12-26-2006, 05:38 AM
(This post was last modified: 12-26-2006, 05:41 AM by Faith Hope Charity.)
<b>In the name of God - Father Son Holy Spirit.</b>
May the love of God the Father, the grace of His only begotten Son & the indwelling of the Holy Spirit be with you always.
Oh boy! & you thought the Incarnation was a difficult concept to grasp - haha! Wait till you hear this :D
Quote:So, do you really believe that Jesus Christ is actually transformed into the physical appearance of bread and wine?
Nope! We believe that after the words of consecration, by the power of the Holy Spirit, the bread & wine are transformed into the Body & Blood of Christ. Amen!
Quote:Can you actually worship this “bread-god”?
Catholics don't worship bread!
Quote:Do you really believe that this piece of bread which was made by human hands can be sacrificed for your sins and then you are granted salvation?
LOL! No! Christ's sacrifice on the Cross was sufficient, perfect & complete enough to atone for all sin.
"The Catholic Church does not teach that the sacrifice of the Mass is another sacrifice in addition to Calvary or a re-crucifixion of Christ. Rather, it is a re-presenting of Christ’s original sacrifice, making it present to all Christians in all places and at all times. The sacrifice of Calvary and the sacrifice of the Mass are one and the same sacrifice, only the manner in which they are offered is different" (Defend the Faith).
Quote:So how can you believe that he truly, really, and substantially present in the forms of bread and wine?
"Jesus said to them … 'I am the bread of life ... I am the living bread which came down from heaven; if any one eats of this bread, he will live for ever; and the bread which I shall give for the life of the world is my flesh ... Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of man and drink his blood, you have no life in you; he who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. For my flesh is food indeed, and my blood is drink indeed. He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him' ... Many of his disciples, when they heard it, said, 'This is a hard saying; who can listen to it?' But Jesus, knowing in himself that his disciples murmured at it, said to them, 'Do you take offense at this? Then what if you were to see the Son of man ascending where he was before? It is the spirit that gives life, the flesh is of no avail; the words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life. But there are some of you that do not believe'" (St John vv. 35-71).
"Jesus took bread, and blessed, and broke it, and gave it to the disciples and said, 'Take, eat; this is my body.' And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, saying, 'Drink of it, all of you; for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins'" (St Matt. 26:26; cf. St Mark 14:22; St Luke 22:19; 1 Cor. 10:4-21).
"We may admit that the ordinary human body, subject to the laws of nature, cannot be present simultaneously in different places. But here, there is question of no ordinary body but of one united mysteriously to God, the master of nature & its laws. No one knows what such a Body is capable of. Other bodies are subject to the laws of space, but to this Body the laws of space are obedient" (Apologetics & Catholic Doctrine).
Wael, I know this is a lot to take in. I've tried to simplify it as much as possible. Please ask me more questions if necessary. Do you know that the Real Presence is the main doctrine that separates Catholics from Protestants? It's an age old debate, unfortunately :(
"No one", says St Augustine (354-430 AD), "eats this flesh without having first adored it."
On that note... I'm off to Mass :)
God bless.
<b>Faith Hope Charity ... Openness Tolerance Equality</b>