Quote from Matthew 26,26-29: While they were eating, Jesus took
bread, gave thanks and broke it, saying: "Take and eat; this is my
body".Then he took the cup, gave thanks and offered it to them, saying:
"Drink from it, all of You. This is my blood of the covenant, which is
poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. I tell you, I will not drink of
this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it anew with you
in my fathers kingdom".
(see 1.Cor 10:16 too)
The bread represents the substance (and/or the soul) of Jesus Christ, the "Word of God". The wine represents the divine spirit of Christ, which gives life to this Word of God for altruistic work. The Catholic Church stressed the change of the substance of the bread and wine to the pure flesh and blood of Jesus, while the Protestant Churches stressed the remembrance of Jesus. On one hand both are right. Scientists found out that even the simple "holy water" of the Catholic Church shows that the angle of the water molecules had changed. However, the most important viewpoint would be the change within the person taking part , by attuning to what really radiates from the transformed and transforming "flesh and blood" of Jesus Christ. So it would be good to do this practice in the churches with great concentration. Some even tried to do this directly in spirit only - without the visible help of bread and wine – and still felt the effect, which is a lot more difficult to achieve. For those who want to practice a blessed meal without claiming it to be a "Holy Sacrament" of the church, it can be called "Agape" - supper of love. (Excerpt from the main text, chapter "The whipping, the Last Supper, ...")
See also our page about the Churches and the ecumene.
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Such short quotes from the Bible - based on different translations - are additions to the corresponding chapters of the Ways-of-Christ.net™
main text: However, such characteristic places cannot fully replace the study or meditation of whole chapters of the Gospel(s). |