Bread of Life is Hard to Swallow

[Believer1997]

The Bread and Wine (or grape juice in my case) is symbolic of the body of Christ and the Blood he shed for our salvation. Symbolic. This is the basis of communion. Do you take communion? Have you heard that Scripture read during the service blessing the communion?

[socrates4jesus]

If I may give my 2

Edited March 29, 2009 by socrates4jesus

[socrates4jesus]

ok as a charismatic catholic who gets herself into alot of trouble over some of the churches beliefs? i perceive the eucharist to be a way of keeping Jesus close to me and my way of remembering him as he asked us to.

as far as trying to understand transubstantiation? nope i cant do it and i am happy just knowing i am trying to keep his command when i do receive communion.

lv yr sis in christ

manie

Hey, Manie, thanks for replying! I understand that the Charismatic Catholic movement started here in my home state of Indiana (in the South Bend area). Yes, i understand that i cannot possibly understand all there is to know about God. I suppose He would not be God if i could figure Him out completely. What i'm aiming at, here, is not understanding but apprehending. I want to apprehend what the truth is, even if i don't fully comprehend why it is true.

It's an important question to me, because if it is true that Jesus is the Eucharist, then the Catholics have it right and all of the Protestants have it wrong. I want most of all to follow the truth wherever it leads me, so that would lead me to the Roman Catholic Church. However, if it is true that Jesus is not the Eucharist, then the truth will tell me to stay a Protestant and not return to the Catholic church i left as a teen.

Edited March 29, 2009 by socrates4jesus

[socrates4jesus]

The Bread and Wine (or grape juice in my case) is symbolic of the body of Christ and the Blood he shed for our salvation. Symbolic. This is the basis of communion. Do you take communion? Have you heard that Scripture read during the service blessing the communion?

It has been awhile. About what scripture are you talking, Believer? and how do you know it is only symbolic?

Edited March 29, 2009 by socrates4jesus

[Believer1997]

The Bread and Wine (or grape juice in my case) is symbolic of the body of Christ and the Blood he shed for our salvation. Symbolic. This is the basis of communion. Do you take communion? Have you heard that Scripture read during the service blessing the communion?

It has been awhile. About what scripture are you talking, Believer? and how do you know it is only symbolic?

I'm speaking of the Scripture that was quoted to you about 3 posts back.. It's symbolic because as was also discussed in the thread Jesus spoke often in parables and stories - they were easier for people to understand. And He said in "remembrance" of me. This Scripture is quoted in nearly every Communion service I've been a part of.

And He took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying,

[Matthitjah]

ok as a charismatic catholic who gets herself into alot of trouble over some of the churches beliefs? i perceive the eucharist to be a way of keeping Jesus close to me and my way of remembering him as he asked us to.

as far as trying to understand transubstantiation? nope i cant do it and i am happy just knowing i am trying to keep his command when i do receive communion.

lv yr sis in christ

manie

Hey, Manie, thanks for replying! I understand that the Charismatic Catholic movement started here in my home state of Indiana (in the South Bend area). Yes, i understand that i cannot possibly understand all there is to know about God. I suppose He would not be God if i could figure Him out completely. What i'm aiming at, here, is not understanding but apprehending. I want to apprehend what the truth is, even if i don't fully comprehend why it is true.

It's an important question to me, because if it is true that Jesus is the Eucharist, then the Catholics have it right and all of the Protestants have it wrong. I want most of all to follow the truth wherever it leads me, so that would lead me to the Roman Catholic Church. However, if it is true that Jesus is not the Eucharist, then the truth will tell me to stay a Protestant and not return to the Catholic church i left as a teen.

Grace to you,

I have a question for you Socrates.

Do you feel that by not partaking of the communion week to week that you are missing out on receiving Jesus week to week?

If this is the case, can you explain this to me using scripture?

Peace,

Dave

[socrates4jesus]

I'm speaking of the Scripture that was quoted to you about 3 posts back.. It's symbolic because as was also discussed in the thread Jesus spoke often in parables and stories - they were easier for people to understand. And He said in "remembrance" of me. This Scripture is quoted in nearly every Communion service I've been a part of.

And He took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is My body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me.”

Likewise He also took the cup after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood, which is shed for you.

Thank you, Believer!

I guess i'd ask how do you know that remembering Jesus is the only reason for taking communion? Notice that Jesus does NOT say, "The only reason to do this is to do it in remembrance of me," rather, what He says is, "Do this in remembrance of me." Do you think it is possible that we take communion for more than one reason? I suppose i'm looking for more proof that Jesus was speaking only figuratively when He said the bread was His body.

Edited March 29, 2009 by socrates4jesus

[socrates4jesus]

Grace to you,

I have a question for you Socrates.

Do you feel that by not partaking of the communion week to week that you are missing out on receiving Jesus week to week?

If this is the case, can you explain this to me using scripture?

Peace,

Dave

God's undeserved love and power to you, too, Matt! (is it OK if i call you Matt? You may call me Soc or s4j if you like).

Yes, i do feel that i'm missing out on something. Whether that something is the body of Christ, or not, i'm not sure. That's why i'm asking. Catholics have pointed out to me the words of Jesus in John, chapter 6, which appear to be strong evidence for their understanding of the Eucharist.

For example

At this the Jews began to grumble about him because he said, "I am the bread that came down from heaven." They said, "Is this not Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How can he now say, 'I came down from heaven'?"

"Stop grumbling among yourselves," Jesus answered. "No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him, and I will raise him up at the last day. It is written in the Prophets: 'They will all be taught by God.' Everyone who listens to the Father and learns from him comes to me. No one has seen the Father except the one who is from God; only he has seen the Father. I tell you the truth, he who believes has everlasting life. I am the bread of life."

(John 6)

Jesus says that He is the bread that came down from heaven, which suggests to me that He is the bread we consume during communion. What do His words suggest to you?

[Matthitjah]

Grace to you,

I have a question for you Socrates.

Do you feel that by not partaking of the communion week to week that you are missing out on receiving Jesus week to week?

If this is the case, can you explain this to me using scripture?

Peace,

Dave

God's undeserved love and power to you, too, Matt! (is it OK if i call you Matt? You may call me Soc or s4j if you like).

Yes, i do feel that i'm missing out on something. Whether that something is the body of Christ, or not, i'm not sure. That's why i'm asking. Catholics have pointed out to me the words of Jesus in John, chapter 6, which appear to be strong evidence for their understanding of the Eucharist.

For example

At this the Jews began to grumble about him because he said, "I am the bread that came down from heaven." They said, "Is this not Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How can he now say, 'I came down from heaven'?"

"Stop grumbling among yourselves," Jesus answered. "No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him, and I will raise him up at the last day. It is written in the Prophets: 'They will all be taught by God.' Everyone who listens to the Father and learns from him comes to me. No one has seen the Father except the one who is from God; only he has seen the Father. I tell you the truth, he who believes has everlasting life. I am the bread of life."

(John 6)

Jesus says that He is the bread that came down from heaven, which suggests to me that He is the bread we consume during communion. What do His words suggest to you?

Soc,

I'm glad you replied.

Let me follow up with another question and I then I will share what I hold to be True according to scripture.

I ask questions because it provokes thought and you appear to be a thinker. I value that. These are the same questions that I would and have asked myself.

You have already admitted that you feel like you may be missing out on something by not partaking of Catholic Comunion.

Do you believe that by partaking of the Catholic Communion that you can complete the work of salvation that Christ did in you, or is it finished? In other words is there something else you need to be doing, like taking communion, or perfectly practing the Law, or saying ten hail Mary's to have your sins forgiven?

Peace,

Dave

[OneLight]

LOL ... at that very moment that yo are typing, yes, you are a typist. I believe that you are thinking too hard to understand something very simple.

LOL! Perhaps you are right! Still, i don't think it is an entirely a bad thing to try to understand what the truth is about who Jesus really is, do you?

With this goal in mind, what i think you are saying is that Jesus is what Jesus says and does. In other words, He's no hypocrite. What is more, we can never accuse Him of saying, "Do what i say, not what i do," for His actions and His words never contradict one another. And what He tells you or i to do, He never fails to do Himself.

Is this what you mean, Light?

In a nutshell, yes.