The Eucharist

[VociMike]

Perhaps the lack that you feel is because in Protestant theology only part of humanity (our mind and spirit) is united to only part of God (His Mind and Spirit). But we are not only mind and spirit, and through the Incarnation God is not only mind and spirit. Thus the Protestant form of relationship with God is always incomplete; incomplete on our end and incomplete on God’s end.

While Catholics have every connection to God that Protestants have (scripture, prayer, worship, etc) we also have in the Eucharist a connection of our full selves (body and soul) with God’s full Self (body, blood, soul and divinity). The Eucharist is simply God extending and emphasizing the Incarnation throughout time and space, and especially extending the Incarnation to all believers. The Eucharist is God’s proclamation that He has indeed, for all time, joined all of Himself to all of humanity. Not just spirit to spirit, but Complete Self to complete selves. The Eucharist is the fullness, on earth, of God abiding in us, and we in Him. One can meditate a lifetime on the full meaning, the full gift, the full truth of the Eucharist, the truth of God and us and how He has redeemed our complete humanity and all of creation by taking us and it up into Himself.

 

[Atreyu]

I’m going to do it.

I’m convinced this is what I should do.

I’ll begin right away, going to find a Catholic Church in my area asap.

Wow! Make sure you ask your local parish about RCIA (Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults). This is where adults learn about the Catholic faith. I can’t recommend it enough; I’m doing a course now even though I’ve been (nominally) Catholic my whole life. On the other hand, be a little bit careful because American RCIA programs are notoriously bad for some reason!

Also check out these two sites:
Coming Home Network
Catholic Answers homepage.
Finally, I would highly recommend hanging around on these forums and asking any questions you might have (especially if something strange comes up at an RCIA meeting).

 

[Victorious]

The Mass is not something different from Calvary. It is Calvary. At Mass, you literally are at the foot of the Cross. We can’t travel back in time and be physically present at the Crucifixion in the same way that Mary and John and Mary Magdalene were, so through the Mass, God brings Calvary to us.

The Eucharist is the living heart of every Catholic church. When you go into a Catholic church, Jesus is literally only a few feet away, right under the same roof. (Of course we know He is everywhere; but He is sacramentally present in the Eucharist.) He actually makes it possible for us to go and visit Him. He wants us to visit Him, and He watches and listens for the sound of our footsteps.

Go and spend time with Him in the Blessed Sacrament, and you won’t be sorry. It’ll be some of the most worthwhile time you ever spent.

 

[CRW]

I’m a Protestant, I find myself hungry and thirsting for something more.

I feel like a man wandering in the desert for a week without food or water.

I’m praying, reading the bible, trying not to sin etc.

I’m just looking for more depth I guess.

I’ve been told you’re not supposed to do Communion confess to a priest and do everything that Catholics do because it’s then as if you don’t believe Christ’s death on the Cross was sufficient and are therefore denying him.

Is it faith alone that gets me forgiven of my sins and saves me.

What’s the answer?

Will the Eucharist fill in what’s missing?

John chapter 20, 21-23: Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you, As the Father has sent me, even so I sent you.” And when he said this, he breathed on them, and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven; if you retain the sins of any, they are they are retained.”

Notice that Jesus sends the disciples out as the Father sent him. Jesus died on the Cross for the forgiveness of sin. Jesus also breathes on the disciples (ordination) by the Holy Spirit. What sins required forgiveness by the disciples? If once saved always saved. For them to forgive sins, they must have knowledge of sins (confession). Jesus also gave them the power to forgive or retain sin.

If you go to 1 John Chapter 5, 16-17: If any one sees his brother committing what is not a mortal sin, he will ask, and God will give him life for those whose sin is not mortal. There is sin which is mortal; I do not say that one is to pray for that. All wrongdoing is sin, but there is sin which is not mortal. Mortal or grave sin removes us from all graces; our soul is dead to Christ. As Christ breathed on the disciples, this has been passed down through all the bishops and priest by ordination. If one is in mortal sin cannot be pray for (above) then the priest through confession must hear the confession and by the power of the Holy Spirit, Jesus forgives the sin thru the priest.

After confession, we receive holy Communion. Usually once on Sunday but you can receive twice if it is a a Mass or receive it at the daily Mass. Clarification of Catholic belief: When we receive the Eucharist, we receive the precious Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Christ - not a symbolic symbol of Christ.

Hebrews Chapter 10, 26-27: For if we sin deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a fearful prospect of judgment, and a fury of the fire which will consume the adversaries (once saved, always salved)?

John Chapter 6, 52-56: The Jews then disputed among themselves, saying, “how can this man give us his flesh to eat?” 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 of my flesh my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me and I in him.

Please keep in mind to join the Catholic Church one must attend the Rights Christian Initiation for Adults (RCIA) process.The RCIA is a process to teach non-Catholic’s the teahings, doctrines and dogmas of the Catholic faith.