Source: John 6
Audio: FF - Eucharist_01- Scripture.mp3
The Catholic Church teaches that Jesus Christ is literally and wholly present – body and blood, soul and divinity – under the appearances of bread and wine.
In the “Bread of Life Discourse” documented in John Chapter 6, Jesus states that He is the “bread of life” and that His flesh is true food and His blood true drink. The Jews were scandalized in verse 52: “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?” Jesus does not back down, but reiterates this teaching four more times over the next four verses. Many left in verse 66 because this teaching was truly difficult. But at no point does Jesus “water down” His teaching and call them back. No, He allows them to leave and even questions his twelve apostles if they, too, wish to leave. Jesus intended to be understood literally and the Jews, apostles, and the Catholic Church absolutely take Him at His Word.
Source: John 6
Audio: FF - Eucharist_02- Scripture 2.mp3
The Catholic Church teaches that Jesus Christ is literally and wholly present – body and blood, soul and divinity – under the appearances of bread and wine.
Feeding five thousand from a boy’s five barley loaves and two fish as recorded in John Chapter 6 is quite a miracle, yet the next day Jesus downplays it in verses 26 and 27: “You are looking for me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves. Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures for eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you.” Likewise, God’s provision of manna to the Israelites in the desert was also a great miracle, yet Jesus similarly downplays it in verse 49: “Your ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness, but they died. This is the bread that comes down from heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die.” Jesus is clearly stating that His Eucharist is greater than both of these amazing miracles and the Catholic Church absolutely take Him at His Word.
Source: "The Fathers Know Best" by Jimmy Akin, p. 293
Audio: FF - Eucharist_03- Early Church Father 1.mp3
The Catholic Church teaches that Jesus Christ is literally and wholly present – body and blood, soul and divinity – under the appearances of bread and wine.
St. John the Apostle records the John Chapter 6 “Bread of Life” discourse in which Jesus states that His flesh is true food and His blood true drink. Who better to understand John’s writings and subsequent teachings than a disciple and student of John, St. Ignatius of Antioch. In his Letter to the Smyrnaeans in 110 AD, Ignatius writes, “I have no taste for corruptible food nor for the pleasures of this life. I desire the bread of God, which is the flesh of Jesus Christ, …, and for drink I desire his blood, which is love incorruptible.” The Catholic Church absolutely follows St. John and St. Ignatius in taking Jesus at His Word.
Source: "The Fathers Know Best" by Jimmy Akin, p. 293
Audio: FF - Eucharist_04- Early Church Father 2.mp3
The Catholic Church teaches that Jesus Christ is literally and wholly present – body and blood, soul and divinity – under the appearances of bread and wine.
St. John the Apostle records the “Bread of Life” discourse in which Jesus states that His flesh is true food and His blood true drink. Who better to understand John’s writings and subsequent teachings than a disciple and student of John, St. Ignatius of Antioch. In his Letter to the Smyrnaeans in 110 AD, Ignatius writes about those who hold heterodox opinions, stating: “They abstain from the Eucharist and from prayer because they do not confess that the Eucharist is the flesh of our Savior Jesus Christ, flesh which suffered for our sins and which the Father, in his goodness, raised up again.” The Catholic Church absolutely follows St. John and St. Ignatius in taking Jesus at His Word.
Source: "The Fathers Know Best" by Jimmy Akin, p. 293
Audio: FF - Eucharist_05- Early Church Father 3.mp3
The Catholic Church teaches that Jesus Christ is literally and wholly present – body and blood, soul and divinity – under the appearances of bread and wine.
In his First Apology written in 151 AD, St. Justin Martyr clearly states: "We call this food Eucharist, and no one else is permitted to partake of it, except one who believes our teaching to be true... For not as common bread nor common drink do we receive these; … the food which has been made into the Eucharist by the Eucharistic prayer set down by him, and by the change of which our blood and flesh is nurtured, is both the flesh and the blood of that incarnated Jesus." The Catholic Church absolutely follows St. Justin Martyr in taking Jesus at His Word.
Source: 1 Corinthians, "The Essential Catholic Survival Guide" by Catholic Answers: Ch. 19, pp. 159, 161
Audio: FF - Eucharist_06- Scripture 3.mp3
The Catholic Church teaches that Jesus Christ is literally and wholly present – body and blood, soul and divinity – under the appearances of bread and wine.
Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 10:16 – 17: “The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ?” So in receiving Communion, we actually participate in the body and blood of Christ – not just eat symbols of them. There is no record that the early church Christians doubted the constant Catholic interpretation of Christ’s True Presence in the Eucharist. No record in which the literal interpretation was opposed and only the metaphorical accepted – except, of course, fifteen hundred years later in the Reformation.
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Source: 1 Corinthians, "The Essential Catholic Survival Guide" by Catholic Answers: Ch. 19, p. 159
Audio: FF - Eucharist_07- Scripture 4.mp3
The Catholic Church teaches that Jesus Christ is literally and wholly present – body and blood, soul and divinity – under the appearances of bread and wine.
Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 11, Verses 27 and 29:”Whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord unworthily will have to answer for the body and blood of the Lord. For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body, eats and drinks judgment on himself.” To “answer for the body and blood of the Lord” meant to be guilty of a crime as serious as homicide. How could eating a mere bread and wine unworthily be so serious? Paul’s comment makes sense only if the bread and wine became the real body and blood of Christ.