the true presence of jesus christ in the holy eucharist

8/6/2019 The True Presence of Jesus Christ in the Holy Eucharist

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flesh, and drinks My blood, abides in Me and I in him." Abide means to live in. Verse 53, "Amen, amen, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man, and drink His blood, YOUSHALL NOT HAVE LIFE WITHIN YOU." Is consuming crackers and grape juice going to fulfill verses 53 and 56? Where is the symbolism? Read these two verses again.Now compare John 6:56 above with John 15:6, "If a man does not abide in me, he is cast forth as a branchand withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire and burned."John 6:56 clearly said that we must eat his flesh and drink his blood.John 15:6 clearly said that if we do not, then we are lost. How can we be lost by failing to eat

a symbolic gesture?

Count the number of times Jesus said, He is the bread, the living bread, that it is His flesh and it is His blood,and that we must eat of His flesh and drink Hisblood?

In John 6:66 (the 666 connection) who walked away from Jesus and never returned? Was it the Jews whowere there? Did GOD give the Ten Commandments to the Hebrews only? You cannot be selective of a singlegroup, as the Gospels were written for all of us. It was all of those, then and now, who refuse to believe Hiswords which He repeated over and over again. Why does a person repeat himself? It is to drive home a pointand to make it stick. But stick it did not for many, then as now. All those who refuse to believe in the truepresence of Jesus Christ in the Holy Eucharist, are those embedded in John 6:66.

Some try to show that verse 63 shows that the whole chapter is symbolic. However, " It is the spirit thatquickens; the flesh profits nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life" (63),merely shows that we cannot accept this mystery in too human a way, by having an earthly view of things.See John 3:6, "That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit." Verse 63means that we should not have a carnal human understanding of His words, but a spiritual understanding.See John 8:15, Rom 8:1-13,15:27, 1Cor 3:1-4,9:11, and 2Cor 10:4.He who takes "The flesh profits nothing" as an excuse for denying the "True Presence", denies theincarnation and humanity of Jesus Christ." It is interesting that those who do this are taking one verse andcalling it literal by itself, and all the while calling all of the other verses around it figurative, or symbolic.

The word "Amen" is a Greek word (amen) of Hebrew origin which, at the beginning of a discourse means,"certainly", "surely", "truly", "of a truth", "so be it". When used as a prefix by Jesus Christ, it is to emphasizethat it is a Statement of especial solemnity.

Now, what do you suppose He meant when He emphasized twice, by using a double "Amen"?

"Amen, amen, I say to you, Moses did not give you the bread from heaven, but my Father gives you the truebread from heaven. For the bread of GOD is that which comes down from heaven and gives life to the world ."John 6:32-33Notice that Jesus used a double emphasis by beginning these verses with 'truly', 'truly'. Do you 'truly' 'truly'believe what He said in this verse? Is there any room for symbolism in these verses whatsoever?

"Amen, amen, I say to you, he who believes in me has life everlasting ."John 6:47Again, He said 'truly', 'truly', but of course everyone believes His words in this verse, so everyone 'truly','truly' believes Him here. But, read on for a possible "snag" for some, regarding this verse.

"Amen, amen, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you do not havelife within you."John 6:53What? 'Truly', 'truly' again? Another double emphasis? The context for this verse is the same as for theprevious examples in this section. Why do you think Jesus used a double emphasis yet again? Again I ask,why do people repeat themselves at all? Again, for emphasis, they do it to drive home a very important point,that is why! Interestingly, Weymouth's Modern Speech New Testament translates the first words of this verseas: "In most solemn truth, I tell you...".

What would Jesus have had to say to make his words any more clear than what He actually said? Then whydo some say "Truly, truly, in this verse, He was only speaking symbolically"?If this verse is to be taken only symbolically, then the previous example, John 6:47, must be treated in the

same context, as being only a symbolic gesture also. If that is the case, then we have a domino effect workingthroughout Scripture. All verses with the same meaning of John 6:47, "believe in Christ and you have lifeeverlasting", must be only symbolic as well.Some well known, and well used verses with the same, or very similar meaning are,John 3:15-16,18, 5:24, 6:40, 8:24, and 20:31, Acts 13:48, and 16:31, Romans 10:9-11, 1Timothy 1:16, and 4:10,2Timothy 1:1, and 1John 5:13.

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The Greek word for "life" used in John 6:53, is "zoen" (zoen) which means, "divine life of GOD imparted tous". There are other Greek words for "life" that St. John could have chosen, such as "bios" (bios) whichsimply means "life". The fact that he chose the word that he did, lends great credibility to the literal meaningof this verse and with not a hint of symbolism. Again, if you try to show that John Chapter 6 is symbolic, then you have to show the symbolism in the other three Gospels, and the other verses I have presented as well.

John 20:21, "He therefore said to them again, 'Peace be to you! As the Father has sent Me, I also send you'."What did Jesus say here?The Father sent Him to redeem us, to forgive us our sins, to open the Gates of Heaven, and to bring ushis life saving food from Heaven, the manna for our souls, which is now His most precious Body and Blood.He did redeem us and He did open the Gates of Heaven. On the night of the Last Supper, He established thePriesthood, and commanded them to "Do this in remembrance of Me", thus perpetuating the Holy Eucharist,and fulfilling the prophecy of Malachi 1:11. In John 20:22-23, He breathed upon them and said, "Receive theHoly Spirit; whose sins you shall forgive, they are forgiven them; and whose sins you shall retain, they areretained". He thus empowered them to act in His Person, in "Persona Christi", (2Cor 2:10). The priest hadbecome the hands and the voice of Jesus Christ.Please read Matt 9:8, "But when the crowds saw it, they were struck with fear, and glorified GOD WHO HADGIVEN SUCH POWER TO MEN."

1Cor 10:16, "The cup of the blessing that we bless, IS IT NOT THE SHARING OF THE BLOOD OF

CHRIST? And the bread that we break, IS IT NOT THE PARTAKING OF THE BODY OF THE LORD?"Could St. Paul have said this any clearer than he did here? Where did he say the "symbolic" sharing or the"symbolic" partaking? This verse is absolutely to the point, and there is not a hint of symbolism anywhere.Did you notice the BLESSING THAT WE BLESS, and the BREAD THAT WE BREAK?Here, Saint Paul clearly stated that he and the other Apostles have the authority and the power (Acts 1:8,2:2-4) to call down "THE WORD" with their word, and the cup (of wine) is no longer wine, butthe Blood of Christ, and the bread is no longer bread, but the Body of Christ.

This authority and power bestowed upon the Apostles, was passed down to their successors, the Priests andthe Bishops, through the "Laying on of Hands", in a process called "Apostolic Succession". This process hasbeen perpetuated to this very day, and can be vividly seen in the unbroken line of the " Bishops of Rome", the"Popes".

1Cor 11:23, St Paul was not present at the Last Supper, but in this verse he said that he had received thefollowing recount of it, and of the True Presence from the Lord. Why did he not receive the teaching from theApostles? Is it because the Lord knew it was so important to give the teaching of His True Presence in theHoly Eucharist to him directly since he missed it the first time around?1Cor 11:23-26, St. Paul repeats the words of consecration of Jesus Christ at the last supper.1Cor 11:27-29, St. Paul lays it on the line, "Therefore, whoever eats this bread or drinks the cup of the Lordunworthily, will be guilty of the Body and the Bloodof the Lord (27). But let a man prove himself, and so lethim eat of that bread and drink of the cup; (28) FOR HE WHO EATS AND DRINKS UNWORTHILY, WITHOUTDISTINGUISHING THE BODY, EATS AND DRINKS JUDGMENT (the word is 'damnation' in the King JamesBible) TO HIMSELF." (29)

Wow! Just what is going on here? When Catholics receive Holy Communion, the priest holds up the Sacred

Host and says "The Body of Christ". The communicant responds with "Amen". The word "Amen" means "sobe it". It is an affirmation that we believe what the priest has just said. Since each receptor is a member of the Body of Christ, then he or she is in communion with the other members of the Body of Christ in theCatholic Church. It is an affirmation that we believe and accept the teachings of the Catholic Church. This iswhat St. Paul is telling us in those three verses. This is also precisely the reason why Protestants should notreceive Holy Communion in the Catholic Church. They do not believe it is the true Body and Blood of JesusChrist, therefore they are not in communion with the Catholic Church, and they are not believers of Catholicteachings. If they were, then why would they still be Protestant?CCC-1355 (Catechism of the Catholic Church)

On the road to Emmaus...

In Luke 24:13-35, we have the story of two of the disciples walking on the road to Emmaus shortly after theresurrection of Jesus Christ. Jesus joined them in their walk, but they did not recognize Him (16). Heinterpreted all the Scriptures for them that referred to Himself (27) and yet they still failed to recognize Him. Itwas toward evening and they invited Him to dine with them (29). Then something very dramatic happened asthey reclined (30-31).Jesus took bread, and blessed it, and broke it, and gave it to them. And their eyes wereopened and with that, they immediately recognized

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His tr ue pr esence in the Br eaking of Br ead, the Holy Euchar ist. "And they themselves began to relate what had happened on the journey, AND HOW THEY RECOGNIZED HIMIN THE BREAKING OF THE BREAD." (35)

Non-Catholics are correct when they say "it is only a symbol", because for them, it IS only a symbol. You see,they have no valid "Priestly Orders". They have no Apostolic Succession and therefore, no valid Orders for the priesthood. They cannot consecrate a host. They cannot call down "The Word" with their word, as theCatholic priest can. However, they have no right or authority whatsoever, to say that the Holy Eucharist, asconsecrated by Catholic priests, is only a symbolic gesture.

The Council of Trent...Convened on December 4, 1545 and closed on December 4, 1563.

About 25 years after the Protestant reformation, the Catholic Church convened the Council of Trent as acounter to the reformation, and for the refutation of the heresies created by it. Here are the decrees of thiscouncil regarding the True Presence of Jesus Christ in the Holy Eucharist...

The Thirteenth Session: Decreed on March 8, 1547.ON THE MOST HOLY SACRAMENT OF THE EUCHARIST...

CANON I.-If any one denieth, that, in the sacrament of the most holy Eucharist, are contained truly, really, andsubstantially, 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 beanathema*.

* Anathema means, accursed, (let him be) cursed, excluded from the Kingdom of GOD, banned, or excommunicated. The phrase "Let him be Anathema", is used many times in Church Council decrees, and inso doing, makes that statement in which it is contained an "Infallible Statement".See 1Chron 2:7, Judith 16:23, Isa 65:20, Rom 9:3, 1Cor 12:3,16:22, and especially Gal 1:8-9.

CANON II.-If any one saith, that, in the sacred and holy sacrament of the Eucharist, the substance of the breadand wine remains conjointly with the body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, and denieth that wonderfuland singular conversion of the whole substance of the bread into the Body, and of the whole substance of thewine 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 III.-If any one denieth, that, in the venerable sacrament of the Eucharist, the whole Christ is containedunder each species, and under every part of each species, when separated; let him be anathema.

CANON IV.-If any one saith, that, after the consecration is completed, the body and blood of our Lord JesusChrist are not in the admirable sacrament of the Eucharist, but (are there) only during the use, whilst it isbeing taken, and not either before or after; and that, in the hosts, or consecrated particles, which are reservedor which remain after communion, the true Body of the Lord remaineth not; let him be anathema.

CANON V.-If any one saith, either that the principal fruit of the most holy Eucharist is the remission of sins,or, that other effects do not result therefrom; let him be anathema.

CANON VI.-If any one saith, that, in the holy sacrament of the Eucharist, Christ, the only-begotten Son of God,is not to be adored with the worship, even external of latria; and is, consequently, neither to be venerated witha special festive solemnity, nor to be solemnly borne about in processions, according to the laudable anduniversal rite and custom of holy church; or, is not to be proposed publicly to the people to be adored, andthat the adorers thereof are idolators; let him be anathema.

CANON VII.-If any one saith, that it is not lawful for the sacred Eucharist to be reserved in the sacrarium, butthat, immediately after consecration, it must necessarily be distributed amongst those present; or, that it isnot lawful that it be carried with honour to the sick; let him be anathema.

CANON VIII.-If any one saith, that Christ, given in the Eucharist, is eaten spiritually only, and not alsosacramentally and really; let him be anathema.

CANON IX.-If any one denieth, that all and each of Christ's faithful of both sexes are bound, when they haveattained to years of discretion, to communicate every year, at least at Easter, in accordance with the preceptof holy Mother Church; let him be anathema.



CANON X.-If any one saith, that it is not lawful for the celebrating priest to communicate himself; let him beanathema.

CANON XI.-lf any one saith, that faith alone is a sufficient preparation for receiving the sacrament of the mostholy Eucharist; let him be anathema. And for fear lest so great a sacrament may be received unworthily, andso unto death and condemnation, this holy Synod ordains and declares, that sacramental confession, when aconfessor may be had, is of necessity to be made beforehand, by those whose conscience is burthened withmortal sin, how contrite even soever they may think themselves. But if any one shall presume to teach,preach, or obstinately to assert, or even in public disputation to defend the contrary, he shall be thereupon

excommunicated.

What did the Church Fathers have to say about theTr ue Pr esence in the Holy Euchar ist?

The Didache (Did-Ah-Key), or teaching of the Apostles, 9:1Let no one eat or drink of the Eucharist with you except those who have been baptized in the Name of theLord; for it was in reference to this that the Lord said, "Do not give that which is Holy to dogs." Matthew 7:6

St. Ignatius of Antioch, Letter to the Romans, 7:3, 106AD"I desire the bread of GOD, which is the flesh of Jesus Christ."

St. Ignatius of Antioch, Letter to the Smyrneans, 6:2, 106AD"They abstain from the Eucharist and from prayer, because they do not confess that the Eucharist is theFlesh of Our Savior Jesus Christ, Flesh which suffered for our sins and which the Father, in His goodness,

raised up again. THEY WHO DENY THE GIFT OF GOD ARE PERISHING IN THEIR DISPUTES."St. Justin the Martyr, First Apology, 65-66, 148 A.D."But we, after we have thus washed him who has been convinced and has assented to our teaching, bringhim to the place where those who are called brethren are assembled, in order that we may offer heartyprayers in common for ourselves and for the baptized person, and for all others in every place, that we maybe counted worthy, now that we have learned the truth, by our works also to be found good citizens andkeepers of the commandments, so that we may be saved with an everlasting salvation. Having ended theprayers, we salute one another with a kiss. There is then brought to the president of the brethren bread and acup of wine mixed with water; and he taking them, gives praise and glory to the Father of the universe,through the name of the Son and of the Holy Ghost, and offers thanks at considerable length for our beingcounted worthy to receive these things at His hands. And when he has concluded the prayers andthanksgivings, all the people present express their assent by saying Amen. This word Amen answers in theHebrew language to so be it. And when the president has given thanks, and all the people have expressed

their assent, those who are called by us deacons give to each of those present to partake of the bread andwine mixed with water over which the thanksgiving was pronounced, and to those who are absent they carryaway a portion.And this food is called among us Eukaristia [the Eucharist], of which no one is allowed to partake but the manwho believes that the things we teach are true, and who has been washed with the washing that is for theremission of sins, and unto regeneration, and who is so living as Christ has enjoined. For not as commonbread and common drink do we receive these; but in like manner as Jesus Christ our Saviour, having beenmade flesh by the Word of God, had both flesh and blood for our salvation, so likewise have we been taughtthat the food which is blessed by the prayer of His Word, and from which our blood and flesh bytransmutation are nourished, IS THE FLESH AND BLOOD OF THAT JESUS WHO WAS MADE FLESH. For theapostles, in the memoirs composed by them, which are called Gospels, have thus delivered unto us what wasenjoined upon them; that Jesus took bread, and when He had given thanks, said, "This do ye in remembranceof Me, this is My body;" and that, after the same manner, having taken the cup and given thanks, He said,"This is My blood;" and gave it to them alone..."

St. Cyril of Jerusalem, Catechetical Lectures, 22(Mystagogic 4)6, 350AD"Do not, therefore, regard the Bread and the Wine as simply that; for they are, according to the Mastersdeclaration, the Body and Blood of Christ."

St. Gregory of Nyssa, The Great Catechism, 37, 383AD"Rightly then, do we believe that the bread consecrated by the Word of GOD has been made over into theBody of GOD the Word."

St. Ambrose of Milan, The Sacraments, 4:4:14, 390AD"You may perhaps say: "My bread is ordinary." But that bread is bread before the words of the Sacraments;where the consecration has entered in, the bread becomes the Flesh of Christ."

St. John Chrysostom, Homilies on the First Corinthians, 24:4:7, 392AD"When you see the Body of Christ lying on the altar, say to yourself, Because of this Body I am no longer

earth and ash, no longer a prisoner but free...This is that Body which was blood-stained, which was piercedby a lance, and from which gushed forth those saving fountains, one of blood, the other of water, for all theworld. This is the body which He gave us, both to hold in reserve and to eat, which was appropriate to intenselove."



700, Lanciano Italy.1153, Blaine France.1171, March 28, Ferraro Italy.1194, Augsburg Germany.1200's early, St Anthony of Padua and the mule*.1200's late, Santarem Portugal.1225 - 1247, (time frame) Santarem Portugal.1228, Altari Italy.1230, December 30, Florence Italy.

1239, Daroca Spain.1252, Assisi Italy, St Clare.1263, Bolsena and Orvieto Italy. Peter of Prague.1273, Offida Italy.1280, Slavonice Czechoslovakia.1290, Paris France.1294, Venice Italy.1300, Cebrero Spain.1300, Aninon Spain.1300's, Cascia Italy.1317, Viversel Belgium.1330, Walldurn Germany.1331, March 31, Blanot France.

1333, Feast of Ascension, Bologna Italy, 12 year old Bl. Imelda Lambertini.1345, March 15, Amsterdam Netherlands.1345, Krakow Poland.1356, April 25, Macereta Italy.1369, October 4, Brussels Belgium.1372, Siena Italy, St Catherine.1374, Middleburg, Netherlands.1379, Boxtel Holland.1384, Holy Thursday, Seefield Austria.1405, Ittre Belgium, Bois Seigneur Isaac.1412, Bagno Di Romagna Italy.1417, Regensburg-Deggendorf-Erding Germany.1427, Zaragoza Spain.

1433, Dijon France.1433, Avignon France.1447, Ettiswill Switzerland.1450's? Langenwiese Poland-Czechoslovakia area.1453, Turin Italy.1472, Volterra Italy.1601, La Viluena Spain.1730, Siena Italy.

*A doubter challenged St. Anthony that his mule would not respond to the "True Presence".St. Anthony took the challenge. The man did not feed his mule for several days and St. Anthony brought outthe Holy Eucharist and the man brought out food for the animal. The mule ignored the food and knelt down onits front legs to the "True Presence" of Jesus Christ in the Holy Eucharist.

You can read about, and see pictures of some of these Eucharistic Miracles in a book titled, "Miracles of theEucharist".



This is a picture of a genuine Eucharistic Miracle. It is of a bleeding Sacred Host.

This is My Body. This is My Blood.Matthew 26:26-28

"He who does not believe the Son, makes Him a liar."1John 5:10

"For in the wrath of GOD is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and wickednessof those men who in wickedness hold back the truth of GOD..."

Rom 1:18

"...but wrath and indignation to those who are contentious,and who do not submit to the truth but assent to iniquity."

Rom 2:8

Where the True Presence of the Holy Eucharist is, there is Jesus Christ.Where Jesus Christ is, there is the Catholic Church.

© Written and Compiled by Bob Stanley, April 7, 2000

Updated June 4, 2003Updated February 22, 2007

the true presence of jesus christ in the holy eucharist

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