Do you know where God resides?
Posted: Wednesday, May 09, 2007
by straight talk
Now this is primarily directed towards Catholics because of some beliefs of that faith not shared by other denominations. While I offer it for Catholics to consider I do not judge anyone else’s belief system. However, I do emphasize why Catholics believe what they do. So if it offends you I apologize, if it interests you then I invite you to take a look. Perhaps this is something God wants to lead you to examine and while it is something discussed through the ages it has not been resolved.
Well many will answer thusly. In the heavens and they will be correct. In your heart and soul and they will be correct if you are without sin and profess and do His work. However, there is also another place that many people know about, pass perhaps each day and even at times enter but I believe many times do not even give it a thought.
Do you know that place? Well it is of course a Catholic or Orthodox Church where the Eucharist is recognized as the true body and blood of Jesus Christ. You see these denominations believe the Host or Eucharist is transformed from a mere particle of bread into the true body and blood of Jesus Christ during the saying of specific prayers and at the celebration of the mass.
From then on it is the true Body and Blood of Jesus Christ as He Himself stated at the Last Supper. Now many will say this can’t be. How can this be changed into the Body of Christ? Well that’s not saying much for Gods capability is it? That aside, some say the priest changes it. The fact is the priest recites the prayers, which call on God to come and change the host into Himself. The priest has no power to change the Host. In fact God does not need any human He can do it all. Yet, this is the manner that God wishes to manifest Himself to His believers in celebration and praise. That is what he left us at the Last Supper.
However, it is very emphatic and scriptural in John 6 of the Word. Jesus Himself repeats it multiple times over and over and in this chapter. He even states very clearly what this food is and that many will not accept it and flee from accepting this and many do actually leave. He then turns to His apostles [now think about this] and says why do you stay why don’t you go? Peter answers, “Lord you have the Words of eternal life where can we go?"
I do not judge anyone I just state what Jesus stated that many would not believe even though He stated it and He fore told many will flee from it. Jesus stated it not or anyone else and since I believe in Him and His Word I must believe it is literal.
However, is it once again that man selectively applies what we want to believe and ignore the other aspects? I call it the Law of Selective Application. That is man will pick and chose what he wants or needs and discard the rest.
Now once again this is not what man has stated but God Himself has stated. It is the basis for the Catholic Churches beliefs and it is what separates it from many Christian Churches. However, it is fact that it has been accepted since the days of the Apostles and unlike other aspects added by man this has been recognized since that time. And it has never changed nor been rejected by any of them and not even Luther or Paul. Just facts for those who wish to read the Word and investigate church history.
Now we all know the passages about “remembrance" and that is also true. To remember takes nothing away from the facts that have been brought forth here. Actually we all do remember when we celebrate communion but with one significant difference. That is explained as I say in John 6.
Since Jesus Died once and for all Catholics still remember that sacrifice and we remember as He stated we should in the manner of the Last Supper when He specifically said this is my Body and this is My Blood do this in remembrance of me. The enforcement of this is His real body and real food comes in John 6.
It is literally all there to be investigated. Jesus does say very distinctly and every emphatically, “whomever does not eat my body and drink my blood has no life in them.“ This was not a metaphor, a parable or any other literary composition. These were His words in the Arabic, The Greek and The Hebrew of that day and their meanings was exact to the words used and get this by HIM.
So I give this out to all of you who wonder about the Eucharist and Catholics and this specific belief. I invite you to study the Word in full. I venture to say while I am not a priest you will find no contradiction to what I have presented.
Now for you Protestants who remember, I do believe you are fulfilling that obligation at the last Supper as well with the one exception identified herein. With God all things are possible so why discard it?
So for you who believe in the Eucharist the next time you walk past or enter a Catholic or Orthodox Church where they recognize the Eucharist as the true Body and Blood of our Lord, remember this. You are in the presence of the Lord. Yes, He is present everywhere in that church not only in spirit but also in His real Body and Blood. Do you respect that? Are you silent before God and humble or is it that you really do not believe?
Robert T. Melaccio Sr. 2007 Copyright ©2007 Robert T Melaccio Sr.
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Top-level comments on this article: (1 total)Mr. Melaccio, I too was taught at my first communion that this was the body and blood of Christ. We were told we couldn't touch it with our teeth, we had to use our tongue to move it in our mouths. Also we couldn't touch it with our hands, the priest had to put it into our mouths. A lot has changed since those days. But like you commented on my article "what happened to us America" things do change, I for one haven't been to church for a long time and haven't received communion for quite some time. But I do believe in Jesus, I'm not saying what you proclaim isn't true. for the nuns told us a story about a man who didn't believe and took a host in his hand and cut it with a knife, then blood flowed from it.Please log in to respond to this comment.David, what I placed in the article was not what I said but what Jesus stated in John 6. It wasn't what any man said as you know. Now you are correct that things have changed. How you accept the host has changed. That doesn't take away anything from it being the True Body and Blood of Jesus as stated in John 6 and fullfilled at His Last Supper, which is the Mass. However, the question is should it have based on that belief? Things do change but are they right? That is the real question. Thanks and God Bless.Please log in to respond to this comment.
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