Do Catholics really think they are eating Christ's Body and drinking His Blood ?

Question

Do Catholics really think they are eating Christ's Body and drinking His Blood ?

Answer 1

The early Christians believed it and this is why Catholics do as well. I think you may find Justin Martyr's description of the Mass in AD 150 quite interesting.



"No one may share the Eucharist with us unless he believes that what we teach is true, unless he is washed in the regenerating waters of baptism for the remission of his sins, and unless he lives in accordance with the principles given us by Christ.





We do not consume the eucharistic bread and wine as if it were ordinary food and drink, for we have been taught that as Jesus Christ our Savior became a man of flesh and blood by the power of the Word of God, so also the food that our flesh and blood assimilates for its nourishment becomes the flesh and blood of the incarnate Jesus by the power of his own words contained in the prayer of thanksgiving.





The apostles, in their recollections, which are called gospels, handed down to us what Jesus commanded them to do. They tell us that he took bread, gave thanks and said: Do this in memory of me. This is my body. In the same way he took the cup, he gave thanks and said: This is my blood. The Lord gave this command to them alone. Ever since then we have constantly reminded one another of these things. The rich among us help the poor and we are always united. For all that we receive we praise the Creator of the universe through his Son Jesus Christ and through the Holy Spirit.





On Sunday we have a common assembly of all our members, whether they live in the city or the outlying districts. The recollections of the apostles or the writings of the prophets are read, as long as there is time. When the reader has finished, the president of the assembly speaks to us; he urges everyone to imitate the examples of virtue we have heard in the readings. Then we all stand up together and pray.





On the conclusion of our prayer, bread and wine and water are brought forward. The president offers prayers and gives thanks to the best of his ability, and the people give assent by saying, “Amen”. The eucharist is distributed, everyone present communicates, and the deacons take it to those who are absent.





The wealthy, if they wish, may make a contribution, and they themselves decide the amount. The collection is placed in the custody of the president, who uses it to help the orphans and widows and all who for any reason are in distress, whether because they are sick, in prison, or away from home. In a word, he takes care of all who are in need.





We hold our common assembly on Sunday because it is the first day of the week, the day on which God put darkness and chaos to flight and created the world, and because on that same day our savior Jesus Christ rose from the dead. For he was crucified on Friday and on Sunday he appeared to his apostles and disciples and taught them the things that we have passed on for your consideration."

Answer 2

Gradually? No. The first Christians, including the Apostles, knew exactly that the Eucharist was the Real Presence of the Lord. This teaching was never in doubt until the reformation.



http://www.scripturecatholic.com/the_eucharist.html



If the Last Supper and First Mass was not a sacrifice, then Calvary was just another execution.

Answer 3

1) Do Catholics really think they are eating Christ's Body and drinking His Blood ?



Yes. That is what they are taught and that is what devout Catholics believe.





2) This teaching arose gradually, with the word first being defined and used officially in the 13th century.



Misleading - presumably intentionally. The time of the coining of the word "transubstantiation" is not related to the time of the development of the doctrine, which existed in very early Christian literature.





3) did he set up a mysterious rite in which his followers would actually eat his body and drink his blood?



Logical fallacy of many questions. The Catholic rite of the Eucharist is not concealed in mystery. It is performed in full view before the entire congregation during every single religious service (which they call "Mass") excepting in a few churches that still use a "wall altar", in which case a small portion of the ceremony is concealed from the congregation due to the insurmountable fact that the priest is not transparent.



The **honest and unbiased** question is this: does "communion" or "celebrating the Lord's supper" or "Eucharist" or "the Memorial of the Lord's evening meal" (or whatever you want to call it) involve the actual eating of Jesus' body and drinking of Jesus' blood, or is the bread and wine only symbolic of those things?



The Bible is not clear, and this is why I say so:

a - Jesus himself teaches that you must eat his body and drink his blood to be saved, at which some of his disciples responded that such a teaching was difficult even to hear, etc.

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=john%206:51-65&multilayout=cols&version=NASB;KJV



b - Jesus himself teaches that the bread of "the memorial" is his body and the wine of "the memorial" is his blood (several passages)

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Mark%2014:22-Mark%2014:25,%20Luke%2022:17-Luke%2022:20,%201Cor%2011:23-1Cor%2011:25,%201Cor%2010:16&version=NASB





This is one of very few doctrines concerning which I consider that Catholics *might* be more correct than the teachings of my own sect. The literal meaning is quite clear...and additionally **seems to indicate** (does not state clearly) by repetition and recognition of the "difficulty" of the doctrine that Jesus is not speaking in purely symbolic terms.



- Jim, Fundamentalist Christian, http://www.bible-reviews.com/

Answer 4

That's interesting because if what you claim is true none of the Jews that left Jesus when he said "Unless you eat my flesh and drink my blood you have no life in you" would not have left him! I think protestants often take this as some kind of prank that Jesus played on the Jews



I think the most amazing things happen with Adoration of the Holy Eucarist and I would dare you to go in front of the Blesed Sacrament however I warn you because you may become Catholic!

Answer 5

That's what Jesus said.



"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 6:52-56

Answer 6

@Splash: You don't have to drink the wine. A lot of people don't. Body alone is enough.



Well, yes.



Jesus was quite clear about this one, and its mentioned at several times throughout the Gospels in statements where Jesus says 'my flesh is true food and my blood true drink' and 'unless you eat of the son of man and drink his blood, you will not have [eternal life]' and the incredibly simple 'this is my body' and 'this is my blood.'



The events that occur after the miracle of the loaves and fishes is perhaps the most revealing. After Jesus feeds the 5000, the next day he begins to teach them, and as he is teaching them, he begins the bread of life discourse. During it, he refers to himself, saying that anyone who eats of his flesh will live forever. The Jews, who were fastidious people with strong aversions to the drinking of blood of ANY form, and, well, cannibalism isn't cool either, begin to leave, seriously CREEPED OUT by Jesus.



Now, if Jesus was being symbolic, you'd think the next line would be something like 'Children! I speak in parable, come back!' or something. Instead, Jesus DOUBLES DOWN. 'I say to you, my flesh is true food, and my blood true drink.' He is NOT being symbolic.



When we leave the gospels and move into the letters, we hear that the eucharist is something special, that to approach it while unclean is one of the higher forms of sin imaginable. A mere symbol wouldn't elicit such a response.



Moving out of the Bible and into the Church Fathers, we see from the EARLIEST writings we have a slough of exhortations about the Body and Blood.



So Jesus taught it, the apostles preached it and the Father's affirmed it. Seems legit to me.

Answer 7

The bread and wine when consecrated in the Eucharist are transformed into the Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Jesus Christ, although their appearances remain the same. Christ said :"This is my Body". Not "this represents my Body". Most other groups of Christians do not maintain this doctrine. They usually hold that the body and blood of Jesus are only symbolically present in the bread and wine, or that the bread and wine are the body and blood of Jesus and bread and wine at the same time.

Answer 8

The idea that the Eucharist is the body and blood is much older than the term transubstantiation.

Orthodox Christians like myself believe the Eucharist is the body and blood of Christ.

the oldest Liturgy is the Liturgy of saint James celebrated by the Syriac Orthodox since the early second century.

Answer 9

By saying the rosary carefully every day, a person can know for certain God exists and the Catholic Faith is the True Faith.



http://www.sancta.org/rosary/how.html



The fifteen promises of Mary to Christians who recite the rosary:

1. Whoever shall faithfully serve me by the recitation of the Rosary shall receive signal graces.

2. I promise my special protection and the greatest graces to all those who shall recite the Rosary.

3. The Rosary shall be a powerful armor against Hell, it will destroy vice, decrease sin, and defeat heresies.

4. It will cause virtue and good works to flourish; it will obtain for souls the abundant mercy of God; it will withdraw the hearts of men from the love of the world and its vanities and will lead them to the desire of eternal things. Oh, that souls would sanctify themselves by this means.

5. The soul which recommends itself to me by the recitation of the Rosary, shall not perish.

6. Whoever shall recite the Rosary devoutly, applying himself to the consideration of its sacred mysteries, shall never be conquered by misfortune. God will not chastise him in His justice, he shall not perish by an unprovided death; if he be just, he shall remain in the grace of God and become worthy of eternal life.

7. Whoever shall have a true devotion for the Rosary shall not die without the Sacraments of the Church.

8. Those who are faithful to recite the Rosary shall have during their life and at their death the light of God and the plenitude of His graces; at the moment of death, they shall participate in the merits of the saints in Paradise.

9. I shall deliver from Purgatory those who have been devoted to the Rosary.

10. The faithful children of the Rosary shall merit a high degree of glory in Heaven.

11. You shall obtain all you ask of me by the recitation of the Rosary.

12. All those who propagate the Holy Rosary shall be aided by me in their necessities.

13. I have obtained from my Divine Son that all the advocates of the Rosary shall have for intercessors the entire Celestial Court during their life and at the hour of death.

14. All who recite the Rosary are my sons, and brothers of my only Son, Jesus Christ.

15. Devotion to my Rosary is a great sign of predestination.

Answer 10

"Did he (Jesus) set up a mysterious rite in which his followers would actually eat his body and drink his blood?"



No.



Notice these translations of Matthew 26:26:



The New Testament - A Translation by William Barclay (1968) reads at Matthew 26:26,



"During the meal Jesus took a loaf. He said the blessing over it,and broke it into pieces, and gave it to his disciples.'Take! Eat!' he said. 'This MEANS my body.' "



The Authentic New Testament by Hugh J. Schonfield (1956):



"...Take, eat; this SIGNIFIES my body."



A New Translation of the Bible by James Moffatt (impression of 1948):



"Take and eat this, it MEANS my body."



In it's translational notes, The Translator's New Testament (1973) reads:



"This saying is interpreted in different ways in different parts of the Church. In the original context the word "is" can only mean 'stand for', 'represents', as Jesus' actual body was there in it's physical form. Compare the use of 'is' in Matt. 13:38; Lk. 8:11; 1 Cor. 11:24,25 and many other places, WHEN IT MEANS 'REPRESENT' OR 'STANDS FOR'. In Mat 26:26 and parallels, however, T[ranslator's] T[estament] has retained the literal translation 'is.' "



It is true that the Greek word e·stin´ a form of the Greek verb “to be,” essentially means “is” and some Bible translations render Mt. 26:26 as “this is” instead of "this means". But the same verb can also mean “signify.” Interestingly, in many versions of the Bible, this verb is frequently translated “mean” or “stand for”. IT IS THE CONTEXT that determines the most precise rendering. For instance, at Matthew 12:7, e·stin´ is rendered “means” in many Bible translations: “If you had known what this means [Greek, e·stin]: I want mercy and not sacrifice, you would not have condemned the blameless.”—CEI; Douay Version.



Jesus used the bread and wine as symbols. The unleavened bread meant, or represented, his sinless body that would be sacrificed. The red wine signified his blood that would be poured out “in behalf of many for forgiveness of sins.” —Matthew 26:28



Besides, Jesus could not have meant that his followers were literally to eat his flesh and drink his blood because throughout human history, God consistently made it clear for humans to abstain from blood. God began with commanding Noah and his family to abstain from blood. (Gen. 9:4) He repeated this through the Mosaic law (Lev. 7:26, 27; 17:10, 11, 13, 14) and He continued to remind us through the pages of the New Testament. (Acts 15:28, 29; Acts 15:19, 20)



Jesus would never institute an observance that would require his followers to violate a sacred decree of Almighty God.



Recommended Related Article:



The Eucharist—The Facts Behind the Ritual

http://wol.jw.org/en/wol/d/r1/lp-e/2008249

Answer 11

I thought salvation was a free gift? You can’t earn it or buy it! I love how everybody seems to have a corner on the market. You can do your chants your, works and I will still be at the head of the line. Remember the pope said if you tweet him that it will reduce your time in purgatory. There are people that believe that , I call them sheep, I loved those days when I was a sheep. You believed anything they told you, just like back in the 1500's , Then there are the wolfs the ones that fleece old people and the poor and children in the church. Then there are people like me that are watchdogs and question things said and look for the truth.

All Christ wants is a day to day relationship with you. Focus on Jesus

Answer 12

As a Catholic...



The doctrine did not develop 'gradually' We have writings, such as the Didache which details Christian Mass and how to celebrate it.

We also have writings from the Bishop of Antioch (largest Christian population before Rome) around 107AD which warns Christians not to deny the Eucharist as some among you already do.



We also never see a council or official Church writing which puts forth any other interpretation besides that which is plainly in John chpt 6. That is.. Christ clearly says that the body that will be given up for us (aka die) is the body that we must eat to have eternal life. The question then becomes for modern Christians... did Jesus only die 'symbolically' ? 'cause the bible makes it clear that he is drawing a direct parallel between the body that died on the cross and the one he says we must eat. So if the body and blood is 'merely' symbolic, then according to scripture... Christ only died 'symbolically' as well, since Christ makes them directly the same.





Now what DID develop over time was the words used to describe it and the Apologetics used to defend it. The councils convened to re-affirm it.

That DID develop over time, logically, as certain groups attempted to question the doctrine. Thus the defense of the doctrine was not as well developed when there was no one arguing against it. But that's not the same as the doctrine itself slowly developing over time.



People often get thrown off by this. They think that IF the Church convened and defined something in 1348, then it didn't believe it or teach it prior to that time.

That's not how the Church works.. and is somewhat logically counter-intuitive. Most people and organizations don't verbalize things or write them down UNTIL there is a need. Typically.. things exist BEFORE they are stated, taught, written down, or promulgated across the land. And if you look closely at most of the Church's doctrines, whenever she states them..she does so specifically to say "this is what we've always believed" and not "from this day forward, this is what we believe" This is because, throughout most of the church's history, it only defined what needed to be and only clarified things, when confusion abounded.



Example: Council of Trent - many people believe that the number of books in the bible was not defined by the Church until the 1500s. However, this is not completely true. In the wake of the Protestant Reformation and wide spread confusion over which books were canonical and which were not. The Church convened a council to gather together the Bishops and authoritatively state "the bible has not changed"

It did so to clarify things.. not establish doctrine.

Same goes for the Nicene Creed - it was developed in 325AD to defend the idea of the Trinity NOT establish it.

Answer 13

Most Catholics do not know that the eucharist is not a symbolic representation of the bread and wine. also most catholics are not uptight but many are which gives catholics a bad name. Not to mention what some priests do. Anyway it is not just present in Catholicism but in other christian denominations. It is not symbolism but an actual representation of the blood and wine that will supposedly give them eternal life. I think it is rather stupid and the bread is nasty as hell. Many churches practice this but do not say it is the actual blood and body of jesus and many do not use wine in the eucharist because kids shud not be drinking wine at like 6.

Answer 14

Yes, they do believe it is REAL blood and flesh they are consuming, but there's a catch. The catholic church gets crazy with their "logic". It's literally explained as "the sacrament is transformed in its inner reality, though not in appearance." So, you are really partaking of 100% real body of Jesus... you just can't see, smell, or taste it.



Although Jesus was probably being symbolic, the catholic church has taken this as 100% literal (crazy town.) Just another way Catholics have really screwed up reading the holy bible.

Answer 15

it is simply put symbolic as at the time Christ actually had the last supper HE Did Not take a piece of HIS and allow them to eat it but broke the bread as a symbol of HIS broken body that was about to take place...

the catholics are into redirection and claim that people are saying it is cannabolism, and such redirecting the argument. they are well versed in thia and trained by their masters

Answer 16

Do you really think Jesus you know the guy who spoke on parobles really meant to eat his flesh? It's simbolic of what Jesus did to save people from there sins by taking the punishment for us. I'm not sure where you get you info about the catholic church but no legitimate catholic church ive ever been to really believes that.I could be wrong but then again I'm not catholic I'm just a christian. You shouldn't believe everything you hear about Christianity. True Christianity is about loving your enemies and striving to better yourself because you have be transformed by accepting Jesus. Not about this hogwash everyone keeps trying to sell it as.

Answer 17

I wouldn't drink the blood wine or wine. It probably has diseases from that time and I don't want to die anytime soon. Including the bread there are probably weird s*** in there that made people believing in illusions.

Answer 18

Lol idk...I'm a christian...always will be...catholics tend to be weird and uptight and worship the virgin marry which I am really against big time...your sopossed to worship god and Jesus that's what it says to do in the bible....and speaking of which the lord says the bible is for EVERYONE! not just the priests :) the bible is gods word to all any everyone can read it not just some guys...everyone :)

Answer 19

I'm not sure they are even aware that they are practicing an ancient cannibalistic ritual that ancient savages commonly practiced.

Answer 20

I am not catholic so I am not sure(every sect of christianity says something different) but I think they see it as a symbolic thing.

Answer 21

I could never be Catholic. I HATE wine. If there was a vodka tasting, then I might be able to deal..