Relativism: The Bermuda Triangle to the Moral Compass
Holy Communion: Real Presence, or Purely Symbolic? Part 2
In Part One, we discussed the Gospel of John 6, and delve into why Jesus could not have rationally been speaking metaphorically, when discussing the eating and drinking of His flesh and blood. In this Part Two, we’ll discover some other, more concrete reasons why the Eucharist is the Real Presence of Jesus Christ.
St. Paul in 1 Corinthians 11:27 then follows this up, by saying that anyone partaking in Holy Communion in an “unworthy manner” are “guilty of profaning the Body and Blood of the Lord.” This is literal language, and is not a metaphor. For our Protestant readers who prefer to read the King James Version, here you go:
1 Corinthians 11:27 King James Version (KJV) 27 Wherefore whosoever shall eat this bread, and drink this cup of the Lord, unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord.
Let me ask you this, how can you eat something unworthily, and be guilty of the Body and Blood of the Lord, if it is not the real presence of Jesus Christ, but just a metaphor? The truth is, you cannot. St. Paul understood clearly, that the Eucharist is the Real Presence of Jesus Christ.
Moving on, let’s look at the Last Supper, where the apostles find out what Jesus actually meant by His Flesh and His Blood. The Lord told us, “This is My Body”… “This is My Blood”. Again, this wasn’t a metaphor.
A typical protestant might say, “The Lord also said to ‘Do this in memory of me’….” That’s somewhat accurate, but not as accurate as it could be. Let me explain.
The earliest written account of the institution of the Eucharist is found in 1 Cor. 11:23-26. The phrase "Do this in memory of me" appears here, as well as in Luke 22:19. The Greek word (anamnasis) is the same in both cases.
According to one scholarly source: "The word indicates to call back again into memory a vivid experience" (Rienecker & Rogers, Linguistic Key to the Greek New Testament, p. 426).
So Jesus wasn’t saying to only do it as a “remembrance” thing every so often, the Lord said to “DO THIS TO BRING THIS EXPERIENCE BACK TO LIFE”. What experience is that? COMMUNION WITH THE LORD JESUS CHRIST.
Protestants think they have a strong relationship with Jesus, and they may. However, there is no way to get into a more closely intimate relationship with Jesus Christ, than to consume the Real Body and Blood in the Eucharist, consecrated by the lineage of St. Peter.
Reader, when Jesus Christ came to me in Africa, my life was changed. I wanted that feeling of being with Him back, and I wanted to hold on to it forever. That is why I converted to Catholicism.
Protestants have taken this truth of the Eucharist so lightly, and so carelessly, that they have lost over 1500 years of the beautiful Eucharistic tradition, and thus have lost the graces accompanied with receiving it.
As a Catholic, I can receive my Lord Jesus Christ, Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity in the Eucharist as He ordained at the Last Supper, every single day if I want. I can visit Him and adore Him in Eucharistic Adoration, just sitting in His presence, and feeling that feeling I had in Africa, when I was in His Divine Presence. Trust me, dear reader; it’s the same Presence, just not as strong as a hug from Jesus. It is however, as absolutely close as you can get.
The Eucharist sustains you, gives you life, gives you strength to fight off evil, and to keep you away from the temptations of sin. I would urge every one of you, Catholics, to make it a point to receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation, and to receive the Eucharist at least once a week.
Go to Eucharistic adoration, whether Catholic or not, and feel the grace flowing from the monstrance or the tabernacle. You will be amazed at how much your life will change just by going to adoration. Bring a book, write, read, sleep, pray, it doesn’t matter. Just being there with Him means so much to Him. When I get deep in prayer in adoration, I’ve been blessed to be able to actually converse with Our Lord at times. He speaks straight to my heart, and answers me in the most unexpected ways.
Of course, our protesting brethren will say that the Lord is always there with you. That’s true, He is. But we are talking about the difference between a phone call, and a physical visitation. You must know, it makes a difference to your parents, your grandparents, and to Jesus Christ. He loves you, and has counted every hair on your head. He wants to hug you, and commune with you, so go see Him.
Well? Go!
Don’t forget to “LIKE” our facebook page, Rosaries for America, and join us in praying for our country to turn back to God through the power of the Most Holy Rosary.
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About the Author
My name is Jeff Sokol. I'm an author of several books on subjects ranging from entrepreneurship to spirituality. Now, the Lord has called me to be a witness to His Glory and power, so here I am.
I was born and raised in both New Orleans and Lafayette, Louisiana. We were raised Southern Baptist but went to Catholic schools, as were some of the best schools in Louisiana. Shortly after high school I stopped going to church altogether, and ended up living in New York. I was a survivor of the WTC tragedy on 9/11/2001, as I was working on the 29th floor of the South Tower when the planes hit. At the time, I didn't have a spiritual life and was living a very worldly lifestyle.
The trauma of the events in New York left me with some questions in my life, as many spiritual things began to happen to me, things that the Church says we should stay away from, spiritual events. In an effort to learn more about it, I fell deeply into the practice of New Age/Occult methods of spirituality. Living this lifestyle allowed a strong demonic influence over my life, which needed to go. I was starkly set against the Catholic Church, and had every single jab at it memorized, as do many non-believers. My amazing wife, who is Catholic, just continued to pray for me to Our Blessed Mother, which I thought was just nonsense, but out of love, she did anyway.
I met a guy named Daniel. He began to witness to me which fell on deaf ears. He finally called me out on my New Age beliefs, and told me the truth of Jesus Christ. Slowly, over about 6 months, it began to sink in and I started learning more about the Church on my own, and really seeking Jesus.
One day while working in Africa in the oil and gas industry, the Lord Jesus Christ came to me, embraced me, and healed me. I've never felt so much love, compassion, mercy, or peace as I did when Jesus hugged me, and cleansed me. The Lord was there with me, in my apartment in Nigeria, and gave me the tremendous grace of faith. Praise God!
Since then, I've been working for the Lord, converted to Catholicism, and have spent years studying our amazingly beautiful, deep, and supremely rich Catholic Faith. The Lord has delivered many miracles, and saved my life on multiple occasions before I came to Him, protecting me from evil and keeping me out of hell. I'll be sure to fill you in on the amazing miracles God has worked in our lives, so stay tuned!
