The Eucharistic Lord of the ebil Catholic lyars

tran·sub·stan·ti·a·tion: It used to be bread and wine. Now it is Almighty God who gives Himself to us under the outward appearance of bread and wine

 

 

Since then He Himself declared and said of the bread, ‘This is My Body,’ who shall dare to doubt any longer? And since He has Himself affirmed and said, ‘This is My Blood,’ who shall ever hesitate, saying, that it is not His Blood? – St. Cyril of Jerusalem Catechetical Lectures 22.1

~

"You ebil Catholic lyars (that was redundant, wasn't it)! You worship a piece of bread! You think God is a cookie! Don't you know that's idolatry?"

Yes, to all outward appearances, Catholics fall down and worship a piece of bread. We believe that, by power of the Holy Spirit, Christ becomes fully present - body, blood, soul and divinity - under the guise of bread and wine, just as He promised when He said that He would give us His flesh as real food and His blood as real drink, that by partaking of Him we might have eternal life.

"You ebil Catholic lyars! You have no concept of 'nuance'! Jesus was talking symbolically about that whole 'eat Me' thing. Just like He said 'I'm the vine,' or 'I'm the door.' Do you worship doors?"

No one left Christ over His claims to be a vine or a door. But many disciples abandoned Him over this "hard saying," that they must eat His flesh and drink His blood. He let them leave, and asked His own apostles if they would now leave Him, too. He offered no clarification that would support the notion that He was speaking symbolically. At the Last Supper, He lead by example in performing what would later be termed "transubstantiation:" a real change in substance, by the power of God, from what was once ordinary bread, and is now divine. "This is My body...this is My blood. Do this as a memorial to Me."

"You ebil Catholic lyars! You think that, by an act of supreme selfishness and presumption, your priest can force the Almighty God to appear before you like some kind of magic trick! You can't understand that God is not a rabbit in a hat, to pull out on a whim, in whatever shape you think appropriate! God made everything; priests CAN'T make God!"

Christ Himself is both the high priest and the sacrifice. When a Catholic priest says the words of consecration, the holiest prayers of the Church, it is no longer he who speaks, but Christ. By the power of the Holy Spirit the substance of bread and wine is changed. The priest is an unworthy vessel; it is not by his own authority that the miracle of Transubstantiation occurs.

"You ebil Catholic lyars! You think Jesus has to die over and over for your sins! Didn't you read that part of the Bible where Christ died once and for all?...oh wait, sorry, dumb question, you're not allowed to read the Bible."

The Bible was compiled and authorized under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit through the Church's councils. The Church's Book isn't going to refute the Church's doctrinal teachings. Or didn't you read that part of the Bible that says the Church is the pillar and foundation of Truth?...The Holy Sacrifice of the Mass is not a re-crucifixion of Christ. It is a re-presentation of one and the same sacrifice at Calvary. This sacrifice is eternal; after the resurrection, when Christ returned in His glorified body, the wounds of crucifixion remained. In Revelation, when John sees in a vision the Lion of Judah, it is a slain lamb. Not someone who was killed but has recovered - that's a whole different beast. The atoning wounds don't heal. They don't go away. He is always "Christ crucified." And every Mass revisits this eternal sacrifice; the crucified, resurrected Christ comes to us in the form of bread and wine.

Some stuff:

Normally, only a priest may self-communicate (eat the Eucharist by himself). Laity normally receive the Eucharist from the hand of a priest, deacon, or EMHC (Extraordinary Minister of Holy Communion - a layperson entrusted to distribute the Eucharist). However, if a Host (the wafer that was consecrated and has become Christ) is in danger of desecration unless it is consumed, it is OK for a layperson to self-communicate (in fact, he must do so).

The True Presence of Christ remains in the form of bread until the entire Host is dissolved and no longer resembles food (about 15 minutes after being eaten). Under the form of wine, Christ remains until the liquid is sufficiently diluted with water.

The Host must be consumed immediately after receiving from the priest, deacon or the EMHC.
1. Do NOT carry the Host back to your pew and eat it there.
2. Do NOT let your kindergartner use it as a crayon to keep her occupied for the rest of the service.
3. Definitely do NOT take it home with you (unless you have special permission to bring Holy Communion to a sick or elderly person who could not make it to Mass).
4. It is normally NOT permitted to keep a Host in one's home for private devotion, not even if you're really reverent, not even if you found an awesome monstrance on ebay, not even if you have a first-class relic of St. Peter (or Paul, or Mary. Or all three of them).
5. The deliberate abuse of a Consecrated Host is a mortal sin which incurs instant excommunication. It cannot be absolved by a priest without written permission from Rome.

If the Host falls on the floor,
a. pick it up at once and eat it. Or,
b. alert the priest or an EMHC. They can soak the Host in water until it dissolves and no longer has the appearance of bread, and they can dispose of it in a special sink in the sacristy which drains directly into the ground rather than a sewer. Or the liquid can be poured on the ground where no one walks.

In the Adoration Chapel: if there is an earthquake, tornado, fire or zombie, take the monstrance and go to the designated safe place. DO NOT: Give him Jesus...in the jugular. (Even though the monstrance is pointy and could hypothetically do great damage.)

Q: What is the monster?
A: The monstrance is the pointy shiny thing that displays a Host in a small glass case when the Eucharist is exposed for adoration.
Q. So laypersons can just walk up and grab the monstrance?
A. Short answer: No. Long answer: NOOOOOO NOT EVER EVER.
Q. So how do I take the monstrance to a "designated safe place" if I can't touch it?
A. I don't know.
Q. Would I explode?
A. No, that would be too cool.

Interesting website: http://www.calledtocommunion.com/2010/12/church-fathers-on-transubstantiation/