The OT rituals foreshaddowed the coming of Jesus. In and of themselves, they did nothing or God would not have done away with the Old Covenant replacing it with the New.
:dts: Could you explain this one a little better for me. Because I am not understanding what you are saying.
If the O.T rituals forshaddowed the comming of Christ, and by the way I am spot on with you on that, would that not in itself do something?
But lets get back to the Eucharist, The O.T was the covenant of the Paschal Lamb with Moses in which God made Israel a nation, the brith of the Isralites as the chosen people of God. Thats a fact, its the truth and its history, I believe we have no argument on this.
Now in Exodus it says this is the blood of the covenant which the Lord has made with you, the pouring out of blood on the altar, which symbolized blood on the 12 tribes and people which represented the other party both made partakers of the same blood and brought into a kind of sacramental union. This was meant to be perfected through a complete revelation on the part of God.
But later the exile was a punishment because the Isralites had broken the Covenant, but they were restored to the Old Cov. so a New Covenant would include all nations.
Now the Lord was speaking through Jeremiah Jer. 31:33.
Now the Last Supper and Crucifixion took place during the passover, when Jesus mediated a New Covenant. Just like Moses did the O.T or O. C. Jesus did the N.T or N.C.
This is my blood, the blood of the Covenant.
Now in Luke he said this is my body, not this symbolizes my body, then taking wine, he said this is my blood shed for many for the forgiveness of sins. Matt. 26:28.
Now his comming death on the following afternoon was set before them in a unbloody manner, On the cross he would die by the separation of his blood from his body.
He did not consecrate the bread and wine together, but apart, to show forth the manner of his death by the separation of body and blood,
In this act he showed us what he would be on the cross the next day. Priest and Victim.
In the O.T the victim was a goat, sheep, etc. APART from the Priest.
But here HE the PRIEST offered Himself, By doing that he fulfilled the words fo the prophet Malachi. Mal. 1:11
Do this in memory of me, whcih means Renew, Repeat this. Continue this to offer sacrafice for the sins of the world.
Now why bread and wine? Simple.
Bread is made from a multiplicity of grains and wheat, wine multiplicity of grapes, so the many who believe are ONE IN CHRIST.
Next no 2 substances in nature suffer more to become what they are then bread and wine,
Wheat has to pass through winter beneath the Calvary of a mill, and then subject to a PURGING FIRE before it can become bread.
Wine subjected to the Gethesemane of a wine press and have their life CRUSHED from them to become wine.
Get the picture, the suffering of Christ.
Third no 2 things ever traditionally mourished man then bread and wine.
In bringing these elements to the altar man is bringing himself. Here is the point that people are missing Listen to this part, it is SO important.
When BREAD and WINE are CONSUMED they are changed into WHAT, SIMPLE!! MANS BODY AND BLOOD!!!
BUt when Jesus took bread and wine he changed them into himself!!
Does that help you guys at all to understand?? Our Dear Lord after he changed the bread and wine into his Body he told his disciples to EAT and Drink. He was doing for the SOUL of Man what food and drink do for the body.
Unless the plants sacrfice THEMSELVES to being plucked up from the roots, they cannot NOURISH or COMMUNE with Man.
FIrst his death is mystically represented, then communion followed. The lower is transformed into the higher chemical into plants, plants into animals. palnts and animals into man, and man into Christ by Communion.
This is why the EUCHARIST is the CENTER OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH AND LIFE.
Look at Budda, what Strength do they get from his life? Nothing, Only his writings, Even the writings of Christianity are not near as important as the LIFE of Christ.
Christ now living in Glory, now pours out on his followers the benefits of his Sacrifice.
All Jesus talked about in his life was his death and glory that would come. That is why he came. He gave to his Apostles something which on dying no one else could give, Himself.
Only divine wisdom could have conceived such a Memorial, Humans left to their own thinking would have never seen his REDEMPTION.
His death would have only been history, not the salvation of humanity. But what is so sad here, this is how so many here are missing the whole point of the Cross.
He didn’t want men to read about his death on the cross, or his Redemption, but actors IN IT!! Offering up their body and blood with his in the re-enactment of Calvary, saying to him, THis is my body and blood, dying to our lower natures to live to the Grace that is given to us. We want to be changed our wills etc into the will of Christ. That is why we are joined together with him.
Catholic’s you hear it every Sunday, RIght before communion, IN HIM, WITH HIM, and THROUGH HIM, in UNITY with the HOLY SPRIIT, ONE GOD forever and ever. Amen.
I’ll give you my 2 cents (cdn) in return.
. However, this was NOT the word used in John’s Gospel. He used the word for the way an animal eats, GNAWS and RIPS APART his food. that word is Trogo