True church members share their bible experiences with one another. You have not. You want to argue the validity of scripture and how we all interpret it. I wont. Walking in the spirit of Jesus is always a cultivating experience with what we, the fellowship of believers share with one another.
You won’t? But that’s precisely what you’ve been doing. In an earlier post, you claim to have authoritatively interpreted a section of John’s Gospel in a way that contradicts the understanding of the majority of Christians spread across several different faith traditions. Now, after being repeatedly asked to explain why Jesus tells you something different than he tells me (and others), you conveniently come up with a set of rules that let you off the hook and make me look like the bad guy.
What is your authority for that?
Your profile says you are 32 years old. So you left the Church last year? I find it incredible that you could have been a practicing Catholic for 30 years and never actually understood the most beautiful mystery of Christ’s life in the world today.
So I understand your vague reply to be saying that none of the Catholic and Orthodox Fathers and theologians for 2000 years were taught by Jesus.
Then Jesus must not be teaching the vast majority of Protestants, who would strongly disagree with you. Is that the case?
Interesting, because that’s quite different than what you first said:
Which is it? Do we consume Christ’s flesh and blood “spiritually” (to use your description) or do we consume Christ’s real flesh and real blood?
Reference?
What should we do with the unused hosts? We keep some for later distribution to those who because of disability cannot come to Mass. Where should we keep them?
Where?
And you really think that the reservation of the Sacred Body and Blood, and adoration of it amounts to keeping God in a box? What is the appropriate disposition of the unconsumed hosts (since the Precious Blood must ALL be consumed)? Toss 'em to the birds? Can you really be Catholic and not know that the Sacrament is reserved so that it can be taken to the sick?
When we are in his spirit(Jesus), the bread and wine are his real body and blood.
In the NT, Acts 17:24
So, then, it is your contention that Christ Jesus is really, substantially present in the bread and wine, and that the bread and wine have ceased to exist substantially to be replaced by the body, blood, soul, and divinity of Jesus? If so, I must admit I was wrong about a difference of interpretation regarding those few verses from John’s Gospel.
That’s understandable.
mercygate:
great answer!
God wants each of us to walk with Him, to have a personal relationship with Him, to hear His voice. Many Christians are bound by fear and are looking for something safer----a religious system where they wont have to walk with God.
God does not live in a temple made of hands.
God is everywhere, isn’t He? That must include every temple built by human hands. So what point are you trying to make?
And I hear this quoted often which is in fact a religious system taught by men. Go figure. There is no religoius system safer than the one that says I don’t have to take responsibility for my actions. The fact is this is used as a kind of trump card when they really have nothing to say because they follow a man made doctrine, not one from Christ.