It should be more than obvious that Christ's REAL meaning is not about the physical acts (or beliefs concerning) the consuming of the bread and wine of the observance of the Lord's Supper/Eucharist (thanksgiving) but of the FAITH that is required in order to have eternal life. The eating and drinking of the elements does not supplant the requirement of faith in what those elements represented - the broken body and shed blood of the Lamb of God for the sins of the world. We demonstrate our faith in Christ by doing as He commanded us to "for whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes."
I seems to me that Catholics place a much higher priority on the receiving of the Eucharist than the faith IN Jesus Christ and what He did for us. Some Catholics even go so far as to assert forcefully that ONLY their priests have the authority to "confect" the elements and administer them to believers and NO ONE else can do so, thereby making the reception of the Eucharist - and the grace for salvation they contain - ONLY available to Catholics. Other Christians are deprived of their benefits. Taking that logic a step further, since only the Catholic priest can give the elements and ONLY Catholics in a "state of grace" can validly receive them, the rest of the non-Catholic Christian body has no access to salvific grace. Now, that is a WHOLE lot of reading into the words Jesus spoke as told in John 6. It also blatantly contradicts much of Scripture that teaches salvation is by grace through faith in Christ and that we participate together in our remembrance of Him and His gift of everlasting life as a reminding testimony to ourselves and each other before God.
Here is wisdom. Hear here!
Amen. It is beyond irony that something that so beautifully designed to remind all believers they are one body in Christ, that they all have a shared life through the blood of Jesus, has been weaponized to cause division. What should point us to the pinnacle of divine love for God and each other is degraded to a balkanizing debate about what the meaning of “is” is.
Here’s another thought I’ve had on this. We know from the book of Hebrews that God works in types and antitypes, an earthly thing that represents a heavenly thing. That’s what a metaphor is. Metaphor is not some cheap, shallow trick, people. It is God’s chosen way to download His vast, unimaginable truth into our tiny little minds and souls. It’s God’s chosen way to bring His people closer to Him and each other. God is love. Love bridges the gap, finds a way into the heart of the beloved. That’s what this metaphor of the body and blood in the bread and the wine does. It takes us into a higher reality. It enables us to see His love for us afresh, time after time. It is a beautiful thing.
Peace,
SR
Since you clearly don’t understand the Catholic Church, please refrain from telling us what it “seems”.