Author Topic: Forgive So We Can Live and Let Live (Read 1824732 times)

cassini · « **Reply #160 on:** June 05, 2026, 07:33:02 AM »

The Holy Eucharist: Real or Symbolic

Life’s Essentials

Food and drink are essential for life. We spend much of our time either eating and drinking or thinking about what we’re going to eat or drink. Proper nourishment is necessary if we’re to maintain healthy bodies. Eating and drinking provide not only physical nourishment; but also create opportunities for socializing, enjoying fellowship and community building. We usually celebrate the big and even little occasions with a meal, sharing ourselves psychologically and emotionally. A party is lifeless without good food and drink.
Since we are body-soul creatures just as our body needs nourishment so does our soul. We know what nourishes our bodies but many do not know how to nourish their soul because they don’t know about what is necessary to nourish our spiritual soul. Physical nourishment doesn’t nourish the spiritual soul. I use the term “spiritual” in reference to our human soul because, unlike our body, it doesn’t die. The way we treat our soul here on earth determines its state in eternity, namely a state of happiness or misery. Our spiritual soul is our essence, what makes us human and distinct, our true self. Since God directly created our soul and infused it into the fertilized ovum in the mother’s womb, only God Himself knows what it needs and how it is to be nurtured. Man and woman create the body and provide nourishment for it but they can’t provide nourishment for the soul. How does God provide nourishment for the soul? In multiplying a few loaves and a couple of fish Jesus miraculously provided nourishment for the hungry bodies of the crowd. By miraculously changing bread into His Body and wine into His Blood Jesus made Himself the only proper nourishment for hungry souls.

Bread of Life

Jesus’ Church makes us aware that Jesus revealed Himself as “… the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry …” Jn 6:35). He stated to His Apostles and disciples: “I am the living bread come down from Heaven; whoever eats this bread will live forever” (Jn 6:51). He made this possible on Holy Thursday night at the Last Supper. His Church uses the word “Eucharist,” literally “good gift, which means “thanksgiving, gratitude, show favour” to describe Jesus’ actions at the Passover Meal and His ordination of the Apostles to “Do this in remembrance of me” (Mt 26:26-29; Mk 14:22-25; Lk 22:18-20; 1 Cor 11:23-25). Jesus’ Church declares this to be the sacramental rite of offering bread and wine to be changed by Jesus into His glorified body and blood through an ordained priest of His Church to be received by the faithful in Holy Communion as the proper nourishment for their souls. The term Eucharist originated in the Didache – a 1^st century Church book of instruction for members of Jesus’ Church. It was used by Sts Ignatius of Antioch and Justin the martyr. It referred to “the Last Supper” (1 Cor 11:20) calling it the “Christian banquet” (Jude v.12). St. Luke calls it the “breaking of bread” (Acts 2:22, 46; 20:7, 11). The celebration of the holy Eucharist kept the sacramental memory of Jesus’ Real Presence alive in His Church as she grew in Jerusalem and beyond. It does the same today in the Roman Catholic Church which continues what Jesus did at the Last Supper and completed on the Cross where He sacrificed Himself to save mankind.

Spiritual Nourishment

The centrality of the Eucharist as the Church’s act of worship in union with Jesus and her spiritual nourishment is underscored by four accounts of its institution in Matthew (26:26-29), Mark (14:22-25), Luke (22:15-20) and First Corinthians 11:23-25). All emphasize the significance of the Rite which contains the Liturgy of the Word and the Liturgy of the Eucharist. John records a whole discourse by Jesus calling Himself the “bread of life,” which is what Eucharist is all about. At the Last Supper Jesus changed bread and wine into His body and blood. (Mt 26:26-28) Emphasizing the importance of what He did to save mankind Jesus ordained His Apostles as the authorized leaders of His Church to “Do this in remembrance of me” (Lk 22:19), signifying that He wanted them to continue changing bread and wine into His body and blood in His Name for the spiritual nourishment of the souls of His followers. Thus the Roman Catholic Church describes the Holy Eucharist as “the font from which she draws her energy and the centre toward which she calls all men and women around which to unite and be spiritually nourished.

Words to Be Taken Literally or Symbolically

Was Jesus speaking literally or merely symbolically when He talked about Himself as the “bread of life”? Was He saying that the unleavened bread and wine of the grape were merely symbols of His body and blood or was He saying that they were actually His body and blood? After Jesus fed the crowds by multiplying a few loaves and fishes and later walked on the sea, He spoke of Himself as food for their souls. He told them to “have faith in the one whom God sent” (Jn 6:29). They asked for a sign to convince them to believe in Him. He told them, “I am the bread of life … the bread I will give is my flesh for the life of the world” (Jn 6:51). The Jews questioned among themselves: “How can He give us His flesh to eat?” (Jn 6:52). Many began leaving Him complaining that, “this is a hard teaching; who can bear it?” (Jn 6:60). But Jesus didn’t say, “Please come back, I don’t mean this literally!” Instead, He doubled down and declared, “Let me solemnly assure you, if you do not eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood you have no life in you … for my flesh is real food and my blood real drink. The man who feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me and I in Him” (Jn 6:53-55).
It should be obvious to any reasonable person that Jesus was being literal and not merely symbolic regarding the importance of actually eating His body and drinking His blood. Instead of asking Jesus how He was going to make this possible many just walked away because they thought it was impossible.

Real Presence that Unites Us

Faith in Jesus means accepting that the bread and wine consecrated by His Church’s ordained priest in His Name is actually Jesus’ body and Blood, Soul and Divinity – His Real Sacramental Presence. In the Eucharist Jesus offers the gift of His Real Presence literally, not symbolically, to those who believe in Him and are members of His Church. Jesus chooses this way to feed our spiritual souls with His Person – body, blood, soul and divinity. Thus He assures the faithful of their resurrection. “He who feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood has life eternal and I will raise him up on the last day” (Jn 6:54). St. Paul clearly states that the Eucharist is to be taken literally and is the visible sign of unity with Jesus: “Brothers and sisters: The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ? Because the loaf of bread is one, we, though many, are one body, for we all partake of the one loaf” (1 Cor 16-17).

The Only and Proper Food for the Human Soul

Jesus is the only real and proper food and drink that fully satisfies the hungry soul keeping it well nourished. Reason and will are faculties of the soul. Therefore, our ability to be reasonable in seeking the truth requires a well-nourished soul. The will’s ability enabling you to choose what is truly good depends on a well-fed soul. Just as a healthy body requires proper nourishment so also a healthy soul needs the best nourishment. God provides us with the wherewithal to nourish our bodies and Jesus, God’s Word-made-man provides the wherewithal to nourish our souls. That essential nourishment is found only in the Holy Mass where the Eucharist is celebrated enabling Jesus to literally give us the gift of Himself in His glorified Body in Holy Communion. (fr sean)

The Power of Authoritative Words
If a person who isn’t a police officer said, “I’m arresting you for …! Would you take him or her seriously? No. Why? Because the officer’s words are not authoritative – he or she has no authority to arrest you or anyone else.
The same is true regarding the Eucharist. If a lay person took bread and wine and said “ this is my body and blood” it would have no effect because the person’s words are not authoritative – so they have no power to do this. When Jesus took bread, blessed it, and said to His Apostles, “Take and eat, this is my body” they were actually eating His body. When He took the chalice filled with wine and pronounced it to be His blood and said “take this and drink for this is my blood,” they were actually drinking the blood of Christ because His words were authoritative – He had the power. When a Catholic priest, validly ordained and conformed to Jesus in His Church, at Holy Mass takes unleavened bread and says in Persona Christi, “Take this and eat it, this is my body” it actually becomes Jesus' glorified body to be eaten by the faithful. The same happens when the priest takes the chalice filled with wine and in Persona Christi says, “Take this and drink of it for this is my blood” it actually becomes the blood of Jesus to be drunk by the faithful. How does this happen? The words used by the priest are authoritative and contain the power to change bread and wine into Jesus’ body and blood. This is the power of God’s Word spoken by ordained authority which Jesus delegated to His priests and their successors at the Last Supper, when He ordained them to, “Do this in remembrance of me.”

cassini · « **Reply #161 on:** June 12, 2026, 10:53:07 AM »

The Lost Are to Be Pitied
Have you ever felt lost or didn’t know where you were going? It can be a very unhinging experience where uncertainty undermines your sense of security replacing it with anxiety. When you feel lost the greatest need is to find directions that point you to your destination. But to seek direction we must admit we’re lost. It is said that women more than men are willing to admit they are lost and ask for directions. The Church tells us that Jesus recognized the chaotic state of those who had no one to show them the way to Heaven. St. Matthew (9:36) records that, “His heart was moved with pity for them because they were troubled and abandoned, like sheep without a shepherd.” Sadly, many people today, including Christians, are troubled and feel abandoned by their leaders. There are others who don’t know or admit they’re lost and so continue on the road to their own demise. Jesus doesn’t change, therefore He continues to look on the lost with pity. Remember His parable of the Lost Sheep (Lk 15:3-7) and the joy in Heaven over one repentant sinner (Lk 15:7).

What is Pity?

The word ‘pity’ means to feel sorry for someone’s plight. Think about those for whom you felt sorry. That gives you some idea of how Jesus feels about the spiritually lost. Every time I look at Michelangelo’s Pieta depicting Jesus’ dead body lying in the arms of His Blessed Mother, a sense of pity fills my heart, especially for Mary as a mother holding the body of her dead Son. Pity is usually evoked when you see someone suffering or lost and it generates a desire to help in some way if possible. Sadly, some don’t admit their predicament or don’t know they are lost and are headed to their destruction. When you felt pity for someone, what did you do to help? Jesus didn’t just feel sorry for the troubled and abandoned people, He offered help by choosing men to lead them in Him as their Shepherd and Saviour. They needed leaders to show them how and where to find freedom, justice, love, and peace. Only Jesus Himself could lead them to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness that only God could provide. He knew that the people were lost because of their sinfulness and ignorance and only He knew the way to reach the destination for which God had created them. His pity led to action, namely the founding of His Church through which He offered direction to the lost, the troubled, and abandoned.
Recognizing the people’s urgent need for trusty leadership, Jesus exclaimed that, “The harvest is rich but the labourers are few, so ask the Lord of the harvest to send labourers to His harvest.” Jesus’ pity for the troubled and abandoned people led Him to ordain twelve disciples to be His Apostles and the leaders of His Church which He founded on Peter to whom He gave him the Keys of the Kingdom of God that would open the door that led to Him as the Shepherd who would bring them to their God-given destination. He gave the Apostles, and through them to His Church, the power to free people from being lost in sin the power over evil. “He gave the twelve disciples authority over unclean spirits with power to cast them out and to cure all kinds of diseases and sickness.” Then He commanded them to, “Go, therefore, to the lost sheep of the House of Israel … proclaim that the Kingdom of Heaven is close at hand. Cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, and cast out devils.” Thus the people would no longer be lost in their troubles and feelings of abandonment.

Lost in Sin

When Jesus speaks about being “lost” He isn’t talking about geography. He’s speaking spiritually. To be lost spiritually means to be in a state of sin, headed for hell and powerless to turn around and save myself from it. Sin means “missing the mark,” not hitting the target, taking the road that doesn’t lead to happiness. Because we’re strangers in this world, even though we often think the world belongs to us, we don’t know the layout of the land, so to speak. We need someone who knows the way and can show us how to get to our true destination. This is where Jesus makes all the difference. He knows the way because He is the Way. First of all He tells us to “reform” our lives and that His mission is “to call sinners” (Lk 5:32) to repentance and seek the freedom of forgiveness that dispels the darkness so that we can see where we’re going. There is no one else who can save the lost. The Psalmist warns us that, “those who court other gods multiply their sorrows” (Ps 16:4).

The Freedom of Belonging to God

Just as God led the Israelites out of the darkness of slavery by sending them Moses as their leader (Ex 19:2-6), so He leads all people out of the darkness of slavery to sin by sending Jesus who continues to do so through His Church. Just as God through Moses promised His people that, “if you obey my voice and hold fast to my covenant, you shall be my very own … You shall be to me a kingdom of priests, a holy nation,” So also Jesus reminds us through His Church that if we remain faithful to her He will make us His very own, which means we’re no longer lost, troubles, or abandoned. God doesn’t want us to be lost; rather He wants us to be His “very own” and a source of blessing to others through evangelizing them. He demonstrates this by making us members of His kingdom through being baptized into Jesus’ Church. There He makes us His gifted children and gives us a clear destination so that we not only know why He created us, who we are, and also where we’re headed. That knowledge gives us an up-to-date map so that we don’t get lost. With the Psalmist (Ps 99:1-5) we can sing, “We are His people; the sheep of His flock… serve the Lord with gladness … He made us, we belong to Him … He is faithful from age to age.”

Compassion

Compassion motivates us to help someone who is lost. St. Paul expresses Jesus’ compassion for us sinners, when he wrote to the Romans (5:6-11): “What proves that God loves us is that Christ died for us while we were still sinners.” Jesus died and was raised to show that God had not abandoned us even when we were still sinning and had lost our way to Heaven. To benefit from Jesus’ sacrificial leadership we must obey His voice and keep His covenant so that He can make us His own and the beneficiaries of His mercy. In the words of St. Paul, “we boast of God through Our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.” Reconciled to God and to one another we follow Jesus to Heaven and no longer feel troubled or abandoned, no matter what the world throws at us.

Church Leadership

The mission of Jesus’ Church is His mission, namely to “save the world through Him” (Jn 3:17) from being lost to Satan. The Church’s ordained leaders, the Pope, bishops, priests, and deacons are tasked with providing the leadership for the people so that they may not lose their way to Heaven. Their mission is to remind the people of what God has done for them by nurturing them with His Word and offering the grace of repentance and the gift of forgiveness through the Church’s Sacraments. Through preaching the Gospel they nourish and remind the people that “the Kingdom of Heaven is very near” and visible in Jesus’ Church. Many people today are spiritually troubled feeling abandoned or lost because of the failure of the Church’s leadership. This sense of feeling lost or confused is evidenced in depression, anxiety, worry, loneliness, self-harm, ѕυιcιdє, self-absorption, and an anti-life mentality expressed in abortion, euthanasia, immorality, humanism, atheism and the dominance of secularism. Jesus’ Church, through her leaders, must tell all who are spiritually sick that Jesus wants to give them an identity, a purpose, a bright future, and a family to satisfy their need to belong, to be free, to be powerful, and to be joyful, where they can find a peace and a God-given direction that the world can’t give them.

Sheep Are Lost Without Shepherds

Jesus looked at the crowd and remarked that their misery resulted from a lack of spiritual leadership – they were like sheep without a shepherd, left to their own limited devices. Without a shepherd sheep will stray and end up caught in thorns or fall into ravines or drown in quagmires. Without spiritual shepherds the people leave the Church, stray, or follow false gods or become immersed in an atheistic culture, become trapped in their own finiteness, or create their own truth and morality which always lead them astray. This is the result of ignorance, a lack of evangelization and catechesis as to who Jesus is and where He is present offering salvation to people lost in sin. Sin, both personal and communal, is the root cause of much of our mental and emotional problems, which is why we cannot resolve them therapeutically. Sin isn’t a psychological condition; it's an inheritance from the sin of Adam and Eve, from the clutches of which we need Jesus Christ to save us. It’s the responsibility of the spiritual shepherds to bring Jesus’s light to the spiritually troubled and lost by leading them to the Divine Shepherd, the Light of the world, Jesus Christ. He continues to pity the spiritually sick, lost, and dead through commanding those whom He baptizes and ordains in His Church to seek them out and call them to avail of His consoling grace leading them to their Heavenly home.

Outreach

Do you know someone who is spiritually lost, sick, or dead? Do you have pity for him or her? What are you doing to enlighten them? Jesus wants us to bring them to Him in His Church so that “they might have life and have it to the full” (Jn 10:10). As Christians, and especially as bishops, priests, and deacons, Jesus will hold us accountable if we don’t bring Him to the world as the only Light that will free it from its darkness and from being lost in selfishness and sin. Jesus accomplishes this through His Church to which He has entrusted His mission to save all men and women and bring them home to Heaven. Each of us has an obligation in charity to seek out the lost sheep and bring them to join the flock, the Church. (fr sean)

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Author Topic: Forgive So We Can Live and Let Live (Read 1824732 times)

cassini

Re: Forgive So We Can Live and Let Live

cassini

Re: Forgive So We Can Live and Let Live