Bread of Life

BREAD OF LIFE
 this is the bread that comes down from heaven so that one may eat it and not die. (john 6: 50)
The miracle of God’s physical presence to us at every Mass is the truest testament to Christ’s love for us and His desire for each of us to have a personal relationship with Him. Jesus Christ celebrated the first Mass with His disciples at the Last Supper, the night before He died. He commanded His disciples, “Do this in remembrance of me” (Luke 22:19). The celebration of the Mass then became the main form of worship in the early Church, as a reenactment of the Last Supper, as Christ had commanded. Each and every Mass since commemorates Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross through the Holy Eucharist. Because the Mass “re-presents” (makes present) the sacrifice on Calvary, Catholics all around the world join together to be made present in Christ’s timeless sacrifice for our sins. There is something fascinating about continuing to celebrate the same Mass—instituted by Christ and practiced by the early Church—with the whole community of Catholics around the world…and in heaven.

THE REAL PRESENCE

Why does the Catholic Church believe Christ is really present in the Eucharist?
The Catholic doctrine of the Real Presence is the belief that Jesus Christ is literally, not symbolically, present in the Holy Eucharist—body, blood, soul and divinity. Catholics believe in the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist because Jesus tells us this is true in the Bible:

“I am the bread of life. Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. This is the bread which comes down from heaven, that a man may eat of it and not die. 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." The Jews then disputed among themselves, saying, ‘How can this man give us his flesh to eat?’ So Jesus said to them,

"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” - John 6:48-56
Furthermore, the early Church Fathers either imply or directly state that the bread and wine offered in the celebration of the Lord’s Supper is really the body and blood of Jesus Christ. In other words, the doctrine of the Real Presence that Catholics believe today was believed by the earliest Christians 2,000 years ago!

This miracle of God’s physical presence to us at every Mass is the truest testament to Christ’s love for us and His desire for each of us to have a personal relationship with Him.

Tuesday, September 7, 2010

DEFENDERS OF THE CHURCH

On the darkest nights, the stars shine the brightest... Fr. John Corapi

The Catholic Church is the Church which Jesus Christ founded in Matthew 16:18.
It is the only Church that can make that claim.


From the first day of founding, the Church has been under constant attack from within and from without, yet it has endured for almost 2000 years and has grown to over one billion Catholics. The reasons for this phenomenal growth can be found in Holy Scripture.
Jesus Christ said in Matthew 16:18, "...and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it."
In Matthew 28:20, Jesus promised to be with His Church 'all days', that means every day in every century with no gaps.
The reason that the Church has endured and prospered so long is that Jesus promised it would,
"even unto the consummation of the world."
History has shown us that when the Bride of Christ is under serious attack, GOD does one of three things.
1. He raises a Saint to defend her:
This is historical fact. Read about St. Francis, St. Dominic, St. Teresa of Avila and hundreds of others who 'just happened to be there' when they were needed most.


2. He sends the Blessed Virgin Mary to warn us of impending danger:
Read about Guadalupe, Lourdes, Fatima, Akita, and many other sites where she appeared. Read her messages.


3. He manifests a miracle:
The greatest of these in recent times was the miracle of the sun which occurred on October 13, 1917 at Fatima Portugal.  This happening was witnessed by over seventy thousand people and is well documented both within and external to the Church.


The same is as true today as it has been in the past. The Church is under great stress today and look at what has been happening?
The Blessed Virgin Mary has appeared in many countries all over the world,
Mexico, Japan, Belgium, Portugal, France, Kenya, Egypt, and others.
It appears that her apparitions are on the increase in our time, so that must mean the urgency is on the increase also.

It seems the time is now for GOD to raise a Saint to come to the aid of His Church.
Now who do you suppose it will be?
I know who I expect that it might be......go here and see for yourself.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

BROTHERS AND SISTERS:

How can any one of you with a case against another dare to bring it to the unjust for judgment instead of to the holy ones?

Do you not know that the holy ones will judge the world? If the world is to be judged by you, are you unqualified for the lowest law courts?

Do you not know that we will judge angels? Then why not everyday matters? If, therefore, you have courts for everyday matters, do you seat as judges people of no standing in the Church? I say this to shame you.

Can it be that there is not one among you wise enough to be able to settle a case between brothers?
But rather brother goes to court against brother, and that before unbelievers?

Now indeed then it is, in any case,
a failure on your part that you have lawsuits against one another.
Why not rather put up with injustice? Why not rather let yourselves be cheated? Instead, you inflict injustice and cheat, and this to brothers.

Do you not know that the unjust will not inherit the Kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators nor idolaters nor adulterers nor boy prostitutes nor sodomites nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor robbers will inherit the Kingdom of God.

That is what some of you used to be; but now you have had yourselves washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ
and in the Spirit of our God.(1 Corinthians 6:1-11)