For Prots - What Does Eat Flesh And Drink Blood Mean

[Selah]

Well, that's what happens when a person has "private interpretation" "well, Jesus really meant this" or, "It really doesn't mean that.."

[Thy Geekdom Come]

I know a non-denominational church that believes that their communion is truly the body and blood of Jesus Christ. They don't have any type of consecration rite, I believe. But I've asked one of the members their before and they told me flat out that they believe it is truly the body and blood of Jesus Christ. Apparently they have a type of penitential rite before they have "communion". So when asking them what Christ meant, they understand it similarly to us.

Jennie not Micah.

[Deb]

Prostestants might do themselves a favor by reading the writings of the early fathers, those who first preached the word of Jesus Christ as they were set out to do and those who learned from them.

St. Ignatius of Antioch has some incredible writings that are so very clear that it is the true body and blood of Jesus.
He talked of the heretics who do not admit the Eucharist is the flesh of our Savior Jesus Christ. So, those who do not believe were considered heretics from the earliest times of the church.
He also said that "all were to follow the bishop, as Jesus Christ followed the Father, and as the presbytery as the Apostles; respect the deacons as the ordinance of God. Let no one do anything that pertains to the church apart from the bishop. Let that be considered a valid Eucharist which is under the bishop or one whom he as delegated."

He said, "Therefore be eager for more frequent gatherings for thanksgiving (eucharist) to God and for his glory. For when you meet frequently the forces of Satan are annulled and his destructive power is canceled in the concord of your faith."

He is just one writer. How could anyone possilby believe anything other than the Catholic Church is beyond me. I and others can actually see the difference in me if I go to daily mass or if I miss daily mass. The Eucharist builds one up and I cannot imagine ever going back to only receiving it once a week.

If you refuse to see the truth that is sitting right in front of you because of your own personal prejudices, you are denying the Lord. He said he was the truth. When I see the vicious way some protestants react to anything other than what their little sect has decided to warp worship to the Lord into, it really makes me wonder if they truly know the Lord and the way he wanted us to live. I can only pray that they will see the light at some point. God can read their hearts and to deny our Christ in the Eucharist to me, is denying Christ himself.

Edited May 25, 2008 by Deb

[BG45]

[quote name='Alycin' post='1541779' date='May 25 2008, 03:31 PM']I was a protestant for many years and I can attest that for prots, the Eucharist is by far the hardest thing to understand. I don't know why, really. Even for me, it's one of those things that I still don't completely "get" yet, how it all works out, anyway. I believe it, it's just not 100% clear to me, if that makes sense.

Confession and purgatory are the other two things most prots don't understand, but those two were a lot simpler to grasp than the Eucharist.

:shrug:[/quote]

*raises hand* The Protestant agrees.

When you are raised that it is a symbol, and nothing more and entire sections and chapters are glossed over in sermons and Bible Study; you don't think about it really. You just know that all you've been taught is that "They are wrong" and don't tend to question it.

Personally for me, it was the Scripture on not removing Scripture that got me questioning nearly half my life ago. After all, there were those other books taken it out at some point, and wasn't that altering the Scriptures? Like Alycin says, the Eucharist is probably the hardest thing to accept, the rest is almost "easy" in comparison. I know that the first time I went to Eucharistic Adoration it was because the Catholic Church was making too much sense and had too much historical proof and that I needed to go to the heart of it all, to go before the Eucharist and be able to sit there and feel absolutely nothing...and then ending up in tears put a kink in the plan.

[Alycin]

[quote name='BG45' post='1542094' date='May 25 2008, 07:30 PM']*raises hand* The Protestant agrees.

When you are raised that it is a symbol, and nothing more and entire sections and chapters are glossed over in sermons and Bible Study; you don't think about it really. You just know that all you've been taught is that "They are wrong" and don't tend to question it.

Personally for me, it was the Scripture on not removing Scripture that got me questioning nearly half my life ago. After all, there were those other books taken it out at some point, and wasn't that altering the Scriptures? Like Alycin says, the Eucharist is probably the hardest thing to accept, the rest is almost "easy" in comparison. I know that the first time I went to Eucharistic Adoration it was because the Catholic Church was making too much sense and had too much historical proof and that I needed to go to the heart of it all, to go before the Eucharist and be able to sit there and feel absolutely nothing...and then ending up in tears put a kink in the plan.[/quote]

Which begs the question... why are you still protestant? What did I miss?

Edited May 25, 2008 by Alycin

[Veridicus]

[quote name='Alycin' post='1542129' date='May 25 2008, 06:46 PM']Which begs the question... why are you still protestant? What did I miss? [/quote]


That's exactly what I was wondering... If the Eucharist reduces one to tears and that same one recognizes the volumes of historical and theological truth...

And just out of curiousity: Is Mostly Baptist roughly equivalent to Generally Baptist?

[BG45]

[quote name='Alycin' post='1542129' date='May 25 2008, 08:46 PM']Which begs the question... why are you still protestant? What did I miss? [/quote]

Well it used to be fear of familial reaction; but lately dad has been joking he expects me to "Go Catholic as obsessed as you are with the Pope". Mom defending my going to pray and sit in quiet to read the Bible at Blessed Margaret of Castello, a PA chapel to my aunt who was afraid it would "make me go Catholic".

It still is to an extent a fear about my grandmother's reaction, she's old enough to remember sitting on her mother's lap and listening to the stories of the family's Catholic/Protestant Split in the 1800s. Though whenever I do 'break it' to my mother at least I need to order a DVD from EWTN on when my question was featured on the Journey Home.

The main thing now is lack of a stable work schedule/location that would allow me to attend RCIA.

[BG45]

[quote name='Veridicus' post='1542149' date='May 25 2008, 08:54 PM']That's exactly what I was wondering... If the Eucharist reduces one to tears and that same one recognizes the volumes of historical and theological truth...

And just out of curiousity: Is Mostly Baptist roughly equivalent to Generally Baptist? [/quote]

Why was I silly enough to reply to this thread again?

It basically means I claim to be Baptist, I've been raised Baptist, and I tend to admit the Catholic Church is right anymore.

[Veridicus]

[quote name='BG45' post='1542175' date='May 25 2008, 07:06 PM']The main thing now is lack of a stable work schedule/location that would allow me to attend RCIA.[/quote]

That is awesome that you are so level-headed and honest in your approach to truth and conversion. Just out of curiousity...if you don't mind my asking...are you in high school? college? workforce?

I'll be praying for you.

Todd W.

[Alycin]

[quote name='BG45' post='1542175' date='May 25 2008, 08:06 PM']Well it used to be fear of familial reaction; but lately dad has been joking he expects me to "Go Catholic as obsessed as you are with the Pope". Mom defending my going to pray and sit in quiet to read the Bible at Blessed Margaret of Castello, a PA chapel to my aunt who was afraid it would "make me go Catholic".

It still is to an extent a fear about my grandmother's reaction, she's old enough to remember sitting on her mother's lap and listening to the stories of the family's Catholic/Protestant Split in the 1800s. Though whenever I do 'break it' to my mother at least I need to order a DVD from EWTN on when my question was featured on the Journey Home.

The main thing now is lack of a stable work schedule/location that would allow me to attend RCIA.[/quote]


How similar our stories are!

Fear of rejection by my family left me believing Catholicism to be the truth, but not "doing anything about it" for about a year and a half, maybe a little more.

I was [i]scared beyond belief[/i] to tell my parents about it. My Dad is a lapsed Catholic and had never talked about why he left the church, so I was scared to go there with him. My Mom is a Methodist and though she doesn't have anything against Catholicism per se, she is very much opposed to a few individual Catholic teachings due to her extremely liberal political beliefs.

After almost 2 years of not wanting to tell them, I finally found the courage to, and, to my complete and utter surprise, they were extremely supportive. They already had suspicions, as I constantly had the TV on EWTN and I prayed the rosary, and got mail from nuns. lol. My Dad even went so far as to tell me [i]he would like to go to Mass with me[/i] sometime. My heart leaped for joy at that. My mom said, "I think it's fine, I'm concerned that it will be hard for you considering your political beliefs." Little did she know that Christ had used His Church to completely 180 my former political beliefs. My sister even got me a rosary for my birthday as a show of support.

I'll be going through RCIA this fall at Steuby, so I'm pretty excited. I couldn't do it earlier for the same reasons as you.

Praying for you.

[Thy Geekdom Come]

[quote name='Alycin' post='1542210' date='May 25 2008, 08:25 PM']I'll be going through RCIA this fall at Steuby, so I'm pretty excited. I couldn't do it earlier for the same reasons as you.

Praying for you. [/quote]
Not to go off topic, Sorry Thess! But Alycin you're at Steubie? RCIA program through FUS is awesome! Look for phatcatholic, if you don't know him in person already. He's involved in the RCIA program as a leader of sorts, if I remember correctly.

[kujo]

[quote name='BG45' post='1542175' date='May 25 2008, 09:06 PM']Well it used to be fear of familial reaction; but lately dad has been joking he expects me to "Go Catholic as obsessed as you are with the Pope". Mom defending my going to pray and sit in quiet to read the Bible at Blessed Margaret of Castello, a PA chapel to my aunt who was afraid it would "make me go Catholic".

It still is to an extent a fear about my grandmother's reaction, she's old enough to remember sitting on her mother's lap and listening to the stories of the family's Catholic/Protestant Split in the 1800s. Though whenever I do 'break it' to my mother at least I need to order a DVD from EWTN on when my question was featured on the Journey Home.

The main thing now is lack of a stable work schedule/location that would allow me to attend RCIA.[/quote]


[quote name='Alycin' post='1542210' date='May 25 2008, 09:25 PM']How similar our stories are!

Fear of rejection by my family left me believing Catholicism to be the truth, but not "doing anything about it" for about a year and a half, maybe a little more.

I was [i]scared beyond belief[/i] to tell my parents about it. My Dad is a lapsed Catholic and had never talked about why he left the church, so I was scared to go there with him. My Mom is a Methodist and though she doesn't have anything against Catholicism per se, she is very much opposed to a few individual Catholic teachings due to her extremely liberal political beliefs.

After almost 2 years of not wanting to tell them, I finally found the courage to, and, to my complete and utter surprise, they were extremely supportive. They already had suspicions, as I constantly had the TV on EWTN and I prayed the rosary, and got mail from nuns. lol. My Dad even went so far as to tell me [i]he would like to go to Mass with me[/i] sometime. My heart leaped for joy at that. My mom said, "I think it's fine, I'm concerned that it will be hard for you considering your political beliefs." Little did she know that Christ had used His Church to completely 180 my former political beliefs. My sister even got me a rosary for my birthday as a show of support.

I'll be going through RCIA this fall at Steuby, so I'm pretty excited. I couldn't do it earlier for the same reasons as you.

Praying for you. [/quote]

Ya'll are so cute and awesome.

Catholics (and soon-to-be Catholics) are cool!

[BG45]

[quote name='Alycin' post='1542210' date='May 25 2008, 09:25 PM']How similar our stories are!

Fear of rejection by my family left me believing Catholicism to be the truth, but not "doing anything about it" for about a year and a half, maybe a little more.

I was [i]scared beyond belief[/i] to tell my parents about it. My Dad is a lapsed Catholic and had never talked about why he left the church, so I was scared to go there with him. My Mom is a Methodist and though she doesn't have anything against Catholicism per se, she is very much opposed to a few individual Catholic teachings due to her extremely liberal political beliefs.

After almost 2 years of not wanting to tell them, I finally found the courage to, and, to my complete and utter surprise, they were extremely supportive. They already had suspicions, as I constantly had the TV on EWTN and I prayed the rosary, and got mail from nuns. lol. My Dad even went so far as to tell me [i]he would like to go to Mass with me[/i] sometime. My heart leaped for joy at that. My mom said, "I think it's fine, I'm concerned that it will be hard for you considering your political beliefs." Little did she know that Christ had used His Church to completely 180 my former political beliefs. My sister even got me a rosary for my birthday as a show of support.

I'll be going through RCIA this fall at Steuby, so I'm pretty excited. I couldn't do it earlier for the same reasons as you.

Praying for you. [/quote]

Wow that is similar. o.o Dad, I don't know if he was ever Catholic or not. He tends to harbor a special animosity of sorts for the Church; and I know he's talked about being kicked out of Mass as a kid because he and his brothers were disruptive. He tends to view any religion as a crutch for the weakminded, and I tend to get blasted just for anything involving Jesus Christ.

Mom was raised Baptist, but recently became a Methodist after taking the one required hour long class. It showed a video on John Wesley and had a multiple choice test. Long story short, we (and half the congregation) were more or less driven away from our family's church where I was the 4th generation to be baptized at. She really seems to be thriving there too.

I think that they would actually be supportive now that I've had dad joke about it (or as supportive as he gets) and mom defend my going to BMCs. Grandma and my aunt I doubt it, as grandma and Catholicism don't mix, and my aunt is married to a former Catholic who has no use for religion in general.

I don't intend to tell them until things are stable enough for me to go to RCIA, but yes the EWTN thing does kinda give it away to them doesn't it? Must admit, I've never gotten mail from nuns...though I did have a priest tell me I should go out drinking once...(and I must admit I pray a decade a day but they don't know)

Your dad expressing interest in going to Mass with you is cool! If mine did I'd be scared to take him for fear he'd do something embarrassing (intentionally). And going through RCIA at Steubie sounds so awesome too, I've been seeing plenty of commercials for FUS on EWTN and, of all places, Fox Sports Network out of Pittsburgh.

As for politics, a dear friend summed up my general attitude a while ago with "Papa stay out of my voting booth". Of course, at one point I was entirely Pro-Choice, and now...not nearly as much. So while it isn't a complete 180 yet, I suppose I'm being worked over as well.

Praying for you too.

[quote name='kujo' post='1542232' date='May 25 2008, 09:47 PM']Ya'll are so cute and awesome.

Catholics (and soon-to-be Catholics) are cool![/quote]

As long as Missy doesn't get the wrong idea of you lumping Alycin and I together in the same sentence as "cute". Then I won't be here breathing to be cute if she has the wrong idea.

Raphael, I think I kinda accidentally hijacked it first...

[kujo]

[quote name='BG45' post='1542311' date='May 25 2008, 10:33 PM']As long as Missy doesn't get the wrong idea of you lumping Alycin and I together in the same sentence as "cute". Then I won't be here breathing to be cute if she has the wrong idea.

Raphael, I think I kinda accidentally hijacked it first...[/quote]

Sorry...

[BG45]

[quote name='kujo' post='1542317' date='May 25 2008, 10:35 PM']Sorry...[/quote]

Don't be (as Missy always tells me)!

[Alycin]

BG, 3 things.

1) I will be praying for you daily in general.
2) I will be praying for your full 180 in politics. (It took my sister's pregnancy to get there, for me.)
3) I will pray for your family.

Okay, four things: GO TO STEUBY!!!!!

[Madame Vengier]

[quote name='Veridicus' post='1541839' date='May 25 2008, 01:56 PM']Protestantism is by its very nature (I mean look at the name!) ordered toward dichotomizing itself from what is protesting against: namely Catholicism.

It really is sad that so much of the subsequent theology had to develop in a way that sought to maximize the false binaries. I mean look a the typical arguments :Faith vs. Works, Grace Vs. Merit, Jesus vs. Mary, Scripture vs. Tradition, etc. etc. I think almost everyone on some level understands that Faith and Works and Scripture and Tradition are all important. But in order to truly protest and offer something 'different' than Catholicism, you have to try and define yourself against the status quo.[/quote]


You're soooooooo totally right.

BTW, this is like, the first thread where none of us has had ANY disagreements!! We are all totally on the same page...truly, the Eucharist is a "binding force"!

Reading your comments I was thinking about how this is so true because the reality is that Prots have no real origin. Their entire...and I mean ENTIRE--just like you described with "this versus that"...their entire point of reference is THE CATHOLIC FAITH. They have never had the experience of a point of origin. The entire point of origin of the entire Christian religion *is* the Catholic Church. So they can only preach, teach and live *their* Christian faith in light of "whatever the opposite of Catholic is". Luther and his ilk made sure of that, right down to removing books of the Bible so that in perpetuity the Prots would always have an argument against us. We can't even unite in Scripture because Luther made sure to remove the proof to every argument the Catholics would be able to make against the false theology of the Protestant revolution. The Prots actually aren't able to even be Christians at all without this frame of reference: "that which isn't Catholic". It's sad but it's true.

[BG45]

Thanks Alycin. 4 replies

1) Thanks, and will do for you too. (Though one thing that's been pointed out to me is I spend more time in prayer since starting Adoration weekly than I ever did before. Not a bad thing.)

2) Thanks, and I've had a few things that have definitely helped change my mind. One being JP2's last days actually..until then I was an advocate of euthanasia.

3) Thanks, if you don't mind I'll pray your dad rediscovers something in the Mass?

4) Oh come on, I've already got an undergraduate degree with zero debt! Private schools would leave me in it...plus if I went to Steuby I'd be tempted to follow Scott Hahn around like a little lost puppy!

[Madame Vengier]

[quote name='BG45' post='1542094' date='May 25 2008, 06:30 PM']it was because the Catholic Church was making too much sense and had too much historical proof[/quote]

That tends to happen to a lot of non-Catholics. It's really amazing how the Church herself stands as her own testimony.

[MissyP89]

Aly, I NEVER KNEW you weren't Catholic. Needless to say it was quite a surprise to me. You've impressed me more than once in many of the debate threads. So good luck with RCIA, and God be with you on the rest of your journey!!

And very nice to know that Phil has another person so much like him on PM. Though I don't take Kujo calling you guys cute the wrong way--and he knows it.

Anyhow, I think you're fierce.