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.

Friday, November 29, 2013

PUTTING GOD FIRST

By Jon Jakoblich

“I, the Lord, am your God. You shall have no other gods before me.” – God

“Of course I don’t worship anyone other than God,” you might say. But how often do you pray? How often do you let God take care of the work or do you just take matters into your own hands to make sure it gets done when and how you want it done?

Many of us have been there. We let many things come before God in our busy and often hectic lives. What does it actually mean not to have any other gods before God? When you pray, you are praying to God, right? You make an effort to get to Mass on Sundays, right? Duh, you don’t worship anything else…or do you?

  In today’s world, and in the days when Moses received the Commandments, even material objects can be seen as other gods before God. Do you put your faith in your money? Your clothes? MTV? What is it that drives you each and everyday to make the decisions you do?

  God was hardly joking when he said don’t put other gods before me. In truth, the real joy and fulfillment of letting God take control of your life is the most freeing choice one can make.

True freedom lies in knowing that because you love God so much and trust he will take care of you that he never disappoints. You are freer to live your life and be of assistance to others who may be struggling.

You have a wonderful chance to be Christ-like to others and help them walk the path that you are walking. Jesus said if you ask anything in faith it will be granted.

Don’t bother trying to fool God into giving you what you want, however. Asking God superstitiously or making deals with him usually never works (in my experience). It must be a true faith from a true heart that has placed its worries into the hands of God and has asked of him in earnest faith.

As Catholics we worship only the one, true God described in the Nicene Creed . We do not worship saints, statues or anything else that is an obstacle to God. To some, our Catholic practices may appear that we are acting contrary to this commandment however, that is not the case. Only God knows what is truly in one’s heart and knows if one is truly devoted only to him.

In short, it is not official Catholic practice to worship anything or anyone other than the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit that comprise God.

Not in our money, clothes, powerful friends, etc. can we place our total trust and know that everything will be taken care of and experience true joy. You can rest assured that if you trust God completely he will answer your prayers.

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