Why do non-Catholic Christians ignore Christ's commandment and deny His miracle of the Eucharist?

Question

Catholics see the Scriptures written about the Eucharist as literal teaching by Jesus and have interpreted Jesus’ words as literal since before the NT Scriptures were written as recorded in Scripture. Catholics find no reason to ..........http://blog.360.yahoo.com/blog-S6YMuFYyaa9ESBoW5DFwEjL_HhqA?p=129

C. L. Richardson, We do not and you are breaking god's commandment not to bear false witness by saying so.

got_air,

Jesus gave the Church the authority to bind and loose and the first day of the week is the Christian worship day.

Wally,

Do you have any clue as to what you are writing about. I got your message that you hate Christ's Church and disbelieve His Words and miracle. Could you take a break for a moment spreading hate and comment on the topic that is being discussed. You do know that you are breaking god's commandment not to bear false witness. Do you plan to repent? I pray you will.

CL Richardson,
It is easy to check who is the liar, prove your statements from the Catechism of the Catholic Church. The Church does not teach any of the things you allege. You are breaking God's commandment and must repent . It is the work of Satan to attack His Church and to keep mankind from His will which is to be in communion with His Church. Wipe the scales from your eyes and try to prove what you claim from Catholic sources instead of those deceived by the father of lies. May the Lord have mercy.

Hogie,

Actually the Church did quite well during the centuries before the Bible was compiled and Canonized by the African Synods. The Bible is just an extension and a tool of the teaching of the apostles passed down through apostolic succession to the Church. It is part of Sacred Tradition. Where the bishop is there is the Church to quote St. Ignatius the disciple of St. Peter and St. John.

Properly exegeted there is no doubt that Jesus’ teaching in John 6 is NOT figurative but literal as the proto-Protestants prove by their actions leaving Jesus never to follow Him again. I have spent a lifetime studying Biblical languages and hermeneutics and you claim I lack reason and reading ability. Do you read Koine Greek? I do. I am a convert to Catholicism and do think for myself. What about you?

Answer 1

The reason why most Protestants reject Jesus' teaching in John 6 is apparent from the gospel account. Here is the end of the teaching:

53 Jesus said to them, "I tell you the truth, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in him. Just as the living Father sent me and I live because of the Father, so the one who feeds on me will live because of me. This is the bread that came down from heaven. Your forefathers ate manna and died, but he who feeds on this bread will live forever."
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Not much room for a figurative, poetic interpretation, is there? It is not a simple metaphor, as in "I am the door." This is a difficult, new teaching that requires faith. Christians are literally to "chew on" the person of Jesus in the appearance of bread. Here's what happened next:

60 On hearing it, many of his disciples said, "This is a hard teaching. Who can accept it?"

Aware that his disciples were grumbling about this, Jesus said to them, "Does this offend you? . . . The words I have spoken to you are spirit and they are life. Yet there are some of you who do not believe." . . . From this time many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him.
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The fact that many disciples were offended and deserted Jesus is clear evidence that they did NOT understand his words as poetic metaphor. He was speaking literally about a new way of coming to his Church in the sacrament of the Eucharist, but rather than trusting and believing him, they rejected Christianity and left the Way of Jesus.

The hallmark of Protestantism is a "protest" about aspects of Christianity that some find offensive or unreasonable from their limited human perspective. The Eucharist is a prime example.

Cheers,
Bruce

Answer 2

When I was a non-Catholic I did not ever really understand why the Catholics believed the miracle of the Eucharist. I was blinded by my own ignorance and by the Protestant teachings which of course are of a protesting nature. I only heard fleeting references about cannibalism, magic, worshiping a wafer etc. But those references coupled with my own flawed ideas made me think I knew what the Catholics were doing.

How wrong I was!!

I became Catholic about 10 years ago. Thank God for the Eucharist. It is the all that Catholics know it to be and a true miracle. To be able to receive HIS body, blood, soul and divinity is a blessing. No true Christian should be missing out on this, and it's sad that so many do...including some Catholics.

Thank you for your post. Informative as always and your rebuttals are excellent!

Answer 3

The Real Presence of the Lord in the Eucharist isn't the only teaching of Jesus that Bible Fundamentalists deny.

Jesus taught that marriage cannot be dissolved. Consequently, the Catholic Church does not recognize divorce. My Aunt and Uncle's 50th Wedding Anniversary was presided over byu the Pastor of their Bible Believin' Church, who had an affair with the wife of his associate pastor. No worries, the two just exchanged wives and all was hunky dory.

Jesus promised to send the Holy Spirit, Who would guide the Apostles to complete truth. Bible Believin' Christians do not accept Jesus' promise, for they believe the Apostles and their successors taught false doctrine for 1500 years.

Jesus prayed that His followers would be one, as He and the Father are One. Bible Believin' Christians believe that Jesus' prayers are not answered, since they would rather establish their own church with man-made doctrines than seek communion with the successors to the Apostles.

Jesus gave us His Holy Mother at Calvary ("Behold thy Mother.") Bible Believin' Christians dishonor Mary and reject her from their congregation.

Jesus told the thief who was crucified at His side, that he would be with Him in paradise on that very day. Bible Believin' Christians say that the Saints are dead.

I could go on, maybe I will write a blog instead.

Answer 4

It was exactly this misunderstanding that led the unbelieving Jews and disciples in John 6 to reject Jesus when He spoke about the need to eat His body and drink His blood. The believing disciples were rewarded for their faith at the Last Supper. Jesus revealed to them that they would receive His body and blood in the sacrament of the Holy Eucharist, not in the bloody, cannibalistic way the unbelievers had imagined.

St. Ignatius of Antioch, a disciple and contemporary of the Apostle John, wrote (around 110 A.D.[sic]) concerning certain heretics: 'They abstain from the Eucharist and from prayer, because they do not confess that the Eucharist is the Flesh of our Savior Jesus Christ, Flesh which suffered for our sins and which the Father, in His goodness, raised up again.'

There is a wealth of info from the early church fathers affirming this belief in the Real Presence, but they refuse to bother with it. For them, Christianity only just began about 500 years ago.

Answer 5

The way I understand it, the key element to destroying the Church is to deny the Real Presence. Without the Eucharist, you don't need a priesthood, and therefore no church authority, which is completely against what Jesus taught.

Answer 6

Protestants exercise the right to interpret the bible as they see fit. And chances are, every single Protestant will come up with a different interpretation. Oddly enough, if you read the words of scripture carefully, the Catholics have it right.

Answer 7

This non-Catholic Christian doesn't deny the Eucharist.

Answer 8

They are always studying and never learning---they look but they don't see and hear but never understand. Their hearts have been hardened against the true teachings.

Answer 9

First off, you wouldn't know what the teachings are of Jesus were it not for the NT Scriptures being written in the first place. You put the cart before the horse here.

Secondly, if you were to but read the entire chapter of John 6, you would see Jesus was talking figuratively, and not literally.

But then, that would mean you would have to read for yourself and think for yourself, outside the purview of your handlers, so that won't be happening.

.

Answer 10

Protestants hold communion and Latter-Day Saints (Mormons) partake of the sacrament for the same purposes, but with different interpretations.

The belief of transsubstantiation (you partake of bread and it turns into Christ's flesh inside you) was not added to the Catechism of the Catholic Church until 1324. It comes from extrabiblical revelation from papal authority not recognized by most non-Catholics.

Here is a great unbiased article on it:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eucharist

Basically, no non-Catholic denies it, but all debate which actual miracle they're receiving.