- Straight to Catholics - Why I believe in What I believe -
By His Grace Bishop Paul Tan Chee Ing, S.J.
--- S A C R A M E N T S ---
This belief of Saint Cyril's sounds like a paraphrase of Saint John's and Saint Paul's teaching on the Eucharist. Saint John's chapter 6 is also a refutation of the docetists' denial of the reality of Christ's human body. It starts with the multiplication of the loaves which has two meanings: (a) nothing is impossible for God to do and (b) symbolic reference to Christ feeding a multitude with His own body and blood.
After this, came the miracle of Christ's walking on the waters ( Saint John chapter 6 - vv. 16-21) which to the Jews, was a proof of divine power. Then comes the central message. Christ compared himself to the ancient "manna from heaven" which fed the Jews in the desert, asserting that He is the true bread which comes from God and give live - John 6:33 - The ancestors of the Jews ate "manna in the wilderness and they died" but those who eat the bread from heaven will never die. It is in this context, gradually leading His disciples that Jesus Christ asserted that He is "the bread which came down from heaven" - John 6:41 - Immediately the Jews murmured in protest. Jesus repeated in strong terms, "and the bread which I shall give for the life of the world is my flesh" - John 6:51 - The Jews became impatient and disputed among themselves, "How can this man give us his flesh to eat?" The Jews were scandalized because the Mosaic Law forbade the drinking of blood. They obviously took Jesus at His words - that Jesus was not speaking in a parable or figuratively. At this point, Jesus did not try to correct them by saying that he was only speaking symbolically or metaphorically. On the contrary, Jesus went much further and said, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat of the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you..." - John 6:53f - Now the Jews took offence - John 6:61 - and Jesus knew it. Still Jesus did not withdraw what He had said. Jesus continued in the same strain and "many of his disciples left him and no longer went about with Him" - John 6:66 - Jesus turned to his Apostles, the closest to him and asked: "Do you wish also to go away?" Jesus did not wave down his assertion. Instead Jesus challenged his closest associates to believe in what He had said. Peter Simon taking the lead among the Apostles said: "Lord to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life" - John 6:68 - This was also the confession of faith of Saint John and His disciples. They believed in the true presence of the Lord Jesus Christ in their "breaking of the bread" (the Eucharist).
Saint Paul also believed in the presence and the real communion of Christ Jesus. "Is not the chalice of benediction which we bless, the communion of the blood of Our Lord Jesus Christ? Is not the bread we break the partaking of the body of Our Lord Jesus?" - 1 Corinthians 10:16 - Only this belief could justify the severity of Saint Paul's warning: "Whoever eats this bread or drinks the cup of the Lord unworthily will be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. For he/she who eats and drinks unworthily without discerning (discovering) the body, eats and drinks judgement to himself/herself" - 1 Corinthians 11:27, 29 - To make it more real, Saint Paul compared the Christian Sacrifice and meal to those of the Jews and pagans. Both the Jews and pagans offered real sacrificial victims and shared in the divinity. The Christians were forbid-doing, they shared in the divinity. The Christians were forbidden to participate in the Jewish and pagan sacrifices because they held the one true sacrifice, Christ, which was acceptable to God. There is no evidence that Paul believed in the symbolic presence. If there is any evidence, it is proof to the contrary: the Real communion with the body and blood of Christ.
Besides this, the background to the whole Passover of Christ or as Saint Paul puts it, the New Pasch - 1 Corinthians 10:14, 21 - is the Jewish "Passover" which they celebrate in such a way that God's past saving action becomes present to them here and now. - See article: "Do this in Memory of Me" by Monsignor Peter Coughlan, IF, 1981 - Saint/Apostle Paul chose the Greek word anamnesis to express this reality - 1 Corinthians 11:24, 26 - Unfortunately we do have an equivalent word that captures all the nuances of anamnesis. Hence it is translated as "Do this in memory of me, or in memorial of me". Anamnesis is a Greek word taken from a stage play. When a play is acted out on stage, it becomes alive so much so that the audience seem to live the play. They become so involved emotionally in the play that, at the end, they experience a "purging of their emotions" (Katharsis) and become better people. Of course, when St. Paul used the word anamnesis his background was Jewish rather than Greek. Yet, this was the closest Greek word that he could find to bring out the reality of what Jesus meant. When Jesus said: "Do this in anamnesis of me," he meant to tell us to relive his death and resurrection in the Eucharistic meal. (The Last Supper) in such a way that He/Jesus is present in the bread and wine, that His past saving power is present here and now in the bread and wine, so that we, who go with faith, to receive Him will experience His saving power (making it our own, the power that is His). How are we to translate the richness of the meaning behind the word anamnesis into English?
I, therefore, personally believe that the Catholic understanding of Christ's true presence in the bread and wine is the correct interpretation because it can trace its Tradition right back into the earliest Church, to the New Testament. What other guarantee is there? Anyone can take a passage from the Sacred Scripture/Holy Bible and interpret it the way he/she sees it? There are many interpretations. Who is to say which is the right interpretation? Even non-Christians use scriptural texts to attack Christians. Where is the truth if not in the interpretation that can be traced right back into history to the early Church to the New Testament.
There is a further theological point I would like to add. Those Christians who claim that Christ is only symbolically or nominally present have failed to understand the full meaning of God's unlimited love. As I have explained in the previous chapter on the Triune God, God has done the impossible for love of us because He is Infinite (All Powerful) and He is Love. Out of Love for us, He gave His life by dying for us. "No greater love has a man than to lay down his life for us." But we Catholic Christians claim that after laying down His life, He was not satisfied because of his infinite love. He gives, the last that He has of Himself - His own life, his body and blood given to us as food so that we are nourished, then, we will stand up and walk as true human beings for which He has created us. It is the ultimately impossibility: God the Infinite gives His life for us as food. He knows that we as poor humans are weak. So He gives us His very life in order that we may be nourished and be strengthened to live a life worthy of our name as humans. Beyond giving His own life to be eaten by us, there is nothing left. His infinite love for us is completed. His Love is equal to His infinite Power............. --- P A G E T W O ---
............. This belief of Saint Cyril's sounds like a paraphrase of Saint John's and Saint Paul's teaching on the Eucharist. Saint John's chapter 6 is also a refutation of the docetists' denial of the reality of Christ's human body. It starts with the multiplication of the loaves which has two meanings: (a) nothing is impossible for God to do and (b) symbolic reference to Christ feeding a multitude with His own body and blood. --- P A G E O N E ---
- WELCOME TO SACRED SCRIPTURE / WORD OF GOD / HOLY BIBLE READER'S COMMUNITY -
Wishing you, 'Happy Reading', and may God, the Father, the Son of the living God, Jesus Christ, fills your heart, mind, thoughts, and grants you: The Holy Spirit, that is, Wisdom, Knowledge, Understanding, Counsel, Piety, Fortitude, Fear of the Lord, and also His fruits of the Holy Spirit, that is, Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Trustfulness, Gentleness and Self-Control. Amen! God blessing be upon you!
If we live by the truth and in love, we shall grow in all ways into Christ Jesus, who is the head by whom the whole body is fitted and joined together, every joint adding its own strength, for each separate part to work according to it function, so the body grows until it has built itself up, in love. - Ephesians 4:15-16 -
HE WILL GLORIFY ME, SINCE ALL HE TELLS YOU WILL BE TAKEN FROM WHAT IS MINE. EVERYTHING THE FATHER HAS IS MINE; THAT IS WHY I SAID: ALL HE TELLS YOU WILL BE TAKEN FROM WHAT IS MINE. - JOHN 16:12-15 -
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