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.

Monday, August 15, 2011

HOW TO EXPLAIN PURGATORY TO PROTESTANTS


Suppose a friend or co-worker comes to you and says:
"The Catholic Church has this massive doctrine of purgatory, invented in the middle ages. The Church used to even sell indulgences to shorten your time in purgatory by a fixed number of days. This doctrine is based on books that don't belong in the Bible. There is no place or region in the afterlife for the saved except heaven. There is no pain in the afterlife, and the minute we die we go to heaven, as Paul says, 'To be absent from the body is to be present with Christ,' praying for people in purgatory makes no sense. Worst of all, it infringes on the sufficiency of Christ's work. It is completely unbiblical. No Protestant could believe it."
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5 comments:

Unknown said...

Eternal Father, I offer you the Most Precious Blood of Thy Divine Son, Jesus, in union with the Masses said throughout the world today, for all the Holy Souls in Purgatory, for sinners everywhere, for sinners in the Universal Church, those in my own home, and within my family. Amen ~ St. Gertrude the Great

daveg4g said...

Prayer for the Holy Souls in Purgatory

Lord Jesus, have mercy on the souls detained in Purgatory. It was for their salvation that you took on our human nature and suffered a most painful death. Have mercy on their burning desire to see you, have mercy on their tears of repentance. Through the merits of your Passion, remit the sentence they incurred by their sins.

Dear loving Jesus, may your Blood descend on those dear souls! May it shorten their time of atonement and may they soon be called to eternal happiness in your Presence! Amen.

Tortoise said...

O Salutaris Hostia Sacra

O Holy Victim for our salvation. You are perfect humanity, true divinity, the source and origin of our salvation. Have mercy on the deceased!

You, our Redeemer, O Jesus! You erase our sins and you forgive us. Have mercy on the deceased!

Touched by our prayers, sweet Jesus, and by the supplications of all the faithful, receive our prayers, and have mercy on the deceased!

O Jesus, we beg you to grant eternal rest to those who have died in your Grace. May the eternal and blessed light shine upon them. Amen.

claybar said...

Prayer to Mary, Queen of Heaven and Earth

O Mary, may the souls who suffer cruel torments in Purgatory, purified by the ardor of the flames, be the object of your compassion!

O Mary, Open Spring which cleanses our faults, Reconciler of sinners, reach out to those who pray you and implore your assistance in Purgatory!

O Mary, intercede for our deceased. They await patiently the end of their suffering when they will see you and taste eternal joys!

O Mary, Model of the Just, Guide of the faithful, Salvation of those who hope in you, help us to pray ardently for the souls of the deceased and touch the Heart of your Divine Son!

O Mary, by the merits you have gained, give the dead true life, obtain mercy for them, and be the way which leads to your Son Jesus and to Eternal Rest! Amen!

Spence Ohana said...

Glad you posted this. Been having a dialogue with a few anti-Catholics on this very topic on this blog post: http://www.onthebox.us/2011/08/is-there-truth-in-all-religions.html.