Test All Things
" Then if anyone say to you, 'Behold, here is the Christ,' or, 'There he is,' do not believe it."
Jesus. (Matthew 24:23)
The culminating point of the Mass occurs during the consecration, part of the liturgy of the Eucharist.This is when the priest repeats the words Christ spoke at the last supper. Jesus took the bread, and blessed and broke, and gave it to his disciples, and said, "Take and eat; this is my body."And taking a cup, he gave thanks and gave it to them, saying, "All of you drink of this; for this is my blood of the new covenant, which is being shed for many unto the forgiveness of sins..." Matthew 26:26-28
These very words strike a chord in in my heart, as I recall all the Masses I attended and assisted as an alter-boy at Our Lady of Assumption in Albuquerque. Moreover thoughts of when I used to ask myself is it really the Body and Blood of Christ? Rev. John A. O'Brien a well known Roman Catholic authority explains and defends this culminating point of the Mass in his popular book "The Faith of millions". (Huntington, ill; Our Sunday Visitor Inc.,1974 pp255-256) "When the priest announces the tremendous words of consecration, he reaches up into the heavens, brings Christ down from His throne, and places Him upon our altar to be offered up again as the Victim for the sins of man. It is a power greater than that of Seraphim and Cherubim. Indeed it is greater even than the power of the Virgin Mary. While the Blessed Virgin was the human agency by which Christ became incarnate a single time, the priest brings Christ down from heaven, and renders Him present on our altar as the eternal Victim for the sins of man-not once but a thousand times! The priest speaks and lo! Christ, the eternal and omnipotent God, bows his head in humble obedience to the priest's command." Rev. O'Brien continues on by stating, " No wonder that the name which spiritual writers are especially fond of applying to the priest is that of alter Christus.
For the priest is and should be another Christ." Though these assertions are clearly disturbing to most, is Rev. O'Brien going beyond Roman Catholic teaching and doctrine? In October 1551 the thirteenth session of the Council of Trent proclaimed the decree "the Most Holy Sacrament of the Eucharist." The decree ended with a list of canons, providing anathema's (curses) for those who would reject the Council's tuition of Roman Catholic doctrine.
CANON I.-If any one denieth, that, in the sacrament of the most holy Eucharist, are contained truly, really, and substantially, the body and blood together with the soul and divinity of our Lord Jesus Christ, and consequently the whole Christ; but saith that He is only therein as in a sign, or in figure, or virtue; let him be anathema.
CANON lI.-If any one saith, that, in the sacred and holy sacrament of the Eucharist, the substance of the bread and wine remains conjointly with the body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, and denieth that wonderful and singular conversion of the whole substance of the bread into the Body, and of the whole substance of the wine into the Blood-the species Only of the bread and wine remaining-which conversion indeed the Catholic Church most aptly calls Transubstantiation; let him be anathema.
CANON VIII.-lf any one saith, that Christ, given in the Eucharist, is eaten spiritually only, and not also sacramentally and really; let him be anathema.
In 1562, eleven years later the twenty -second session was held, once again making public the "Doctrine Concerning the Sacrifice of the Mass."
CANON I.--If any one saith, that in the mass a true and proper sacrifice is not offered to God; or, that to be offered is nothing else but that Christ is given us to eat; let him be anathema.
CANON II.--If any one saith, that by those words, Do this for the commemoration of me (Luke xxii. 19), Christ did not institute the apostles priests; or, did not ordain that they, and other priests should offer His own body and blood; let him be anathema.
CANON III.--If any one saith, that the sacrifice of the mass is only a sacrifice of praise and of thanksgiving; or, that it is a bare commemoration of the sacrifice consummated on the cross, but not a propitiatory sacrifice; or, that it profits him only who receives; and that it ought not to be offered for the living and the dead for sins, pains, satisfactions, and other necessities; let him be anathema.
CANON IV.--If any one saith, that, by the sacrifice of the mass, a blasphemy is cast upon the most holy sacrifice of Christ consummated on the cross; or, that it is thereby derogated from; let him be anathema.
CANON V.--If any one saith, that it is an imposture to celebrate masses in honor of the saints, and for obtaining their intercession with God, as the Church intends; let him be anathema.
CANON VI.--If any one saith, that the canon of the mass contains errors, and is therefore to be abrogated; let him be anathema.
Though Roman Catholic clergy often try to avoid laity from questioning the canons and anathema's of the ecumenical councils, oftentimes eluding or denying that they are still active. The fact still remains that the canons and anathema's were written by infallible men according to Roman Catholic Church, thus never having been rescinded and only being reaffirmed by more recent ecumenical councils. The Catechism of the Catholic Church also affirms this in paragraph 1367.
So what did Jesus mean when he said eat my flesh and drink my blood?
The Roman Catholic Church teaches the context that is found in John 6:53,54, but first lets read just before that starting with John 6:35 so we may understand its context.
But Jesus said to them " I am the bread of life. He who comes to me shall not hunger, and he who believes in me shall never thirst. Then again Jesus reaffirms this statement in John 6:51.
" I am the living bread that comes down from heaven. If anyone eat of this bread he shall live forever; and the bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world."
Then Jesus once again gives a graphic metaphor representing his death on the cross in John 6:53,54. "Amen, amen, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man, and drink his blood, you shall not have life in you. He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has everlasting life and I will raise him up on the last day...."
Now some questions to think about, since Jesus is God and God is perfect why would Jesus contradict the Mosaic law forbidding the drinking of blood to anyone in Genesis 9:4, Leviticus 3:17and 17:10-14 ? In fact if you refer to John 5:16 this would have been enough to persecute Jesus. Since it was forbidden to drink blood Peter would never have been able to say "Far be it from me, Lord, for never did I eat anything common or unclean." in Acts 10:14
Jesus refers to himself many times in the figurative sense such as:
" I am the true vine" John 15:1 " I am the door" John 10:9 "I am the good shepherd" John 10:11 " I am the bread of life" John 6:48
King David In the Book of Psalms also used ingestive language figuratively to express his relationship with God. "Taste and see how good the Lord is; happy is the man who takes refuge in Him." Psalm 34:8 "How sweet to my palate are your promises, sweeter than honey to my mouth." Psalm 119:103
As we continue on in the context from the book of John Chapter 6 verse 61, we read that after Jesus spoke of eating his flesh and drinking his blood, Many of Jesus' disciples did not understand and began muttering amongst themselves. Then Jesus makes a remarkable statement to those muttering. " Does this scandalize you? What then if you should see the Son of Man ascending where he was before? It is the spirit that gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words I have spoken to you are spirit and life..." John 6:63
Jesus gives credibility to speaking figurative language rather than literal.
" I have told you this in figures of speech. The hour is coming when I will no longer speak to you in figures but I will tell you clearly about the Father." John 16:25
The Last words spoken by Jesus before he died were " It is finished." John 19:30 "And every priest indeed stands daily ministering, and often offering the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins; but Jesus, having offered one sacrifice for sins, has taken his seat forever at the right hand of God." Hebrews 10:11 " For by one offering He has perfected forever those who are sanctified. Thus also the Holy Spirit testifies unto us. For after having said, "This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, says the Lord: I will put my laws upon their hearts, and upon their minds I will write them, " he then adds, " And their sins and iniquities I will remember no more." Now where there is forgiveness of these, there is no longer offering for sin." Hebrews 10: 14 "For we know that Christ, having risen from the dead, dies now NO MORE, death shall no longer have dominion over him." Romans 6:8
Jesus also said: " .....I say to you that you will die in your sins; for if you do not believe that I am he, you will die in your sin." John 8:24