J
jmm08
Guest
From the Encyclical Letter “Ecclesia De Eucharistia”
“1. The Church draws her life from the Eucharist. …”
I think that the reverse is also fairly obvious from natural observation. That the Eucharist implies a requirement of Christians to belong to a Church.
Consider the bread. What baker in this world can create a loaf or even a slice of bread if they merely have one grain of wheat? Even if that one grain is perfect, there is no recipe for making bread using only one grain of wheat. To make bread, it takes a quantity of grain such that a mere grain by itself is not noticed by the baker.
Consider the wine. What winemaker would consider making a small bottle of wine if they merely have one grape? Even if that grape is flawless and delicious looking, there is no way to make wine using only one grape. To make wine, it takes a quantity of grapes such that a mere grape by itself is not noticed by the winemaker.
“1. … The Second Vatican Council rightly proclaimed that the Eucharistic sacrifice is ‘the source and summit of the Christian life’.”
I think the reverse is also true. That the summit of Christian life can only be experienced within the Church.
1 Cor 12:12 “As a body is one though it has many parts, and all the parts of the body, though many, are one body, so also Christ.”
All the parts in a human body are very many. In order for the body of Christ to minister in this world, Christians must belong to the Church and we do all require each other.
“1. The Church draws her life from the Eucharist. …”
I think that the reverse is also fairly obvious from natural observation. That the Eucharist implies a requirement of Christians to belong to a Church.
Consider the bread. What baker in this world can create a loaf or even a slice of bread if they merely have one grain of wheat? Even if that one grain is perfect, there is no recipe for making bread using only one grain of wheat. To make bread, it takes a quantity of grain such that a mere grain by itself is not noticed by the baker.
Consider the wine. What winemaker would consider making a small bottle of wine if they merely have one grape? Even if that grape is flawless and delicious looking, there is no way to make wine using only one grape. To make wine, it takes a quantity of grapes such that a mere grape by itself is not noticed by the winemaker.
“1. … The Second Vatican Council rightly proclaimed that the Eucharistic sacrifice is ‘the source and summit of the Christian life’.”
I think the reverse is also true. That the summit of Christian life can only be experienced within the Church.
1 Cor 12:12 “As a body is one though it has many parts, and all the parts of the body, though many, are one body, so also Christ.”
All the parts in a human body are very many. In order for the body of Christ to minister in this world, Christians must belong to the Church and we do all require each other.