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.

Friday, June 24, 2011

PRAYER FOR THE GIFTS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT


Here is a Powerful Daily Prayer to the Holy Spirit for the gifts of the Holy Spirit. Believe that you are being blessed by the Holy Spirit while praying. Pray to the Holy Spirit sincerely and yearn for the Gifts.
Holy Spirit, Sanctifier Blest, deign to grant us:
The Gift of Fear which makes us shun all sin,
The Gift of Piety which makes us respect and love the Three Divine Persons, our parents and children, as is proper for true children of God;
The Gift of Knowledge which makes us judge eternal and temporal things as God judges them;
The Gift of Fortitude which makes us bear all hardships for the love and greater glory of God;
The Gift of Counsel which makes us be guided, and guide others, in the Way of Truth, of Christlike Life;
The Gift of Understanding which makes us penetrate deeply into what you, Holy Spirit have designed to reveal;
The Gift of Wisdom which makes us relish all that is right and is in line with Eternal Wisdom.
This we ask you to grant us, Gift of God Most High, who live in perfect unity of Love with the Father and the Son. Amen

Posted by at
Labels: , , ,

1 comment:

Prayer For Husband said...

Hi all...

Prayer is meant to be a heart to heart my heart with the heart of Christ in the heart of the Church. It involves intense thinking and even more intense affective, at once very personal and extremely interpersonal. The Prayer for the Seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit shows us how we can be more Christ-like and be filled as well as sealed with the Gift of His Spirit!

September 18, 2011 at 10:33 PM

Post a Comment