Discerning The Body of Christ

[BernadetteM]

Your church doesn’t have a parish hall? Or even a parish basement that the speaker could have used rather than inside the church?

Yes it does, but I have no idea if they were having classes or another event at that time.

Why does it seem to bother you so much that the priest moved the Sacrament?

At least in our parish the laypeople aren’t running the show. That is the problem with many parishes who have many innovations during the Mass in my opinion. We have a strong priest who even decorates the church at times. He is a true shepard of his flock.

My friend who lives in another state complains constantly about the incorrect teachings in their RCIA program. They are totally against Church teachings. I believe that the cause for this type of abuse is that the people probably don’t have a firm foundation of what it means to have the True Presence in the church. Actually from what she has said the RCIA teachers sound like Episcopalians.

If someone really wants to know why he did it, I will be glad to give out our parish phone number and they can ask him directly.

After all the horror stories I have heard and some I have seen at some parishes I am very happy that I attend a parish who teaches the True Presence of our Lord and even talks about hell.

There are no innovations done there, the priest is in charge, as should be the case.

If your happy with your parish fine, there are people who come from miles to attend our parish.

Yours in the Hearts of Jesus and Mary

Bernadette

 

[Monica4316]

The speaker was a well known apologist. Our priest is very traditional as is our parish and great reverence is given to the Real Presence of Christ on the altar.

I guess you would have to ask him why, but I think since he was standing in the middle, outside of the sanctuary, directly in front of the tabernacle during his speech, the priest felt it would be irreverent. You would have to understand the great love for Christ in the Sacrament shown at our parish to understand.

Many people almost prostrate themselves when going into their pews or leaving them. I find nothing wrong with this. I have been in many churches where people don’t show any reverence at all. No one speaks outloud and they only whisper to ask if they can sit in your pew. People pray before and after Mass. We have a dress code, although some don’t follow it. I love our priest and know that he is of the old school, but he is very pastoral and cares deeply about his congregation.

Yours in the Hearts of Jesus and Mary

Bernadette

that sounds like a great parish
I wish more were like this!

 

[Monica4316]

Peace to All! All of Your responses are truly blessing to Me. They are very, very helpful. What some of You have mentioned in the experience of emptiness in protestant churches I have to concure as true. My parents church the communion service is like a dead ceremony that has a vague echo of what it should be.
When I converted, I recieved tremendous opposition from My protestant Father and My Agnostic Brother. He did everything thing to convince Me that Jesus was not virgin born or ressurected—and My Dad opposed My Catholic faith because it was not ‘liberal’ enough for him. My Mother was delighted! She was raised a Baptist with a Catholic best friend. My mother bought a statue of Our Lady of Grace at Her friends parish bookstore–but had to keep it hidden from My grandmother who was a Southern Baptist. Every day Mom would take the statue out to enjoy its inspiration–and I pray that She will become Catholic before She dies. I think, perhaps, these Eucharistic consolation alone gave Me the strength to stay in the Church and not let the devil remove the seed–and in Her own way, My mother nurtured Me as a Catholic. She even says the rosary…and had it not been for that statue of Mary in Her childhood, perhaps I would never have knocked at the door of the Church…I am certainly grateful that I did…Thank You My Brothers and Sisters for very good councel.

that’s so awesome! I believe Mary helped lead me to the Church too. I’d say that during my conversion, it was the Eucharist that also kept me from giving up… because at times, I almost did (either because of opposition, or confusion, etc.) Whenever I’d go inside a Catholic church, I’d feel this peace and the presence of Jesus, and it really encouraged/comforted me. It’s so interesting to hear about others’ experiences

God bless!!

 

[MatthewBerkeley]

Hi everyone,
I just want to say that I also have a great love and devotion for Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament.
But I recently thought of something that I wasn’t sure about - it’s probably a really silly question, but I can’t think of a good answer for it: If Jesus is present everywhere as God, what is different about his Presence in the Blessed Sacrament?
I completely understand what everyone says about feeling Christ’s presence in the Blessed Sacrament - I feel similarly, because it’s the source of all goodness and you can really feel that during periods of Adoration. If anyone can put together an answer for my question, simple as it probably is, I’d appreciate the help
God bless!

 

[bmadamsberry]

Hi everyone,
I just want to say that I also have a great love and devotion for Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament.
But I recently thought of something that I wasn’t sure about - it’s probably a really silly question, but I can’t think of a good answer for it: If Jesus is present everywhere as God, what is different about his Presence in the Blessed Sacrament?
I completely understand what everyone says about feeling Christ’s presence in the Blessed Sacrament - I feel similarly, because it’s the source of all goodness and you can really feel that during periods of Adoration. If anyone can put together an answer for my question, simple as it probably is, I’d appreciate the help
God bless!

By the fact that his Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity are in the Bread and Wine. There is a difference between “Where two or more are gathered, there I will be also” (where Christ is here in a spiritual sense) and receiving the Eucharist (where Christ is there ‘in the flesh’, pun intended).

 

[japhy]

If Jesus is present everywhere as God, what is different about his Presence in the Blessed Sacrament?

God is present everywhere, but not in the same mode or manner. Let me give some examples:

• If God were present in me the same way He is present in a bishop, I should be able to ordain someone to Holy Orders, right?
• If God were present in you the same way He is present in the Holy Scriptures, then every word you say would be inspired, right?
• If God were present in a rock the same way He is present in Heaven, then it would be perfectly acceptable to render worship to the rock, right?
• If God were present in the Eucharist the same way He is present in beer and nachos, then eating and drinking at the bar would be a “sacrament”, right?

God is present in all creation, but not in the same manner as He is present outside creation, that is, in and of Himself. Otherwise we’d fall into the trap of pantheism.

What makes the presence of Jesus Christ in the Eucharist stand out among every other mode of presence has to do with why the Eucharist is called the Most Blessed Sacrament. The Council of Trent described it this way:
The most Holy Eucharist has indeed this in common with the other sacraments, that it is a symbol of a sacred thing and a visible form of an invisible grace; but there is found in it this excellent and peculiar characteristic, that the other sacraments then first have the power of sanctifying when one uses them, while in the Eucharist there is the Author Himself of sanctity before it is used. … the true body and the true blood of our Lord, together with His soul and divinity exist under the form of bread and wine.
There are two important things pointed out here. First is that in the Eucharist is the Author of grace and life Himself, whereas the other sacraments are channels of grace and life. Baptism isn’t anything without a person to be baptized, but the Eucharist is the Eucharist from the moment of consecration, regardless of whether anyone receives it!

Second is that in the Eucharist, Jesus Christ is present in His body, blood, soul, and divinity: His full and complete substance. Jesus is fully and completely substantially present in the Eucharist. The complete substance of Jesus is not present in you or me, nor in the person of the priest, nor in the Scriptures, nor in the assembled community of the Church. (If Jesus were present in substance in any of those circumstances, it would be proper to offer worship to you, or me, or the priest, or the Scriptures, or the Church as a whole.)

That is how the presence of God in the Eucharist is different from every other presence: He is present in His complete substance.

 

[bmadamsberry]

lol, or what Japhy said. He said it a lot better.

 

[peary1]

Come on, now. Lots of Catholic speakers (I think even Father Corapi) do a lot of their teaching engagements inside churches.

There are times when this is permissible. The pastor did the right thing in reserving the Blessed Sacrament in a different place out of reverence.

Father Corapi should be welcomed inside a Catholic Church to teach. So should Father Larry Richards. But I’ve also been made aware that the defrocked Matthew Fox is also being invited to preach in Catholic churches even though he turned against the Church and the priesthood given to him.

 

[MatthewBerkeley]

Thanks bmadamsberry and japhy, that’s a great help.
I believed all that, I think, but I just couldn’t put the answer to my question in words.
God bless!