Since the writing of my previous post, I found several good YouTube videos that will help both Catholics and non-Catholics understand the church teaching in this area, as well as a refresher on why Catholics do certain things when entering a Catholic Church (like genuflecting towards the Tabernacle). Those videos will come towards the end of the post. Although I laid out the scriptural evidence in my prior post, The Eucharist Problem, the one I failed to include was 1 COR 11.
When you meet together, it is not the Lord’s supper that you eat. For in eating, each one goes ahead with his own meal, and one is hungry and another is drunk. 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 COR 11:20-22
This is a very interesting segment for the Apostle to chastise the Corinthian believers. Why does he say it’s not the Lord’s supper?
But, he does continue on to explain what the purpose of communion is.
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, 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.” 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.” For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.
1 COR 11:23-26
So here you have the Apostle Paul repeating the words of Jesus in saying that the bread is Jesus’ body which is for you. And Jesus’ blood is in the cup, which is the new covenant. But then the Apostle Paul says some very interesting things about eating the bread (the body) and drinking from the cup (the blood) in an unworthy manner.
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. Let a man examine himself, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For any one who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment upon himself. That is why many of you are weak and ill, and some have died. But if we judged ourselves truly, we should not be judged. But when we are judged by the Lord, we are chastened so that we may not be condemned along with the world.
1 COR 11:27-34
So then, my brethren, when you come together to eat, wait for one another— if any one is hungry, let him eat at home—lest you come together to be condemned. About the other things I will give directions when I come.
The Catholic Church teaches if you have mortal sin on your soul, you do yourself more harm by receiving the body and blood in a sinful state. The Apostle Paul even presupposes that this is the very reason some of them are sick. Because they have not examined themselves to ensure they are free from mortal sin.
In his final remarks he makes it very clear this is not a celebration of eating a meal around a supper table by saying “if any one is hungry, let him eat at home.” This is a spiritual meal we are sharing, the body, blood, soul and divinity of Jesus Christ (it’s a very hard teaching and the reason only 31% of Catholics believe it).
This is a very short video for Catholics on how to prepare yourselves to receive the Eucharist.
This next video is a primer for Catholics but an informative briefing for non-Catholics on why we do some of the things we do as Catholics in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. It starts with the bible verse for August 25 which was Luke 13:22-30.
The last video is from someone who was once Baptist and read the early church teachings from the first and second century church fathers. Steve Ray was also my tour guide on the Footprints of St. Paul. He is a real dynamo. Get the popcorn for this one, but he moves so quickly between topics, you may not find the time to eat it.
Sensus Fidelium is a YouTube channel with over 124K subscribers. It contains many homilies from their priests. This is one on the “Food for our Exodus: The Holy Eucharist”
I hope you’ve enjoyed this segment of explaining some of the very hard teachings of the Catholic Church. Even the disciples said ” This is a hard saying; who can listen to it?” And after Jesus asks if the 12 will go with them, it was Apostle Peter that said, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life; and we have believed, and have come to know, that you are the Holy One of God.” To paraphrase, the Apostle Paul says, “Lord, we don’t know how to believe this but you have said hard things before and we believe you are the son of God and speak the truth. I’m sure we will understand later.” And once the Lord is raised up on that third day, and explains the meaning of the last supper with the institution of the Eucharist… the rest is history.
We know that the whole creation has been groaning in travail together until now; and not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.
Rom 8:22-25