Bread And Wine

Transformation of bread and wine like personal conversion, pope says

By Sarah Delaney
Catholic News Service

ROME (CNS) -- The transformation of bread and wine into the body and blood of Jesus Christ is like the transformation people undergo when they give themselves up to the love of God, Pope Benedict XVI said.

By partaking in the Eucharist, Christians become like Christ, he said. They are "part of his body, one with him," and so are open to God and united with others near and far, Pope Benedict said.

In a Mass at Basilica of St. John Lateran June 23 celebrating the feast of the Body and Blood of Christ, the pope said that the transformative power of the Eucharist made it "the food of eternal life."

At the Last Supper, he said, Jesus overturned the meaning of death. The changing of bread and wine into the body and blood of Christ "is the fruit of the gift Christ made of himself, the gift of love that is stronger than death."

Its purpose is to transform lives and therefore transform the world, the pope said.

The sacrament of communion underscores the social commitment inherent in the church, Pope Benedict said, because whoever recognizes Christ in the host "also sees him in his brother who suffers, who is hungry or thirsty, or who is alone, naked, sick or imprisoned."

The recognition and commitment to help others is even more important in a world where globalization makes everyone more dependent upon each other, the pope said.

The commitment to Christ is not easy, he said. "There is nothing magic about Christianity. There are no shortcuts."

After the Mass, the pope led the traditional Corpus Christi procession from St. John Lateran to the Basilica of St. Mary Major for eucharistic adoration and Benediction.

He rode in a canopied flatbed truck to St. Mary's, kneeling in front of a monstrance with the Eucharist. He was accompanied by priests, seminarians, religious, altar servers and thousands of faithful who walked through the streets of Rome in the traditional procession.

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The Roman Catholic church is the only church that believes Jesus ...

Only in the Roman Catholic faith we truly believe Jesus in present in the Eucharist, and that all other Christian religions, the communion and wine are just symbols of Jesus. is that correct?

As Catholics, we fully participate in the celebration of the Eucharist when we receive Holy Communion. We are encouraged to receive Communion devoutly and frequently. In order to be properly disposed to receive Communion, participants should not be conscious of grave sin and normally should have fasted for one hour. A person who is conscious of grave sin is not to receive the Body and Blood of the Lord without prior sacramental confession except for a grave reason where there is no opportunity for confession. In this case, the person is to be mindful of the obligation to make an act of perfect contrition, including the intention of confessing as soon as possible (canon 916). A frequent reception of the Sacrament of Penance is encouraged for all.

For Our Fellow Christians

We welcome our fellow Christians to this celebration of the Eucharist as our brothers and sisters. We pray that our common baptism and the action of the Holy Spirit in this Eucharist will draw us closer to one another and begin to dispel the sad divisions which separate us. We pray that these will lessen and finally disappear, in keeping with Christ’s prayer for us “that they may all be one” (Jn 17:21).

Because Catholics believe that the celebration of the Eucharist is a sign of the reality of the oneness of faith, life, and worship, members of those churches with whom we are not yet fully united are ordinarily not admitted to Holy Communion. Eucharistic sharing in exceptional circumstances by other Christians requires permission according to the directives of the diocesan bishop and the provisions of canon law (canon 844 § 4). Members of the Orthodox Churches, the Assyrian Church of the East, and the Polish National Catholic Church are urged to respect the discipline of their own Churches. According to Roman Catholic discipline, the Code of Canon Law does not object to the reception of communion by Christians of these Churches (canon 844 § 3).

For Those Not Receiving Holy Communion

All who are not receiving Holy Communion are encouraged to express in their hearts a prayerful desire for unity with the Lord Jesus and with one another.

For Non-Christians

We also welcome to this celebration those who do not share our faith in Jesus Christ.

Lasagna, garlic bread, and wine. Im happy.

glass of wine before bed then realized there is some pita bread so having a last supper at the moment god iove life and love the lord jesus

Wine + baking banana bread + baking Delectable brownies = drunk and sweet

RT : The Last Supper must've been tense, with Jesus relating bread to his body and wine to his own blood. Bet no one touched the meatballs.

THOUGHT: When we put the bread and wine to our lips during the Lord's Supper, God tells us that our (cont)

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