Yet another question about Eucharist

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Hello, my name is Francis and I’m from Toronto, Canada.

Heres my questions

In Eucharist, why do we only take the Body of the Christ? I’ve seen it explained as the bread containing body/blood/soul/divinity all together but can someone explain how they contain them all?

According to my orthodox friend, We the catholic used to take both Body and Blood of Christ. Why did we change? Wouldn’t it be a lot easier if we just stayed that way? Or is he wrong about our past

Thank you and I have many more questions coming 🙂
 
fdmilkis said:
Hello, my name is Francis and I’m from Toronto, Canada.

Heres my questions

In Eucharist, why do we only take the Body of the Christ? I’ve seen it explained as the bread containing body/blood/soul/divinity all together but can someone explain how they contain them all?

According to my orthodox friend, We the catholic used to take both Body and Blood of Christ. Why did we change? Wouldn’t it be a lot easier if we just stayed that way? Or is he wrong about our past

Thank you and I have many more questions coming 🙂
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We receive both species in most dioceses here in the US.
 
fdmilkis said:
Hello, my name is Francis and I’m from Toronto, Canada.

Heres my questions

In Eucharist, why do we only take the Body of the Christ? I’ve seen it explained as the bread containing body/blood/soul/divinity all together but can someone explain how they contain them all?

According to my orthodox friend, We the catholic used to take both Body and Blood of Christ. Why did we change? Wouldn’t it be a lot easier if we just stayed that way? Or is he wrong about our past

Thank you and I have many more questions coming 🙂
Click to expand...
For starters, Eucharist was bread-only (apart from the priests) for the best part of 1,000 years. This practice started precisely because people began thinking that they needed both the bread and the wine in order to have communion - they don’t, they never have. The bread alone, or the wine alone, is sufficient. And today a lot of churches will at least sometimes give the wine as well, but they don’t need to.

You ask how the bread or the wine can individually contain the body and blood, soul and divinity. I’d ask you firstly why anyone would think the body and blood AREN’T always together, in each of the bread and the wine. When is someone’s body ever completely separate from their blood?

The Eucharist is the WHOLE AND ENTIRE Christ, every part of him, every aspect of him, altogether. Not just a bit or a piece or a part of him. Do you think one host is a toe, the next host is a finger, the third is a piece of liver or lung or something? Or one sip of wine is the red blood cells, a different sip the white blood cells?

He is altogether present in each piece of the host and each sip of the wine.

Do you not believe that regardless of how many fragments a host is broken into, if anyone takes even a small fragment they have received communion? How big a piece do you think you’d have to take for it to count? Do you think you receive less of Christ with a smaller host or piece of host than a large one?

How about the cup - if you take just a small sip do you get less of Christ than if you take a big gulp? How about if you drink the whole cup?

The simple truth, as I said, is that all of Christ is present - in the same way - in each host or piece of host and each sip of wine.
 
Others have answered your question, but since I saw that you had your first post, I just wanted to say Hello and welcome to CAF. 😃
 
Thank you LilyM for answer

I have a follow up question - Doesn’t the priest break a bit of the bread and place it in the wine to unite the body and the blood? What is the purpose of that then?
 
Excellent explanation LilyM. It is important to remember that both the Host and the Blood are the Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Christ. So it doesn’t matter if only one of the species is consumed, one is receiving all of God.

In Christ - J.M.J.
Mapleoak
 
fdmilkis said:
Thank you LilyM for answer

I have a follow up question - Doesn’t the priest break a bit of the bread and place it in the wine to unite the body and the blood? What is the purpose of that then?
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Well, 🤷 I suppose sometimes the blood can be removed from the body, although the body will always keep at least some blood within, yes?
 
LilyM said:
Well, 🤷 I suppose sometimes the blood can be removed from the body, although the body will always keep at least some blood within, yes?
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well if the blood is removed from the body, the body won’t have any blood within 😛
 
I search and find this excellent website explaining the Sacrament of Eucharist:

Part of it says:
The Priest drops a particle of the host into the chalice and recites:
May this mingling of the body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ
bring eternal life to us who receive it.
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When a priest drops a particle of the host in the chalice we are reminded of Christ returned to life in the resurrection.
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http://www.stbrigids-kilbirnie.com/Media/mass/mass23.jpg

Source: stbrigids-kilbirnie.com/Pages/eucharist-2.html
 
fdmilkis said:
Thank you LilyM for answer

I have a follow up question - Doesn’t the priest break a bit of the bread and place it in the wine to unite the body and the blood? What is the purpose of that then?
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As the priest offers up the Body and Blood separately during the Eucharistic Prayer:
“This is my Body, which has been given up for you…” and “This is my Blood, the Blood of the New and Everlasting Covenant”, he is showing that Jesus offered Himself up as a Sacrifice for us all. The Body and Blood are offered up separately. What happens when you separate the Body from the Blood? The person dies.

Then when a piece of the bread is dropped back into the wine, it is to signify that Christ has risen and is alive. The Body and Blood are one. Notice, it is the risen Christ that Catholics unite themselves with during Communion.
 
Listen to your Orthodox acquaintance, then look for the Catholic reply. Know that there is one. Also know that your Orthodox friend has no authority whatsoever to judge the Holy Catholic Church. IMO, they’re the first Protestants.

(This view, of course, does not apply to Eastern Rite Catholics.)
 
SPH1 said:
Listen to your Orthodox acquaintance, then look for the Catholic reply. Know that there is one. Also know that your Orthodox friend has no authority whatsoever to judge the Holy Catholic Church. IMO, they’re the first Protestants.

(This view, of course, does not apply to Eastern Rite Catholics.)
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hmmm he also claims that our Pope does not take part in the sacrament of Reconciliation (as in he does not confess his sin). Is this true? If yes why?
 
fdmilkis said:
hmmm he also claims that our Pope does not take part in the sacrament of Reconciliation (He is the one confessing his sin). Is this true? If yes why?
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He is once again misguided. I’m not sure the habits of Benedict 16, but John Paul II went to confession every week. I’d be willing to bet that Pope Benedict follows a similar pattern.
 
fdmilkis said:
hmmm he also claims that our Pope does not take part in the sacrament of Reconciliation (as in he does not confess his sin). Is this true? If yes why?
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Of course all the Popes - including our present Holy Father - have regularly received the Sacrament of Reconciliation - as all priests and bishops do.
 
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