How does it feel to be around the true presence?

[Bill_Pick]

How does it feel to be around the true presence of Christ in the Eucharist? Can you actually feel the presence of god? I’ve never been to a mass or orthodox service before, and Would love to get perspectives from catholics, orthodox, Protestants, Jews, or anyone else. thanks

GREAT I just love it

 

[cecilia97]

There are a lot of Protestant denominations that believe in some kind of Real Presence, as opposed to 100% symbolic. They don’t believe in transubstantiation, as we know, but quite a few believe in some kind of real presence.
But a person has to be open to it. God does not force Himself on us. We have to be interested in the first place, then He works with us and on us to bring ourselves to Him.
But if we expect to just feel the presence automatically just by being near the presence, I am not sure it works that way.
And He is present, we are just sometimes not tuned in to it…similar to God speaking to us throughout the day but our noise drowns out His voice.

But, sadly, other faiths do not have the holy orders and Apostolic succession that allows their clergy to confect the Eucharist. They may believe that the communion bread used in their worship is more than 100% symbolic, but it is not.

 

[Lovesa]

But, sadly, other faiths do not have the holy orders and Apostolic succession that allows their clergy to confect the Eucharist. They may believe that the communion bread used in their worship is more than 100% symbolic, but it is not.

As a soon-to-be-ex Lutheran, I can vouch for that. It’s also a difficult thing to understand, in regards to feelings, however.

As for the real presence, it may be my upbringing showing, but, when I go to mass I generally have to remind myself, “That’s Jesus up there,” although I do “feel” the true presence a little more in the formal church (daily’s held in a different room), I do feel a “something missing” when I’m at mass, so I’m not sure feelings can be 100% accurate on things like this.

It’s when I’m at my regular Lutheran service I really “feel” the real presence, which makes me distrust my feelings a little because, like the above says, it’s not really there. When I take communion (which maybe I should stop, but I’m not sure) I’m always very moved. Usually it’s a little hard to get up from kneeling and walk back to my pew. Maybe it’s because we have a very reverent/traditional liturgy, perhaps moreso than the mass I attend, but that’s just how it is. As for how it feels, it’s very peaceful, calming, all those good go-to words. Surreal and very real at the same time. Maybe a little perfect.

 

[LOCO]

This thread is full of wonderful answers from people on all parts of the walk of faith, the OP included. As some have noted, God is always present, what is absent is our recognition of Him. Not to wave a red flag at my Catholic brothers and sisters, but Martin Luther said in a letter to Ulrich Zwingli, who was one of the founders of the Anabaptist movement, " God is everywhere, even in my cabbage soup."

We cannot remove ourselves from the equation of our relationship with God. After all, He died for us, so at the very least we gain value through His sacrifice. I cannot imagine any believer saying the He died for nothing. Therefore, emotion does play a role in the recognition of the presence of God. Emotion is part of us as human beings and to try to remove it is the same as cutting off a limb. It leaves us crippled. However, it does not mean that emotion is the main tool we use to deal with the otherness in the universe.

This recognition is not necessarily willed, though it may be fervidly sought. It may also be rejected. One of the turning points in my walk of faith was a Rosary Mass in Saint Marks Cathedral in Venice. (OK, Catholic brothers and sisters, you can start cheering now). I was a Hardshell Atheist at the time. The service left me profoundly disturbed, and I was not sure why. After all, I was just a tourist looking into the various chapels in the mild curiosity of a man in a strange land. It took me years to recognize that what had affected me so strongly was the presence of God. After all, I did not understand enough Italian to know what was being said. I inferred it was the Rosary being said from the repetition and the rosaries in the worshipers’ hands.

So, Guitarjesus, I also extend a welcome to you on your walk of faith. You are coming to recognition in your very questioning. Good luck and God bless.

Thank you for your wonderful story about the Rosary Mass. You are right God is everywhere, Catholics do not deny that.

However, it is hard to explain the True Presence in the Eucharist to a non-catholic, I feel Jesus presence more intimately during the Mass than at any other time. Like he is moving about the congregation giving people hugs. Indeed, there have been many documented cases of children the most innocent, seeing Baby Jesus on the altar during Mass.

This is all connected to Transubstantiation, the valid authority of the Priest in miraculously turning the bread and wine into the ‘body and blood’ of Christ.

 

[babylonsfalling]

All the years I was catholic I never felt the presence of the Holy Spirit or seen the work of
the Holy Spirit as I have in the Baptist Church

drywall

Assuming that’s true…

the reality remains that hundreds of millions people have and continue to feel the presence of the Holy Spirit, which obviously means the Spirit is there.

 

[hn160]

I think that most Catholics on this site know that Lutherans believe that we receive Christ’s Very Body and Blood in the bread and wine. We believe that Christ comes to us in Word and Sacraments and this is why we refer to our service as Heaven on Earth.
Our Sacrament of the altar is valid in our eyes even if Catholic don’t want to believe that it is, we will have to wait until we get to Heaven to see who is right.

 

[marlap2]

There are so many beautiful testimonies here about the TRUTH of the Eucharist. And yes, Christ is everywhere, but for me, his Promise to us that He would be with us, even until the end of the Earth is so evident in His gift to us, in the Eucharist.

It’s in adoration that I spill my guts out to Him about how much I love Him. I remember the first time that this really became Truth to me. It was around 2am in the morning. I was in a huge crisis in my marriage. My marriage was in serious shambles, and if I shared the horrible truth about what was happening with my friends, they would have probably forced me to stay with them and get a divorce asap. Most of my family were rocked and broken by the truth that had come out. I could not share with my friends, I wasn’t ready to talk to a priest about it. My parents and in-laws were screaming and yelling about this situation. It was a battleground. I got in my car and was driving around, (which wasn’t really a good idea) trying to figure things out. Then I remembered, Jesus is at my Church, present in the Blessed Sacrament, 24-7. It’s the first time I went there to cry out to Him. I was a serious emotional mess.

He held my broken heart and in those hours blessed me with the greatest peace. A peace that grew so large that I could forgive all who had hurt us, in the name of Jesus. I could love my sisters and brothers in a whole new way. I could have a peace that didn’t leave, but stayed with me. And Jesus never abandoned me, even though difficulties still happened, tragedies still occured. He still holds my broken heart and heals me.

And there is absolutely no way I will ever deny His True Presence since that day. Jesus became more real to me than almost any person I can see face to face. My heart mourns for those who haven’t had the beautiful encounter with Him in the Blessed Sacrament, especially those Catholics who have left the church. I have said that to those people. How could you leave Him? How could you leave the Eucharist?

What makes the difference between my experience and those who haven’t experienced it? I suppose the only thing would have been, my heart. My broken heart that called to him, in that particular place? I don’t know.

I’m a convert, and honestly, if the Catholic Church spoke more clearly about the reality of the Eucharist, the greatest secret of our Faith, no one would leave, and we couldn’t have enough churches to hold the people clamoring to get in.

 

[nina13_p]

I feel completely unworthy to be in His presence… and I am blessed to have one hour a week in Adoration. After having read about Miracles of the Eucharist (Lanciano) and hearing about the host turning into heart tissue, and getting absorbed in the mystery of the Shroud of Turin and focusing so much on the Passion during Lent, whenever I enter the Adoration Chapel, I just want to prostrate myself right there infront of the Monstrance — incredible meditations of His Precious Blood dripping from His crucified feet onto my head… tears that I want to wash His feet with and knowing that I am not worthy to loosen his sandals. But, reaching the point of His Divine Mercy and how much He loves me to call me to this… to call me to be this close to Him. Unfathomable.

Open your Heart – don’t try to rationalize or intellectually wrap your head around this. Let Jesus show you just how much He loves you and you will feel in the depths of your soul an amazing sense of peace, forgiveness, mercy and love for Him. He’s always inviting us and calling us to come to Him. Our response should be “Yes Lord, here I am.”

 

[plaintruth]

i dont believe christ dwells in inanimate matter, or his body transformed into some kind of white food. scripture never tells such things about jesus. there is no presence of christ in such rituals.

How does it feel to be around the true presence of Christ in the Eucharist? Can you actually feel the presence of god? I’ve never been to a mass or orthodox service before, and Would love to get perspectives from catholics, orthodox, Protestants, Jews, or anyone else. thanks

 

[Cheshangle]

Although many do feel a special presence and many of the saints had wonderful encounters with the True Presence. My experiences as a former member of TEC, is that when I have visited my former parish, I felt an emptiness. This also happened in my Catholic parish when the priest, unknown to me and others, during a lenten retreat and there was a guest speaker, the Pastor had removed the Blessed Sacrament from the tabernacle while the person spoke.

The moment I entered the pew I felt the strongest feeling that something was missing, it is difficult to explain. Before the speaker began, Father got up and announced that he had indeed removed Jesus from the tabernacle and I then realized why I felt that emptiness.

I think we Catholics are so use to knowing that our Lord is truely present Body and Blood that we don’t always recognize how it feels when He is no longer in the church.

Yours in the Hearts of Jesus and Mary

Bernadette

I feel the true presence when I communicate twice weekly in the Church of England, and am always conscious that the Bread which we break is a partaking of the Body of Christ; and likewise that the Cup of Blessing is a partaking of the Blood of Christ.