The Eucharist Unveiled: Insights from Early Church Fathers and Inspiring Stories
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Catholic belief in the real presence of the Eucharist and what the Eucharist is and is not is not an easy subject to discuss. For one thing the Eucharist is a mystery and we can’t actually wrap our minds around it. This is similar to our understanding of the Trinity or infinity or heaven. We have a hard time understanding things that are beyond us. There is biblical support for the Eucharist and we can find early church teaching that supports this belief. We find reference to it in the gospels and in the writings of St. Paul. In the synoptic gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke we see Jesus as He instituted this practice at the last supper when He says “do this in remembrance of Me.” In the gospel of John chapter 6 Jesus gives us the bread of life discourse when He says “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. Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day. For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink” (John 6:53-55). It is referenced by the early Fathers and there are many resources where we find the earliest bishops speaking about the Eucharist. I share one resource here today which is a short blog post from a blogger who goes by the handle “That One Catholic Girl.” I want to share two inspirational stories of Eucharistic devotion. The stories are about two young girls who both died for their love of the Eucharist. Their love of the Eucharist and the events of their life are miraculous. We believe these things because we believe they are true and to believe something so extraordinary is life changing because who can believe something so unbelievable.
The Eucharist Unveiled: Insights from Early Church Fathers and Inspiring Stories
The Eucharist Unveiled: Insights from Early…
The Eucharist Unveiled: Insights from Early Church Fathers and Inspiring Stories
Catholic belief in the real presence of the Eucharist and what the Eucharist is and is not is not an easy subject to discuss. For one thing the Eucharist is a mystery and we can’t actually wrap our minds around it. This is similar to our understanding of the Trinity or infinity or heaven. We have a hard time understanding things that are beyond us. There is biblical support for the Eucharist and we can find early church teaching that supports this belief. We find reference to it in the gospels and in the writings of St. Paul. In the synoptic gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke we see Jesus as He instituted this practice at the last supper when He says “do this in remembrance of Me.” In the gospel of John chapter 6 Jesus gives us the bread of life discourse when He says “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. Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day. For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink” (John 6:53-55). It is referenced by the early Fathers and there are many resources where we find the earliest bishops speaking about the Eucharist. I share one resource here today which is a short blog post from a blogger who goes by the handle “That One Catholic Girl.” I want to share two inspirational stories of Eucharistic devotion. The stories are about two young girls who both died for their love of the Eucharist. Their love of the Eucharist and the events of their life are miraculous. We believe these things because we believe they are true and to believe something so extraordinary is life changing because who can believe something so unbelievable.