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"I am the way, and the
truth, and the life."
These are the words of Jesus
Christ in John 14:6
Therefore, truth is one. There can be only one truth, as there can be only one Jesus Christ.
Whatever Jesus Christ said is true, because He said it.
The Holy Eucharist in the Old Testament...
Consuming the Lamb
Slain (Rev 5:6), or participating in the Eucharistic Meal, or Supper, is
prefigured or "Typed" in the Old Testament.
The Lamb of GOD is depicted throughout the
Bible as being Jesus
Christ...
"Behold, the Lamb
of GOD, who takes away the sin of the world."
These are words spoken by John
the Baptist in John 1:29 as he saw Jesus coming
to him.
In Exodus 12:1-22, the Israelites, in order to avoid the slaying of their firstborn by the "Angel of Death", were commanded by GOD to take an unblemished male lamb (12:5)and slaughter it (12:6), and apply its blood to the two doorposts, and the lintels of every household which did partake of the Lamb (12:7). Now look at verse (12:8), and you will clearly see that in order for their firstborn to be saved, they had to eat the Lamb as well. Is this not what we do in the sacrifice of the Mass? Are we not to be saved by consuming the Body and the blood of the Lamb as shown in John Chapter 6:33-58?
In Exodus 16:13-16, is the
story of the quail and the manna which fed the Israelites as they proceeded
through their desert trek. GOD provided the bodily food for the hundreds
of thousands involved. Can you imagine how much food was required for all
of these people every day? There were 600,000 men alone, not counting women
and children. See Exodus 12:37.
The quail and the manna are "Types"
of the Holy Eucharist. See John 6:32.
The prophet Malachi tells
us what is to come regarding the Holy Eucharist. Malachi 1:11:
"For from the rising of
the sun even to the going down, My name is great among the Gentiles, and
in every place there is sacrifice, and there is offered to My name a CLEAN
OBLATION."
Malachi has said there will be
no more bloody sacrifices to GOD as was done in the Old Testament. The
Catholic Church offers the sacrifice of the Mass, and a "clean oblation",
the Holy Eucharist, all over the world, and around the clock. This prophecy
of Malachi has been fulfilled.
The Holy Eucharist in the New Testament...
In Matthew 26:26, He said, "Take
and eat; THIS IS MY BODY."
In Matthew 26:27-28 He said, "All
of you drink of this; FOR THIS IS MY BLOOD OF THE NEW COVENANT, WHICH IS
BEING SHED FOR MANY UNTO THE FORGIVENESS OF SINS."
These words of Jesus Christ, faithfully recorded by St. Matthew, are the First Mention of them in Holy Scripture. His Gospel was written for the Jews, in order to try and convince them that the long awaited Messiah had truly come, just as the Old Testament Prophets had predicted He would. Therefore, Matthew refers to more Old Testament verses than any of the four Gospel writers, since the Jews knew Holy Scripture quite well. This Gospel, therefore, stands alone on its own merit, as do all of the Gospels.
I challenge anyone to show me any hint of symbolism of the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ in this Gospel of St. Matthew.
These words recorded by St. Mark are almost identical to those of St. Matthew, and therefore, have the same meaning as those of St. Matthew under the "Law of First Mention". However, Mark wrote his Gospel to a different audience, the Romans. He tries to show them that Jesus Christ is the Divine Savior by including more of His miracles in this Gospel. St. Mark's Gospel stands alone as do all of the Gospels.
I challenge anyone to show me any hint of symbolism of the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ in this Gospel of St. Mark.
These words of Jesus Christ,set down by St. Luke, are very similar and have the same meaning as those of Matthew and Mark, and again follow the "Law of First Mention". St. Luke wrote to yet another audience, the Gentile converts. His Gospel also stands alone on its own merit.
I challenge anyone to show me the symbolism of the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ in this Gospel of St. Luke. Some may try to show that the word "remembrance" means it is symbolic. However, if you would look at the original Greek word used here, it is "anamnesis", which means not only to "remember", but more importantly, "to make present". There is no symbolism in these words recorded by St. Luke. To try and show symbolism in St. Luke's Gospel, you would also have to show the symbolism in the Gospels of Matthew and Mark as well. Each Gospel stands alone.
Count the number of times Jesus said, He is the bread, the living bread, that it is His flesh and it is His blood, and that we must eat of His flesh and drink His blood?
In John 6:66 (the 666 connection) who walked away from Jesus and never returned? Was it the Jews who were there? Did GOD give the Ten Commandments to the Hebrews only? You cannot be selective of a single group, as the Gospels were written for all of us. It was all of those, then and now, who refuse to believe His words which He repeated over and over again. Why does a person repeat himself? It is to drive home a point and to make it stick. But stick it did not for many, then as now. All those who refuse to believe in the true presence of Jesus Christ in the Holy Eucharist, are those imbedded in John 6:66.
Some try to show that verse
63 shows that the whole chapter is symbolic. However, "It
is the spirit that quickens; the flesh profits nothing: the words that
I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life"
(63), merely
shows that we cannot accept this mystery in too human a way, by having
an earthly view of things. See John 3:6, "That
which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit
is spirit." If "the flesh profits
nothing", then JesusChrist died
for nothing. Verse 63 means that we should not have a carnal human understanding
of His words, but a spiritual understanding. See John 8:15, Rom 8:1-13,15:27,
1Cor 3:1-4,9:11, and 2Cor 10:4.
He who takes "The
flesh profits nothing"literally, denies
the incarnation and humanity of Jesus Christ."
It is interesting that those who do this are taking one verse and calling
it literal by itself, and all the while calling all of the other verses
around it figurative, or symbolic.
The word "Amen"
is a Greek word (amen) of Hebrew origin
which, at the beginning of a discourse means, "certainly", "surely",
"truly", "of a truth", "so be it"? When used
as a prefix by Jesus Christ , it is to emphasize that it is a Statement
of especial solemnity.
Now, what do you suppose He meant
when He emphasized twice, by using a double "Amen"?
"Amen,
amen, I say to you, Moses did not give you the bread from heaven, but my
Father gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of GOD is that
which comes down from heaven and gives life to the world."
John 6:32-33
Notice that Jesus used a double
emphasis by beginning these verses with 'truly', 'truly'. Do you 'truly'
'truly' believe what He said in this verse? Is there any room for symbolism
in these verses whatsoever?
"Amen,
amen, I say to you, he who believes in me has life everlasting."
John 6:47
Again, He said 'truly', 'truly',
but of course everyone believes His words in this verse, so everyone 'truly',
'truly' believes Him here. But, read on for a possible "snag"
for some, regarding this verse.
"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
What? 'Truly', 'truly' again?
Another double emphasis? The context for this verse is the same as for
the previous examples in this section. Why do you think Jesus used a double
emphasis yet again? Why do people repeat themselves at all? They do it
to drive home a very important point, that is why! Interestingly, Weymouth's
Modern Speech New Testament translates the first words of this verse as:
"In most solemn truth, I tell you...".
What would Jesus have had
to say to make his words any more clear than what He actually said? Then
why do some say "Truly, truly, in this verse, He was only speaking
symbolically"?
If this verse is to be taken
only symbolically, then the previous example, John 6:47, must be treated
in the same context, as being only a symbolic gesture also. If that is
the case, then we have a domino effect working throughout Scripture. All
verses with the same meaning of John 6:47, "believe in Christ and
you have life everlasting", must be only symbolic as well.
Some well known, and well used
verses with the same, or very similar meaning are,
John 3:15-16,18, 5:24, 6:40,
8:24, and 20:31, Acts 13:48, and 16:31, Romans 10:9-11, 1Timothy 1:16,
and 4:10, 2Timothy 1:1, and 1John 5:13.
The Greek word for "life"
used in John 6:53, is "zoen"
(zoen) which means, "divine life of GOD imparted to us". There
are other Greek words for "life" that St. John could have chosen,
such as "bios" (bios) which
simply means "life". The fact that he chose the word that he
did, lends great credibility to the literal meaning of this verse and with
not a hint of symbolism.
Again, if you try to show that
John Chapter 6 is symbolic, then you have to show the symbolism in the
other three Gospels, and the other verses I have presented as well.
This authority and power bestowed upon the Apostles, was passed down to their successors, the Priests and the Bishops, through the "Laying on of Hands", in a process called "Apostolic Succession". This process has been perpetuated to this very day, and can be vividly seen in the unbroken line of the "Bishops of Rome", the "Popes".
Wow! Just what is going on
here? When Catholics receive Holy Communion, the priest holds up the Sacred
Host and says "The Body
of Christ".
The communicant responds with "Amen". The word "Amen"
means "so be it". It is an affirmation that we believe what the
priest has just said. Since each receptor is a member of the Body
of Christ, then
he or she is in communion with the other members of the Body
of Christ in
the Catholic Church. It is an affirmation that we believe and accept the
teachings of the Catholic Church. This is what St. Paul is telling us in
those three verses. This is also precisely the reason why Protestants should
not receive Holy Communion in the Catholic Church. They do not believe
it is the true Body and
Blood of Jesus
Christ, therefore they are not in communion
with the Catholic Church, and they are not believers of Catholic teachings.
If they were, then why would they still be Protestant?
CCC-1355 (Catechism of the Catholic
Church)
About 25 years after the Protestant reformation, the Catholic Church convened the Council of Trent as a counter to the reformation, and for the refutation of the heresies created by it. Here are the decrees of this council regarding the True Presence of Jesus Christ in the Holy Eucharist...
The Thirteenth Session: Decreed
on March 8, 1547.
ON THE MOST HOLY SACRAMENT OF
THE EUCHARIST...
CANON I.-If any one denieth, that, in the sacrament of the most holy Eucharist, are contained truly, really, and substantially, the body and blood together with the soul and divinity of our Lord Jesus Christ, and consequently the whole Christ; but saith that He is only therein as in a sign, or in figure, or virtue; let him be anathema*.
* Anathema
means, accursed, (let him be) cursed, excluded from the Kingdom of GOD,
banned, or excommunicated. The phrase "Let him be Anathema",
is used many times in Church Council decrees, and in so doing, makes that
statement in which it is contained an "Infallible Statement".
See 1Chron 2:7, Judith 16:23,
Isa 65:20, Rom 9:3, 1Cor 12:3,16:22, and especially Gal 1:8-9.
CANON lI.-If any one saith, that, in the sacred and holy sacrament of the Eucharist, the substance of the bread and wine remains conjointly with the body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, and denieth that wonderful and singular conversion of the whole substance of the bread into the Body, and of the whole substance of the wine into the Blood-the species Only of the bread and wine remaining-which conversion indeed the Catholic Church most aptly calls Transubstantiation; let him be anathema.
CANON III.-If any one denieth, that, in the venerable sacrament of the Eucharist, the whole Christ is contained under each species, and under every part of each species, when separated; let him be anathema.
CANON IV.-If any one saith, that, after the consecration is completed, the body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ are not in the admirable sacrament of the Eucharist, but (are there) only during the use, whilst it is being taken, and not either before or after; and that, in the hosts, or consecrated particles, which are reserved or which remain after communion, the true Body of the Lord remaineth not; let him be anathema.
CANON V.-If any one saith, either that the principal fruit of the most holy Eucharist is the remission of sins, or, that other effects do not result therefrom; let him be anathema.
CANON VI.-If any one saith, that, in the holy sacrament of the Eucharist, Christ, the only-begotten Son of God, is not to be adored with the worship, even external of latria; and is, consequently, neither to be venerated with a special festive solemnity, nor to be solemnly borne about in processions, according to the laudable and universal rite and custom of holy church; or, is not to be proposed publicly to the people to be adored, and that the adorers thereof are idolators; let him be anathema.
CANON VII.-If any one saith, that it is not lawful for the sacred Eucharist to be reserved in the sacrarium, but that, immediately after consecration, it must necessarily be distributed amongst those present; or, that it is not lawful that it be carried with honour to the sick; let him be anathema.
CANON VIII.-lf any one saith, that Christ, given in the Eucharist, is eaten spiritually only, and not also sacramentally and really; let him be anathema.
CANON IX.-If any one denieth, that all and each of Christ's faithful of both sexes are bound, when they have attained to years of discretion, to communicate every year, at least at Easter, in accordance with the precept of holy Mother Church; let him be anathema.
CANON X.-If any one saith, that it is not lawful for the celebrating priest to communicate himself; let him be anathema.
CANON XI.-lf any one saith,
that faith alone is a sufficient preparation for receiving the sacrament
of the most holy Eucharist; let him be anathema. And for fear lest so great
a sacrament may be received unworthily, and so unto death and condemnation,
this holy Synod ordains and declares, that sacramental confession, when
a confessor may be had, is of necessity to be made beforehand, by those
whose conscience is burthened with mortal sin, how contrite even soever
they may think themselves. But if any one shall presume to teach, preach,
or obstinately to assert, or even in public disputation to defend the contrary,
he shall be thereupon excommunicated.
What did the Church Fathers have
to say about the
True
Presence
in the
Holy
Eucharist?
The
Didache (Did-Ah-Key), or teaching of the Apostles, 9:1
Let no one eat or drink of the
Eucharist with you except those who have been baptized in the Name of the
Lord; for it was in reference to this that the Lord said, "Do not
give that which is Holy to dogs." Matthew 7:6
St. Ignatius of Antioch, Letter to the Romans, 7:3, 106AD
"I desire the bread of GOD,
which is the flesh of Jesus Christ."
St. Ignatius of Antioch, Letter to the Smyrneans, 6:2,
106AD
"They abstain from the Eucharist
and from prayer, because they do not confess that the Eucharist is the
Flesh of Our Savior Jesus Christ, Flesh which suffered for our sins and
which the Father, in His goodness, raised up again. THEY WHO DENY THE GIFT
OF GOD ARE PERISHING IN THEIR DISPUTES."
St. Justin the Martyr, First Apology, 65-66, 148 A.D.
"But we, after we have thus
washed him who has been convinced and has assented
to our teaching, bring him to the place where
those who are called brethren are assembled, in order that we may offer
hearty prayers in common for ourselves and for the baptized person, and
for all others in every place, that we may be counted worthy, now that
we have learned the truth, by our works also to be found good citizens
and keepers of the commandments, so that we may be saved with an everlasting
salvation. Having ended the prayers, we salute one another with a kiss.
There is then brought to the president of the brethren bread and a cup
of wine mixed with water; and he taking them, gives praise and glory to
the Father of the universe, through the name of the Son and of the Holy
Ghost, and offers thanks at considerable length for our being counted worthy
to receive these things at His hands. And when he has concluded the prayers
and thanksgivings, all the people present express their assent by saying
Amen. This word Amen answers in the Hebrew language to so be it. And when
the president has given thanks, and all the people have expressed their
assent, those who are called by us deacons give to each of those present
to partake of the bread and wine mixed with water over which the thanksgiving
was pronounced, and to those who are absent they carry away a portion.
And this food is called among
us Eukaristia [the Eucharist], of which no
one is allowed to partake but the man who believesthat the things we teach
are true, and who has been washed with the
washing that is for the remission of sins, and unto regeneration, and who
is so living as Christ has enjoined. For not as common bread and common
drink do we receive these; but in like manner as Jesus Christ our Saviour,
having been made flesh by the Word of God, had both flesh and blood for
our salvation, so likewise have we been taught that the
food which is blessed by the prayer of His Word, and from which our blood
and flesh by transmutationare nourished, IS THE FLESH AND BLOOD OF THAT
JESUS WHO WAS MADE FLESH. For the apostles,
in the memoirs composed by them, which are called Gospels, have thus delivered
unto us what was enjoined upon them; that Jesus took bread, and when He
had given thanks, said, "This do ye in remembrance of Me, this is
My body;" and that, after the same manner, having taken the cup and
given thanks, He said, "This is My blood;" and gave it to them
alone..."
St. Cyril of Jerusalem, Catechetical Lectures, 22(Mystagogic
4)6, 350AD
"Do not, therefore, regard
the Bread and the Wine as simply that; for they are, according to the Masters
declaration, the Body and Blood of Christ."
St. Gregory of Nyssa, The Great Catechism, 37, 383AD
"Rightly then, do we believe
that the bread consecrated by the Word of GOD has been made over into the
Body of GOD the Word."
St. Ambrose of Milan, The Sacraments, 4:4:14, 390AD
"You may perhaps say: "My
bread is ordinary." But that bread is bread before the words of the
Sacraments; where the consecration has entered in, the bread becomes the
Flesh of Christ."
St. John Chrysostom, Homilies on the First Corinthians,
24:4:7, 392AD
"When you see the Body of
Christ lying on the altar, say to yourself, Because of this Body I am no
longer earth and ash, no longer a prisoner but free...This is that Body
which was blood-stained, which was pierced by a lance, and from which gushed
forth those saving fountains, one of blood, the other of water, for all
the world. This is the body which He gave us, both to hold in reserve and
to eat, which was appropriate to intense love."
St. Augustine of Hippo, Sermons, 227, 393AD
"The Bread which you see
on the altar, having been sanctified by the Word of GOD, is the Body of
Christ. That chalice, or rather, what is in that chalice, having been sanctified
by the Word of GOD, is the Blood of Christ."
St. Cyril of Alexandria, Commentary on Matthew, 26:27,
428AD
"He states demonstratively:
'This is My Body,' and 'This is My Blood', lest you might suppose the things
you see are a figure. Rather, by some secret of the all-powerful GOD the
things seen are transformed into the Body and Blood of Christ, truly offered
in a sacrifice in which we, as participants, receive the life-giving and
sanctifying power of Christ."
Macarius, Bishop of Magnesia, Apocriticus, 3:23, 400 AD
"Christ took the bread and
the cup, each in similar fashion, and said, 'This is My Body and this is
My Blood'. Not a figure of His Body nor a figure of His Blood, as some
persons of petrified mind are wont to rhapsodize, but in truth the Body
and the Blood of Christ, seeing that His Body is from the earth, and the
bread and wine are likewise from the earth. Holy Eucharist. The True Presence
of Our Lord..."
Didache, 9:1. J6
Ignatius, Letter to the Romans
7:3. J54a
Ignatius, Letter to the Philadelphians
3:2. J56
Ignatius, Letter to the Smyrneans
6:2. J64
Justin Martyr, First Apology
66. J128
Irenaeus, Against Heresies 4:18:4.
J234
Irenaeus, Against Heresies 4:33:2,
5:2:2. J240,249
Tertullian, Prayer 6:2, 19:1.
J300a,301
Tertullian, The Crown 3:2. J367
Hippolytus of Rome, Apostolic
Tradition 21. J394i
Clement of Alexandria, Instruct
Children 2:2:19:4. J410
Origen, Homilies On Exodus Hom
13:3. J490
Origen, Homilies on Numbers Hom
7:2. J491
Cyprian, The Lapsed 15. J551
Aphraates, Treatises 12:6. J689
Ephraim, Homilies 4:4,4:6. *J707
J708
Athanasius, Sermon to the Newly
Baptized J802
Cyril of Jerusalem, Catechetical
Letters 21-23 Mystagogic 1:7,4:3,6,9 J840-846,848,850,853j
Hilary, The Trinity 8:14 J870
Gregory of Nyssa, Great Catechism
37. J1035
Gregory of Nyssa, Day of Lights
Jaeger Vol 9, p225. J1062
Theodore of Mopsuestia, Comment
on Matt 26:26. J1113e,f,n
Chrysostom, Homilies on Penance
9. J1137
Chrysostom, Homilies on Judas
1:6. J1157
Chrysostom, On Matthew 82:4.
J1179
Chrysostom, On First Corinthians
24:4:7. J1195
Chrysostom, On Second Timothy
2:4. J1207
Ambrose, The Faith 4:10:124.
J1270
Ambrose, The Mysteries 9:50,58.
J1333-1334, *J1339-1340
Jerome, Commentaries on Matthew
4:26:26. J1390
Augustine, Letter to Boniface
98:9. J1424
Augustine, Sermons 227+. J1519-1520,
*J1524, J1633, J1716
Augustine, Homilies on John 26:13.
J1824
Cyril of Alexander, Commentary
on Matthew 26:27. J2101
Macarius the Magnesian, Apocriticus
3:23. J2166
Damascene, Source of Knowledge
3:4:13. J2371
Eucharistic Miracles...
For hundreds of years, and in diverse places, Eucharistic Miracles have occurred. These listed here are well documented from both Church and secular sources, and have been declared unexplainable by science and therefore, are genuine miracles from GOD. Some of the Sacred Hosts turned into real human flesh, some have bled real human blood, some have exuded a pure olive oil of a species of olive tree not found on earth. Others have lasted inexplicably for centuries, whereas if they were simply bread, would have disintegrated within just a few years. Many, you can see today, in or near the cities or towns in which they were manifested.
When and where they occurred:
700, Lanciano Italy.
1153, Blaine France.
1171, March 28, Ferraro Italy.
1194, Augsburg Germany.
1200's early, St Anthony of Padua
and the mule*.
1200's late, Santarem Portugal.
1225 - 1247, (time frame) Santarem
Portugal.
1228, Altari Italy.
1230, December 30, Florence Italy.
1239, Daroca Spain.
1252, Assisi Italy, St Clare.
1263, Bolsena and Orvieto Italy.
Peter of Prague.
1273, Offida Italy.
1280, Slavonice Czechoslovakia.
1290, Paris France.
1294, Venice Italy.
1300, Cebrero Spain.
1300, Aninon Spain.
1300's, Cascia Italy.
1317, Viversel Belgium.
1330, Walldurn Germany.
1331, March 31, Blanot France.
1333, Feast of Ascension, Bologna
Italy, 12 year old Bl. Imelda Lambertini.
1345, March 15, Amsterdam Netherlands.
1345, Krakow Poland.
1356, April 25, Macereta Italy.
1369, October 4, Brussels Belgium.
1372, Siena Italy, St Catherine.
1374, Middleburg, Netherlands.
1379, Boxtel Holland.
1384, Holy Thursday, Seefield
Austria.
1405, Ittre Belgium, Bois Seigneur
Isaac.
1412, Bagno Di Romagna Italy.
1417, Regensburg-Deggendorf-Erding
Germany.
1427, Zaragoza Spain.
1433, Dijon France.
1433, Avignon France.
1447, Ettiswill Switzerland.
1450's? Langenwiese Poland-Czechoslovakia
area.
1453, Turin Italy.
1472, Volterra Italy.
1601, La Viluena Spain.
1730, Siena Italy.
*A
doubter challenged St. Anthony that his mule would not respond to the "True
Presence".
St. Anthony took the challenge.
The man did not feed his mule for several days and St. Anthony brought
out the Holy Eucharist and the man brought out food for the animal. The
mule ignored the food and knelt down on its front legs to the "True
Presence" of Jesus Christ
in the Holy Eucharist.
You can read about, and see pictures of some of these Eucharistic Miracles in a book titled, "Miracles of the Eucharist".
 |
This is a picture of a genuine Eucharistic Miracle. It is of a bleeding Sacred Host.
This is My Body. This
is My Blood.
Matthew 26:26-28
"He who does not believe the Son, makes Him a liar."
1John 5:10
"For in the wrath of GOD is revealed from heaven
against all ungodliness and wickedness
of those men who in wickedness
hold back the truth of GOD..."
Rom 1:18
"...but wrath and indignation to those who are contentious,
and who do not submit to the
truth but assent to iniquity."
Rom 2:8
Where the True Presence of the Holy Eucharist is, there
is Jesus Christ.
Where Jesus Christ is, there
is the Catholic Church.
©
Written and Compiled by Bob Stanley,
April 7, 2000
Updated June 27, 2001
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