G
GonQPat
Guest
A Vision of Creation
In their attempts to discredit the teachings of the Catholic Church, the arguments that the Protestants have put forward are both intriguing and tantalizing. And yes! There are many styles of wrestling from which one can choose to wrestle with those arguments.
Yet, the one style that I have adopted is that of a vision of Creation.
Every religion appears to have a Creation story, or a vision of Creation, which has three central elements, viz. a Creator, the created universe, and mankind. The vision of creation will also include details of the relationships between those three elements; viz. between the Creator and the created universe, between the Creator and mankind, and between mankind and the created universe.
How God has chosen to reveal Himself to mankind is His decision and His prerogative. Now, according to the Catholic vision of Creation, God (The Son) has chosen to reveal Himself as a consecrated host of bread. And the primary witness of that Revelation is the New Testament Canon of Scripture.
Surprisingly enough, Protestants have attempted, untiringly, to prove that the consecrated host is merely a wafer of bread. And their arguments are based largely on the interpretation of Greek manuscripts. So, what they have effectively done is to take God’s revelation of Himself to mankind, and have that revelation reduced to a human deduction.
But, by negating the Catholic belief that the consecrated host is the Body of Christ Jesus, Protestants have effectively negated the point that it is God’s prerogative of how He has chosen to reveal Himself to mankind. Also, they have effectively altered the Catholic vision of Creation. So, the argument is not merely one of the technicalities of Greek grammar, but it is that of choosing either one vision of Creation, or another fundamentally different one.
I can’t help thinking that Protestants have attempted to encapsulate the mystery of God’s revelation (i.e. the Eucharist) within human reason. While the mystery of the Eucharist will always lie outside of the capsule of human reason.
Nevertheless, I shall continue to accept, on faith, that the Eucharist is the Body of Christ Jesus. And I shall also continue to accept that fact with incomprehension, and that that mystery will continue to lie outside of my own capsule of human reason.
Patrick Q Gonsalves
In their attempts to discredit the teachings of the Catholic Church, the arguments that the Protestants have put forward are both intriguing and tantalizing. And yes! There are many styles of wrestling from which one can choose to wrestle with those arguments.
Yet, the one style that I have adopted is that of a vision of Creation.
Every religion appears to have a Creation story, or a vision of Creation, which has three central elements, viz. a Creator, the created universe, and mankind. The vision of creation will also include details of the relationships between those three elements; viz. between the Creator and the created universe, between the Creator and mankind, and between mankind and the created universe.
How God has chosen to reveal Himself to mankind is His decision and His prerogative. Now, according to the Catholic vision of Creation, God (The Son) has chosen to reveal Himself as a consecrated host of bread. And the primary witness of that Revelation is the New Testament Canon of Scripture.
Surprisingly enough, Protestants have attempted, untiringly, to prove that the consecrated host is merely a wafer of bread. And their arguments are based largely on the interpretation of Greek manuscripts. So, what they have effectively done is to take God’s revelation of Himself to mankind, and have that revelation reduced to a human deduction.
But, by negating the Catholic belief that the consecrated host is the Body of Christ Jesus, Protestants have effectively negated the point that it is God’s prerogative of how He has chosen to reveal Himself to mankind. Also, they have effectively altered the Catholic vision of Creation. So, the argument is not merely one of the technicalities of Greek grammar, but it is that of choosing either one vision of Creation, or another fundamentally different one.
I can’t help thinking that Protestants have attempted to encapsulate the mystery of God’s revelation (i.e. the Eucharist) within human reason. While the mystery of the Eucharist will always lie outside of the capsule of human reason.
Nevertheless, I shall continue to accept, on faith, that the Eucharist is the Body of Christ Jesus. And I shall also continue to accept that fact with incomprehension, and that that mystery will continue to lie outside of my own capsule of human reason.
Patrick Q Gonsalves