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, May 17, 2011

ABORTION REGRETS

I had an abortion when I was 18. I was graduating high school and was so excited so a bunch of my friends threw me a huge party for my graduation. I met this guy there and we started talking. At that time I thought he was really cute. After a few drinks I ended up staying the night at his house. I didn't know he was friends with my best friend at the time. The next day was my high school graduation. Two weeks after my graduation I missed my period and started to get worried. I took a pregnancy test and it came up positive. I ended up calling out of work for the next week and went to the doctors to make sure. I was pregnant.

Now I had a choice to make and I didn't know what to do. It took me 6 months to tell my parents everything. When I told the guy I was pregnant he didn't believe me and didn't want anything to do with it. I was getting pressured and I had an abortion. It was the worst experience of my life. I felt everything from the pill they made me take the night before. It was horrible and ever since then I regret it so much. I think about it every day and I cry because of the decision I made and it wasn't the right one. It wasn't what I wanted. Now as mothers day comes around I get upset and think about how much my life would have been different and regret everything I did.

Age: 20
Location: Poughkeepsie, NY
Date Submitted: May 6, 2011

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2 comments:

Anonymous said...

What is chastity? What are the requirements of chastity?

May 17, 2011 at 6:07 AM
daveg4g said...

Chastity is the virtue by which a person lives out the gift of their sexuality according to God’s intentions. God designed sexual intercourse for two purposes that can never be separated or denied: first, to unite men and women together in a life-long relationship of marital love; and second, to allow them to participate in God’s work of creation.

Chastity requires that we use our sexuality exclusively for God’s purposes of union and procreation.

Those who are not married lead chaste lives not only by abstaining from intercourse, but also by not engaging in any activity that intentionally stimulates sexual arousal or climax.

This is because arousal and climax are designed for intercourse, and intercourse is designed for marriage.

So the unmarried must never cross the line between physical displays of affection and intentional sexual stimulation or climax.

Also, chastity requires that we avoid all forms of masturbation, pornography, non-vaginal intercourse, contraception, and artificial reproductive technologies since all of these deny or separate God’s purposes of union and procreation.

May 17, 2011 at 10:08 PM

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