The Eucharist, our "Life Giving Bread."

The following is taken from "CatholicBible101.com" Eucharist is a Greek word that means "Thanksgiving." It refers to the Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Jesus truly present in Holy Communion.  What was once an ordinary piece of bread and an ordinary cup of wine, has now been changed (transubstantiated) into Jesus.  In other words, just like Jesus changed the substance of water into wine at Cana, the priest, through the power of Jesus given to him at his ordination, changes the substances of bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Jesus at the consecration.  

The following is taken from a piece by Bernadeane Carr, STL, Censor Librorum, August 10, 2004.NIHIL OBSTAT: I have concluded that the materials presented in this work are free of doctrinal or moral errors on from “CatholicAnswers.com.”  (I highly suggest you look up this entire piece…truly wonderful information.)

Christ in the Eucharist

“...chapter six of John’s Gospel, in which Christ speaks about the sacrament that will be instituted at the Last Supper. This tract examines the last half of that chapter. 

John 6:30 begins a colloquy that took place in the synagogue at Capernaum. The Jews asked Jesus what sign he could perform so that they might believe in him. As a challenge, they noted that "our ancestors ate manna in the desert." Could Jesus top that? He told them the real bread from heaven comes from the Father. "Give us this bread always," they said. Jesus replied, "I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me will never hunger, and whoever believes in me will never thirst." At this point the Jews understood him to be speaking metaphorically. 

 Again and Again
Jesus first repeated what he said, then summarized: "‘I am the living bread which came down from heaven; if any one eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread which I shall give for the life of the world is my flesh.’ The Jews then disputed among themselves, saying, ‘How can this man give us his flesh to eat?’" (John 6:51–52). 

His listeners were stupefied because now they understood Jesus literally—and correctly. He again repeated his words, but with even greater emphasis, and introduced the statement about drinking his blood: "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 my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him" (John 6:53–56). 

No Corrections

Notice that Jesus made no attempt to soften what he said, no attempt to correct "misunderstandings," for there were none. Our Lord’s listeners understood him perfectly well. They no longer thought he was speaking metaphorically. If they had, if they mistook what he said, why no correction? 

On other occasions when there was confusion, Christ explained just what he meant (cf. Matt. 16:5–12). Here, where any misunderstanding would be fatal, there was no effort by Jesus to correct. Instead, he repeated himself for greater emphasis. 

In John 6:60 we read: "Many of his disciples, when they heard it, said, ‘This is a hard saying; who can listen to it?’" These were his disciples, people used to his remarkable ways. He warned them not to think carnally, but spiritually: "It is the Spirit that gives life, the flesh is of no avail; the words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life" (John 6:63; cf. 1 Cor. 2:12–14). 

But he knew some did not believe. (It is here, in the rejection of the Eucharist, that Judas fell away; look at John 6:64.) "After this, many of his disciples drew back and no longer went about with him" (John 6:66). 

This is the only record we have of any of Christ’s followers forsaking him for purely doctrinal reasons. If it had all been a misunderstanding, if they erred in taking a metaphor in a literal sense, why didn’t he call them back and straighten things out? Both the Jews, who were suspicious of him, and his disciples, who had accepted everything up to this point, would have remained with him had he said he was speaking only symbolically. 

But he did not correct these protesters. Twelve times he said he was the bread that came down from heaven; four times he said they would have "to eat my flesh and drink my blood." John 6 was an extended promise of what would be instituted at the Last Supper—and it was a promise that could not be more explicit.”

The Bible: 1 Corinthians 11:27, "Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of profaning the body and blood of the Lord"

If the above is the case (which of course it is) then WHY do we American Catholic's take receiving THE BODY and BLOOD of Christ so lightly?  Why have we removed Christ from the alter (by moving the Tabernacle) in many Church sanctuaries and relegated Him off to a place we have to search for?  Recently, a dismal poll was taken of practicing Catholics and 45% of those polled answered that they did NOT believe that the Eucharist was true presence of Christ, that the entire Liturgy of the Eucharist was merely symbolic!!  45%!!!  What has happened to us that our CORE belief....the receiving of a grace giving, HOLY SACRAMENT has become something we don't understand and sadly don’t even BELIEVE anymore?  If we get THIS wrong folks, we might as well jump ship and all change faiths.

I kind of understand WHY it happened I think.  There was a huge push in the 70's and 80's that I believe went terribly awry. The call that asked us to seek out the similarities between Christian religions so to try & lessen the divide among all the separate faiths, a nice concept for sure but one I believe ONLY the Catholic Church decided was a good idea.  It seems that we were the only ones who went through a fundamental transformation that changed the very practices of our faith.  Does anyone recall, back in the 80’s, entering a Church & it taking some time to realize what denomination of Christianity the Church was that you were visiting?  I recall one time in particular looking at this vast, open space which made me feel as if I were in a cafeteria & searching for a definitive sign of Catholicism so I knew to either stay for Mass or not.  Staring at the stark, bare walls, no saints to be seen & the Tabernacle was practically hidden from view, no kneelers in the pews & of course, no alter rails.  Does anyone recall when they took our statues away, or took down the alter rails?  When they moved the tabernacle from the CENTER of the alter?  And when we did we stop genuflecting towards the Tabernacle, was it the same time we started holding hands during the Our Father?  And the WORST offense of all…this is the time we started receiving the very BODY OF CHRIST in our hands!!!  At the time it all seemed harmless enough.  But what did it do?  It made us LOOK a lot more like our fellow Protestant Christian brothers and sisters and a lot LESS like Catholics.  These were NOT just some cosmetic & feel good changes.  These changes, I contend, changed our whole way we approached our practice of the Mass and stripped us of some of the things that made us uniquely Catholic.  Taking our eyes off the Tabernacle in the CENTER of the alter (in doing so, taking Christ off the alter until the Consecration) our focus changed from the Divine to the HUMANS on the alter.  By changing the reception of the EUCHARIST to our hands, we now not only have mentally lessened Its importance but lessened it LITERALLY as well.  Our hands (nor the lay person’s hands who administered it to you) are consecrated.  ONLY a priests hands have been consecrated.  This is the ACTUAL BODY OF CHRIST.  We approach in our sweatshirts and sneakers, stick out our hands, toss the Eucharist in our mouths & crunch away as we walk back to our pews while waving at our friends.  Our grassroot efforts in making these changes (I believe started with good intentions in mind) have changed our beautiful faith and we’ve become an affront to God.  These changes have, by sheer habit, helped in our modern & casual approach to the practicing of our faith.  You are in the presence of our LORD, we are receiving our LORD into our bodies.  Our Holy Father has been asking us since 2008 to go back to receiving on the tongue at the very least…he ACTUALLY has asked us to receive KNEELING and on the tongue to 1) show the respect that the Eucharist is due AND 2) to try & bring back SOME reverence to the Mass.  Do you recall walking into a Church as a child & immediately being struck dumb because of the reverence the space demanded?  Innately you KNEW this place deserved respect and that the Lord resided there.  Now we walk into the Sanctuary chatting away, don’t genuflect entering or leaving our pews, chat throughout Mass, leave multiple times with our children as they parade to the bathrooms, process them up on the line for the Eucharist before their 1^st Communion, waving to friends and family along the way, FEED our kids during the Mass (when did it become OK to bring FOOD into the Sanctuary?), leave before the final hymn, (or stick around chatting with our friends IN the Sanctuary)….I believe when we belittle the Eucharist, we have forgotten what it’s ALL about. 
I ask you, please consider receiving the Eucharist on the tongue.  Only Americans have made this practice so widespread.  Even if you do not go as far as kneeling, please consider not touching the HOLY EUCHARIST with your hands and further perpetuating this practice.  I have been watching this issue out of Rome for some time now.  The Holy Father has again just recently asked us to change this practice.  I think the changes in the Mass coming this Advent are a large step by the Holy Father to bring the Mass back in line.  I would LOVE to hear even more on the Eucharist.  Please ask your children to follow suit.  Also help spread the word to friends and family about the reverence of the Mass.  Let’s try & help our good priest’s in celebrating being CATHOLIC…

Until the next time!

Catholic News Agency reporting the Church calling for receiving kneeling on the tongue: 
http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/cardinal_says_communion_received_kneeling_and_on_the_tongue_is_most_reverent/