ChristianTales.com
  • Home
  • Spiritual Blog
  • Contact Me
  • The Ghost Driver
  • A Scandalous Education

Why Do So Many Catholics Not Believe in the Real Presence?

10/25/2016

0 Comments

 
Picture
Belief in the Real Presence of Christ is central to Catholicism
In a sermon this past week I learned that most Catholics don’t believe in the Real Presence. This astounded me: the Eucharist is the central focus of our Catholic faith!

Jesus asked us to eat His actual Body and drink His actual Blood in order to gain eternal life.
​
Anyone who doesn’t believe this cannot call themselves Catholic.  
Picture
The Body and Blood of Christ are exactly that
Why Do We Catholics Believe in the Real Presence?
 
In common with other Christians, Catholics believe that the Scriptures are the written Word of God, inspired by the Holy Spirit.

When Jesus makes a statement, He is speaking the Truth.

We believe Him when He says: “I am the bread of life (John 6:35)” and “I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. And this bread, which I will give for the life of the world, is My flesh (John 6:51)”

Here Jesus makes three statements which follow in logical order:
  1. He is the living bread from heaven
  2. Anyone who eats this bread will live forever
  3. This bread is Jesus’ flesh

We have to eat Christ’s physical Body in order to live forever. There is no other way to interpret His words.

He does not say ‘eat a symbol of My Body’ – he says we must eat His flesh. Period.
​
The Jews found this statement difficult, just like many people today. “The Jews quarreled among themselves, saying, "How can this man give us (his) flesh to eat? (John 6:52)”

It would not have been lost on the Jews that Jesus used the phraseology “I AM” which is God’s name for himself as declared to Moses: Yahweh or “I AM WHO I AM” (Exodus 3:14)

Jesus was calling Himself God, and God was telling them to eat Him!

A hard concept to accept indeed.

Jesus goes further: “Amen, amen, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you do not have life within you. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him on the last day (John 6:53 – 56)”

There is no ambiguity here. Why do Christians doubt the Truth revealed by Jesus Himself? True followers of Christ don’t choose to believe a diluted version of the Truth because it’s easier on their sensibilities.
​
Jesus knew we would find this troublesome. Like any good teacher, when introducing a new idea, He had to explain it several times to ensure that we would know He meant what He said. 
Picture
The word 'Eucharist' means 'thanksgiving'
He continues:

“For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me and I in him. Just as the living Father sent me and I have life because of the Father, so also the one who feeds on me will have life because of me. This is the bread that came down from heaven. Unlike your ancestors who ate and still died, whoever eats this bread will live forever (John 6: 55 – 58).”

Again, there is nothing ambiguous about ‘eat my flesh and drink my blood.’ 

​There is nothing to misinterpret in ‘the one who feeds on me will have life because of me.'

At the Last Supper, he said again:  at how other Christian denominations completely
“While they were eating, Jesus took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to his disciples, saying, "Take and eat; this is my body." (Matthew 26:26)”

Not, ‘this is a symbol of my body.’
Picture
By Your Cross and Resurrection You have set us free
To Whom Else Shall We Go?

To ‘believe’ in Christ means listening to His Word and acting upon it. Otherwise we’re not even Christians, let alone Catholics!

After Jesus said that we need to eat His real Flesh and drink His real Blood (not a symbol of them) many of His disciples left him. Why else would they leave Him if not because they didn’t like what he said? They understood His meaning perfectly.

“So Jesus asked the Twelve, “Do you want to leave too?” Simon Peter replied, “Lord, to whom would we go? You have the words of eternal life. We believe and know that You are the Holy One of God (John 6: 67 -69)”

‘Believing in Jesus’ is not the same as ‘believing that He exists.’ Even the Devil believes that Jesus exists.

 
Jesus says in John 11:26: “And everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die. Do you believe this?"
 
Believing in Jesus means taking His Words at face value, because Jesus is Truth. It means following His precepts, including eating His Flesh and drinking His Blood.
 
It means not making up a more palatable version (pun intended) of Holy Communion, dumbing it down by calling it a ‘symbol’ and thereby depriving ourselves of the unique gift God gave us of His real Flesh and Blood to help us get to heaven.
 
Christ could not have made His intentions any clearer.
 
 
Perhaps it will help to read accounts of the Eucharist being alive to help you realize that it is the Body and Blood of Christ? 
 
https://www.catholiccompany.com/getfed/pope-francis-eucharistic-miracle-in-argentina/
http://www.therealpresence.org/eucharst/mir/a3.html
0 Comments

Divine Mercy Sunday or How to Dispel Despair

4/3/2013

0 Comments

 
Picture




Our despair is Satan's greatest joy



When life is going badly and there seems no way out, it's easy to fall into despair.

Yet Christ's Easter message is: "Don't despair!" 

Repeat After Me..

We proclaim that message every time we recite the Apostles' Creed: Jesus "rose from the dead and is seated at the right hand of the Father....I believe in the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body and life everlasting."
 
There's no despair here.

But perhaps constant repetition has dulled our attentiveness to the reality of what we're saying: that Jesus suffered horribly for our sakes so that we might rise up from death and  have eternal life.

We are made in God's image and destined to be with Him in heaven. Christ asks us not to let earthly setbacks throw us into misery and distract us from that goal.

God loves us. If he puts suffering our lives, it's to turn our thoughts away from the world and back to Him and His infinite mercy.

But  fighting off despair and trusting in God's mercy is tough.

Judas Versus Peter

Despair is Satan’s most powerful weapon against God. He rejoices whenever he succeeds in separating us from our hope in Christ (see 'Hope versus Hope' in my last post). He thus sabotages our salvation and adds our souls to the ranks of those destined for hell.

Judas of Iscariot committed the ultimate sin when he despaired of forgiveness for betraying Jesus, thus cutting himself off from future happiness with God.

Peter denied knowing Christ three times, after having just said that he loved Him and would do anything for Him. But in contrast to Judas, he wept bitterly and repented over his betrayal. 

This humble admission of guilt and belief in Christ’s forgiveness wiped his slate clean. Peter's faith and hope restored his good standing with God and ensured his redemption.

Judas allowed Satan to deceive him into despairing of Christ's love: Peter believed in Our Lord’s mercy and was granted it.

Who would you rather be?

But What Use Is God's Mercy When I'm Suffering? 

Blessed Sopocko, confessor and spiritual director of St. Maria Faustina Kowalska has this to say about despair in his book God is Mercy (Marian Press, 1965, p. 81):

“Despair is passion arising in us because of the impossibility of escaping evil. The name covers not only the feeling of despair itself, but also the inclination to it. ... It is opposed to hope and trust, so much so that while hope enlightens, despair kills. ... (my italics)

“The causes of despair can vary. Temporal or spiritual misfortunes, incurable illness, loss of respect and honor, financial ruin, threat of inevitable danger, etc. Under the influence of such disasters there follows a terrible depression which takes away all energy, paralyzes the nerves, renders clear thinking impossible, and even impedes breathing and the normal circulation of the blood, so that the brain is not supplied sufficiently with oxygen and ceases to function sufficiently. ...

“If we search for the very first, deepest cause of despair, we always find a lack of trust in the Mercy of God. ...”  (My italics)

(Taken from What Is Divine Mercy? By Dr. Robert Stackpole)

But why is it that when things are going badly, we find it the hardest to trust in God?

Because we want control over our lives. We want to know exactly what lies ahead, we demand concrete proof that our bad situation will end and quickly.

‘Show, don’t tell!’ is the usual advice to story writers and we feel the same way about God. Don't tell us that all will be well, through the Scriptures, don't tell us that we must trust in You: show us a reason to trust you by performing a miracle!

For some reason, God's amazing miracle of resurrection on Easter Sunday often isn't good enough for us. We're doubting Thomases who want to see it for ourselves, not have to believe writings from 2000 years ago.

Unfortunately faith means believing without seeing, and we must have blind faith if we’re to attain the goal for which we were made, namely to be with God in eternity.

Dispelling Despair Through Divine Mercy
 
Since despair comes from believing things will never get better and that we are alone in our misery, the antidote is complete trust in God’s love for us. (See 'Christ's Strategy' in my last post.)

Dr. Stackpole says, regarding the benefits of trusting in God:

"It opens the door to all the graces and blessings He wants to give us.” (My italics.)

We mustn’t hang ourselves with despair, like Judas. Instead we must trust in God’s mercy and be raised from misery to happiness.

....Which Leads Us to Divine Mercy Sunday

This weekend, Catholics will celebrate Divine Mercy Sunday (Feast of Mercy).

God’s mercy is not confined to this one day of the year – it is available every single day of every year! – but there are certain graces to be obtained on that day.

Here is entry 699 of St. Faustina Kowalska’s diary, in which Christ makes clear his desires for Divine Mercy Sunday. This entry is very long, but if you read it, you'll feel overwhelmed by Christ's love for you.

My daughter, tell the whole world about My inconceivable mercy. I desire that the Feast of Mercy be a refuge and shelter for all souls, and especially for poor sinners. On that day the very depths of My tender mercy are open. I pour out a whole ocean of graces upon those souls who approach the fount of My mercy. The soul that will go to Confession and receive Holy Communion shall obtain complete forgiveness of sins and punishment. On that day all the divine floodgates through which graces flow are opened. Let no soul fear to draw near to Me, even though its sins be as scarlet. My mercy is so great that no mind, be it of man or of angel, will be able to fathom it throughout all eternity. Everything that exists has come forth from the very depths of My most tender mercy. Every soul in its relation to Me will contemplate My love and mercy throughout eternity. The Feast of Mercy emerged from My very depths of tenderness. It is My desire that it be solemnly celebrated on the first Sunday after Easter. Mankind will not have peace until it turns to the Fount of My Mercy.

(Even if you've not been to Confession for 60 years or more, you may feel that it's worth going now, before next Sunday. :) I promise you, priests are kind in the confessional: they are there to help us make a good confession, not beat us up over our sins!)

Christ also revealed to St. Faustina the extraordinary graces available to those who devoutly receive Holy Communion on Divine Mercy Sunday:

I want to grant a complete pardon to the souls that will go to Confession and receive Holy Communion on the Feast of My mercy (1109).  

Whoever approaches the Fount of Life on this day will be granted complete forgiveness of sins and punishment (300).  

The soul that will go to Confession and receive Holy Communion will obtain complete forgiveness of sins and punishment (699).

Click here for further information on how to prepare for Divine Mercy Sunday 

Are God’s Graces Confined to Catholics?

No!

I know that we Catholics are considered arrogant because we believe that Catholicism is ‘the one, true faith.’
 
We make no apologies for this belief.
 
Christ instituted the Catholic (i.e. universal) Church 2013 years ago. All other Christian faiths are man-made spin-offs. (I now cheerfully await an onslaught of angry comments!) The Sacraments of our faith make the Christian life easier for Catholics.  We certainly don't believe that non-Catholics are doomed to the eternal fire of hell.



The important thing is to trust in God’s mercy and humbly ask Him to forgive our sins. Christ longs for us all to come to Him – Catholics and non-Catholics alike.

We will stop feeling despair when we realize that Christ is always walking with us.


Postscript: Whenever I find myself teetering on the edge of despair, I quickly recite this prayer, over and over again:

‘Eternal God, in Whom mercy is endless and the treasury of compassion inexhaustible, look kindly upon us and increase your mercy in us, that in difficult moments we might not despair nor become despondent, but with great confidence, submit ourselves to your Holy Will, which is Love and Mercy itself.’ Diary 950

I hope it helps you, too.

0 Comments

A Look at 'Seven Daily Habits for Faithful Catholics'

12/6/2011

0 Comments

 
The Sunday before Advent our parish priest told us he'd put out a free booklet for us to pick up after Mass called “Seven Daily Habits for Faithful Catholics.” You can find them online where the author, Father John McCloskey, calls them ‘Seven Daily Habits of Holy Apostolic People.’  

I grabbed one on my exit and eagerly looked through it as soon as I got home. Our parish priest had warned us not to attempt all seven of them at once, which Father McCloskey stresses too. 

Just knowing that I wasn’t expected to become super holy within the space of one day encouraged me to see if I could begin adopting the habits.

Here they are:

1.       The Morning Offering: “Offer the day ahead for God’s glory using your own words or a memorized prayer.”

Seems pretty easy, right?  But before you do this, you have to “conquer yourself each day from the very first moment, getting up on the dot, at a set time, without granting a single moment to laziness.” This is a tad trickier! (See my post on “Heriosm and the Alarm Clock” by clicking on the keywords "Acts of Heriosm" to the right of this page.)

2.       Fifteen Minutes of Silent Prayer: Father McCloskey calls this “face time” or “quality time” with Our Lord, during which we can develop the ability to listen to Jesus and understand what He “is asking of you and what He wants to give you.” Father likens our soul to an answering machine where “Jesus can leave you profound messages even if you do not hear Him directly during your prayer time.”

3.       Receiving Holy Communion: This involves going to daily Mass and receiving Holy Communion in a state of grace – “being free from serious sin and having gone to confession.” Father McCloskey calls this “the most intimate act possible for a human being.”

4.       Fifteen Minutes of Spiritual Reading: He suggests reading the New Testament systematically and following this with a “classic book on spirituality.” Father quotes Saint Josemaria: “spiritual reading…has made many saints.”

5.       Pray the Angelus: Pause in the middle of the day and take a few minutes to “address our Blessed Mother every day…while meditating on the Incarnation and Resurrection of Our Lord.”

6.       Pray the Holy Rosary: “By repeating words of love to Mary and offering up each Rosary for our intentions, we take a short cut to Jesus by passing through the heart of His mother.”

(If you’re like me and can never remember how many mysteries there are and what comprises each one, check How to Pray the Rosary.)

7.       Examine Your Conscience: Before going to bed each night, briefly examine your conscience and “review the one particular area you have identified…which must be improved in order to become a saint.”

 
As I wrote earlier, we’re not expected to acquire all seven habits overnight. Father McCloskey writes that “growing in these daily habits ….is a gradual work in progress….Haste will invite failure and God wants you to succeed at both your pace and His.”

So How Am I Doing?

Well, I’m definitely not rushing to incorporate all the habits at once! I decided to start with what, to me, is the most important one. I have no excuse for not going to daily Mass. I have a friend who goes to her own church every morning, but comes to my place of worship twice a week when hers has no morning Mass. So twice a week I have great company in the pew with me.

Attending daily Mass means that I have to get up early every morning at the same time to feed the horses, muck out their stables, and then get presentable - and smell nice! - for 8 o’clock Mass. Because I am rising so early, I am going to bed earlier.

Immediate, Positive Results

I began the habit on the first Monday of Advent and it is already revolutionizing my life. The positive results of this are fourfold.

One:  I’m missing out on unproductive and mind-numbing hours of television at night:

Two: I find it easy to get up earlier than necessary, and now sit down to write in the wee hours of the morning before I throw on my old clothes and take care of the horses:

Three: I’m in a good mood all day because I’ve prayed first thing in the morning, spent time in the Lord’s presence and received the Holy Eucharist. This is giving me more patience with others - impatience being my big personal issue:

Four: An additional byproduct of this habit is, to paraphrase Father McCloskey, I’m not losing time out of my day, but gaining time. I get more out of every day, because I’m awake during the hours when my brain operates at its best. Evenings are a no-go time for me mentally, so it makes sense to start my day sooner and finish it sooner.

Where Do I Go from Here?

I also begin the day with a prayer and examine my conscience at night. I will gradually add the other habits to my day and let you know how I do!

0 Comments
    Tweet

    Hilary Walker

    A fanatic horse rider and writer of Christian Inspirational Fiction, who's beginning to understand that making it to Heaven is a tad more important than winning at horse shows.

    Archives

    April 2022
    March 2021
    December 2019
    March 2019
    January 2019
    October 2018
    March 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    December 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    December 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    August 2012
    May 2012
    April 2012
    March 2012
    February 2012
    January 2012
    December 2011
    October 2011
    June 2011
    May 2011
    April 2011
    March 2011

    Categories

    All
    Absolute Relativism
    Acknowledging Christ
    Acts Of Heroism
    Agony In The Garden
    A Happy Christmas
    Air Travel
    Alternative To Cow's Milk
    Anger
    Baby Jesus
    Baby Jesus
    Bad Horse Show
    Battling Relativism
    Battling Ulcerative Colitis
    Believing In The Invisible
    Blasphemy Against The Holy Spirit
    Blessings
    Blind Faith
    Body And Blood Of Christ
    Body And Blood Of Jesus
    Body And Blood Of Jesus Christ
    Canonization
    Carrying The Cross
    Catholicism
    Chaplet Of Divine Mercy
    Chicago
    Chicago River
    Choosing Absolute Truth Over Absolute Relativism
    Choosing Christianity Over Relativism
    Christ
    Christ Crucified
    Christian Faith
    Christian Faith
    Christian Hero
    Christian Heroism
    Christianity
    Christianity And Tim Tebow
    Christian Response
    Christians
    Christmas
    Christmas Fall
    Christmas Stars
    Christmas Thanks
    Christmas Thanks
    Christ's Passion
    Confession
    Constellations
    Cross
    Cross Of Christ
    Crucifixion
    Daily Commute
    Daily Mass
    Dairy-free Product
    Definition Of Grace
    Despair
    Devil
    Disowning God
    Divine Mercy Sunday
    Dogs And Ulcerative Colitis
    Donkey Work
    Driving
    Easter
    Easter Monday
    Evangelizing
    Evil
    Extraordinary Graces
    Faith In The Unseen
    Falling Over
    Fasting
    Father Gerald Vann
    Father Jean C.J. D’Elbée
    Fear Of Flying
    Feast Of The Assumption
    Feeding Horses
    Feeling An Idiot
    Fighting For The Bride Of Christ
    Forgiveness Of Sins
    Funeral
    Gaudete
    Getting Children To Go To Mass
    Getting Young Adults To Go To Mass
    Give And You Shall Receive
    Giving Thanks
    Giving Thanks
    God
    God And Horses
    Golgotha
    Good Deeds
    Good Friday
    Good Habits
    Grace
    Green Chicago River
    Happiness
    Happy News For Easter
    Heaven
    Hematidrosis
    Holistic Approach To Ulcerative Colitis
    Holistic Bee Nutrition & Welness
    Holistic Healing
    Holy Communion
    Holy Spirit
    Home
    Hope
    Horses
    Horses And Heaven
    How To Get Your Child To Go To Mass
    Humility
    Hurt
    Husbands
    I Believe In Love
    Is Heaven Boring
    Jesus
    Joy
    Judas
    Judas' Betrayal Of Christ
    Judas The Weasel
    Keeping Faith Through Adversity
    Lent
    Lenten Mass
    Love
    Love Is An Act Of Will
    Loving Our Neighbor
    Mary Our Mother
    Mary The Mother Of God
    Mass
    Medjugorje
    Men
    Merciful Savior
    Mercy
    Merry Christmas
    Merry Christmas
    Miracles
    Mother's Day
    Mother Therese Of Jesus
    Nature Of Love Of God
    Nature Of Sin
    Novena
    Old Priests
    Our Lady
    Overcoming Doubts In God
    Overcoming Sin
    Parish Priest
    Patience
    Peace On Earth
    Peter
    Pope Francis
    Power Of Prayer
    Prayer
    Praying For Enemies
    Praying For Suicides
    Praying For Those Who
    Priests
    Reconciliation
    Redemption
    Rejecting Evil
    Rejection Of Christ
    Relativism
    Relic
    Relocating
    Repentance
    Resentment
    Rosary
    Sacrament Of Absolution
    Sacrament Of Confession
    Sacrament Of Reconciliation
    Satan
    Seven Daily Habits For Faithful Catholics.
    Sign Of The Cross
    Sins
    Son Of Man
    Spirituality Of Small Jobs
    Spiritual Lollipops
    Spiritual Oasis
    State Of Grace
    St Bridget's Prayers
    St Bridget's Promises
    St Faustina
    St. Jude
    Stroke
    Struggling Christians
    Suffering
    Sweating Blood
    The Agony In The Garden
    The Chaplet Of Mercy
    The Divine Mercy Chaplet
    The Gospel
    The Greatest Sin
    The One Year Uncommon Life Daily Challenge
    The Power Of Setting The Example
    The Real Presence
    The Road To Destruction
    The Road To Perdition
    The Road To Ruin
    The True Presence
    Tim Tebow
    Tony Dungy
    Transubstantiation
    Treadmill
    Trust In Jesus
    Ttruth Not Relativism
    Ulcerative Colitis
    Voting Against Evil
    Weekday Mass
    Widow
    Young Adults And The Catholic Church

    RSS Feed