How can bread and wine turn into the blood and flesh of Jesus, but still taste as bread and wine

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Do you literally believe that wine and bread are Jesus’ blood and flesh? Why it’s not only a symbolic thing?
 
We literally believe that at consecration we have the Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Jesus Christ that just appear as bread and wine. It is not a symbolic thing simply because it is real.
 
User124 said:
Do you literally believe that wine and bread are Jesus’ blood and flesh? Why it’s not only a symbolic thing?
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Yes, I most definitely believe that, after the consecration, there is no bread or wine there, that it is Jesus. Why? Because Jesus is God the Son, the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity; He cannot deceive or be deceived; He said that it was His body and blood and gave the authority to His apostles and their successors to do this; so it is true.

Why would we not believe God?
 
A couple of weeks ago I went to communion, got back into my pew and all of a sudden I had the taste of blood in my mouth. I’m a vegetarian but I know what it tastes like as I cut myself in the finger before and licked it, and also from the dentist I know what it tastes like. I was scared. And this is the funny thing about it. I claim to know it’s the body and blood of Jesus, but when it really tastes like blood I start tripping.
 
504Katrin said:
A couple of weeks ago I went to communion, got back into my pew and all of a sudden I had the taste of blood in my mouth. I’m a vegetarian but I know what it tastes like as I cut myself in the finger before and licked it, and also from the dentist I know what it tastes like. I was scared. And this is the funny thing about it. I claim to know it’s the body and blood of Jesus, but when it really tastes like blood I start tripping.
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This happens to me occasionally too. I blame it on the aftertaste of the manufactured hosts.
 
let me answer indirectly:

Why believe there is God? Why not believe in an eternal universe(s)?
Why believe God is a Trinity? Why not just believe in 3 Gods or 1 God?
Why believe God became man? Why not believe Jesus is a man like any other?
Why believe the Bible is inspired by God? Why not believe it is just another book?
Why believe in eternal life after death? Why not believe in death is death…end of story?

I could go on and on… Many certainly reject all manner of Christian beliefs.

So why believe any of it? I suppose because I believe it is True. Could I be wrong? Certainly.

So why believe? I believe there is a God and one makes more sense than many. An eternal universe - to my limited mind and understanding is not reasonable or possible. That is, something beyond this world is needed and that can be so different as to be eternal. Can I prove it? No, but I believe nonetheless… Are there issues with the logic? Sure, but I believe nonetheless… Maybe I’m delusional. OK, I can deal with that.

What about the Trinity? I like the idea of God’s nature being fundamentally a relationship. See above for disclaimers.

God became man? Why not? Certainly it helps that it was years ago and I don’t have to look someone in the eye and say “Yep, I believe you are God.” In any event, it’s comforting to believe God loves us all enough to become like us to demonstrate His love. See above for disclaimers.

What about the Bible? Why not? Sure you have the Koran - said to be dictated by God. You also have the Vedas, Book of Mormon and many others. I rather like the distinction between a “dictated” divine book which I just don’t see happening (yes that’s inconsistent) and one that is “inspired.” The antiquity and staying power - as well as the teachings in the Bible - I find much more suitable to my mind than what I know about the others. See above for disclaimers…

Eternal life? Well, it all seems so pointless if this is all she wrote… See above for disclaimers.

So…why believe Christ is truly and substantially present in the Eucharist and not just a symbol. The Bible says it’s His body and blood. The intersection between the eternal and the temporal (which is the sacrifice of Calvary at the Mass) strikes me as suitable for a non-physical/non-temporal manifestation of God eternal. A mere symbol strikes me as much of nothing. Somehow if it all became a bloody mess on the altar - maybe that would be better, but for me I think it would just be another weird physical phenomenon - but a part of this world nonetheless. By being so counter-intuitive I think it fits much better into the whole schema that God is beyond the world - He’s greater and not bound by its laws. See disclaimers above.
 
Cristiano said:
We literally believe that at consecration we have the Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Jesus Christ that just appear as bread and wine. It is not a symbolic thing simply because it is real.
Click to expand...
If it’s real, why it does not taste as blood and flesh.
504Katrin said:
A couple of weeks ago I went to communion, got back into my pew and all of a sudden I had the taste of blood in my mouth. I’m a vegetarian but I know what it tastes like as I cut myself in the finger before and licked it, and also from the dentist I know what it tastes like. I was scared. And this is the funny thing about it. I claim to know it’s the body and blood of Jesus, but when it really tastes like blood I start tripping.
Click to expand...
I’m vegetarian too, but how can you know that what happened was because of the communion and not any other reason? And why that taste does not happen to everyone who take communion?
 
User124 said:
Do you literally believe that wine and bread are Jesus’ blood and flesh? Why it’s not only a symbolic thing?
Click to expand...
Because Jesus told us Himself that this was real. We may choose to believe HIm, or we may choose to not believe. I, like Peter believe, “Leave? to whom shall we go…you have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe that you are the Christ, Son of the Living God.”

I may not be able to tell you I understand fully, but I assure you I believe!
 
User124 said:
Do you literally believe that wine and bread are Jesus’ blood and flesh?
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When they are just wine and bread, no. When the Priest consecrates them during Mass, they become Jesus’ body blood soul and divinity.
User124 said:
Why it’s not only a symbolic thing?
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Because Jesus did not institute an only symbolic thing, He instituted the Eucharist and directed that remember Him by eating His body and drinking His blood.

Here is some background reading that may help to answer some of your questions:
catholic.com/tracts/christ-in-the-eucharist
catholic.com/documents/eucharist-encyclical

By the way, you did not ask your thread title in your question, but the reason is because the substance of the bread and wine change into Christ’s body blood soul and divinity but the accidents remain those of bread and wine. Take a look here for a better explanation (scroll about a third of the way down under “transubstantiation”):
ewtn.com/library/ANSWERS/SHEEDEUC.HTM
 
User124 said:
Do you literally believe that wine and bread are Jesus’ blood and flesh? Why it’s not only a symbolic thing?
Click to expand...
Yes; Faith in the word of Christ and because the wafer and wine through Christ by the Holy Spirit are transubstantiated into the spiritual nourishment we requite for eternal life.

Sort of in a nutshell:

St. Thomas said the Eucharist is the one instance of change we encounter in this world that is exactly the opposite. The appearances of bread and wine stay the same, but the very essence or substance of these realities, which can’t be detected by a microscope, is totally transformed. What was once bread and wine are now Christ’s body and blood. A handy word was coined to describe this unique change. Transformation of the “sub-stance”, what “stands-under” the surface, came to be called “transubstantiation.”

Catholic teaching on the Eucharist gives great inspiration and strength to believers. Jesus is really present and, under the appearance of food, nourishes us for our journey through life. (Spiritual food)

We know that each of the Catholic sacraments produces its own special effect or effects. If the purpose of all sacraments were simply to give a single kind of grace, one sacrament would be enough; there would have been no need for our Lord Jesus to have instituted seven.

The sacrament of the Holy Eucharist was instituted as a food, a spiritual food.

That is why the outward sign of this sacrament—the appearances of bread and wine—is a sign of nourishment, just as in Baptism the outward sign is water, a sign of cleansing.

The action by which we as individuals receive the Holy Eucharist is an act of eating. We swallow the appearances of bread and wine under which Jesus is present. This is the action which we call Holy Communion.

Since the Holy Eucharist is a spiritual food, it does for the soul what physical food does for the body.

When we eat physical food, it becomes united to us—it is changed into our own substance and becomes a part of us.

In Holy Communion something analogous happens to us spiritually, but with a great difference: in this case it is the individual who is united to the Food, not the Food to the individual. The lesser is united to the Greater.
 
User124 said:
Do you literally believe that wine and bread are Jesus’ blood and flesh? Why it’s not only a symbolic thing?
Click to expand...
Yes, we believe that ordinary bread and wine become the flesh, blood, soul and divinity of Jesus Christ once the Catholic Priest consecrates it because Jesus said so.

You can read His Words in John, chapter 6, I believe around verse 53. He also lost a lot of followers that day and still does today.

Try to remember that Jesus is God and can do anything. Nothing is impossible for God. He can appear under whatever appearance He desires too, whenever and to whoever.

Probably good to read about when Jesus appeared to His 2 disciples on the road to Emmasus, I think its Luke, chapter 24. They did not recognize Him, yet it was still Him. We walk by faith not by sight and we put our complete trust in Him who will lead us home to Him. And I believe Jesus said something along the lines that those who enter Heaven do so like children.

A few good links to help you in this area:

olgcparish.net/education/true_magnificence.html

therealpresence.org/eucharst/scrip/a6.html

ewtn.com/faith/teachings/euchb2a.htm

And, pray to God to send His Holy Spirit to you with His wonderful gifts of Wisdom, Knowledge and Understanding and that your mind and heart will be open to all that He would like to reveal to you.

Good luck and peace.
 
Dear user124,
I just thought this might help. There have been Eucharistic miracles in which the bread and wine have become actual flesh and blood, like actual physical flesh and blood. Scientists have examined these miracles n have concluded the flesh is from heart tissue and the blood is type ab. In all the miracles the blood type is ab. That in itself is amazing. What more these miracles occurred 500-1000 years ago and the flesh and blood are still as fresh as the day the miracle happened. This is only further proof from Our Lord that this is His actual body and blood. Also these miracles only happened when someone in the mass crowd doubted the actual presence of Christ in the Host and wine. Hope this helps. You can google and pictures will come up
 
There has not been scientific evidence that the bread & wine is Jesus’ body & blood, but Catholics believe this to be the case because of one thing. It is called FAITH. Other religions teach the host and wine are symbolic, but Catholics are set apart in this regard. And it is a beautiful thing.
 
The Cliff’s Notes version is that we believe that it is His Body and Blood because Jesus said so. The “accidents” of bread and wine remain, but Sacramentally, He is present. Those who twist the meaning of the word “is” sound an awful lot like a poorly delivered presidential defense of a few years back.

For nearly 2,000 years, the absolute belief in His true presence has been handed on. Unlike “bible Christians”, the Catholic and Orthodox Churches do not go just by the words of the bible, but also the meaning behind those words that has been passed along to us.
 
User124 said:
If it’s real, why it does not taste as blood and flesh.
Click to expand...
We say that it becomes the body and blood but under the accidents of bread and wine. That is (with the exception of the occasional miracle), if you were to examine it scientifically it would appear to be bread and wine.

The thing is that the word “is” goes beyond mere physical appearance. Wikipedia might be useful: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transubstantiation
I’m vegetarian too, but how can you know that what happened was because of the communion and not any other reason? And why that taste does not happen to everyone who take communion?
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  1. There may be other reasons for some of these things, for others there may not. In some cases examinations are carried out and give verdicts one way or the other.
  2. If there was a miracle in this case (which, being removed from the experience, I am not taking a position on), it would have been the action of God. He can make the accidents change as well as the substance for one person if He so desires. I would presume He’d have a reason - it may be that He wants to remind one person in particular of the reality of the Eucharist, or He may have some other reason.
 
User124 said:
Do you literally believe that wine and bread are Jesus’ blood and flesh? Why it’s not only a symbolic thing?
Click to expand...
I don’t literally believe. I truly believe. As others have alluded, read John 6.

“Amen, amen, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you do not have life within you.”

AND

“This is my body.”

Not “Oh, don’t worry, I’m not being serious. Actually, it’s only a symbol.”
 
I have a hard time with people saying they are Bible believing Christians and have read John chapter 6 and don’t come away with the understanding that Jesus was insisting that somehow we must eat his flesh and blood to follow him. My question becomes how is it that you actually eat his flesh and drink his blood if you don’t believe in the demonstration that Jesus gives us at the last supper where he proclamations “This is my body” and “This is my blood”?
 
John 6:53-59:

53 Jesus said to them, “Very truly I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. 54 Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day. 55 For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink. 56 Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in them. 57 Just as the living Father sent me and I live because of the Father, so the one who feeds on me will live because of me. 58 This is the bread that came down from heaven. Your ancestors ate manna and died, but whoever feeds on this bread will live forever.” 59 He said this while teaching in the synagogue in Capernaum.

Matthew:26

While they were eating, Jesus took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to his disciples, saying, “Take and eat; this is my body.”

The Eucharistic Miracle of Lanciano, Italy
michaeljournal.org/eucharist3.htm
 
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