SPOKENWORD:
Hi Darrel,You really didnt answer my question but anyways praise God you have come closer through your experiences with the Eucharist.Mysteries are mysteries and very difficult to humanlly understand.I respect what you believe. Is our salvation based on the fact that we must recieve the Eucharist? If so,quote me the verses please.
God Bless
Try John Chapter 6. There are many version of the Bible. Let me know if you don’t see the emphasis on eating His Body (The Eucharist) in your Bible. I can maybe show other verses to you. This is from John.
48] I am the bread of life.
49] Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died.
50] This is the bread which comes down from heaven, that a man may eat of it and not die.
51] I am the living bread which came down from heaven; if any one eats of this bread, he will live for ever; and the bread which I shall give for the life of the world is my flesh."
52] The Jews then disputed among themselves, saying, “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?”
53] So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of man and drink his blood, you have no life in you;
54] he who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.
55] For my flesh is food indeed, and my blood is drink indeed.
56] He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him.
57] As the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so he who eats me will live because of me.
58] This is the bread which came down from heaven, not such as the fathers ate and died; he who eats this bread will live for ever.”
59] This he said in the synagogue, as he taught at Caper’na-um.
To better understand the importance of these verses, you may want to compare to John Chapter 1 and Exodus Chapter 12.
John 1:28-30
28] This took place in Bethany beyond the Jordan, where John was baptizing.
29]
The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, "Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!
30] This is he of whom I said, `After me comes a man who ranks before me, for he was before me.’
Exodus 12:8, 12:21 and 12:46
8] They shall eat the flesh that night, roasted; with unleavened bread and bitter herbs they shall eat it.
21] Then Moses called all the elders of Israel, and said to them, "Select lambs for yourselves according to your families, and kill the passover lamb.
46] In one house shall it be eaten; you shall not carry forth any of the flesh outside the house; and you shall not break a bone of it.
John 19:31-37
31] Since it was the day of Preparation, in order to prevent the bodies from remaining on the cross on the sabbath (for that sabbath was a high day), the Jews asked Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away.
32] So the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first, and of the other who had been crucified with him;
33] but when they came to Jesus and saw that he was already dead, they did not break his legs.
34] But one of the soldiers pierced his side with a spear, and at once there came out blood and water.
35] He who saw it has borne witness – his testimony is true, and he knows that he tells the truth – that you also may believe.
36] For these things took place that the scripture might be fulfilled, “Not a bone of him shall be broken.”
37] And again another scripture says, “They shall look on him whom they have pierced.” (Does this remind you of a crucifix?)
Reading 1 Corinthians also shows Pauls views on eating Body and drinking the Blood of the Lord. Matthew 26, Mark 14, Luke 22, and John 6 might be good too.
I’m sure your interpretation on some of these will be different, but I hope that you can see a connection between Jesus being the Sacrificial Lamb and the Eucharist (Body and Blood of Jesus). At least you know where we are coming from. Our beliefs are scriptural.
As Christians, we want to join together to spread the word. You are a very good strong Christian in my view. I respect your persistence in teaching people that Jesus Christ is our Savior. The world needs people like you. If the Catholic Church was as you thought it was, no Christian would belong to it, but you have misunderstood it.
God Bless
God Bless.
