I will attempt to explain this one more time and it is done in order to give all views and not to try and change anyone’s mind. It is what I believe and I hope everyone receives it as that.
The 6th chapter of John is where this all starts, with the feeding of the 5,000. The crowd that had been fed real bread later came back for another free handout. So let’s see if this is literal or symbolic.
When they came back for more, Jesus told them:
"I tell you the truth, you are looking for me, not because you saw miraculous signs but because you ate the loaves and had your fill. (John 6:26)
It had always been taught that when the Messiah came, He would outdo Moses when his people received manna from heaven. Jesus had told them: John 6:27
“Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to everlasting life, which the Son of Man will give you, because God the Father has set His seal on Him.” Then they asked what must they do in verse 28. Jesus then tells them: *“The work of God is this: to believe in the one He has sent.” *(John 6:29)
He did not say anything about “
eating” or “
drinking”, only
believing.
Because of the miraculous sign they had been given in the desert, the manna, they asked for this bread because they did not understand what Jesus was trying to tell them. He told them
He was the true bread out of heaven. John 6:32 Then Jesus said to them,
"Most assuredly, I say to you, Moses did not give you the bread from heaven, but My Father gives you the true bread from heaven. 33) “For the bread of God is He who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.”
It should be obvious to all that Jesus is not referring to physical bread but spiritual bread. If you eat of the “
spiritual” bread you will not be hungry again. Here Jesus is defining the “
eating” of Himself as “
He who comes to me” and the
drinking of Himself as *“he who believes in me.” *
This should define the entire metaphor as being symbolic. There are other places where Jesus refers to the eating and drinking also and is symbolic. Read Matthew 5:6 *“Blessed are those who hunger for righteousness, for they will be filled.” *This tells us that if we “
believe” in Jesus, our spiritual hunger will be satisfied. You won’t satisfy your physical hunger with the Eucharist and it can’t satisfy your spiritual hunger either. It is the living bread that is required and that is the Lord Himself.
John 6:51
“I am the living bread which came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread that I shall give is My flesh, which I shall give for the life of the world.”
This entire chapter(John 6) should be read thoroughly if you want to know the truth. Even after Christ had told them they did not understand.
Just as the manna rained down from heaven, Jesus is the living bread that came down from heaven. Real bread does not come down from heaven but is grown in the earth. Jesus had to be speaking of spiritual bread. The analogy is clear, Jesus is the spiritual bread from heaven that gives spiritual (eternal) life. Physical bread gives physical life. Spiritual bread gives spiritual life.
Look at how Jesus summarized it: John 6:49
"Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and are dead. 50) "This is the bread which comes down from heaven, that one may eat of it and not die. 51) “I am the living bread which came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread that I shall give is My flesh, which I shall give for the life of the world.”
If you believe you must actually eat the flesh and drink the blood of Jesus, during the Eucharist, then problems arise. Over and over again, Jesus tells us that eternal life comes from “
believing” in Him. We are to “
eat” jesus only in a spiritual sense. Eating is not a spiritual act, but
believing is. Did Jesus tell the man on the cross he had to “
eat” His body and
drink His blood? He told Him he would be with Him in paradise. He was given eternal life without doing either. It was the “
believing” that saved him.
Another problem is that if we were truly drinking Jesus’ blood we would be sinning by doing so. Still another is that Jesus is sacrificed at every mass when there was only one sacrifice and that was on the cross.
Jesus again tells us by establishing the metaphor he would use later. *“The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to yo are spirit and they are life.” *John 6:63. He promises spiritual nourishment to all who come to Him while He is telling those who seek physical benefits from Him that it is in vain.
Jesus said He was the light of the world.
“I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” John 8:12. Was He composed of fire?
He also said he was the gate.
“I tell you the truth, I am the gate for the sheep.” John 10:7
He said: *“I am the good shepherd."
“I am the true vine and my Father is the gardener.”*
He said He would give the woman at the well “
living water.” What did He mean by that? Spiritual truth of course.
Jesus answered,
“Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” John 4:13-14
Augustine seemed to understand it perfectly, as did other early church leaders.
“Let them then who eat, eat on, and them that drink, drink; let them hunger and thirst; eat life, drink life. That eating, is to be refreshed; but you are in such wise refreshed, as that that whereby you are refreshed, does not fail. That drinking, what is it but to live: Eat life, drink life; you will have life, and the life is entire. But then this shall be, that is, the Body and Blood of Christ shall be each man’ life; If what is taken in the Sacrament visibly is in truth itself eaten spiritually, drunk spiritually. For we have heard the Lord Himself saying, It is the Spirit that gives life, but the flesh profits nothing. The words that I have spoken to you are Spirit and Life.”
Augustine also indicated that the sacrament was to be
commemorated, but not relived:
Augustine (Faustis 20.18, 20):
Before the coming of Christ, the flesh and blood of this sacrifice were foreshadowed in the animals slain; in the passion of Christ the types were fulfilled by the true sacrifice; after the ascension of Christ, this sacrifice is commemorated in the sacrament.
If you are a Roman Catholic, I do not list all this in order to discourage your faith or even to question your belief. The communion is very significant to all Christians. It is a special time when we celebrate the sacrifice Jesus gave in order to allow us to come into the presence of God as holy people who are cleansed by the blood of the New Covenant.
It is our faith that is important; I just want every Christian to learn all they can about Christ and be better able to follow Him and what all He taught. I believe these forums provide us an opportunity to learn all we can and we cannot do that without dialog.
Get the Catholic Universal Church back on track ??