Is the Eucharist just a memorial?

[loscampos]

A quick answer to this question is best put by Karl keating. I am just going to paraphrase what he said. In 1 Cor 11:27 " Wherefore whosoever shall eat this bread, and drink [this] cup of the Lord, unworthily, shall be guilty of profaning the body and blood of the Lord" In order for us to be guilty of profaning the bod and blood, it must actually exist. the example in his book Catholocism and Fundamentalism isparaphrasing here too) If the body is just a symbol and not his real precense, than in the same manner if you have a picture of somebody and stab it with a knife, are you guilty of stabbing the person? the answer is no, but if you actually stab somebody with the knife than you are guilty. As stated earlier in order to be found guilty the body must actually exist. It goes only perfectly with John.

John 6:53-58, 66-67
“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; he who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. For my flesh is food indeed, and my blood is drink indeed. He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me and I in him. As the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so he who eats me will live because of me. This is the bread which came down from heaven, not such as the fathers ate and died; he who eats this bread will live forever.’ After this many of his disciples drew back and no longer went about with him. Jesus said to the twelve, ‘Will you also go away?’”

Paul and John are speaking about the same thing. Hope this helps, sorry it was longer than i was planning.

 

[John89]

When discussing the issue of the real presence in the Eucharist, my Baptist friends always say the last supper was a memorial. They say Jesus said “Do this in remembrance of me”.

Ask them, “How does ‘do this in rememberence of me’ mean a symbolic eucharist?” Yes we do it in rememberence of christ, we say thoes exact words in the consecration at every mass. We offer the sacrifice of the mass, the same sacrifice which christ accomplished on the cross (not a new sacrifice or a re-sacrifice)in rememberence of him and through the mass it is as if we are back at calvary

 

[Jaypeeto4]

I heartily second porthos11’s reply (post #5 I think),
about the Biblical meaning of “remembrance.”
It most certainly is NOT a mere mental recollection.

For a THOROUGH treatment of the biblical basis of this issue,
there are TWO books I very strongly recommend to you.

Go to amazon.com and choose category BOOKS,
and type in (one at a time) these two books:

WORTHY IS THE LAMB Thomas Nash
and
CATHOLIC FOR A REASON III: Scripture and the Mystery of the Mass.

Order them both (you can get them in used-but-good condition right there on Amazon).

Scott Hahn’s THE LAMB’S SUPPER is also supposed to be excellent, but I haven’t read it, but definitely get the two I recommended to you. They deal thoroughly with the Biblical meaning and usage of the term “remembrance” or “memorial”
and evangelicals do NOT understand this scriptural usage of the greek word “anamnesis.”
God bless you !!
Jaypeeto4
+JMJ+