Today Catholics observe the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ:
Jesus said to the Jewish crowds:
“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?”
Jesus said to them,
“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.
Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood
has eternal life,
and I will raise him on the last day.
For my flesh is true food,
and my blood is true drink.
Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood
remains in me and I in him.
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.
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 6:51-58
The Latin Rite Churches use the word “transubstantiation” to describe the miracle in which bread and wine become the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ. Eastern Orthodox Churches teach that this consecration occurs but do not use the word “transubstantiation”. Both Churches acknowledge the solemnity of this consecration. Most other Christian groups observe the Eucharist as a symbolic event.
The mystery of the Eucharist, and how it becomes Jesus’ Body and Blood, is perhaps the most difficult belief to explain. Perhaps that is why it’s a mystery. Or as St. John of Damascus explains:
If you inquire how this happens, it is enough for you to learn that it is through the Holy Spirit … We know nothing more than this, that the word of God is true, active, and omnipotent, but in its manner of operation unsearchable.
Amen!
I know you weren’t trying to pick a fight, Hamous. I even feel a bit guilty for brining in the Mormon issue to what is a good post; but in the end i couldn’t let it go but neither did I want to box it out. Regardless of “who is right” I hope and pray I may enjoy your company… Read more »
I wasn’t trying to pick a fight but theologically the differences between Catholic and LDS teaching on the Trinity are irreconcilable. Not much either of us can do about that. Guess we’ll just have to wait and see who was right 😉
Probably
Tags: SOUTH
PARKmore…
Let me emphasize what i was getting at in my #3 post. Note that my smiley inclusion was to avoid getting contentious. All Christian churches baptize in the Trinitarian formula. In order to sustain that comment and the ones Hamous made previously regarding baptisms of The Church of Jesus christ of Latter-Day Saints not being legitimate according to the Catholic… Read more »
RE: Solemnity of Corpus Christi; Corpus Christi The Solemnity of Corpus Christi commemorates the institution of the Holy Eucharist, paralleling Maundy Thursday (Holy Thursday) commemorating Our Lord’s institution of the Eucharist. Corpus Christ was introduced in the late 13th century to encourage the faithful give special honor to the institution of the Holy Eucharist to the Blessed Sacrament. The official… Read more »
Mass is celebrated every day in most parishes (except Good Friday). Many parishes display the Holy Eucharist 24 hours a day in an Adoration Chapel (my parish is one of them). The Holy Eucharist is at the very core of our faith; it is an essential part of the Church. This is obvious when you see that Christ is not… Read more »
To become a member, yes.
Got it.
Also, you can replace “simple” with “weekly”.
Today is the Solemnity of Corpus Christi. Last week was the Solemnity of the Holy Trinity. The week before was Pentecost.
All baptisms seen by the Church as legitimate use the Trinitarian formula
Let me ask you this: if a Catholic converts to LDS are they baptized in your church?
The Eucharist is the centerpiece of every Catholic (and Orthodox) mass. Nothing simple about it. It is the sacrament of sacraments. Once a year we solemnly commemorate Jesus’ gift of that sacrament.
Ahem! 😉
I was wondering if your post was referencing a specific Catholic holiday or a simple Sabbath observation?
I was looking at it from more of an ecumenical perspective. All Christian churches baptize in the Trinitarian formula. While certainly difficult to explain there is little disagreement among us. Not so with transubstantiation.
The mystery of the Eucharist, and how it becomes Jesus’ Body and Blood, is perhaps the most difficult belief to explain. The belief is that through the Holy Spirit the bread and wine are actually changed into the body and blood of Christ. How it happens is a miracle done by the Holy Spirit. That’s all we need to know.… Read more »
I know you weren’t trying to pick a fight, Hamous. I even feel a bit guilty for brining in the Mormon issue to what is a good post; but in the end i couldn’t let it go but neither did I want to box it out. Regardless of “who is right” I hope and pray I may enjoy your company… Read more »
I wasn’t trying to pick a fight but theologically the differences between Catholic and LDS teaching on the Trinity are irreconcilable. Not much either of us can do about that. Guess we’ll just have to wait and see who was right 😉
Probably
Tags: SOUTH
PARKmore…
Let me emphasize what i was getting at in my #3 post. Note that my smiley inclusion was to avoid getting contentious. All Christian churches baptize in the Trinitarian formula. In order to sustain that comment and the ones Hamous made previously regarding baptisms of The Church of Jesus christ of Latter-Day Saints not being legitimate according to the Catholic… Read more »
RE: Solemnity of Corpus Christi; Corpus Christi The Solemnity of Corpus Christi commemorates the institution of the Holy Eucharist, paralleling Maundy Thursday (Holy Thursday) commemorating Our Lord’s institution of the Eucharist. Corpus Christ was introduced in the late 13th century to encourage the faithful give special honor to the institution of the Holy Eucharist to the Blessed Sacrament. The official… Read more »
Mass is celebrated every day in most parishes (except Good Friday). Many parishes display the Holy Eucharist 24 hours a day in an Adoration Chapel (my parish is one of them). The Holy Eucharist is at the very core of our faith; it is an essential part of the Church. This is obvious when you see that Christ is not… Read more »
To become a member, yes.
Got it.
Also, you can replace “simple” with “weekly”.
Today is the Solemnity of Corpus Christi. Last week was the Solemnity of the Holy Trinity. The week before was Pentecost.
All baptisms seen by the Church as legitimate use the Trinitarian formula
Let me ask you this: if a Catholic converts to LDS are they baptized in your church?
The Eucharist is the centerpiece of every Catholic (and Orthodox) mass. Nothing simple about it. It is the sacrament of sacraments. Once a year we solemnly commemorate Jesus’ gift of that sacrament.
Ahem! 😉
I was wondering if your post was referencing a specific Catholic holiday or a simple Sabbath observation?
I was looking at it from more of an ecumenical perspective. All Christian churches baptize in the Trinitarian formula. While certainly difficult to explain there is little disagreement among us. Not so with transubstantiation.
The mystery of the Eucharist, and how it becomes Jesus’ Body and Blood, is perhaps the most difficult belief to explain. The belief is that through the Holy Spirit the bread and wine are actually changed into the body and blood of Christ. How it happens is a miracle done by the Holy Spirit. That’s all we need to know.… Read more »