeptical Disciples of this Self-proclaimed Messiah, saw those words not so much as a Consolation, but as instead more of a Confirmation of sorts. The Thought that One would Proclaim His Flesh to be Food, and His Blood to be Drink, must have Confirmed for many what some had no doubt always Suspected, "Jesus of Nazareth is Crazy!"

According to Jewish Custom, the Blood of a Person or Animal was the Life Force of that Being, and therefore Sacred and Incapable of being Shed or Drunk by a Believer. It is easy to understand, but no less regrettably felt, that the Fledgling Faith of so many of those Original Disciples, was Shaken by Words uttered by the Savior Himself. What a Tragedy that the Lord Who wanted to be so-Generous, as to share His Own Life-Force with them, as He did for us all, through the Outpouring-of His Blood from the Cross, should be Rejected as a sort of Madman, for Possessing such a Love for His Chosen Children!

Yet today still we see around us, continuing Rejection of Christ's Instructions, that we are to Eat His Flesh and Drink His Blood, in order to have Life. This decision by most Christian Denominations to Interpret such a Key Section of the Bible in a 'Figurative' Way, seems Curious, in Light of the fact that Flocks of Disciples walked away from Jesus at the Time of its Proclamation. One would think that if His Message had somehow been taken too-Literally by the Disturbed Crowds, and in fact, He Intended it in only a Symbolic Way, Jesus would have Corrected the Misunderstanding among the Departing Throngs, rather than let them walk-away from His Saving Message.

The assumption that Jesus was speaking only 'Figuratively', also would seem a bit Deflated-by the Language employed in this Section of Scripture itself. The Greek Language in which John's Gospel was originally written, is consistent in its use of words which Translate-into English as "Eat" and "Flesh", words which would seem rather Strong, if the Eating Intended was merely Spiritual, or if the Flesh Partaken-of was meant in a Spiritual Sense too. Instead, it seems more-Logical to Assume that a Real Partaking of the Flesh and Blood of Christ is Commended, an Act of Eating which Produces Marvelous Spiritual Effects.

god_is_luv_ani.gif (9754 bytes) In the Mass, Catholics believe that simple Bread and Wine, brought to the Altar as a Token Offering to God, are Marvelously Changed by God's Power during the Praying of the Mass, into the Body and Blood of Christ, for Distribution to Believers, in the Action of Holy Communion. God is so Aflame-with Love and Longing for His People, that He will go to even seemingly Crazed Extremes to Express that Love. Holy Communion is one of those Cases where God's Love is so Great, as to make His Zealous Love for His People, Appear Mad. What a different World it would be if we Strove to Return God's Love with an Equal Passion!