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Jesus is the way,
 the truth, and the life

 

 

 

Chapter 2 -
Mass and Holy Communion

 

 

 

 

When Jesus was at the final phase of his earthly life, He wanted once more to have a meal together with His disciples. When He ate with them, He also set the Lord's Supper (the Holy Communion). In other words, He set the Holy Communion and taught at the same time to His disciples about the meaning of the bread and the wine and how they described His crucifixion and His death. This way, this custom which thus started a little before His death – or perhaps already earlier – was handed down also to the Christian church.

   To the Catholics, the Holy Communion and Mass are also important. They are symbols of the Catholic Church. But as many other issues that have changed from the times of the early church, so has the Holy Communion gotten new forms and meanings in the Catholic Church. It has gotten meanings that did not initially belong to it and change it into quite a different kind of thing. Below, we will study some of these changes:

 

The doctrine of changing bread and wine into Christ's body and blood is one issue that has changed. According to this doctrine, when the priests during the Mass read a blessing, bread and wine are no longer bread and wine, but they literally change into Christ, His body and blood, in other words God. The Catholic Church also teaches that only the priests have the authorisation to read the blessing that can bring about this change. For example, in the Synod of Trento it was regulated some centuries ago (2nd canon of Trento):

 

"Who says that bread and wine remain in the Holy Communion as bread and wine (...) will be cursed."

 

The changing doctrine has been confirmed in the Catholic Catechism as well (Finnish Catechism 1953). It is stated how bread and wine really should change into Christ's body and blood:

 

What happened to the bread and wine, when Jesus pronounced over them the words: "This is my body – this is my blood?”

The bread and wine changed into Jesus Christ's actual body and blood; only the forms were left over. (p. 123)

 

So what is on the altar after this change?

After the change, there are on the altar, in the form of bread and wine, the body and blood of Jesus Christ, surely, really and essentially present. (p. 124)

 

This changing doctrine (transubstantiation) includes problems, however, that should be discussed, such as these:

 

A symbol. When the Catholic Church has tried to justify the changing of bread and wine, it has used as its support mainly the words of Jesus in connection with the Holy Communion: "This is my body (...) this is my blood..." (Matt 26:26-28).

   However, to this we can say that Jesus certainly did not mean this literally, but symbolically. For He did not say "touto gignetal" ("this has changed"), but "touto esti" ("this describes"). This means that the Holy Communion was only a metaphor of how Jesus later on the cross gave His life for us. Then He shed his blood and gave His body surely and really for us. These kinds of symbols that Jesus said about Himself also appear elsewhere in the Bible. We must see that these matters must be only symbols, because otherwise Jesus should also be for instance a door, a wine tree, a way, a rock, a morning star, etc:

 

- (John 10:9) I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.

 

- (John 6:35) And Jesus said to them, I am the bread of life: he that comes to me shall never hunger; and he that believes on me shall never thirst.

 

- (John 15:5) I am the vine, you are the branches: He that stays in me, and I in him, the same brings forth much fruit: for without me you can do nothing.

 

- (John 8:12) Then spoke Jesus again to them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that follows me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.

 

 - (John 14:6) Jesus said to him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man comes to the Father, but by me.

 

- (Matt 21:42-45) Jesus said to them, Did you never read in the scriptures, The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner: this is the Lord's doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes?

43  Therefore say I to you, The kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof.

44  And whoever shall fall on this stone shall be broken: but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder.

45  And when the chief priests and Pharisees had heard his parables, they perceived that he spoke of them.

 

- (Rev 1:17) And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead. And he laid his right hand on me, saying to me, Fear not; I am the first and the last

 

- (Rev 22:16) I Jesus have sent my angel to testify to you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star.

 

Jesus himself ate. One issue that makes the doctrine of transubstantiation impossible is naturally that Jesus Himself was there enjoying bread and wine. In other words, He did not certainly eat Himself and did not change into some kind of liquid and bread, but He was bone and flesh all the time and blood flowed in His body. This physical presence as Himself should be the clearest piece of evidence against the transubstantiation.

 

Why can we not see this change each time? If bread and wine have really literally changed by the words of a priest into the body and blood of Christ, should this not be seen at every single Mass? Why can we not see this? Why can no change be seen in any Mass, even though they are carried out in every Catholic Church and have been carried out thousands of times? Is this not a clear piece of evidence against the whole doctrine of transubstantiation?

 

Literal offering that is repeated. Another special feature of the Catholic Mass is that during each Mass, there should be a new offering of Christ, and the priests have the authority to repeat it for the sins of people. In the Catholic Church, it is really taught that the priests have the authority to fetch Christ down from the Heaven and perform the same offering for the sins of people as Jesus made 2,000 years ago. In other words, according to their teaching, the offering of Jesus on the cross was not perfect and sufficient, but it must be continuously repeated at Mass for the sins of people. They say that the only difference to Jesus on the cross 2,000 years ago is that the current offering is bloodless.

   This can be seen, for example, in the Catholic Catechism (Finnish Catechism 1953) which refers to this issue several times. There it is explained:

 

"When Christ died, did all the offering have to stop? No; that offering that Christ once carried out on the cross, had to reform everywhere and all the time." (p. 126)

 

"What is the offering in the Holy Mass? The Holy Mass offering is a continuous offering of the New Covenant, in which our Lord Jesus Christ, in the form of bread and wine, by the hands of a priest, in a bloodless way, sacrifices himself to His heavenly Father." (p. 126)

 

"The offering at the Holy Mass is the same offering that happened on the cross. Because in both, our Lord Christ sacrifices and is sacrificed." (p. 127)

 

Why is the offering of the Holy Mass the highest? The Holy Mass offering is the highest offering, because it is

1) the most valuable offering,

2) to God, the most pleasing thank-offering

3) the most effective prayer offering

4) the most powerful atonement offering. (p. 129)

 

But does the Bible teach that in the Holy Communion or at Mass, Christ again sacrifices Himself because of the words of a priest? Does the Bible teach that his offering was not at all sufficient, but it must continually be repeated at Mass for the sins of people?

   The answer to this is that we cannot find such teachings from the Bible. The Bible indicates very clearly that Christ's atonement was a once-in-a-lifetime event and took place only once during the history. The Bible also indicates that His atonement was perfect, so that other offerings are not needed; they are no longer needed, neither can they help people in salvation.

   There are several references to this important matter and to the sufficiency of Jesus' atonement, and we are going to study some. These verses indicate very well how His work was a one-time thing and perfect, so that there is no need to repeat it any more:

 

 - (John 19:30) When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost.

 

 - (Hebr 7:27) Who needs not daily, as those high priests, to offer up sacrifice, first for his own sins, and then for the people's: for this he did once, when he offered up himself.

 

- (Hebr 9:12) Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us.

 

- (Hebr 9:25-28) Nor yet that he should offer himself often, as the high priest enters into the holy place every year with blood of others;

26  For then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world: but now once in the end of the world has he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself.

27  And as it is appointed to men once to die, but after this the judgment:

28  So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and to them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin to salvation.

 

- (Hebr 10:12,14) But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God;

14  For by one offering he has perfected for ever them that are sanctified.

 

- (Hebr 10:17,18) And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more.

18  Now where remission of these is, there is no more offering for sin.

 

In remembrance. The second issue that proves against Christ being offered over and over again at the Mass wrong is the simple fact that the Bible indicates the Holy Communion to be expressly a meal of remembrance proclaiming the Lord's death, in other words already finished redemption work. Therefore, we can see that if it is a question of remembrance, it can never include the very essence of the issue. The essence of the issue, Christ's redemption work, already took place 2,000 years ago:

 

 - (1 Cor 11:23-25) For I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered to you, That the Lord Jesus the same night in which he was betrayed took bread:

24  And when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me.

25  After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood: this do you, as oft as you drink it, in remembrance of me.

 

- (1 Cor 11:26) For as often as you eat this bread, and drink this cup, you do show the Lord's death till he come.

 

The worship of Holy Communion's materials has also been a part of the Catholic tradition. This tradition got its beginning when it was believed that the materials of the Holy Communion change into Christ and God, so the natural consequence was that these materials were worshipped. The Holy Communion's bread may really have been regarded literally as God in the Catholic Church, because "Christ is in it physically present", and to show respect and praise for it. For example, in the Synod of Trento this was regulated (6th canon):

 

"If someone says that Christ, the only Son of God, should not be worshipped in the sacrament of the Holy Communion (...) and be respected by special ceremonies and the Holy Communion bread be carried in a ceremonious procession, according to the global and praised customs and ceremonies of our Holy Church, and that He should not be set for public worshipping in front of people, and that His worshippers are idolaters, he will be accursed!"

 

The same thing also appears in the next newspaper article describing the life of a convent. This article (newspaper Etelä-Suomen Sanomat, 1 November 2003, p. 22) indicates very well that similar worship appears also nowadays, and it was not left in the dark of the Middle Ages:

 

"At 11.30 am there is the prayer of the middle of the day, but before that there is a half an hour of adoration in front of the Holy Communion bread. The Holy Communion bread is preserved in a tabernacle, a decorative cupboard. The Holy Communion bread is an object of the worship, because Jesus is believed to be present in this bread."

 

But what does the Bible say about the Holy Communion bread being God and worshipping of the bread? There is no direct reference. Jesus did not give any command to do this and neither are there any references to this in the letters of the New Testament.

   Instead, regarding a piece of bread holy is certainly idol worshipping, even though in the Synod of Trento it was regulated to the contrary. When you do that, you bow before the work of people, in other words bow in front of a piece of bread someone has made, as, for example, the Book of Isaiah says:

 

- (Isa 2:8) Their land also is full of idols; they worship the work of their own hands, that which their own fingers have made:

 

As valid, or even better, we would argue also worshipping of a believer because of the same argument - that Christ is present in some substance - because Christ lives in him and because he is the temple of the Spirit of God. However, we understand that in this does not make any sense. For the fact that Christ lives somewhere through His Spirit does not make anybody divine. He continues to be the same person:

 

 - (Col 1:27) To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory:

 

- (1 Cor 3:16) Know you not that you are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?

 

The Holy Communion and saving. Attempts have been made also to use the Holy Communion as a way of salvation to God. However, its purpose is mainly to confirm faith in the forgiveness of sins, and remember the redemption work of Christ (1 Cor 11:23-25), and to proclaim the already finished work of redemption (1 Cor 11:26). Salvation can always be received through faith and through the word, as we have noted in the previous chapters. Also during the early church, when people enjoyed the Holy Communion, they always first received the word, and were saved, and the Holy Communion was only a consequence of this:

 

- (Acts 2:41,42) Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added to them about three thousand souls.

42  And they continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jari Iivanainen




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