Oh, but he did. You can't selectively separate the segments of the verses to fit your prejudices. Jesus said, "This IS my Body". No ifs, ands, or buts about it. And he said similar things throughout the Gospels. And it links directly back to the Old Testament Passover sacrifice. And the REAL Church has believed that from day one.
Protestants have forgotten that Jesus IS God (though they claim to believe it), and if he wants to make parts of His Body look like bread and wine, He can certainly do so. Back in those primitive times, men didn't understand how that was possible---but today, we do. The change can happen either at the atomic or sub-atomic level, and the surface appearance would still be bread and wine.
We have all read on FR over time that many, if not most Catholics do not really believe this hoax about Jesus...
When Jesus squeezed the grapes into the cup, there was no mention of a transformation...There was no instruction to the apostles to pray and magically, mysteriously, or miraculously turn the juice into blood...
There is no place found in scripture where any one was instructed to pray over a piece of bread and turn it into flesh...
When miracles took place in the bible, they REALLY took place...When Jesus brought someone back from the dead, they didn't continue to lay there, they got up and walked...When someone was healed of leprosy, the leprosy was gone...
Jesus did not say 'pay no attention to the fact that this guy may appear to be dead as a doorknob, he's actually alive, or, that woman may still be carrying rotted flesh around on her body, but she is completely healthy...
When Jesus turned water into wine at the wedding, the people didn't say, "well this looks like water, it tastes like water, but that woman says her son turned it into the best wine we ever had...So have a little faith and drink up"...
If the juice and the bread was turned into flesh and blood, it would look, taste, feel and smell like flesh and blood...There's no mystery to it...
God gave physical life by sending manna to eat...Jesus gave spiritual life by dying on the cross...You don't get spiritual life by eating and drinking...You get it by believing...
That's what Catholics believe, not what other Christians believe.
You can't selectively separate the segments of the verses to fit your prejudices.
It has nothing to do with prejudices. Jesus flesh was human flesh, and eating of human flesh and drinking of blood are forbidden in the bible. God doesn't command us not to do something then command that we do it (especially to celebrate Him).
Jesus said, "This IS my Body".
Yes, and when He said that to the disciples, He had not yet gone to the cross. Seems pretty clear it was symbolic to me.
And the REAL Church has believed that from day one.
If they truly believe that the bread and wine turned into human flesh and blood, they were mistaken.
Protestants have forgotten that Jesus IS God
Uh, no we haven't.
and if he wants to make parts of His Body look like bread and wine, He can certainly do so.
God is Spirit. The flesh Jesus inhabited when He walked the earth was human. God has no flesh other than that.
The change can happen either at the atomic or sub-atomic level, and the surface appearance would still be bread and wine.
You may believe that. Other Christians don't.