I realize that you no longer believe (or if you previously believed) in the Real Presence of Our Lord in the Eucharist. You seem to say that the Body and Blood of Jesus does not give (eternal) life. That is contrary to what Jesus said.
All the various comments and Bible quotes do not change the words or Truth of Jesus.
So I see you as a non believer in the Truth as Jesus stated that has walked away from Jesus and the Catholic Church, like other followers of Jesus.
At some point, I hope you reconsider for your soul, not because I said so, but that God truly wants you to join Him in Heaven.
Perhaps there is something from the Catholic Church that has offended you, but from the Lord’s Prayer, we ask God to give us our daily bread, forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. Forgiveness is important for our well being and our soul.
I don’t know you, but I am truly concerned for you and I know that God loves you.
Peace be with you.
But consider how many souls you will be accounted as having led astray with your 'sacramental striving! All because you have chosen to believe you are authorized to do what some believed Jesus was saying regarding eating Him and drinking His blood! Perhaps, if you reread that passage in John 6 and take a spiritual focus instead of a carnal focus you would comprehend what JESUS explained in verse 63. Perhaps ... but I sadly believe you are so vested in your empowerment that the spiritual is beyond your comprehension.
YOU chose to take the carnal focus, as did the ones who left Him thereafter. Those who remained were given the insight, because they responded to HIM with 'You have the words of life'. If I can find it among my files, I shall post a short essay rendered by Freeper Springfield Reformer, addressing the TRUTH of John 6 ... Jesus told you God is Spirit and must be worshipped in Spirit and Truth, not flesh and blood consumption.
The lesson was posted to address a mischaracterization : "The Protestants, therefore, agreed among themselves, saying: How can this man give us his flesh to eat?"
Springfield Reformer addressed that with the following:
Not really. If there had been Protestants in the crowd that day, they would not likely ask 'how' as if it were a physics question. The physics approach would be more natural to those who had no experience with a mracle like that which Jesus had just performed, the feeding of the five thousand from the fishes and loaves. Now Jesus says He is the bread from Heaven and you have to eat His flesh and drink his blood and if you are stuck on physics you want to know the mechanism.But Protestants are well versed with metaphor. Jesus Himself is largely responsible for that. You know the drill. "I am the vine, the good shepherd, the light of the world, the way (path), the door (gate)." So a Protestant hearing Jesus' words would not ask a physics question like 'how.' All the normal language triggers are there to red-flag metaphor, so the Protestant would ask 'What is He teaching? Where is the analogy that helps us understand what He is saying?"
And that analogy is given, in verse 35:
And Jesus said to them, "I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst. (John 6:35)
The header, the main metaphor, "I am the bread of life." Analogy #1: Coming to Jesus will satisfy your hunger. Analogy #2: Believing in Jesus will satisfy your thirst.
These are very helpful analogies. They are saying the same thing. Coming to Jesus is believing in Jesus is having faith in Jesus, the core message of the Gospel. There is no physics question here.
Do we accept that a person who believes in Jesus will never again get hungry at dinner time? No? Why not? Shouldn't we be consistently literal? By what authority may we disregard the normal signals of metaphor to begin with a literal premise and then switch to metaphor when convenient?
Lets do it again. Does a person who believes in Jesus continue to have physical thirst? We are sure everyone here will Amen that, Catholic and Protestant alike. So obviously, Jesus is NOT referring to satisfying physical thirst. Still, literally He is speaking of thirst, agreed? It is a lesser metaphor used to explain the greater metaphor, Jesus as the Bread of Life. Of course "bread" here is not even literal bread. It is a generic term for the sustenance of life. Literal bread cannot satisfy thirst. So even at that level is it metaphor.
Which is fine, as every informed Protestant knows, because there's nothing the least bit suspicious or unspiritual about seeing metaphor where there really is metaphor. Indeed, for us, given our training and upbringing (I have always been a Baptist), it would seem dishonest to blow past all those clear indicators of metaphor and try to reduce what Jesus is saying to a test of faith over the physics of 'how.' No, for us it will always come back to the core question, Where is your faith centered? In the things you can do to earn your keep with God? Or in who Jesus is and what He has done for you?
Peace,
SR
746 posted on 1/16/2017 9:41:35 AM by Springfield Reformer (Winston Churchill: No Peace Till Victory!)
If you, as a Catholic Priest, refuse to get the message, strongly revealed through reading verse 35 of John 6, then you will leap to the carnal explanation because it empowers tyou as 'specially qualified' to serve up bread and wine but transform them into the real FLESH, Blood, SOUL and DIVINITY of The Christ! Your org teaches that blasphemy as truth, refusing to comprehenmd because you lose your powerful position if you follow The Truth of Jesus's / GOD's teaching there.
Not just your immortal soul is in the balance here. The souls of those you lead away from The Spiritual Truth are imperiled as well. THAT is the reason I continue to contend with you over this most crucial catholic error.