Another question about Eucharist

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Could someone please explain to me how Christ is TRULY present in the Eucharist? Meaning, He’s standing around somewhere? How is He TRULY in the bread and wine? Literally? Please help me find this true and help me understand so when I convert, I will know!😃

Also, is Christ present in Protestant churches (dumb question!)? If not, why? 'Cause it’s not the TRUE church?

I just want to know and understand!

Thanks,
Nicole
 
Nicole, he is fully present in His Body and Blood…but its in a glorified, supernatural form. It’s an extension of the eternal feast of the Eucharist that is happening in heaven. We join up with the angels and saints as they surround us in our feast.

Read ‘The Lamb’s Supper’ by Scott Hahn. I think it will answer most questions you have about the Mass.

As for the Protestants, only properly ordained Catholic Priests and Bishops can confect the Eucharist. The others can ask God to bless their wine and bread/crackers whatever, but ain’t nothin like the real thing, baby!
 
Paris Blues:
Also, is Christ present in Protestant churches (dumb question!)? If not, why? 'Cause it’s not the TRUE church?

I just want to know and understand!

Thanks,
Nicole
Click to expand...
Christ is present in all places among those who seek Him with a pure heart. I believe that He is among the Protestants when they celebrate their Lord’s Supper/Communion–although not in the same way He is for us. He is there in spirit.

When a Catholic priest with valid orders confects the Eucharist, the bread and wine actually change into the real body, blood, soul, and divinity of Christ, but still under the appearance of bread and wine. It is a physical transformation, a supernatural occurrence. It is a miracle. 🙂
 
Start reading beginning with John 6 in the new testament… then ask your self again… 👍
 
As for how,… beats me, no one knows, it’s a complete and utter mystery. Don’t try too hard to wrap your mind around it, you’ll only hurt yourself!

But I know it’s true because He said it is.
 
Paris Blues:
Could someone please explain to me how Christ is TRULY present in the Eucharist? Meaning, He’s standing around somewhere? How is He TRULY in the bread and wine? Literally? Please help me find this true and help me understand so when I convert, I will know!😃

Also, is Christ present in Protestant churches (dumb question!)? If not, why? 'Cause it’s not the TRUE church?

I just want to know and understand!

Thanks,
Nicole
Click to expand...
Hi Nicole,

I suggest that you have a look at these tracts here on the CA homepage:
catholic.com/library/Institution_of_the_Mass.asp
catholic.com/library/Christ_in_the_Eucharist.asp
catholic.com/library/Sacrifice_of_the_Mass.asp
catholic.com/library/Real_Presence.asp
catholic.com/library/Who_Can_Receive_Communion.asp

Also I would really suggest that you go here :
catholicity.com/maryfoundation/
and ask for them to send you The Mass Explained By Father Larry Richards

and here: biblechristiansociety.com/
and ask for the whole set of their free Catholic audio tapes. They cover everything!

Finally I also suggest that you augment your RCIA course with FREE courses from The Catholic Home Study Service. their stuff is ALL good but I would start with 'We believe…A Survey of the Catholic Faith. It ALL ROCKS!
 
Hi Nicole,

First, understand that we are dealing with something here that is not likely to be fully understood by our human capabilities—at least not on this side of life!

Philosophers use the term “accidents” in referring to certain characteristics or properties of things: for example, an apple is red. However, red is not the “essence” of what an apple is, but is merely an “accidental”—that is, a non-essential property of an apple (an apple can be green, but still be an apple).

When the bread and wine are changed into the Body and Blood of our Lord, the “accidents”—and thus, the appearance, taste, etc.—remain even though the “essence” is now the Body and Blood. It’s a miracle, and one that requires faith to accept. Don’t expect to ever get your mind fully around this mystery—it’s beyond us.
 
Hi Nichole,
I am still learning myself so am perhaps not the best person to offer advice; however, I found by reading the Church’s teaching, reading John 13:21 - 27 and praying, helped me to accept the teachings of the Church, to see that the Lord was indeed telling us he would be truly present in the bread and wine.
I have never seen anyone else use John 13:26-27 specifically as a reason for believing, but it certainly helped me beleive, because if by the taking of the bread and sauce, Satan could truly enter into Judas, then surely Jesus saying the bread would become His body and the wine His blood, would not simply be symbolic. I reiterate, this is just my way of accepting it.
John 13: 26-27 says, Jesus answered, “I will dip some bread in the sauce and give it to him; he is the man.” So he took a piece of bread, dipped it, and gave it to Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot. As soon as Judas took the bread, Satan entered into him. Jesus said to him, " Hurry and do what you must!"
I’m not sure if anyone has given you this site; I did not see it among the ones mentioned, but apologise if it was. Hope this helps.

newadvent.org/cathen/05573a.htm

God bless,

Shari
 
Dear Nicole,

How is He present in the Eucharist? Well, we believe that He is present, Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity, even down to the last drop and particle–it doesn’t matter how much of the Eucharist one receives–it’s all the same Jesus. The best way for me to explain that fact is to use the word “sacramental” to describe how He is there: He is “sacramentally” present. The way it has been described to me is:

Who is present? Jesus (truly, literally, physically, spiritually, completely, etc.)

How is He present? Sacramentally.

We should be careful to not put the terms which answer the question “Who is present?” into the answer to the question “How is He present?” because if we start saying He is physically present or literally present or spiritually present then we start wandering into heresy.

As others have said, “understanding” this is impossible since it is truly a mystery.
 
Nicole, i noticed you asked how is Jesus truly present “in the bread and wine”; in fact after consecration takes place the bread and wine cease to exist even though they appear to our senses to be unchanged. The change that takes place is a change of substance not a change of accidents. Accidental changes would be changes that are perceptible to our human senses. The substance of the bread and wine become the substance of His Body and Blood, even though it still appears to be bread and wine. Christ makes this change happen when he holds up the bread and wine and says, “this is my body…this is my blood”. The priests at mass stand in the person of Christ (persona Christi) and says the same words of consecration, thereby transubstantiation takes place.

Hope this helps some.
 
I agree that we can’t really answer the question “how is He present?” adequately. It is a mystery that is beyond our comprehension. I think we can scratch the surface of understanding though.

Recently I’ve been thinking that the key to this question (or one of the keys) is in John 6:63. *“It is the spirit that gives life, while the flesh is of no avail. The words I have spoken to you are spirit and life.” *

Now I know that many protestants use that verse to argue that Jesus is speaking figuratively or symbolically. Their mistake is believing that speaking *spiritually * is the same as speaking figuratively. That logic denies the *literal reality * of the spiritual.

In that verse, Jesus is not back pedalling…He’s trying to get his followers to think on a higher level. He’s saying that our *life * is not derived from our flesh, but from our spirit. Our spirits are what take a bunch of ordinary matter and turn it into a living, breathing, growing body. Without the spirit that matter simply returns to dust.

Our bodies are not made of anything much different than the bread and wine that is consecrated at Mass. We literally are what we eat after all. If *our * spirits can animate common matter into a complex organism, how much easier is it for God’s spirit to animate the matter that was once bread and wine, turning it into his own body and blood?
 
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