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, December 26, 2011

WHO DIED ON THE CROSS?


Who died on the cross?

In My Experience, only about 1 in 10 Catholics know the correct answer to this question.


Some of the Answers Given for that Question:
Which is the correct answer?

A1. Jesus Christ died on the cross.
Q1. Yes, but who is Jesus Christ?

A2. The human person of GOD died on the cross.
Q2. Was Jesus Christ a human person?

A3. The human nature of GOD died on the cross.
Q3. Is it the nature of a person that dies?

A4. The Son of GOD died on the Cross.
Q4. Yes, but who is the Son of GOD?

A5. GOD died on the cross.

Q5. You get the gold star.


You are the 1 in 10 who knows the truth.

A1 is technically correct, but there is more to the correct answer.

A2 is wrong because Jesus Christ is not a human person.
Now you may ask, "Well, didn't He have all the characteristics of a human person except for sin?" Almost right, except for one important point. Jesus Christ is a divine person, and if He were a human person, that would make Him 2 persons, each with a nature, one divine, and one human. He is a divine person with a divine and a human nature, one person with 2 natures.

A3 is wrong because persons die on crosses, not natures.

A4 is again technically correct, but we are looking for more here.

A5 is the correct answer because Jesus Christ is a divine person, and persons die on crosses, not natures. While dying in His human nature, Jesus Christ was living in His divine nature. He was both living and dead at the same time, but the person died.
Therefore, GOD died on the Cross.

"But you denied the Holy and Righteous One, and asked for a murderer to be granted to you, and killed the Author of life, whom God raised from the dead. To this we are witnesses." Acts 3:15

"When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. But he laid his right hand upon me, saying, "Fear not, I am the first and the last, and the living one; I died, and behold I am alive for evermore, and I have the keys of Death and Hades." Rev 1:17-18

See also, Acts 1:3, Rom 5:6-10,8:34,14:9,15, 1Cor 8:11,15:3,20,
Phil 2:8, Col 1:18, 1Thes 2:15, Heb 2:9, 1Pet 3:18, Rev 1:5,2:8,5:9,5:12,13:8.


Kudos to all who chose Answer #5...


©
Written 1995 by Bob Stanley
Updated November 17, 2007
Posted by at
Labels: , , ,

No comments:

Post a Comment