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Using History In Your Daily Life
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What is the Eucharist?
“While they were eating, Jesus took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to his disciples, saying, “Take and eat; this is my body.” 27 Then he took a cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you. 28 This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.”
– Matthew 26:26-28
The Eucharist, or Communion, is the ritual reenactment of the Last Supper, where Jesus gave the disciples bread and wine. In this, he proclaimed that the bread is his flesh, and the wine is his blood. This story is significant, due to the symbolism of what was to come (crucifixion), as well as the first mention of the disciple-betrayer.
Many denominations and churches teach different substances when it comes to the Eucharist, as some teach of Transubstantiation, while others teach the spiritual-symbolic ritual of the act. This was such a debated topic, that it even split the church.
Catholics and Protestants.
Catholics vs. Protestants
“Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in them.
– John 6:56
Catholics believe that the Eucharist goes through a process of transubstantiation, which is that the bread and wine literally turn into the flesh and blood of Jesus. Protestants, former Catholics at the time of the split, believe that the act is just a symbol of remembrance. Catholics then split off into their own church, the Protestants, where they made major changes to the Catholic ideologies. Some of these changes included taking chapters out of the Bible, disregarding the physical transformation of Communion, and allowing for a direct relationship with God, not through Catholic priesthood.
So, which ideology is correct?
I cannot give you an answer, but I will give you present-thinking questions.
My Questions for You to Ponder
- Is the path to Heaven through religion or relationship?
- Jesus was divinely poetic, which even us humans (and disciples) have trouble understanding. We do not know if Jesus was being poetic about the Eucharist, but why would we not take the “symbol” as seriously as the actual flesh and blood of Jesus?
- The cross we use today is a “symbol,” so if it is just a symbol, blaspheme upon it. It does not matter since it is just a “symbol”, correct?
- Does all bread from grocery stores turn into the flesh of Jesus?
- Or does it take Catholic priests to say the right words to turn it into the flesh?
- Everything is a symbol: Why would we not treat this ritual as delicately and spiritually as it BEING the flesh and blood of Jesus?
- Why would you not take your faith this serious, rather it is or is not?
My Takeaways
“Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”
– John 14:6
Is the path through Heaven through a specific church, or through your personal relationship with God? Anyone can sit in a booth, kneel when to kneel, and sing when to sing. But if you feel nothing, are you saved? I believe that you have to do the work to become saved, you must let your light outshine your words, you must give when your heart tells you to give, and listen when your heart tells you to listen. You must repent of your sins, not through a priest, but through prayer.
YOU must find God on your OWN.
