{"id":1302,"date":"2024-05-29T01:00:11","date_gmt":"2024-05-29T08:00:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/formationmatters\/?p=1302"},"modified":"2024-06-01T21:52:55","modified_gmt":"2024-06-02T04:52:55","slug":"did-jesus-mean-what-he-said-last-supper","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/formationmatters\/2024\/05\/did-jesus-mean-what-he-said-last-supper\/","title":{"rendered":"Did Jesus Mean What He Said At The Last Supper?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

My dad was a fastpitch softball pitcher and growing up, I spent many weekends accompanying him on trips throughout Southern California to various tournaments. I learned to keep score and to make my own lunch. One time, he made us peanut butter and butter sandwiches. From then on, I made sure to pack for myself. Often, the softball fields were far from civilization and the local snack bar was the only opportunity to buy something. For one larger tournament, however, we were in the middle of a city and I went and visited a local Christian bookstore.<\/p>\n

Perusing Protestant Bibles<\/h2>\n I moseyed around and perused one of their Bibles. When this happened, I must have been in High School and was already interested in apologetics, the art of arguing for the truth of the faith. I knew that the Sacrament of the Eucharist is a point of contention between Catholics and Christians of other denominations, so I opened this Protestant Bible to one of the passages that relates the Institution of the Eucharist. The Bible footnotes stated clearly that the words he spoke at the Last Supper were purely symbolic<\/a>. It could sound like this explanation I found on a website from a small church in Memphis.<\/p>\n "\n By referring to the bread and wine as His body and blood, Jesus was symbolically offering Himself as a sacrifice for the sins of humanity<\/strong>. This act of selfless love and sacrifice is a central tenet of the Christian faith and inspires Christians to follow Jesus\u2019 example of serving others with humility and love (Nikki Halford, \u201cThe Last Supper: Understanding Jesus\u2019 Sacrificial Love\u201d<\/a>).<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n I was a bit confused, because I had plenty of Christian friends from other denominations and they always insisted on taking the Bible at face value. What was it about this passage that made them take it differently? Normally, these Christians refer to the Bible as the rule of faith.<\/p>\n Rule of Faith<\/h2>\n "\n The Bible is the light that illumines itself. And reading light by light, according to the ancient tradition of the church, is to read the Bible by the rule of faith (Todd Hains, \u201cThe Rule of Faith Illumines the Bible by the Bible\u2019s Own Light\u201d<\/a>).<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Nevertheless, these same people would have us believe that when Jesus says literally \u201cthis is my body,\u201d and \u201cthis is my blood,\u201d we are to interpret it symbolically. He is \u201csymbolically offering Himself,\u201d instead of establishing the New Covenant that will be sealed by his blood shed on the cross.<\/p>\n Words of Institution<\/h2>\n "\n While they were eating,****** \nhe took bread, said the blessing, \nbroke it, gave it to them, and said, \n\u201cTake it; this is my body.\u201d \nThen he took a cup, gave thanks, and gave it to them, \nand they all drank from it. \nHe said to them, \n\u201cThis is my blood of the covenant, \nwhich will be shed for many. \nAmen, I say to you, \nI shall not drink again the fruit of the vine ******\nuntil the day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God\u201d (Mk. 14:22-24<\/a>).<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n If we take Jesus at his word, his disciples received his very body and blood at the Last Supper. We re-enact this moment each time that we celebrate Mass and when we receive Communion, we receive Jesus himself. In the Eucharist, Christ is truly, really and substantially contained.<\/p>\n From the Last Supper to the Eucharist | Courtesy: Pexels.com<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nReal Presence<\/h2>\n "\n**** The mode of Christ\u2019s presence under the Eucharistic species is unique. It raises the Eucharist above all the sacraments as \u201cthe perfection of the spiritual life and the end to which all the sacraments tend.\u201d In the most blessed sacrament of the Eucharist \u201cthe body and blood, together with the soul and divinity, of our Lord Jesus Christ and, therefore,\u00a0the whole Christ is truly, really, and substantially contained.<\/em>\u201d \u201cThis presence is called \u2018real\u2019 \u2013 by which is not intended to exclude the other types of presence as if they could not be \u2018real\u2019 too, but because it is presence in the fullest sense: that is to say, it is a\u00a0substantial\u00a0<\/em>presence by which Christ, God and man, makes himself wholly and entirely present.\u201d (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1374<\/a><\/em>).<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Jesus is present in the fullest sense in the Eucharist<\/a>. He makes himself present<\/a> to all believers and we can learn much from Christians of other denominations who love the Lord truly. However, we should never wish to abandon the faith that allows us to come into contact with him really and substantially as happens through Holy Communion. As we celebrate the Solemnity of Corpus Christi<\/em>, let us open our hearts and ignite our faith so that we can receive him more worthily.<\/p>\n What do you think? Comment below.<\/p>\n Subscribe to the\u00a0newsletter<\/strong><\/a> to never miss an article.<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" My dad was a fastpitch softball pitcher and growing up, I spent many weekends accompanying him on trips throughout Southern California to various tournaments. I learned to keep score and to make my own lunch. One time, he made us peanut butter and butter sandwiches. From then on, I made sure to pack for myself. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5450,"featured_media":684,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[267,5],"tags":[380,606,32,609],"class_list":["post-1302","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-eucharist","category-living-the-faith","tag-bible","tag-corpus-christi","tag-jesus","tag-rule-of-faith"],"yoast_head":"\nDid Jesus Mean What He Said At The Last Supper?<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"If we take Jesus at his word, his disciples received his very body and blood at the Last Supper. 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