Question from a Seeking Jew

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Jew_Man_73,

Welcome to the forums, my elder brother in the faith! May you be guided by the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob as you continue with your journey.

Shalom,

Pio
 
I BELIEVE THAT YESHUA IS THE FULFILLMENT OF ALL THE PROPHECIES IN THE TANAKH. I BELIEVE THAT HE WAS CRUCIFIED, DIED, AND ROSE ON THE THIRD DAY IN ORDER TO PROVIDE ME WITH ETERNAL LIFE WITH G-D. I BELIEVE THAT HE WAS BORN TO THE VIRGIN MIRIAM, AND THAT SHE HAS A SPECIAL PLACE IN HEAVEN AND WATCHES OVER ALL THOSE WHO LOVE HER. I BELIEVE THAT YESHUA AND MIRIAM LOVE ME, AND WANT ME TO SPENT ETERNITY WITH THEM AND G-D IN HEAVEN.

My hands were shaking like crazy as I typed this!
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Jew_Man_73

It’s interesting how the Holy Spirit guides you. You might not know it but you have recited part of the Apostles Creed. The Creed sums up the whole mystery of the Gospels. Praise be to God, Allelujiah!

Pio
 
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Jew_Man_73:
I’ve heard about the Real Presence in the Eucharist, but I’m not sure how it happens, and I don’t know how to back it up with Scripture. I don’t understand it, I guess. Also, I’ve never heard of these levels of faith. I’m not sure that I understand those either.
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Brother in Christ,
I’d like to reccomend a book by Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger (now Pope Benedict XVI!) called “God is Near Us: The Eucharist, The Heart of Life.” I’ve not read it myself, but my girlfriend and other friends from the Newman-Stein fellowship at Gonzaga have and strongly recommend it. The excerpt found here is enough to make me want the whole thing. ignatiusinsight.com/features/ratzinger_godisnearusjuly04.asp I’m terribly sorry that I can’t post more on the matter at the moment, but I’ve got a concert to run off to!

In Christ,
-Gavin-
 
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Jew_Man_73:
I’ve heard about the Real Presence in the Eucharist, but I’m not sure how it happens, and I don’t know how to back it up with Scripture. I don’t understand it, I guess. Also, I’ve never heard of these levels of faith. I’m not sure that I understand those either.
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First of all, I don’t think “levels of faith” are in any way official Catholic teaching. I’ve never heard such terms. I think they’re just a way the poster was using to explain a point.

Regarding the Real Presence in the Eucharist, the Eucharist is the source and summit of the Catholic life. It is Christ, the true Lamb sacrificed so that death might pass us by, who feeds us with Himself so that we might have eternal life (for the life is in the blood, and He gives us His life through His blood). Read John 6 and see how emphatic He is about the nature of the food and drink He will give us, and the necessity of our eating and drinking. Compare this to the sacrifice and eating of the Passover lamb. Also notice the Lamb in heaven, standing as though slain, in Revelations.
 
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Jew_Man_73:
The people here have been great, as have the people at the parish here in my town. Just today, the RCIA director gave me her cell phone number and told me to call here anytime of the day or night, with any questions I might have, or if I just needed to talk about something.
The outpouring of love has been tremendous. :bounce:
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Those really sound like some priest and RCIA director you’ve lucked into!
 
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CARose:
This is where you can use prayer to your advantage. Pray about it before hand and then continue to pray as you tell him your story and while you’re listening to his response. Pray that the Holy Spirit guide the both of you, that you say everything you should say, in a way that he can understand, but that you only say what you need to say (I have to add this to my prayers). Pray that the priest be receiptive to what you are sharing and Pray that the Holy Spirit allow the communication between the two of you to bear abundant fruit. Then pray that you accept whatever happens as a result, even if it’s a great big NOTHING.

CARose
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Thank you. I’ll do that.
 
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hlgomez:
Jew_Man_73,

Welcome to the forums, my elder brother in the faith! May you be guided by the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob as you continue with your journey.

Shalom,

Pio
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Thank you! G-d bless!
 
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hlgomez:
Jew_Man_73

It’s interesting how the Holy Spirit guides you. You might not know it but you have recited part of the Apostles Creed. The Creed sums up the whole mystery of the Gospels. Praise be to God, Allelujiah!

Pio
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Interesting. Actually, I had no idea that I recited part of the Apostle’s Creed.
 
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CatholicNerd:
Brother in Christ,
I’d like to reccomend a book by Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger (now Pope Benedict XVI!) called “God is Near Us: The Eucharist, The Heart of Life.” I’ve not read it myself, but my girlfriend and other friends from the Newman-Stein fellowship at Gonzaga have and strongly recommend it. The excerpt found here is enough to make me want the whole thing. ignatiusinsight.com/features/ratzinger_godisnearusjuly04.asp I’m terribly sorry that I can’t post more on the matter at the moment, but I’ve got a concert to run off to!

In Christ,
-Gavin-
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Thanks. I’ll check into it when I can.
 
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VociMike:
First of all, I don’t think “levels of faith” are in any way official Catholic teaching. I’ve never heard such terms. I think they’re just a way the poster was using to explain a point.

Regarding the Real Presence in the Eucharist, the Eucharist is the source and summit of the Catholic life. It is Christ, the true Lamb sacrificed so that death might pass us by, who feeds us with Himself so that we might have eternal life (for the life is in the blood, and He gives us His life through His blood). Read John 6 and see how emphatic He is about the nature of the food and drink He will give us, and the necessity of our eating and drinking. Compare this to the sacrifice and eating of the Passover lamb. Also notice the Lamb in heaven, standing as though slain, in Revelations.
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Ok, I’ll read that. What chapter of Revelation, though?
 
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VociMike:
First of all, I don’t think “levels of faith” are in any way official Catholic teaching. I’ve never heard such terms. I think they’re just a way the poster was using to explain a point.
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Mike,

This is a new to me concept that I have been learning in a Masters Course on Foundations of Catholic Thought, taught by Dr. Kenneth Howell. He walks through how Jesus describes first those who come because they have seen signs, then those who have come for food. The third level of faith is those who stay even after his most difficult of teaching.
Regarding the Real Presence in the Eucharist, the Eucharist is the source and summit of the Catholic life. It is Christ, the true Lamb sacrificed so that death might pass us by, who feeds us with Himself so that we might have eternal life (for the life is in the blood, and He gives us His life through His blood). Read John 6 and see how emphatic He is about the nature of the food and drink He will give us, and the necessity of our eating and drinking. Compare this to the sacrifice and eating of the Passover lamb. Also notice the Lamb in heaven, standing as though slain, in Revelations.
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True! 🙂

CARose
 
Jew_Man,

Welcome home. At the same time, welcome, brother, on our journey. For it is not over yet, but continuing. There will be struggles along with the joys, but there will always be joy as long as you remember what you yourself posted. The Messiah has come. He came for YOU and for all of us. He will never abandon you, even in your darkest hour when you cannot feel His loving presence.

In regard to the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist, read chapter 6 of the Gospel of John. Jesus repeats that we must eat His flesh and drink His blood in order to have life within us. Catholics take this very literally because He gave no evidence to believe otherwise. When the crowds turned away from Him, He did not call them back to explain some metaphorical meaning. Instead, He turned to His Apostles and asked if they too would leave Him. He would have let them walk away rather than change or explain away what He had said!

Peter said to Him, “Master, to whom would we turn, you have the words of eternal life.”

At the Last Supper, a passover meal, Jesus blessed bread and said, “This is my body.” He did not say that it symbolized His body but that it IS His body. Likewise with the cup of wine; “This is my blood, the blood of the new and everlasting covenant.”

The seperate consecration is symbolic of His death (seperating the body from the blood) but in the consecration we are not receiving the dead Christ, but the resurrected, glorified Christ. Each drop of what looks like wine and each crumb of what looks like bread is, in reality, the full and complete Christ; body, blood, soul, and divinity. This is the source and center of our faith. This is the reason that the Mass is truly a sacrifice; because we join with Christ who is eternally presenting His earthly Sacrifice to the Father for our forgiveness. A forgiveness He obtained for all of us, individually, when He cried out from the Cross, “Father, forgive them for they know not what they do.”

Be assured of all of our continued prayers. Praise be to God for what has happened in your life.
 
Jew_Man,

I must confess to a bit of amusement in regard to your hoping that nobody minded you using the Hebrew names of Jesus and Mary. I reaize that people can be sensitive about the strangest of things but I just think it funny that there truly are people who would be insulted at using the REAL names instead of the English versions of the Latin versions of their names. I guess it is truly just a cultural thing.

The wonderful thing about our faith is that it is truly Catholic - universal or international. If you look at images of Jesus and Mary from around the world, they tend to portray them as if they are part of their local people. I am thinking particularly of the image of Our Lady of Guadalupe - in the image of Mary that appeared miraculously on the cloak in the Mexican territory Mary looks like she’s from Mexico. It just goes to show that with Christ, the covenant has truly been expanded beyond Israel. That all of us, anyone in the whole world, can claim Christ, Mary, the Apostles, and all the angels and Saints as their own.
 
WELCOME HOME JM!!! At work today we got some awful news and everyone was so distraught. At lunch I thought I’d check out things here and when I read your latest BIG NEWS it brought tears to my eyes too, lots of them. I went off to eat and just Thanked G-d for all his goodness and love. I’m so happy for you. Also, I thought CARose’s suggestions on post #614 were really good and worthy of a print out!! It’s darned good advice to keep in mind…and not just for the talk with the local priest, but for any important discussion. I’m glad to hear about your French test too. Will you go back home for the summer? or are you at home? Can you continue with the RCIA folks there through the summer?
 
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theMutant:
Jew_Man,

Welcome home. At the same time, welcome, brother, on our journey. For it is not over yet, but continuing. There will be struggles along with the joys, but there will always be joy as long as you remember what you yourself posted. The Messiah has come. He came for YOU and for all of us. He will never abandon you, even in your darkest hour when you cannot feel His loving presence.

In regard to the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist, read chapter 6 of the Gospel of John. Jesus repeats that we must eat His flesh and drink His blood in order to have life within us. Catholics take this very literally because He gave no evidence to believe otherwise. When the crowds turned away from Him, He did not call them back to explain some metaphorical meaning. Instead, He turned to His Apostles and asked if they too would leave Him. He would have let them walk away rather than change or explain away what He had said!

Peter said to Him, “Master, to whom would we turn, you have the words of eternal life.”

At the Last Supper, a passover meal, Jesus blessed bread and said, “This is my body.” He did not say that it symbolized His body but that it IS His body. Likewise with the cup of wine; “This is my blood, the blood of the new and everlasting covenant.”

The seperate consecration is symbolic of His death (seperating the body from the blood) but in the consecration we are not receiving the dead Christ, but the resurrected, glorified Christ. Each drop of what looks like wine and each crumb of what looks like bread is, in reality, the full and complete Christ; body, blood, soul, and divinity. This is the source and center of our faith. This is the reason that the Mass is truly a sacrifice; because we join with Christ who is eternally presenting His earthly Sacrifice to the Father for our forgiveness. A forgiveness He obtained for all of us, individually, when He cried out from the Cross, “Father, forgive them for they know not what they do.”

Be assured of all of our continued prayers. Praise be to God for what has happened in your life.
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Thank you for your continued prayers. Please keep it up! I’ll read John 6 tomorrow. Now that I have a break from school, I’ll have more time to read. But I do have one question though: Why doesn’t the bread and wine look or taste different? This is confusing to me.
 
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theMutant:
Jew_Man,

I must confess to a bit of amusement in regard to your hoping that nobody minded you using the Hebrew names of Jesus and Mary. I reaize that people can be sensitive about the strangest of things but I just think it funny that there truly are people who would be insulted at using the REAL names instead of the English versions of the Latin versions of their names. I guess it is truly just a cultural thing.

The wonderful thing about our faith is that it is truly Catholic - universal or international. If you look at images of Jesus and Mary from around the world, they tend to portray them as if they are part of their local people. I am thinking particularly of the image of Our Lady of Guadalupe - in the image of Mary that appeared miraculously on the cloak in the Mexican territory Mary looks like she’s from Mexico. It just goes to show that with Christ, the covenant has truly been expanded beyond Israel. That all of us, anyone in the whole world, can claim Christ, Mary, the Apostles, and all the angels and Saints as their own.
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I agree. I watched a TV program last year about the appearance of Maria at Guadalupe. (See? I used her Spanish name, in honor of the fact that she appeared in Mexico! 😃 ) It was quite fascinating, and one of the things that inspired me to investigate the Catholic Church even deeper.
 
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