question about the Eucharist

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Monica4316

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I remember something that my priest once said, but I don’t fully know the theology behind the idea so I was wondering if anyone here could explain it to me… 🙂

he said that there’s a difference between saying that Christ is present physically, and Sacramentally. The Eucharist is Jesus’ Body and Blood, but and He is really - not symbolically there - but Sacramentally/substantially rather than physically/materially. He is actually present, not just spiritually…but there seems to be various ways that He is “substantially” present? Does “physically” present imply that the accidents are also changed, not only the substance? (I think my priest said this point too and linked it back to substance/accidents).

Does anyone know what I’m talking about here?

I just wanted to learn more about the Eucharist, and I’ve always found this part of it difficult to understand/confusing.

thanks 🙂
 
After his resurrection, Jesus’ body is glorified. This is the body that is truly physical. He tells Thomas to touch him. He asks for food when he appears to the disciples and eats with them on the road to Emaus. However, this is also the same body that walks through walls. It disappears right before their eyes while they’re eating on the way to Emaus. It ascends on its own power.

When we say that Christ is substantially present in the consecrated host and wine, we mean that the bread and wine have ceased to be what they appear to be. Together, the bread and wine are substantially Jesus Christ in his glorified body and blood.

Pope Benedict said that we’re not talking about biology when we say that we eat his body and drink his blood. We’re talking about substance. We’re no longer talking about cells, nerves, muscles, bones, tissue, chemicals, proteins, bases and acids and all the other minerals that make up the human body. We’re talking about a glorified body, one about which we know very little other than the fact that it’s a real body and at the same time it does not have any of the limitations that our bodies have, nor any of the needs that our body has. Jesus’ body does not need physical space. Therefore, he exists outside of space and time, yet remains physical. How is this possible? His body has been transformed through the resurrection. This glorified body is present, in essence, not just symbolically, in the Eucharist. To use a very simple explanation. Jesus body is no longer the same as it was when he was a baby in Bethlehem and he needed his nappy changed every two hours. His glorified body no longer has any of these needs. The Jesus that we receive in the Eucharist is the Glorified Christ.

I don’t know if I helped or made a bigger mess of things. Like I said, I was not there to hear what Father said. I’m trying to pull together form the little information that you have presented.

Fraternally,

Br. JR, OSF 🙂
 
JReducation said:
After his resurrection, Jesus’ body is glorified. This is the body that is truly physical. He tells Thomas to touch him. He asks for food when he appears to the disciples and eats with them on the road to Emaus. However, this is also the same body that walks through walls. It disappears right before their eyes while they’re eating on the way to Emaus. It ascends on its own power.

When we say that Christ is substantially present in the consecrated host and wine, we mean that the bread and wine have ceased to be what they appear to be. Together, the bread and wine are substantially Jesus Christ in his glorified body and blood.

Pope Benedict said that we’re not talking about biology when we say that we eat his body and drink his blood. We’re talking about substance. We’re no longer talking about cells, nerves, muscles, bones, tissue, chemicals, proteins, bases and acids and all the other minerals that make up the human body. We’re talking about a glorified body, one about which we know very little other than the fact that it’s a real body and at the same time it does not have any of the limitations that our bodies have, nor any of the needs that our body has. Jesus’ body does not need physical space. Therefore, he exists outside of space and time, yet remains physical. How is this possible? His body has been transformed through the resurrection. This glorified body is present, in essence, not just symbolically, in the Eucharist. To use a very simple explanation. Jesus body is no longer the same as it was when he was a baby in Bethlehem and he needed his nappy changed every two hours. His glorified body no longer has any of these needs. The Jesus that we receive in the Eucharist is the Glorified Christ.

I don’t know if I helped or made a bigger mess of things. Like I said, I was not there to hear what Father said. I’m trying to pull together form the little information that you have presented.

Fraternally,

Br. JR, OSF 🙂
Click to expand...
Thank you for the response Brother JR 🙂

That does help… I think it’s similar to what my priest was saying, - he seemed to be saying that we do not receive Christ’s Body in the ‘accidents’, but the ‘substance’… which is of course true because the Eucharist still looks like bread. Maybe people just use words in different ways… some people told me before that Christ is present physically in the Eucharist, and substantially, but not materially. My priest used the word “physically” to mean the same as “materially” (what you mean about cells, etc - or also the accidents). Probably this is something he learned in seminary and a part of theology that I don’t really know about. In the end we all agree about the Eucharist, - I just wanted to check the wording 🙂

God bless 🙂
 
JReducation said:
After his resurrection, Jesus’ body is glorified. This is the body that is truly physical. He tells Thomas to touch him. He asks for food when he appears to the disciples and eats with them on the road to Emaus. However, this is also the same body that walks through walls. It disappears right before their eyes while they’re eating on the way to Emaus. It ascends on its own power.

When we say that Christ is substantially present in the consecrated host and wine, we mean that the bread and wine have ceased to be what they appear to be. Together, the bread and wine are substantially Jesus Christ in his glorified body and blood.

Pope Benedict said that we’re not talking about biology when we say that we eat his body and drink his blood. We’re talking about substance. We’re no longer talking about cells, nerves, muscles, bones, tissue, chemicals, proteins, bases and acids and all the other minerals that make up the human body. We’re talking about a glorified body, one about which we know very little other than the fact that it’s a real body and at the same time it does not have any of the limitations that our bodies have, nor any of the needs that our body has. Jesus’ body does not need physical space. Therefore, he exists outside of space and time, yet remains physical. How is this possible? His body has been transformed through the resurrection. This glorified body is present, in essence, not just symbolically, in the Eucharist. To use a very simple explanation. Jesus body is no longer the same as it was when he was a baby in Bethlehem and he needed his nappy changed every two hours. His glorified body no longer has any of these needs. The Jesus that we receive in the Eucharist is the Glorified Christ.

I don’t know if I helped or made a bigger mess of things. Like I said, I was not there to hear what Father said. I’m trying to pull together form the little information that you have presented.

Fraternally,

Br. JR, OSF 🙂
Click to expand...
Brother - kudos. One of the better explanations I have seen.
 
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