He was speaking to the Church. Those who share Jesus’ priesthood. The Eucharist is Christ, the source and summit of our faith. Priests are neccesary to conduct the Mass.
St. Ignatius of Antioch, Letter to the Smyrneans, 6:2, 106AD
They abstain from the Eucharist and from prayer, because they do not
confess that the Eucharist is the Flesh of Our Savior Jesus Christ, Flesh
which suffered for our sins and which the Father, in His goodness, raised
up again. THEY WHO DENY THE GIFT OF GOD ARE PERISHING
IN THEIR DISPUTES.
St. Cyril of Jerusalem, Catechetical Lectures, 22(Mystagogic 4)6, 350AD
Do not, therefore, regard the Bread and the Wine as simply that; for they
are, according to the Masters declaration, the Body and Blood of Christ.
I am perplexed that you and others insist that you know more about our Catholic faith than we Catholics do. These threads serve no other purpose other than to throw mud at the Church. I suggest you pick up a copy of the Catechism of the Catholic Church. It is inspired by the Holy Spirit. It is certainly not a book written by professional anti-Catholics with an ax to grind. So before you or others accuse the Church of ‘not beling Christian’, please pick up a copy- it only costs about $9 bucks. This will help you understand my faith instead of blindly throwing stones at the Church. In my 43 years I have never heard any anti-protestant diatribe by any priest or other religious. The Church doesn’t need to justify itself to anyone.
I say this in charity and not out of malice.
“Let us note that the very tradition, teaching, and faith of the Catholic Church from the beginning, which the Lord gave, was preached by the Apostles, and was preserved by the Fathers. On this was the Church founded; and if anyone departs from this, he neither is nor any longer ought to be called a Christian.”
St. Athanasius, Letter to Serapion of Thmuis, 359 A.D..
I find it interesting that when you are confronted by scripture you run and switch subjects.I would like you to show me where I have done this”I am perplexed that you and others insist that you know more about our Catholic faith than we Catholics do”.
Or show me where I have done this”So before you or others accuse the Church of “not beling Christian”
Or this”This will help you understand my faith instead of blindly throwing stones at the Church.”
If you can’t do this I expect an apology but it will be like every other question I have posed to you in that if you don’t have a script that answers the question you switch subjects.
I would suggest you spend a week reading the New Testament “God’s inspired word”through after asking the Holy Spirit to let you see the truth of these scriptures.