This statement alone shows that folks are out to attack catholics or just plain ignorant of their theology.
First of all, it is NOT the priest's power to do anything. When the bread and wine are consecrated, it is believed the Holy Spirit comes.
Secondly, salvation does not depend upon the Eucharist alone. The Eucharist is communing with God (Jesus), realigning oneself and celebrating what was commanded by Jesus as a perpetual memory of His life, death and resurrection.
Jesus said to them, “Very truly I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day. For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in them.
I personally don't know if Jesus was being literal in this passage, but reading it in the NIV, it appears literal. that's not the point. The point is that Jesus instituted the covenant meal so folks would come and celebrate a perpetual memory. Communing ones spirit with the spirit of God.
It is a special time in the life of hundreds of millions of people. Why do y'all care? If you don't believe that the Eucharist is a special thing, then don't do it. Why besmirch others for the way they choose to worship God?
It is NO WONDER so many people look at Christians and say to themselves, heck, they can't even agree. Why would I want to be part of all that infighting.
Ever look in the phone book of a major metropolitan area? Tell me how many denominations of the Christian faith there are? All of which have various theological differences, enough of a difference to divide churches and have folks go out and create NEW churches.
Does it make them wrong necessarily? I don't believe so.
God is more merciful than most of y'all believe. He is up in heaven looking down on man and shaking His head....”They still don't get it”.
By the way, before the grief comes a callin, I am not catholic, but I do believe that catholics love Jesus very much.
Furthermore, you will enter the pearly gates to find millions of Catholics, Baptist, Methodist, Lutherans, Anglicans, Presbyterians, Pentecostals...you name it. Jesus told us that he was the gatekeeper. The way.
Men can be so stupid (proven for thousands of years), we just love to put God in own lil toy box and go out with our megaphones and declare how right we are. It is likely folks will get to heaven and find out how dedgum wrong they were all these years. None of us have all the answers...none of us! That includes Catholics. God loves us despite our stupidity....want proof? His name is Jesus.
Remember folks, we may not like, understand or worship the same, but it is satan himself that causes strife, backbiting, gossip, division. What better way to bring down a house than from within.
When Jesus said, “It is finished” , he was essentially saying that all of the enmity between God and man...is over. Jesus paid the price. So let folks worship the way they want to worship. It is between them and God.
This is Holy Week, for Christ's sake let there be an end to this constant strife among the people who claim to be His. We don't have to pretend to agree, we don't have to brush our differences under the rug but we have to stop treating each other like things.
ALONE?