In communion, is it literally the blood and body of Christ, or a symbol?

Answer 1

The Catholic Church believes that the bread (or wafer) and the wine (possibly grape juice as well, but I'm guessing that's rare in the Catholic Church) literally become the body and blood of Jesus.

However, most Protestant deonominations believe that the bread (or wafer) and the wine (or grape juice) are symbols of Christ's body and blood. In my opinion, it is symbolic as thats' what it was implied in the New Testament.

Answer 2

Back in the Dark Ages, the Catholics burned people at the stake for asking your question. Transubstantiation is the doctrine which claims that the wafer and wine literally become the blood and body of Christ. Literal-minded parishioners who insisted the consecrated host was still "just a cracker and grape juice" were examined under torture and burned alive for the heresy of denying the doctrine of transubstantiation.

Modern people know that communion is really nothing more than symbolic ritualized cannibalism.

Answer 3

You must be careful in understanding such a lovely gift and mystery. It is literally the body, blood, soul, and divinity of Christ. However, we must understand that it is not the natural body and blood of Christ, but the glorified body and blood of Christ. It is not cannibalism because there is no natural body to feast on. It is a spiritual meal. Now there is the appearance of bread and wine, but the substance of bread and wine is changed, by the Holy Spirit, to His body and blood. It will take more than the space alloted here to explain because you would need four years of philosophy and theology to understand deeply this mystery. However, as St. Thomas Aquinas states in the Salutaris Hostia, "sensuum defectui". Our defective human sense cannot perceive the body and blood of Christ, but only bread and wine. However, our sense of faith does provide the ability to percieve His glorified body and blood.
I know this is short, but I hope it has been helpful. May the Lord bless and keep you. May the light of His face shine upon you.

God's and your beast of burden
Fr. john

Answer 4

Good question - it depends on which Christians you ask. Catholics believe there is an actual transformation that takes place that the bread and the wine actually become the blood and the body of Christ. Protestants believe it's symbolic. This is why I, as a Protestant, can't take communion in a Catholic church - I see it as a symbol and they see it as the real thing. There is a term for this changing from wine and bread into blood and body, but I am not sure what it is.

Answer 5

Apparently some Catholics here don't know what the word "literal" means.

If was literally the body and blood of Christ, then you'd be eating pieces of his human flesh and drinking what was actually in his veins. They would have run out of that some time ago.

Now, as for whether the act of transubstantiation is "real" enough to the receiver, that's a matter of individual faith. It can be very real to the people involved in this religious rite. No Catholic goes up to the altar with the intent of receiving mere wafers n' wine.

However, "literal" is again still not the right word to describe the rite.

Giving me a thumbs-down does not change the dictionary.
.

Answer 6

In the Catholic Church is is truly the body and blood of Christ. It is a miracle called transubstantiation.

Based on John 6 we know that Jesus told us to "eat his body and drink his blood." He says this six times in a row. Followers left him because of this statement. They walked away...and he said it again. Then he said to his disciples, will you leave me too? Peter answered him, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We believe and know that you are the Holy One of God." Peter means the words you just spoke are the words of eternal life...eat my body and drink my blood!

This tells us that Jesus meant it literally...we are to eat his body and drink his blood. Then at the last supper he says it again. The disciples knew what he meant, they had been there when he said it before. Only now he was showing them how to fulfill this command. This was the institution of the Eucharist.
http://www.catholic.com/library/Christ_in_the_Eucharist.asp

It is not cannibalism. It is his true body and blood under the appearances of bread and wine.

Read John 6. You will see that Jesus was not speaking figuratively, but literally.

In the Protestant churches communion is just a symbol, a memorial.

http://www.ewtn.com/faith/teachings/eucha4.htm
http://www.catholic.com/library/Real_Presence.asp
http://www.chnetwork.org/journals/eucharist/eucharist_5.htm

Answer 7

In my Catholic Faith, Holy Communion is the Literal body,blood,soul, and divinity of Christ hidden under the appearance of bread and wine.

Reason being is that when Jesus spoke that he was the "bread that came from heaven", many disciples LEFT him, becaues they knew that he was speaking Literally and not symbolically!!

"For My flesh is true food, and My blood is true drink." John 6:55

Answer 8

It depends what religion you are practicing. Some religions view it as symbolic while some take it as literally his blood and body. Even though they consider it his blood and body obvioulsy they are not serving you his flesh.

Answer 9

May I say there have been rather a lot of people burned (England) due to this question and rather a lot bombed (Ireland)

It depends who you ask - ask a catholic and you get a literal interpretation ask a protestant and you get a symbolic one.

I'm not sure how the fundamentalist protestants deal with this but I'm sure they manage.

Answer 10

It depends on how strongly you believe, I guess. Catholics believe that the bread and wine are literally transformed into the flesh and blood, but if you don't believe, you're just eating bread and drinking wine.