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, April 1, 2013

HAVE MERCY ON ME A SINNER

A Confession To Give God Glory

I am a former child migrant, abandoned by my mother and placed in a convent at the age of two. In 1953 I was transported to Australia and spent the next eight years in an orphanage in Western Australia. In 1994 I sought counselling to help me process the terror – anxiety annihilation – from my childhood. In 2004 I dropped into a black hole –four months of absolute terror.

I wanted to end my life, but somehow reached out to a friend who took me to hospital. I had three visits –hospital - in four months; I imagined I was in hell. One morning – waking up with my demons - I got down on my knees and asked Jesus Christ to have mercy on me & forgive me my sins. Over time my anxiety has dissipated & I believe – because I was prepared to face my demons - Jesus delivered me from my psychological hell. Praise the Lord!!

Joshua 7:19. God is Truth; He is Righteous; He is the only one that is perfect. When we ask God to have mercy on us a sinner (confessing our sins, our disobedient, our shortfalls), we give God glory that all Truth and all Righteousness flow from Him. We worship Him by acknowledging His perfection and by us admitting our imperfection (sin nature).

There can only be one right and truth. Both God and mankind cannot have their own version of truth and what is right. Mankind, when acting out of relationship with God will always sin. Mankind’s sinful disobedience started with Adam and continues to this day.

If we do not acknowledge to God that we are a sinner and ask for His mercy, we give God no glory. We disrespect Him by not acknowledging His perfection. Whether we state it or not, we have decided that our actions are righteousness because we see no need to confess our sins to God. Acknowledging to God that we are a sinner is a prerequisite to establishing a relationship with God. God loves us all, and He created us to glorify His righteousness (Joshua 7:19, “And Joshua said unto Achan, My son, give, I pray thee, glory to the LORD God of Israel, and make confession unto him; and tell me now what thou hast done; hide it not from me”).

JOSHUA 7 BIBLE SCRIPTURE Joshua 7:19, "And Joshua said unto Achan, My son, give, I pray thee, glory to the LORD God of Israel, and make confession unto him; and tell me now what thou hast done; hide it not from me."

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