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.

Thursday, August 15, 2013

FEELING TRAPPED

By David Sears

Sometimes I feel like there are so many rules and there is no way out. Like it is almost impossible to keep every rule. Almost like we are under the Jewish law, but different. There are some rules that I can accept (fornication, lust, pornography, etc.) but there are some that are really difficult for me to wrap my mind around. For example, I date. I am in a relationship with a girl that, if I could marry right this second, I would. But I cant for another three years when she is 18 and I'm 19. I told her that I am not comfortable going farther than French kissing. Now I thought what I was doing was right, but some Catholics jump on me saying "French kissing is a mortal sin!"

I thought I was doing the right thing.... It is how we show affection because I know we cannot do anything sexual. I am not using her, it is just... We can't fully give ourselves to each other until marriage and sometimes an "I love you" isn't enough. Some even say cuddling shouldn't be done until marriage. I know my limits and I know that I shouldn't push them. I am not tempted to go further. Masturbation is a sin. At 16, I feel like I am constantly at war with myself to fight it and I constantly fall. I am just better off being castrated. And to avoid any near occasion of sin, just never leave the house (unless I go to church, in which case, I'll have to go the back way because there is an Italian bakery on the way and I may fall into the sin of gluttony, and I shouldn't talk to anyone at the church at the risk of saying something bad).


 Suicide is a sin, so you can't end it (not that I would ever, I'd be too scared)! You're here, and you are fighting a war against yourself, against the bad guy, trying to what God wants, but there are 30,000 different denominations telling you what He wants! It seems as though that LOVING someone could be a near occasion of sin, because I love my girlfriend, I do. And if French kissing or cuddling is a sin before marriage, then there should be no dating period. Just your family picking a woman for you like they did back then. If I can't be affectionate without someone telling me I'm sinning, then why bother?

ALMOST EVERYTHING IS A MORTAL SIN TO THE CATHOLIC CHURCH! I feel like I'm walking on eggshells! Fear that I am going to do something that will send me to hell! And I love God! Above all things! I live for the Trinity. And that is all I'm going to say. I know I am probably going to get a lot of sharp tongues for posting this, but this is how I am feeling today.

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"Such as the men of Europe. For centuries they have been surrounded by Christianity, but Christ has not penetrated them. Christ does not live in them." - Cardinal Lamberto, The Godfather: Part III

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