[boatbums]

You have proved repeatedly here that no amount of discussion will sway you from the dogma you hold to be true and by which you hold the Roman Catholic Church is the ONLY true church of Jesus Christ. This doctrine of the Eucharist - one that DID develop over centuries and which was NOT held by the early church OR the Apostles - is what the Roman Catholic Church has asserted is her "trump card". By that, I mean she has proclaimed that ONLY Catholic ordained priests are entitled and deemed "worthy" to confect the elements of the communion service by their special prayers and change them mysteriously into the literal body, blood, soul and divinity of Jesus Christ BY WHICH all those who partake are given the "right" kind of infused grace necessary to pay for their currently confessed and penanced sins and which is only a promissory note of final sanctification sufficient to permit one into heaven after all Purgatory time is exhausted. This understanding of the Eucharist was certainly NOT held by the ECFs and you have nothing to prove they did. That's why all you can do is piecemeal snippets from early Christians into the explanation you presume they meant. All we SHOULD be doing is taking what Holy Scripture actually says and not the collected musings of men that lived centuries ago. They, and your magesterium, are NOT infallible, so they cannot overrule what the word of God states.

You have avoided answering these challenges here and continued to assert the same ECF arguments read through the Roman Catholic-tinted glasses. This is the way you interact on just about all the religion forum threads and if it's not the Eucharist, it's baptism that you steer any and all threads to regardless of the topic or what others have already addressed. I get it, you reject any opinion but your own interpretation of your church's. Just as my words will not sink in, neither will yours to my heart. I KNOW whom I have believed and am CONFIDENT that my faith in Christ WILL deliver me into heaven and not the works of my hands. Only those whose eyes and hearts have been opened to the truth of the grace of the Gospel will be able to see and receive the gift of everlasting life through Christ. I'll not be answering anymore of your so-called challenges nor do I have to "pray" about what you presume I should.

[one Lord one faith one baptism]

as you know, i am not a computer expert and can’t cut your statements before mine like so many do (i wish i could! ), but i will comment as best i can:

1. when you have the truth of orthodox, historical Christian Faith believed for 2,000 years, you aren’t swayed by 16th century tradition of men.
2. Jesus Christ founded ONE Church, the Catholic Church. it has been here for 2,000 years ( the gates of hell never prevailed aganst it )
3. the doctrine of the Real Presence ( the Eucharist ) has NOT developed over the centuries. NO ONE can point to any controversy over it before the “reformers” came on earth. ( unlike the Trinity, divinity of Christ, the nature of Christ, the Holy Spirit, etc )
4. The Scriptures tell us scoffers will appear in the latter days and the comments about “mysterious” and “special prayers” and “right kind” certainly show scoffing personified.
5. i have shown over and over a consistent belief in the Real Presence from Paul to the Didache to Ignatius to Justin to Irenaeus etc etc up until today. the APOSTOLIC Faith can either be accepted as Christians have for 2,000 years or it can be rejected and replaced by unbelief or Gnosticism, or Arianism, or fill in the blankism.
since you mentioned Athanatius in a prior post, i will show you what he taught the newly baptized on the Eucharist, 1000 years before the 13th century.
6. you say “all we should do and take what the Scriptures say”, I AGREE!!!! what do the Scriptures say? THIS IS MY BODY. Flat out statement, IS not REPRESENTS. Paul received the doctrine of the Eucharist DIRECTLY FROM JESUS. THE BREAD WHICH WE BREAK, IS IT NOT A PARTICIPATION IN THE BODY OF CHRIST? again, we don’t see the word “represents” in this passage or any time the Eucharist is discussed.

finally, as to what you believe or don’t believe, it’s not for me to judge. all i know is Jesus prayed in John 17 that all those who truly believe in Him would be perfectly One, just as He and the Father are One, SO THE WORLD WOULD KNOW THE FATHER SENT HIM. I believe that prayer was heard and i believe that true Christians are obedient to the Faith that proclaims ONE LORD, ONE FAITH AND ONE BAPTISM.

HERE IS THE BONUS ST ATHANASIUS QUOTE:

St. Athanasius was born in Alexandria ca. 295 A.D. He was ordained a deacon in 319 A.D. He accompanied his bishop, Alexander, to the Council of Nicaea, where he served as his secretary. Eventually he succeeded Alexander as Bishop of Alexandria. He is most known for defending Nicene doctrine against Arian disputes.,

“’The great Athanasius in his sermon to the newly baptized says this:’ You shall see the Levites bringing loaves and a cup of wine, and placing them on the table. So long as the prayers of supplication and entreaties have not been made, there is only bread and wine. But after the great and wonderful prayers have been completed, then the bread is become the Body, and the wine the Blood, of our Lord Jesus Christ. ‘And again:’ Let us approach the celebration of the mysteries. This bread and this wine, so long as the prayers and supplications have not taken place, remain simply what they are. But after the great prayers and holy supplications have been sent forth, the Word comes down into the bread and wine - and thus His Body is confected.”,

-”Sermon to the Newly Baptized” ante 373 A.D.,