O.K. this question is for the catholics....What is the reasoning behind the communion is literal....?

Question

bread to Christ's body, wine to Christ's blood. Jesus said Do this in 'remembrance' of Me. when did he say 'Eat me'?

Answer 1

just taking a look at fr_chucks answer should tell you not even the PRIESTS know. They are old government machine...so badly messed up not even their representatives can reason out the tangles they have made along the centuries.

Answer 2

Because they misunderstand. Jesus is not holding up an old normal loaf of bread. He is holding up the passover bread and wine.

The passover reprisented Gods salvation of Isreal from Egypt. Jesus is saying, I am the passover, I am Gods salvation.

Through out the New Testament Jesus uses food and family relationships in a symbolic way. He says he is the water of life, he says to eat his words.

Read about the passover feast in Exodice chapter 13 and you will see exactly what Jesus is saying. The feast is an everlasting feast to REMEMBER what God did for the Hebrews in Egypt.

And the entire passover is a picture of Christ saving the world.

Answer 3

Are you a Protestant? Do you believe that the Bible is the literal, inspired, divine Word of God? It's fine if you're not, but I suspect you may be because....

I have always found it curious that Protestants (especially those who believe the Bible is the inerrant Word of God - the same believers who often read the Creation story of Genesis as the accurate, literal, historical account of the beginning of the world) are the ones who most vociferously protest a literal interpretation of the Last Supper:

"While they were eating, Jesus took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to his disciples, saying, 'Take and eat; this is my body.' Then he took the cup, gave thanks and offered it to them, saying, 'Drink from it, all of you. This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.'" (Matthew 26:26-28)

Jesus didn't say, "This represents my body" or, "This is bread which is also my body" - he said "This IS my body." It seems abundantly clear. Should we not take Christ at His word?

Answer 4

Yes it's literal. The bread and wine are changed into the body and blood of Christ. And He said you must eat my Body to gain eternal life. That's how He worded it.

Answer 5

--Is Catholic--

Actually yes, Christ did say "eat me". The words used in the Gospel of John (6:54) and in 1 Corinthians are the equivalent of "gnaw"/"chew". If you read first century Greek it is impossible to understand these passages in any fashion other than Christ saying that his followers were to consume his flesh and blood.

Must I remind you that in John 6:66 many disciples left because they knew that Christ was being literal? Christ never say "Hey now come back I am just kidding!" nor is there any place in the gospels or all of the early Christian writings that explain the Eucharist in any other way than the literal eating and drinking of Christ's blood.

Mathew and Mark are emphatic in his saying "This IS my body" and "This IS my blood" as well as saying this is the BLOOD OF THE COVENANT, which a covenant in Jewish parlance required actual blood.

Luke, uses "remembrance of me" instead of covenant as Luke is writing to a Greek audience which is used to call to mind the Greco-Roman usage of sacrificial offerings to the gods done to remember them, not in the past sense, but in the present as a means for proclaiming them gods who exist now. In other words, Luke is not saying by remember "Think of Christ who was" but rather "Proclaim Christ who is now".

Theologicaly, a litteral understanding is the only one that makes sense. Much of the scriptures builds to the focal point of the Eucharist/Calvary which are one in the same sacrafice. You will completly miss a huge chunk of the Gospels if you do not take these statements litteraly. Here are some links to read

http://www.scripturecatholic.com/the_eucharist.html (bible verses)
http://www.ewtn.com/faith/Teachings/euchc2.htm
https://www.ewtn.com/faith/teachings/euchc3.htm
The Lamb's Supper by Scott Hahn
The Mass of The Early Christians by Mike Aquilina

Answer 6

Because Catholics have a way of taking what is metaphorical in the Scriptures and making it literal, and taking what should taken as literal and making it a metaphor. And I do know whence I speak since I was a Catholic for 18 years and went through the entire mill.

Answer 7

In the Gospel according to St. John chapter 6.

Answer 8

your sarcastic remark saying " eat me " tells me that you are not catholic. communion is excepted as the body and blocd of christ. we do this in remembrance of our Lord. Christ tells us to do this. When the host is blessed, we are firm believers that this is the actual spirit of Christ that we are receiving. however, we do not receive our Lord when we are not in the Lords good graces. If we have sin in our lives, we need to confess them before we receive our Lord. we need to ask forgiveness before communion.

Answer 9

Because Christ did not say "Take and eat it stands for my body...." He said "Take this and eat of it, it is my Body which will be given up for you." and "Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me and I in him" (Jn 6:56). What I can't understand is how anybody doesn't believe. Jesus did not lie.

Answer 10

he said , this is my body, and this is my blood, and to do it in rememberance,

he did not say, this is like my blood and this represents my body. So the reasoning is the bible says it is.