Posted on 07/08/2008 7:02:41 AM PDT by NYer
Orange County, FL -- One week after a University of Central Florida student snatched something sacred from church, armed UCF police officers stood guard during Sunday Mass to protect what Catholics call "The Body of Christ."
Minutes before the Mass began, Student Senator Webster Cook returned the Holy Eucharist he was holding hostage in a Ziploc bag ever since smuggling the blessed wafer of bread out of the Catholic Mass service Sunday June 29.
Carol Brinati with the Diocese of Orlando said the Catholic community was "concerned about the possible desecration of the Eucharist," and pleaded for its safe return.
Cook, who was raised Catholic, said he decided to bring the Eucharist home after a church leader tried to physically pry it from his hand. Cook broke Church rules by failing to consume it immediately during communion and then removing it from his mouth once seated.
Cook said he just wanted to show the Eucharist to a friend he brought with questions about Catholicism before consuming it. But outraged Catholics across the globe didn’t believe him and suspected he intended all along to steal the Eucharist and bloggers sent out e-mail messages damning him to Hell.
"I am returning the Eucharist to you in response to the e-mails I have received from Catholics in the UCF community," Cook wrote in a letter to the church. "I still want the community to understand that the use physical force is wrong, especially when based on assumptions. However, I feel it is unnecessary to cause pain for those who are not at fault in this situation."
Cook said some threatened to break into his dorm room to rescue the Eucharist. Brinati said the Diocese of Orlando didn't condone those threats, but was happy Cook had a change of heart and returned it.
"We've been praying about that," she said.
It's still not clear if the controversy is over. There is no word yet if either the Catholic students or Cook will drop their separate complaints filed against each other with UCF's student court. The violations each side accused the other of could result in suspension or expulsion. Cook still disagrees with the more than $40,000 in student funds distributed annually to support Catholic and other religious groups on campus, but seemed conciliatory in his letter.
"I want to thank the individuals who explained the emotional and spiritual pain my possession of the Eucharist caused them to experience," he wrote. "They have demonstrated that the use [of] reason is more effective than the use of force."
Cook said he still hopes to meet with the local Bishop to discuss prohibiting the use of force to recover the Eucharist. He also wants an apology.
Soldiers of Christ ping!
Forgive me, I still think someone should knock some sense into this little twerp.
Thanks for the link. I did a search before posting this thread and it came up with no results. Since the titles are identical, I can’t understand why.
Someone should knock some sense into the catholic church. That wafer isn't Christ. C'mon. It's a wafer. They bake em. If you all are worshipping a little wafer as Christ, you are committing idolatry, worshipping sumpin that bakers bake, something that is man-made. Get real.
Interesting.
Apparently you’re not familiar with the concept of “miracle”.
“...If you all are worshipping a little wafer as Christ,...”
We Catholics do not “worship a little wafer” as you put it. It is a symbolic representation of what Catholics belive to BE the Body of Christ. We honor the Eucharist with all the faith and belief it is due. I, for one, truly believe it IS the Body of Christ. In my heart I know It is. When Jesus presented man-made bread and wine at the Last Supper and said this is My Body, this is My Blood, the bread and wine took on an entirely new meaning. That is what Catholics, in their heart of hearts, believe to be the Body and Blood of Christ.
It is not a mere man-made wafer and wine to be worhipped.
Neither is the crucifix but it represents Christ.
“Someone should knock some sense into the catholic church. That wafer isn’t Christ. C’mon. It’s a wafer. They bake em. If you all are worshipping a little wafer as Christ, you are committing idolatry, worshipping sumpin that bakers bake, something that is man-made. Get real. “
“This is my body... Do this in memory of me.”
I guess it depends on whether you believe that Jesus was telling the truth when he said these things.
I understand that it is difficult for a non-Christian,such as yourself, to believe that Christ is, indeed, God.
Protestants believe all things are possible with God, except for things they do not want to believe!
It starts out that way, but it ends up being much more.
Someone should knock some sense into the University officials too. Armed campus police officers standing guard during the Mass to protect the little wafers ????? Maybe now the Muslim students can get armed guards at their services too, to protect their precious copies of the Koran that they’re always worried about having desecrated.
Check out the REAL crime stats for this school here http://police.ucf.edu/stats/Main%20Campus.pdf
The answer is simple
transsubstaniation
trans = transfer
substantiation = substance
Catholic believe that the bred (host) and wine are indeed transferred into the substance of the Body and Blood of Christ.
No need to bash those beliefs.
LOL!
Amen, sister.
“Catholic believe that the bread (host) and wine are indeed transferred into the substance of the Body and Blood of Christ.”
All Christian Churches believed this for more than a millenium and a half. All Christian Churches dating back more than 500 years still do.
Folks, who do not believe this, are not Christian in the historical sense of the word. Not to say that they don’t believe many of the same things about Christ as do Christians, but they certainly do not share the completeness of Christian belief. Obama is a good example of this. Anyone can call himself a Christian.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.