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.

Wednesday, June 20, 2012

ARE ONLY CATHOLICS ADMITTED TO HEAVEN?

Far be it for me to speak in behalf of GOD, for He is the only one who knows who goes to Heaven, and He does not tell us on an individual basis. However, through His Church, we know that canonized saints are in Heaven. That is about all that we truly know who is there now. For the rest of us, the guidelines for attaining eternal salvation are in Holy Scripture, and there are many of them. I have dealt with these guidelines in great detail in many other pages in this Catholic Treasure Chest site. From these guidelines we can extrapolate a plethora of foods for thought. These thoughts will probably stay with us until the day we die.

From what I have gleaned so far, I would say the short answer to the question is a resounding NO! Here is where common sense and our GOD given reasoning powers begin, based on what we know from Holy Scripture. For sake of brevity, I will classify all non-Catholic Christians as Protestants and so, in my opinion, we have five major camps of humanity, (1) Catholic, (2) Protestant, (3) non-Christian religions, which are so widely varying in their beliefs and practices, that I can speak for them only briefly, (4) and there are those who have never even heard of GOD, (5) and of course Atheists who deny the existence of GOD.

1. Do all Catholics go to Heaven?

I would say no, as there are many who call themselves catholic but really are not Catholic at all in the true sense.Some do not partake of the seven sacraments. Some do not obey the ten commandments, such as their failure to attend Mass on Sundays and holy days, for one example. "Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling." Phillipians 2:12

2. Can any Protestants be admitted into Heaven?

I would say yes, but for most, through no fault of their own, they do not have the full deposit of faith as laid out in the Bible. They have some truth but not the full truth as taught by the only Church that Jesus Christ founded. This group, probably unknowing, is in some way connected to the Catholic Church through Baptism, which is a plus for them. They could attain Heaven but it seems to me that it will be more difficult for them since they are wanting in so many of GOD given graces. Seven sources of GOD's graces are plainly listed in Holy Scripture and good Catholics strive for all seven, the sacraments. Most Protestants only have two sacraments and even they could be questionable depending upon who issues them.

Common sense tells me that the more sacraments an individual receives, the better the chance that he or she will attain eternal salvation. I would have reservations for those who persecute the only Church which Jesus Christ founded since they are really persecuting Him (Acts 9:3-5) since His Church is His body and He is its head. The hardest thing to open is a closed mind, so they should open their minds to a quest in search of the truth. Romans 2:5-8 would give me trepidation if I were guilty of its message therein.

3. Can any members of non-Christian religions attain Heaven?

I would say probably yes, but I have great reservations for those violent ones who forcibly impose their religion on others.

4. Can those who have never even heard of GOD go to Heaven?

I would say they could if they followed the laws written into all human hearts by GOD. See Romans 2:11-15.

5. Can Atheists attain eternal salvation?

Please read Matthew 10:33 and then decide for yourself.

Written by Bob Stanley
January 2,, 2012
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Galatians 4:16
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