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The Early Church Fathers on the Real Presence of Jesus Christ in the Eucharist.

 

  • Early Church Fathers
  • From the Scriptures

 

 

  1. St. Paulinus of Nola, (A.D. 353-431)
    St. Augustine of Hippo, (A.D. 354-428)
    Blessed Eusebius of Alexandria, (lived around A.D. 400)
    St. Cyril of Alexandria, (A.D. 376-444)
    St. Nilus the Elder, (c. A.D. 385 - 430)
    St. Isidore of Pelusium, (unknown - A.D. 440)
    St. Prosper of Aquitain, (A.D. c.390-c.463)
    Pope St. Leo I, ( A.D. c.391-461)
    St. Theodotus of Ancyra, (unknown-A.D. 446)
    Theodoret of Cyrus or Cyrrhus, (A.D. 393-458)
    Salvian, (A.D. c.400-c.484)
    St. Peter Chrysologus, (A.D. 406-450)
    St. Jacob (James) of Sarug, (A.D. 452-521)
    Arnobius Junior, (flourished in the 5th century, A.D. c.460)
St. Paulinus of Nola, (A.D. 353-431), Roman; convert and bishop Of Nola, Born at Bordeaux he was ordained priest in 393, and was appointed bishop of Nola in 409; may have been indirectly responsible for Augustine's Confessions. One who knew St. Paulinus well says he was "meek as Moses, as priestly as Aaron, innocent as Samuel, tender as David, wise as Solomon, apostolic as Peter, loving as John, cautious as Thomas, brilliant as Stephen, fervent as Apollos."

"He has sanctified His own flesh as food for us for ever; for His flesh, as Himself says, "is truly food, is life."

Ep. iii. ad Severum, p. 172, T. vi. Bib. Maxim. SS. PP.
The Faith of Catholics, Volume 2, Page 338-339

"Christ is a rock, out of which, when His side was pierced with a lance, there gushed forth water and blood; that He who is both the fountain of our salvation, and our price, might at once open for us two saving springs, the water of grace, and the blood of the sacrament."

Ep. xxxiii. ad Florent.p. 219.
The Faith of Catholics, Volume 2, Page 339

St. Augustine of Hippo, (A.D. 354-428), North African; born in Tagaste in A.D. 354, baptized in Milan in A.D. 387, ordained a priest in A.D. 391 and appointed bishop of Hippo in A.D. 395, Augustine is one of our greatest theologians. His numerous works display genius of the highest order, and have ever had great weight in the Christian churches. He is also a Doctor of the Church.

I promised you [new Christians], who have now been baptized, a sermon in which I would explain the sacrament of the Lord's table, which you now look upon and of which you last night were made participants. You ought to know that you have received what you are going to receive, and what you ought to receive daily. That bread which you see on the altar having been sanctified by the word of God is the body of Christ, That chalice, or rather, what is in that chalice, having been sanctified by the word of God, is the blood of Christ.

Sermons 227 [A.D. 411]

What you see is the bread and the chalice, that is what your own eyes report to you. But what your faith obliges you to accept is that the bread is the body of Christ and the chalice is the blood of Christ. This has been said very briefly, which may perhaps be sufficient for faith, yet faith does not desire instruction.

Sermons 272

"We also are fed from the cross of Christ, because we eat His body."

In Ps. c. n. 9, col. 1553.
The Faith of Catholics, Volume 2, Page 330

"There are also some who do not promise this (everlasting life) to all who have the sacrament of the baptism of Christ and of His body; but to Catholics only, even though evil livers: for as much as not in sacrament only, but in very truth have they eaten the body of Christ, being placed in that body of His of which the Apostle says. "We being many are one bread, one body", so that even though they lapse into some heresy, or even into the idolatry of the Gentiles, they will not die forever, but will at length attain unto everlasting life, merely because they have received the baptism of Christ, and have eaten the body of Christ, in the body of Christ, that is, in the Catholic Church."

De Civ. Dei, l. xxi. c. xx. col. 1023.
The Faith of Catholics, Volume 2, Page 335

Blessed Eusebius of Alexandria, (lived around A.D. 400), called by Cyril of Alexandria to be his successor in the episcopate, his homilies were renown in the Eastern Church in the sixth and seventh centuries.

"On the (Sunday) morning be early in the church ; approach to the Lord ; confess to Him thy sins ; repent with prayer and a contrite heart; remain during the divine and sacred liturgy ; finish thy prayer, not going forth until the dismissal. Behold thy Lord divided into parts, and distributed and not consumed. And, if thou have a clean conscience, draw nigh, and communicate of the body and blood of the Lord.1 But if thy conscience condemn thee of wicked and unbecoming deeds, decline communion> until thou hast amended it by penitence ; abide however at thy prayer, and leave not the church until thou be dismissed. . . . What do they see who come to the church ? I tell thee ; Christ the Lord lying upon the sacred table ; the seraphim singing the thrice-holy hymn ; the presence and advent of the Holy Ghost ; the prophet and king, David, uttering his strains ; the blessed Apostle Paul pouring forth his doctrine into the ears of all. ... If any of the laity shall taste food before the dismissal, he shall make himself liable to a great jndgment and punishment ; but if, even after having tasted of food, he shall partake of the mysteries, his portion is with Judas."

Or. de die Dom. n. 2-4, Galland. t. viii. pp. 2524.
The Faith of Catholics, Volume 2, Page 336-337

St. Cyril of Alexandria, (A.D. 376-444), Egyptian; bishop, theologian and Doctor of the Church. He succeeded Theophilus in the patriarchal see of Alexandria, in A.D. 412, and was the great champion of orthodoxy against Nestorius, against whom the general council of Ephesus was called, in A.D. 431 and in which St. Cyril presided.

"The Son is within us, bodily indeed as man, being commingled and conjoined with us, by means of the mystic eulogy; and furthermore, spiritually as God, by the energy and grace of His own Spirit renewing the spirit that is within us unto newness of life, and making us partakers of His divine nature. . . . We have, therefore, been perfected into union as it were with God and the Father, by means of Christ the Mediator. . . . For, receiving, as I have just said, within ourselves both bodily and spiritually Him who by nature, and in truth, is the Son, we have been glorified by becoming partakers of, and sharers in, that nature which is above all things. "

T. iv. Comm Joann. in loco, l. xi. pp. 1001-2.
The Faith of Catholics, Volume 2, Page 349-350

"Christ said, "Amen, amen I say unto you: Except you eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, you shall not have life in you. He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath everlasting life: and I will raise him up in the last day." The holy body and blood of Christ are therefore truly vivifying. For it is the body, as I have said, not of any one man that is a partaker of life, but rather the proper body of that life by nature, that is, of the only-begotten."

T. v. p. 2, Ep. in S. Symbolum, p. 189.
The Faith of Catholics, Volume 2, Page 353

I hear also that these men say of the mystic eulogy, if a portion of it remain until the following day, it avails nothing to sanctification. They who say this are mad. For Christ alters not, neither shall His holy body be changed, but the virtue of the eulogy and the vivifying grace is perpetual in it (His body)."

T. vi. Epist. ad Calosyr. Adv. Anthrop. p. 365.
The Faith of Catholics, Volume 2, Page 355

St. Nilus the Elder, (c. A.D. 385 - c. 430) (also known as Nilus of Sinai, Neilos, Nilus of Ancyra), Syrian, was one of the many disciples and fervent students of St. John Chrysostom; an eyewitness of the martyrdom of Theodotus.

"Paper made of papyrus and glue is called plain paper, but when it has received the superscription of a king, it is manifest that it is called sacred. So would I have you understand the divine mysteries.

Before, indeed, the prayer of the priest, and the descent of the Holy Ghost, the things that lie to open view are plain bread, and common wine; but, after these awful invocations, and the advent of the adorable, and vivifying, and good spirit, the things that lie upon the holy table are no longer plain bread and common wine, but the precious and immaculate body and blood of Christ, the God of all, which (body and blood) purify from every defilement those who partake thereof with much fear and eagerness."

L. i. Ep. xliv. p. 21.
The Faith of Catholics, Volume 2, Page 340-341

"They who strive to purify their own souls, will not merely abound with intellectual bread and water, but will also have flesh; for, as the Apostle says, "Strong meat is a perfect thing." (Hebrews 5) And Moses foretells to the people, saying, "You shall be purified tomorrow, and shall eat flesh." {Numbers 11), understanding then by flesh, the divine body, as the faithful now eat (it) in the Church."

Ep. xc. pp. 42-3.
The Faith of Catholics, Volume 2, Page 341

"You have also inquired of me, how we are to understand that which is written by Solomon, "Be not deceived by the fullness of the belly." Oh beloved of Christ, we do not partake in the Church of that awesome and sacred table, as of common bread and wine for the filling of the belly, but there is given to us, by those who minister (sacrifice) to God, a certain small portion, and lifting up on high the eyes of the soul, we partake for the cleansing away of sins, and for the obtaining of purification and salvation."

Lib. ii. Ep. cxliv. p. 186.
The Faith of Catholics, Volume 2, Page 341

"Not as to plain bread do we draw toward that mystic bread, for it is God's flesh, flesh precious, adorable, and lifegiving: for it vivifies those men who are dead in their sins; common flesh could not vivify the soul. And, in the gospel, this is said by our Lord, that "the flesh", that is common and plain flesh, profits nothing. Wherefore, partaking of the flesh and of the blood of the God-Word, with blessing and desire, we inherit life everlasting; for he that eateth and drinketh with an upright heart is blessed."

Lib. iii. Ep. xxxix. pp. 322-23.
The Faith of Catholics, Volume 2, Page 341-342

"It is impossible for a believer to be saved otherwise, and to receive remission of sins, and to obtain the heavenly kingdom, unless he partake with fear and desire of the mystic and spotless body and blood of Christ our God."

Ep. cclxxx. p. 435.
The Faith of Catholics, Volume 2, Page 341-342

St. Isidore of Pelusium, (unknown - A.D. 440), a disciple of St. John Chrysostom, he was born in Egypt to a prominent Alexandrian family. He became an ascetic, and moved to a mountain near the city of Pelusium, in the tradition of the Desert Fathers; known to us for his letters, written to Cyril of Alexandria, Theodosius II, and a host of others. His letters display great judgment, precision, and learning.

"If our incarnate God and Saviour taught that the most Holy Spirit is the completion of the Holy Trinity, and that Spirit is numbered with Father and Son, in the invocation (used) in holy baptism, as freeing from sins; and He (that Spirit) make, on the mystic table, that common bread, the proper body of His (Christ's) incarnation, why, thou foolish (thunder-stricken) man, dost thou teach, that the Holy Spirit was made, or created, or is of a servile nature, and not rather of a nature cognate, and consubstantial with the lordly, creative, and kingly essence? For, if a servant, let him not be numbered with the Lord."

Lib. i. Ep. cix. Marath. Contr. Maced. pp. 33-34.
The Faith of Catholics, Volume 2, Page 337-338

"That clean linen-cloth which is spread under the ministry of the divine gifts, is the service rendered by Joseph of Arimathea. For as he, having wrapped the body of the Lord in a clean linen-cloth, sent it to the sepulchre, through which our whole race has gathered as fruit the resurrection; so we hallowing upon a cloth the bread of proposition, find without any doubt Christ's body, which is a well-spring unto us of that incorruption which Jesus, the Saviour, who was indeed buried by Joseph, but rose again from the dead, has bestowed upon us."

L. i. Ep. cxxiii. p. 38.
The Faith of Catholics, Volume 2, Page 338

"The Jews eat the flesh of the lamb, roasted with fire, shadowing forth typically, by that manducation, the great mystery of the divine incarnation, and instructed beforehand concerning that lamb of God, who united, in an ineffable manner, the fire of the divine essence with flesh, that flesh which is now eaten by us, and which effects the remission of our evil deeds."

Lib. i. Ep. ccxix. p. 64.
The Faith of Catholics, Volume 2, Page 338

"The participation of the divine mysteries is called communion, on account of its bestowing on us the grace of union with Christ, and making us sharers of His kingdom."

L. i. Ep. ccxxviii. p. 65.
The Faith of Catholics, Volume 2, Page 338

"Either cease from doing such things, or withdraw thyself from the sacred table, that those fed by the Church may henceforward without fear approach to the divine mysteries, without which it is not possible to be saved."

Lib. v. Ep. ccccclxix. in fine.
The Faith of Catholics, Volume 2, Page 338

St. Prosper of Aquitain, (A.D.c.390- c.463), a Christian writer and disciple of St. Augustine, as well as the friend and secretary of Pope Leo I. He was the first continuator of Jerome's Universal Chronicle. Prosper was a layman, but he threw himself with ardour into the religious controversies of his day, defending Augustine and propagating orthodoxy.

"This is that food concerning which the Lord says, "My flesh is veritable food", which is given to all nations. For no one of the faithful, who is born again, is excluded from eating [the Bread of Life]."

In Ps. cxxxv. col. 493.
The Faith of Catholics, Volume 2, Page 340

Pope St. Leo I, ( A.D. c.391-461), also known as Leo the Great, bishop of Rome (A.D. 440 to 461); an Italian aristocrat, remembered theologically for issuing the Tome of Leo, a document which was foundational to the debates of the Ecumenical Council of Chalcedon.

"The participation of the body and blood of Christ effects no other but that we pass into that which we receive, and that Him, with whom we died and were buried and were raised again, Him we may bear, both in flesh and in spirit, in all things."

Serm. lxiii. (De Pass. Dom. xii.), c. 7, p. 247.
The Faith of Catholics, Volume 2, Page 367

"They are to be accounted excluded from the gift of divine grace, and from the sacrament of the salvation of man, who, denying the nature of our flesh to be in Christ, both gainsay the Gospel, and oppose the creed; nor perceive that, in their blindness, they are led to this precipice, that they neither stand fast in the verity of the Lord's Passion, nor of His Resurrection: for both are made void in the Saviour, if the flesh of our kind is not acknowledged in Him. In what darkness of ignorance, in what torpor of sloth, have these men been hitherto lying? As neither to have learnt by the hearing, nor ascertained by reading, that which is by the mouths of all men so uniformly declared, as that not even by the tongues of infants is the verity of the body and blood of Christ unacknowledged in (among) the sacraments of communion. For that, in that mystic distribution of spiritual nourishment, this is imparted, this is taken: that we, receiving the virtue of the heavenly food, may pass into His flesh who was made our flesh."

T. i. Ep. lix. ad Clerum et Pleb. CP. c. 2. p. 977.
The Faith of Catholics, Volume 2, Page 368

St. Theodotus of Ancyra, (unknown-A.D. 446), bishop and theologian of Ancyra, modern day Ankara, flourished about the year 429, attended the Council of Ephesus in 431, during the reign of Byzantine Emperor Theodosius II. Although he had earlier supported the Nestorian theology of Nestorius, bishop of Constantinople, Theodotus at the council supported Patriarch Cyril of Alexandria in condemning Nestorius.

"He who on that occasion drew, by His ineffable power, the Magi to godliness, has also this day summoned us together, to this glad festival, not now placed in a manger, but lying before us on this saving table, for that manger was the parent of this table. On this account is He placed in that (manger), that at this (table) He may be eaten, and become to the faithful a saving food. Yea, that manger did indeed show forth this resplendent table."

Hom. Hab. in Die Nativ. in Concil. Eph. Galland, t. ix. pp. 446-7.
The Faith of Catholics, Volume 2, Page 355

Theodoret of Cyrus or Cyrrhus, (A.D. 393-458), Greek; an influential author, theologian, and Christian bishop of Cyrrhus, Syria (A.D. 423-457). He played a pivotal role in many early Byzantine church controversies that led to various ecumenical acts and schisms. His friendship for Nestorius embroiled him, for a time, with his great contemporary, St. Cyril of Alexandria.

"He shall wash His robe in wine." (Genesis 49:11)

His body he terms a "robe", and His blood "wine", as the Lord also called the mystic wine, blood."

T. ii. Qaest. ex. in Genes, p. 115.
The Faith of Catholics, Volume 2, Page 355

"Moses was a type of Christ the Saviour; the rod was a type of the cross; Pharaoh, of the devil; the Egyptians were a type of the evil spirits; and the manna, a type of the divine food; the water of the rock, of the saving blood. For as they, after passing through the Red Sea, partook of that novel food, and of that strange water, so we, after saving baptism,
partake of the divine mysteries."

Qaest. xxvii. in Exod. p. 144.
The Faith of Catholics, Volume 2, Page 355

Therefore whosoever shall eat this bread, or drink the chalice of the Lord unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and of the blood of the Lord. (Corinthians 11:27)

But that phrase, "shall be guilty of the body and of the blood", means this, that in like manner as Judas betrayed Him, and the Jews insulted Him, so do they dishonor Him who receive His all-holy body with unclean hands, and put it into a defiled mouth."

T. iii. In Ep. i. ad Cor. c. xi. pp. 237-8.
The Faith of Catholics, Volume 2, Page 356-357

Salvian, (A.D. c.400-c.484), a Christian priest and writer of Gaul, who appeared to have a special background in law. He died at Marseilles in 484.

"But some one may perhaps ask, how is it that God now requires more from Christians by the Gospel, than from the Jews of old by the law? The reason of this is past all question. For we now render more to our Lord, because we are indebted much more. For the Jews had formerly but the shadow of things; we have the verity: the Jews were servants; we are adopted children. . . . The Jews passed through the sea to a desert; we enter through baptism into a kingdom: the Jews eat manna; we, Christ: the Jews (eat) the flesh of birds; we, the body of God: the Jews (eat) the dew of Heaven ; we, the God of Heaven, "who being", as the Apostle says, "in the form of God . . ." (Philippians 2:6,8)

L. ii. adv. Avarit. n. 6; Galland, t. x. p. 64.
The Faith of Catholics, Volume 2, Page 365

St. Peter Chrysologus, (A.D. 406 - 450), deacon, bishop of Imola and Ravenna, and Doctor of the Church, his piety and zeal won for him universal admiration, and his oratory merited for him the name Chrysologus, meaning: golden-worded or golden mouth.

"That woman "touched His garment", and was healed. . . . Wretched we, who daily handle and receive the body of the Lord, and are not cured of our wounds. It is not Christ, but faith that fails the infirm: for much more now would He be able to heal the wounded, abiding as He does in us, than when merely passing on He thus healed that shrinking woman.

Oh how great did that woman teach the Lord's body to be; she who showed that so great virtue was in the hem of Christ's garment! Let Christians who daily touch the body of Christ, hear how great a remedy they may derive from that body, since a woman stole perfect health from the hem of Christ's garment only. But this is matter for our tears, that she drew a cure for her wound from that hem, while the remedy itself is turned by us into a wound. For this cause it is, that the Apostle admonishes and bewails those who touch the body of Christ unworthily, in this way. For he that touches unworthily the body of Christ, receives his damnation."

Serm. xxiii. p. 56 and Serm. xxxiv. p. 57.
The Faith of Catholics, Volume 2, Page 368-369

"I grieve when I read that the Magi adorned with gold the birth-place of Christ, and see that Christians have left the altar of the body of Christ, without an offering."

Serm. ciii. p. 156.
The Faith of Catholics, Volume 2, Page 370

St. Jacob (James) of Sarug, (A.D. 452-521), Syrian; bishop of Batnas, or Sarug, he was a writer in the Syrian Church, named by one of his biographers "the flute of the Holy Spirit and the harp of the believing church."

"Having become above earthly things, in the lofty house of virtue, like the disciples in the "upper chamber", let us eat the passover, having with us Christ, who was immolated for us, eating Him entire (as being) life."

Fragm. ex. i Ep. Fest. in Cosm. Ægypt. Topograph. Christ. Montfaucon. t. ii. p. 320 Nov. Collect. Script. et Patr. Graec.
The Faith of Catholics, Volume 2, Page 280

"Neither let us designate the substance of the body a vanity, as this man accounts it, falling into the fancies of Manichaeus, under different terms, lest the body of Christ also be subject to vanity, satiated with which, as food, we daily ponder on Our Lord's words "Unless a man eat my flesh and drink my blood, he shall not have part with me." (John 6:53)

Epis. Pasch. n. xi. Galland. t. vii. n. 17, p. 622.
The Faith of Catholics, Volume 2, Page 280

"Is not she (the Blessed Virgin) that golden urn which received the manna; yea, that received within her womb that heavenly bread which is given for food and strength to the faithful?"

Orat. xxxix.; In Ed. Op. S. Greg. Thaum. Paris. 1622.
The Faith of Catholics, Volume 2, Page 365

He who inflames the spirits of fire in His lofty region, Him, under bread and wine, dost thou behold upon the table. . . . He who is full of envy and of deceitfulness against his neighbor, resembles Judas, to whom the Lord did not deliver His body. For He broke, and distributing His body and blood upon the table to the eleven that they might eat of it holily, and for that Judas was meditating deceit in his mind, He restrained him from the holy thing, because he was not worthy to receive it with the disciples."

De Euchar. Assem. T. i. pp. 326-27.
The Faith of Catholics, Volume 2, Page 371

"Again also here, at this table let us not abjectly attend to the bread and to the chalice which lie before us; but, lifting up our mind, let us with faith understand, that there lies upon that sacred table the Lamb of God who taketh away the sin of the world, sacrificed in an unbloody manner by the priests, and veritably receiving His precious body and blood, believe that these are the symbols of our resurrection. For, for this cause we receive not much, but a little, that we may know that we (partake) not for repletion, but for sanctification."

Hist. Concil. Nicaen. Labbe, t. ii. p. 234.
The Faith of Catholics, Volume 2, Page 373-374

Arnobius Junior, (flourished in the 5th century, A.D. c.460), also known as Arnobius the Younger, Christian priest or bishop in Gaul, author of a mystical and allegorical commentary on the Psalms, first published by Erasmus in 1522, and by him attributed to the elder Arnobius.

"But we who believe, let us say, "The light of Thy countenance, O Lord, is signed upon us." (Psalm 4) In that light, gladness has been given in our heart, from the time that we received corn in the body, wine in the blood, oil in the chrism."

Comm. in Ps. iv. p. 240, T. viii. Bibl. Maxim.
The Faith of Catholics, Volume 2, Page 371

"He hath made a remembrance of His wonderful works", saying, As often as you shall do these things, do them in remembrance of me. When did the Lord, merciful and gracious, say this? Then, undoubtedly, when "He gave the food" of His own body, "to them that fear Him."

In Ps. cx. p. 302.
The Faith of Catholics, Volume 2, Page 371

 

The Real Presence of Jesus

Christ is not present in this sacrament, according to His natural way of existence; that is, as bodies naturally exist; but in a manner proper to the character of His exalted and glorified body. His presence then is realand substantial, but sacramental; not exposed to the external senses, nor obnoxious to corporal contingencies.

 


The Church's Scriptures that support the Real Presence of Jesus in the Eucharist:

 

The Eucharistic Discourse in John's Gospel, Jesus speaking:

51 I am the living bread which came down from Heaven ; if any one eats of this bread, he will live for ever; and the bread which I shall give for the life of the world is my flesh." 52 The Jews then disputed among themselves, saying, "How can this man give us his flesh to eat?" 53 So Jesus said to them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of man and drink his blood, you have no life in you; 54 he who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. 55 For my flesh is food indeed, and my blood is drink indeed. 56 He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him. 57 As the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so he who eats me will live because of me. 58 This is the bread which came down from Heaven, not such as the fathers ate and died; he who eats this bread will live for ever." 59 This he said in the synagogue, as he taught at Capernaum. 60 Many of his disciples, when they heard it, said, "This is a hard saying; who can listen to it?" 61 But Jesus, knowing in himself that his disciples murmured at it, said to them, "Do you take offense at this? 62 Then what if you were to see the Son of man ascending where he was before? 63 It is the spirit that gives life, the flesh is of no avail *; the words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life. 64 But there are some of you that do not believe." For Jesus knew from the first who those were that did not believe, and who it was that would betray him. 65 And he said, "This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless it is granted him by the Father." 66 After this many of his disciples drew back and no longer went about with him. 67 Jesus said to the twelve, "Do you also wish to go away?" 68 Simon Peter answered him, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life; 69 and we have believed, and have come to know, that you are the Holy One of God."


John 6:51-69

* For the meaning of "spirit and flesh" when put in contrast, see Romans 8:1-14.

Verse 63 confirms that we receive both the spiritual (spirit) and sacramental (life) of Jesus in the Eucharist.

Matthew's Account of the Last Supper:

26 Now as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed, and broke it, and gave it to the disciples and said, "Take, eat; this is my body." 27 And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, saying, "Drink of it, all of you; 28 for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.

Matthew 26:26-28

Mark's Account of the Last Supper:

22 And as they were eating, he took bread, and blessed, and broke it, and gave it to them, and said, "Take; this is my body." 23 And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, and they all drank of it. 24 And he said to them, "This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many. 25 Truly, I say to you, I shall not drink again of the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God."

Mark 14:22-25

Luke's Account of the Last Supper:

19 And he took bread, and when he had given thanks he broke it and gave it to them, saying, "This is my body which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me." 20 And likewise the cup after supper, saying, "This cup which is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood.


Luke 22:19-20

St. Paul proclaims and catechizes on the Mass.

16 The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ? 17 Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread. 18 Consider the people of Israel; are not those who eat the sacrifices partners in the altar? 19 What do I imply then? That food offered to idols is anything, or that an idol is anything? 20 No, I imply that what pagans sacrifice they offer to demons and not to God. I do not want you to be partners with demons. 21 You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons. You cannot partake of the table of the Lord and the table of demons. 22 Shall we provoke the Lord to jealousy? Are we stronger than he?

 

1 Corinthians 10:16-21

Abuses of the Lord's Supper

17 But in the following instructions I do not commend you, because when you come together it is not for the better but for the worse. 18 For, in the first place, when you assemble as a church, I hear that there are divisions among you; and I partly believe it, 19 for there must be factions among you in order that those who are genuine among you may be recognized. 20 When you meet together, it is not the Lord's supper that you eat. 21 For in eating, each one goes ahead with his own meal, and one is hungry and another is drunk. 22 What! Do you not have houses to eat and drink in? Or do you despise the church of God and humiliate those who have nothing? What shall I say to you? Shall I commend you in this? No, I will not.


1 Corinthians 11:17-22

St. Paul proclaims and catechizes on the Mass.

23 For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread, 24 and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, "This is my body which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me." 25 In the same way also the cup, after supper, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me." 26 For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes.

 

1 Corinthians 11:23-26

Partaking of the Lord's Supper unworthily.

27 Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of profaning the body and blood of the Lord. 28 Let a man examine himself, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup. 29 For any one who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment upon himself. 30 That is why many of you are weak and ill, and some have died.

 

1 Corinthians 11:27-30

If the Eucharist were just a symbol, why does Paul say, "That is why many of you are weak and ill, and some have died." If the Eucharist is just a symbol it shouldn't have effected them.

 

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