S. Michael Houdmann Supporter Got Questions Ministries

Supposed "eucharistic miracles" are often pointed to by Roman Catholics as evidence for the "real presence" and/or transubstantiation in the Eucharist. Most of the claimed eucharistic miracles invo...

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July 01 2013 • 1 response • Vote Up • Share • Report

Vincent Mercado Supporter Skeptic turned believer, Catholic, father of 3

We often read Catholic theologians would say, "The Eucharist is the source and summit of our Christian lives" and the Protestants wonder, "Huh? I thought God is the source and summit". Or Catholics say, "I went in front of the blessed sacrament and I worshiped" and the Protestants faint, "Only God should be worshiped!"

And the conclusion becomes very clear: For the Catholics, the Eucharist is God, while the Protestants look with contempt at the idolaters.

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Year 30 AD, Jesus was at the shore of the Sea of Galilee, and a great crowd followed him because they saw the signs that he healed the sick, blind and lame. Philip, one of the disciples, wanted to send away the crowd to buy food for their own. Andrew agreed showing Jesus that they have only fives loaves and two fish from a boy. Instead Jesus, had the crowd sit down, performed a great miracle in front of their eyes, and fed all five thousand people with twelve baskets of leftover food.

After that event, Jesus and the disciples crossed the lake that evening. The next day, after realizing that Jesus was on the opposite shore, the crowds got in boats also and followed Jesus across the lake. And when they reach him, they had a very weird conversation with Jesus. 

Jesus told them to believe in him, that he will give them the bread from heaven which gives life. They said yes, "Give us this bread", obviously so they can eat it. And with a shocking twist, Jesus declared, "I am the bread." Minds confused, jaws dropped, silence. Then the grumbling followed. How can he say "I came down from heaven?"

Jesus stressed it again, "I am the bread of life". Grumbling turned into arguing yet he escalates it even more, "This bread is my flesh". And he gets really gruesome, "My flesh is real food and my blood is real drink." 

The crowd had enough. They knew very well that drinking blood is against the Laws of Moses, let alone cannibalism! They turned back and walked away disappointed. Jessus looks at the twelve, "Do you wish to leave as well?" 

Peter's response is epic. In his mind, he was probably thinking, "What nonsense is this, Jesus? Eat your flesh?! AND DRINK YOUR BLOOD!!! No wonder the people left you. We do not even understand you. What do you want us to say? 'Jesus, sit still as we chew on your arms and legs?!'" With frustration, Peter spoke, "Who else should we follow? We have come to believe you are the Holy One from God." The twelve were trapped and they couldn't get out of this mess.

And they continue on with their journey, as if the conversation never happened. Nobody wants to talk about that day when they lost 5000 followers all because Jesus said something horrible.

The following year, they were at the upper room of someone's house celebrating the Passover. Jesus took bread, spoke a prayer and said, "This is my body. Take and eat." and to the wine, he said, "This is my blood. Drink."

You can imagine Peter's eyes opened wide in horror, "Oh my Lord! Are we having this conversation again?!" Yet he eats and he drinks.

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Looking back at that story. We ask ourselves - What did Peter eat?

And here is where the Protestants are mistaken. They would say, "Peter ate bread."

But for the Catholics, like Peter with eyes wide open, but this time not in horror, instead realization, we say, "Peter ate Jesus himself." What Peter took was no longer bread but God himself. To worship is the only proper response.

October 02 2013 • 18 responses • Vote Up • Share • Report

Kenneth Heck

For an extensive list of eucharistic miracles, read "Eucharistic Miracles and Eucharistic Phenomena in the Lives of the Saints" by Joan Carroll Cruz (Nov 1, 1991) (available at Amazon). It is good to keep in mind that the "body of Christ" also refers to the whole church on earth, so what is actually going on in the eucharist remains a mystery.

May 12 2014 • 16 responses • Vote Up • Share • Report