Wednesday, January 26, 2011

Is it Possible?

Could the Eucharist Actually Be From God to And For Us?

If you go to a prayer meeting, or a gathering led by a man or woman of God, you may hear the speaker say something like:  "God can do ANYTHING.  Can I get an AMEN to that?"  To which all gathered, shout out a resounding and joyful "AMEN".

But, do we believe that Amen, which means simply: It is so.

Because if it is so, God can do ANYTHING, and is not limited by our imagination, beliefs, aspirations, or fantasies.

So, could God, just could He, not does He, but could He actually make himself present in the Catholic Eucharistic celebration in the form of bread and wine?  Well, could he?  Why not.  He can do anything.

I have read our Protestant brothers and sisters writing that God wouldn't do that.  Some have said: It's gross, and it would be cannibalism.  I can see how you could think that.

We Christians have little trouble believing that Jesus healed the blind, deaf, possessed, those with skin diseases etc.  We Christians even believe that He raised the dead, Lazarus, and Jairus' daughter.  So, c'mon here, when somebody is dead, they are gone, gone, gone.  If He can do that, He can do anything.  Which is easier, healing someone, or forgiving their sins?  He did and does both.

We Christians can believe that Jesus went up on a mountain with his closest followers and was transfigured right before their eyes, and they saw Him as glorious and glorified.  We believe that He can do that don't we?  If that didn't prove that He was God, what would it take? 

And if He could do that, could He allow himself to be nailed to a tree, and killed to take away our sins, and free us from sin and death?  We Christians believe He could and that He did.  But, if you think about it logically, wouldn't we be more likely to look at it as Peter did, and say "No way.  No way?"  It is only in retrospect that we can believe, as Peter believed.

So, why could Jesus not have instituted the Eucharist, as a memorial, but also as the real sacrifice of Himself on the Cross, once for all time, but suspended in time, complete and finished, once and for all, yet joined by the Eucharistic celebrations in time, to eternity.

Eternity (Jesus) stepped into time (here where we are).  Could He, just could He have provided a way for us to step into eternity, where time no longer needs to exist?

Could He?  Of course, He could.

But, did He?  That is a matter of faith.

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