Thanks Lula for clearing that up. It made no sense as I read it. But I did read what you did put in as a correction and can see this has nothing to do with the priesthood either. Even if it did, you're looking at the OT which had a priesthood. Notice the word Holy Temple in this Psalm. There is no more Temple. It was destroyed.

This is a Psalm of David and he's thanking God for his favor (1-4), for His greatness (5-8) and His harvest (9-13). God is magnified here as Redeemer, Creator and Provider. Nothing about priests in this verse. Even if it did, remember the priesthood was done away with when the veil of the temple was torn down. Christ is now our forever High Priest. The sacrifices are done away with. He was the ultimate sacrifice. There are no more to have.

Now those positions you mentioned have different functions but ARE NOT separate from the body. The Apostle John in Rev 1 even called himself a fellow brother or companion.

We are all called to do diff functions with the gifts HE has enabled us with. Peter also called himself a fellow shepherd when he addressed the other Pastors.

As for the deacons they are chosen by the congregation as per Acts 6:1-5. They also have God given abilities recognized by the congregation. In our church our body votes our deacons in. We have six deacons all chosen by the body. We have six elders chosen by the Pastor.

1 Cor 12 is a good chapter for all this.

12For as the body is one and has many members, but all the members of that one body, being many, are one body, so also is Christ. 13For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free—and have all been made to drink into one Spirit. 14For in fact the body is not one member but many. 15If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I am not of the body,” is it therefore not of the body? 16And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I am not of the body,” is it therefore not of the body? 17If the whole body were an eye, where would be the hearing? If the whole were hearing, where would be the smelling? 18But now God has set the members, each one of them, in the body just as He pleased. 19And if they were all one member, where would the body be? 20But now indeed there are many members, yet one body. 21And the eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you”; nor again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.” 22No, much rather, those members of the body which seem to be weaker are necessary. 23And those members of the body which we think to be less honorable, on these we bestow greater honor; and our unpresentable parts have greater modesty, 24but our presentable parts have no need. But God composed the body, having given greater honor to that part which lacks it, 25that there should be no schism in the body, but that the members should have the same care for one another. 26And if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; or if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it. 27Now you are the body of Christ, and members individually. 28And God has appointed these in the church: first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, administrations, varieties of tongues. 29Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Are all workers of miracles?

LULAPILGRIM POSTS:


Actually, by the laying of hands, St. Paul became an ordained priest. See Acts 13:1-3.

Here's more details of the ministerial priesthood in the New Covenant.
Just as the Apostles were especially called or chosen by Christ, so were the bishops, priests and deacons who succeeded them in the CC today. This is Apostolic Succession and shown through Scripture. Christ sent out His Apostles and disciples on the mission to go and teach all nations. They (and their subsequent successors)are to bring all nations to Christ. This is an ongoing mandate and will be in effect until the end of the world. Christ gave them the tools and the authority to teach in His name. Therefore, the mission couldn't have and didn't stop when the last Apostle died. Through APostolic succession, they made provision to keep teaching and preaching Jesus' teachings.


The doctrine of Apostolic succession means that the mission and sacred power to teach, rule and sanctify that Christ conferred on His Apostles perpetuated in the Church's episcopate. The fact that only the twelve Apostles proclaimed the new revelation doesn’t mean that the Apostles couldn’t have successors in their pastoral mission to preach, baptize, forgive sin, and teach men to observe all that Christ had commanded. When Christ gave them the commission, He promised He would be with them “all days, to the end of the world.” St. Matt.28:20. The promise of abiding divine assistance given in the context of the apostolic mandate implies that the mandate itself was to endure.

The twelve Apostles were sent by Christ to lay the first foundation of His Church, the Catholic Church. With Christ as the Head cornerstone, Peter was chosen as the foundation rock and the Apostles the foundation stones. The first 10 chapters in Acts show in what sense Peter was the foundation of the early Church. In 1Peter 2:7-8, Peter is saying that the Church is like a spiritual building of which Christ is the cornerstone.

In the New and everlasting Covenant, Christ intended the Church to be the new Israel, the new Jerusalem whose authority was to endure until the end of time. Just before Jesus ascended into Heaven, His parting words are these,"Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you; and behold, I am with you all days, even unto the consummation of the world." St. Matt. 28:19-20. So with the power Christ claimed in heaven and on earth, as Son of God, He sent them to evangelize all the world.

The Church is apostolic means that it is the same community, the same doctrines as the early Church of the Apostolic age. Since Christ promised that His Church would endure until the end of time and that He would be with it always, the Church had to have apostolic continuity, teaching always what the Apostle's taught The Apostles, in order that the mission confided to them by Christ would continue after their deaths, appointed other men to continue the work they had begun.

Following the example of Christ, who had sent them out to continue His work, the Apostles in turn chose other men and shared with them their mission and Apostolic authority. Throughout their travels, they preached the Good News and baptized converts into “the Church”. They celebrated the Sacrifice of the Holy Mass by reading or reciting the Psalms and other OT verses. They continued as Christ commanded, "Do this in commemoration of me" and to offer sacrifice to Him by consecrating the bread and wine into His Body and Blood and eating of it. Through their work, “the Church”, the Kingdom of God was established, developed, and perpetuated. These are the very early churches (which make up one universal Church) we are reading about in the Book of Revelation.

By the will of God, the Apostles were given the authority to bind and loose. "Whose sins you shall forgive, they are forgiven them, and whose sins you shall retain, they are retained." This is confession of sins. St.John 20:23. The successors of the Apostles in this divinely given authority are called Bishops. The Church, the kingdom of God, is a hierarchical society ruled by Bishops, but also a monarchical society, with a head that was to rule both Bishops and the people. Peter was chosen by Christ as the first head, that is, the first Bishop of Rome, later in history called the Pope, the Vicar of Christ.

The Apostles acted collectively as officers of the early Christian Church which in 110 AD was first called the Catholic Church. It got its name from St.Ignatius, the bishop of Antioch, passing through Smyrna on his way to Rome to die for “the faith of Jesus Christ.” Rom. 3:26. The Apostles exercised the 3 fold power of teaching, governing and sanctifying. Acts 1:12-26; 2:37-43; 4:35-37; 5:1-11; 28-41; 8:14-20. In Acts 5, there were 72 disciples appointed to carry on the work of the Apostles.

St.Peter tells us in his letter that upon the death of these successors other proven men should be appointed to succeed them 1St.Peter2:9,12,25;5. Under the Apostles, a hierarchy began to appear with bishops, presbyter (priests) and deacons. Acts 6 relates to the appointment by the Apostles of the "seven". This is the second identifiable group of disciples entrusted to the ministry of the early Church. V.6 The Apostles establish the seven in their office or ministry through prayer and the “laying on of hands”, a rite that the early Church had adopted as a symbol of the conferring of a spiritual grace of office. The authority to carry out the ministry which implies a calling from God, is something he must receive through ordination, which the Apostles confer. Today, the laying on of hands is called the Sacrament of Holy Orders. God, not men, gives them a spiritual power which equips them to govern and teach the Catholic community, administer the Sacraments, including the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass and preach the Word.

Acts 13:1-3, While in the Church, by the laying on of hands, St. Paul and Barnabas are ordained. "Now, they were in the Chruch which was in Antioch,prophets and doctors, among whom was Barnabas, and Simon who was called Niger, and Lucius of Cyrene, and Manahen, who was the foster brother of Herod the tetrarch, and Saul. And as they were ministering to the Lord, and fasting, the Holy Ghost said to them: Separate me Saul and Barnabas for the work whereunto I have taken them. 3 Then they, fasting and praying, imposing their hands upon them, sent them away."

In 2Tim1:6, Timothy received the grace of his ministry through the laying on of hands from St.Paul. 1TIm. 4:14 tells us that others were with St. Paul when he conferred the fullness of the priesthood on Timothy. He also ordained Titus. Both Timothy and Titus were sent out and they ordained priests and deacons. 1Tim. 3:1; 5:17-22; Tit. 1:5.

St.Ignatius writing in 107 AD, supposes that the Episcopate has been instituted for some time. He asserts that there is one bishop in every church to whom the presbyters (priests) and deacons must be subject. Other Church Father’s writings confirm the same and trace the line of bishops, priests and deacons down to the first century, even to the Apostles.

Thus, a continuous hierarchy was established to continue the work of the Twelve. These men were given the Greek name, Episkopas, literally overseer, and in English, we term "bishop".
After St. Peter is St. Linus, then St.Cletus, and then St.Clement of Rome. I won’t here, but can name all 265 Popes and give the dates of their pontificate. Pope Clement rebukes them for a schism that had broken out among them. It's historical significance is shows the Bishop of Rome (the Pope), intervening authoritatively in the affairs of the Church to settle a dispute and indicates the primacy that was given to a successor of St. Peter. The epistle of Clement to the Corinthians witnesses to the belief of the Church in the last decade on the 1st century, with their ministry. He speaks of these bishops as having been constituted either by the Apostles themselves or that the Apostles had made provision for a succession in their ministry. Clement says that the Apostles installed bishops, and then laid down the rule that when these men passed on, others should be ordained and continue subsequently by “other eminent men”.

Besides evidence from Sacred Scripture, there is no doubt that from the writings of the Church Fathers, such as St.Ignatius of Antioch and Irenaeus, that within 3 decades of the death of Christ, the Church had already hierarchically organized just as I have described. Thus the apostolic succession is maintained through the popes, who are successors to Peter as the Vicar of Christ, the bishops, successors to the Apostles, the priests, successors to those early priests, and the deacons. Christ was with His original Apostles, and now through His promise of the Holy Spirit, is with Pope Benedict and all the bishops, priests and deacons, and with us too. We are all members of “the Church”, the Mystical Body of Christ. Pope Benedict XVI is the 265th successor to St. Peter. He now holds the key to the kingdom of God. He is your Pope, he's everyone in the world's Pope, only you and many others reject him and his authority. But, because you refuse to accept him doesn't change truth and reality.

And besides that, the following is taken from the Didache. 14:1, 3,4 which testifies that the Church's present teaching is that of Apostolic times: "On the Lord's own day, {the first day of the week: (Apoc.1:10; Acts. 20:7; 1Cor. 16:1-2) assemble to Bread and offer thanks (the Greek word for thanksgiving is Eucharist); but first confess your sins, so that you are pure.” It is the Sacrifice which the Lord has said, "In every place, at every time, a clean oblation shall be offered to my Name, for I am a great king and my name is great among the Gentiles." Malachais 1:11. For there is one flesh in Our Lord Jesus Christ, and one chalice that brings union in His Blood of the New Covenant as there is one altar, as there is one High Priest, the Bishop of Rome, with the other bishops, priests and deacons in union with him keeping the one sheepfold.

The OT prophecy of Malachais1:11 was fulfilled by the Priests of the New Covenant.

KFC POSTS:

KFC, yes, indeed, God still calls Priests to function in the manner above which I have taken the time to thoroughly explain as well as fulfill Malachais prophecy. New Covenant Priests don't function in the same manner as the OT biblical Judaism High Priests and Priests did.

We know that the beginning of the New Covenant in the BLood of the Savior meant the end of biblical Judaism of the OC. God made it known at the moment of the Crucification, when the Temple veil was rent from top to bottom that the Temple ceremonies and rites were abolished by Christ and that heaven would be open up to all. Now this was in 33 AD after Christ had ascended into Heaven and in the time that followed great confusion developed particularly concerning the animal sacrifice in the Temple of Jerusalem.

According to St.Paul to the Galatians, the early Chruch struggled against Judaizers who thought they could combine the practices and rituals of the Mosaic Law under the OLd C. with the budding new religion of the New Covenant. Even though Christ was already victor in Heaven, as long as the Temple remained, people tended to
see Christianity as merely a sect within Judaism. If the sacrifice of Jesus has abolished the OC ceremonies and rituals, people wondered why animal sacrifices continued. The source of confusion of animal sacrifices in the Temple was eliminated once and for all in 70 AD when the Temple was destoyed in the destruction of Jerusalem. With that the Chruch was free to grow unemcumbered and it did.

ok, let's go with this. Go back to 6:6 and you'll see the laying on of hands with the deacons as well. It didn't make them "priests" any more than it did Paul. Paul was NOT a priest other than we are all called to be priests as I've been saying all along. He was called to be an Apostle and was called from his mother's womb...Paul was separated at his birth (Gal 1:15) at his conversion (Rom 1:1) and here at the beginning of is missionary activities (13:1-3).


The laying on of hands was a formal sign of appointment. The rite indicates a link or associated between the parties involved. Sometimes it was related to healing (Mark 5:23) or to the impartation of the Spirit (8:17, 9:17, 19:6) or in 6:6 and was a sign of ordination for special service (1 Tim 4:14).

We lay hands on both our deacons and elders when they were appointed.

When they laid hands on the little girl in Matt 5 did that make her a priest Lula? No more than it did Paul in Acts 13:1-3.

How so?

KFC POSTS:

I understand and agree with all this. The Church, the body of Christ, with Christ as Head, the Eternal High Priest, is made up of different people who are called to use their God-given different talents in fulfilling Christ's mission to go out and preach to all nations.

Your pastor, elders and deacons are especially chosen to lead, teach and guide, etc. In this instance, they are set apart from the rest of the congregation. Although you may consider everyone to be a "priesthood of believers", every believer is not the pastor, the elder or the deacon. This is what I meant when I said we are not all priests.

Yes but no more than say a missionary, a SS teacher, an evangelist etc. There are many functions for the church body and we all have our gift and call to do so. That's why it's compared to the human body. All is needed for the body to function properly. We are all "set apart" by God for his ministry. If we're missing a body part, say an eye or an arm, it just makes it a bit harder for the body to function properly. A good healthy church has all it's body parts.



Yes, We are all called to be priests as in the definition I originally put down. But we are NOT all called to function in the role of Priest/Pastor/Deacon/ etc. There is not even a hint of hierachy in the new church of believers. Christ condemned the Pharisees for putting themselves in those lofty positions and lording over instead of serving the people.

Even the HP in the OT had a function to represent the people of Israel. In no way was he considered to be "more holy" or better than anyone else.

KFC POSTS:

You seem to be inferring that in some way Catholic bishops, priests and deacons "lord over the people" or consider themselves and act as though they are "more holy" than the rest of us. This is not so.

Every priest that I have ever known is always "like Christ" in that they are humble and meek with no air of superiority over the people in the pews whatsoever.

some are, some aren't. I've also met Godly CC priests. I've met some that were very superior in their actions as well. The history of the CC is also filled with both. It can be the same with other religions as well.

When I was a child and in my mom's day even there was a "reverence" for them that really shouldn't have happened. I remember one person at my work years ago who was brought up in the CC and was shocked when as a young woman she figured out that they even used the bathroom!!!

Granted, it's not like that at least here for the most part anymore. But it was so for many years. That's why so many fell prey to the sexual scandal back then, because the priests were so well thought of they could do whatever they wanted and were completely trusted. To many they were definitely "next" to God.

Not so anymore.

LULA POSTS:




First, Malachais, whose name signifies "The Angel of the Lord" was contemporary with Nehemias. Some say he is the same person as Esdras. Malachais was the last of the prophets,and lived about 400 years before Christ. The book of Malachais has only 4 chapters. In them, he foretells the coming of Christ, the reprobation of the Jews and their sacrifices, and the calling of the Gentiles, who shall offer up to God in every place an acceptable sacrifice.

Chapter 1 has 14 verses. The context of the chapter is that God reproaches the Jews with their ingratitude and the Priests in particular for not offering pure sacrifices. He will accept of the sacrifice that shall be offered in every place among the Gentiles.

Mal.1:11, "For from the rising of the sun even to the going down, my name is great among the Gentiles, and in every place there is a sacrifice, and there is offered to my name a clean oblation; for my name is great among the Gentiles saith the Lord of hosts."

"a clean oblation" is the Real Presence of our Lord's precious Body and BLood in the form of the consecrated Eucharistic Host offered to God by the Priest at the altar. The Sacrifice of the Holy Mass is the perpetual clean oblation and thus the fulfillment of Malachais' prophecy.

"For from the rising of the sun even to the going down" means that around the clock, and around the world, in every place, and unbloody Sacrifice, a clean oblation,is to be offered.

Some object saying our Redeemer died in one place--Jerusalem--and one time only and so this is like re-crucifying Christ. No, it isn't. Christ was to be a priest according to the order of Melchisedech, offering a perpetual sacrifice under the forms of bread and wine. The Priest was ordained to do what Christ ordered, of the bread and wine, "This is my Body..this is My Blood, Take this and eat. Do this in commemoration of Me." When the Church does what He ordered, she offers Him (under the forms of bread and wine)to the Father, and to us, who have confessed our sins and are worthy to receive Him. So, the Sacrifice of the Mass is not a new or re-sacrificing of Christ, but a new offering of the Christ sacrificed once on Calvary.

The priesthood of the OC is pre-figure type of the priesthood of the NEw Covenant. The Jewish priests could only offer animal(bloody) sacrifices and earthly meat-offerings while Catholic priests of the New Covenant offer up the Lamb of God who taketh away the sins of the world and the priceless Flesh and Blood of our Divine Savior.

The Eucharistic Mass, celebrated in every place, is the sacrifice of the New Covenant in which the very Body and Blood of Jesus Christ under the forms of bread and wine are offered to God by the ordained Priest. This Sacrifice of the Mass is offered to give honor and glory to God, to thank Him for His benefits, to make reparation for the sins of mankind, and to beg of Him the graces and blessings we need to live a holy life as He is Holy. The Mass represents and continues in our midst the one great Sacrifice of Jesus on the Cross and it is offered to GOd for all the purposes for which He died.

The Eucharistic Mass is a gift from God. Not only were we to remember His death for us, but He left His very Body and BLood in the form of bread so that we might offer Him, our one perfect Sacrificial Lamb to the Father. Christ's death is the only perfect Sacrifice that God will accept. This is Christ's way of renewing His Life in us.

Lula, no disrespect but really how come you turn everything into the Eucharist? It does't say any such thing there. This has nothing to do with that. Read the context. This has to do with an offering made TO GOD. Taking the bread is not an offering. My version says "pure offering" which is basically the same as your oblation. Christ "offered" himself as the bread of life. We don't offer the bread back to him. We receive his offer.

Now compare this verse to Isa 66:19-20 and Rev 8:3. From what I understand and I'd have to research further this looks to be during the millennium.



I would agree with these "some" Christ SAT down at the right hand of the father indicating it was finished. No more sacrifices have to be done. Again, you really need to carefully read Hebrews. This is all covered in there. There is no more sacrifices to be given it says.

""But this man after he had offered ONE sacrifice for sins FOREVER sat down on the right hand of God. From henceforth expecting till his enemies be made his footstool. For by ONE offering he has PERFECTED for ever them that are sanctified......now where remission of these is thre is NO MORE offering for sin." Hebrews 10:12-18.

Just a side note: Did you notice I have since this article done two more on this book of Revelation?

KFC POSTS:



KFC, no disrespect taken and no disrespect back to you. Eventually, as you continue to read Holy Scripture and seek truth, you will see that it's really all about the Holy Eucharist for that's what Christ gave us, Himself. It's all going to boil down to the Holy Eucharist in the end days as well. You'll see.


In the meantime, KFC, read your quote again. Here it is with all the extra words omitted. Lula,....the Eucharist...This has to do with an offering made TO GOD.

KFC, the Eucharist IS the offering made TO GOD.

Now reread where I wrote this twice:

I said, "a clean oblation" is the Real Presence of our Lord's precious Body and BLood in the form of the consecrated Eucharistic Host offered to God by the Priest at the altar. The Sacrifice of the Holy Mass is the perpetual clean oblation and thus the fulfillment of Malachais' prophecy.

And again, I said, The Eucharistic Mass, celebrated in every place, is the sacrifice of the New Covenant in which the very Body and Blood of Jesus Christ under the forms of bread and wine are offered to God by the ordained Priest. This Sacrifice of the Mass is offered to give honor and glory to God, to thank Him for His benefits, to make reparation for the sins of mankind, and to beg of Him the graces and blessings we need to live a holy life as He is Holy. The Mass represents and continues in our midst the one great Sacrifice of Jesus on the Cross and it is offered to GOd for all the purposes for which He died.

THIS IS IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE WILL OF GOD AS STATED IN 1COR 11: 23-26.


KFC POSTS:


Yes, I agree, Christ offered Himself as the Bread of life. We accept by eating It, so in this sense, that's not offering It back.


The Priest and the faithful offer the Lamb of God, the perfect Sacrifice to God, in accordance with 1Cor.11:23-26. This is what Jesus said to do at the Last Supper when He institued the Eucharistic Mass and the ministerial Priesthood of the New and everlasting Covenant.




Let's take it from top to bottom and tie the clean oblation, the priesthood and the sacrifice.

There's plenty of evidence in the NT that Christ established a priestly office. The Priest is chosen from among men, dedicated to God by consecration (Holy Orders) and sent to teach and sanctify men and to offer sacrifice to God. Christ most emphatically did this. He chose men and He consecrated them. He was the Eternal High Priest who mediates between His Father and mankind. He came into the world for that priestly mission. To those whom He had chosen He said, As the Father has sent Me, I also send you." i.e. you must continue in My Name My priestly mission. St.John 20:21. Then He consecrated them communicating to them His very own power...v.22..."He breathed on them, and said, "Receive thee the Holy Ghost."

Having chosen and consecrated them, He commanded them to teach men heavenly doctrine and to sanctify them. He said to them, "Go, teach all nations." As regards to sanctifying men, He said, "Baptize them in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost. In St.John 20:23, "Whose sins you shall forgive they are forgiven them." St.James 5:14, "Is any man sick? Let him call in the priests of the Chruch, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him."

Finally, Christ ordered them to offer sacrifice to God. At the Last Supper, He said, "This is My Body which is given for you, this is My Blood which is shed for you, do this in commemmoration of Me and as often as you shall eat this bread, and drink this chalice, you shall show the death of the Lord, until He come." 1Cor.11:24-26.

As often as a lawfully ordained priest celebrates the Holy Mass, he offers this sacrifice. The same Victim is offered, Jesus Christ and by the priesthood of Christ in the celebrant. Only by a successive and perpetual priesthood by choice, consecration and divine commission can be done. And thus only is fulfilled the prophecy of Malachais 1:11 where he tells the Jews that the Messiah will abandon them and turn to the Gentiles predicting,

"For from the rising of the sun even to the going down, My Name is great among the Gentiles, and in every place there is a sacrifice, and there is offered to My Name a clean oblation; for My Name is great among the Gentiles saith the Lord of hosts."

The Sacrifice of the Cross took place not in every place, but on Calvary only. The Sacrifice of the Mass is offered in every place, in all countries, and among all nations, by the priests of the CC.

Yes, I'm really anxious to read both of them. I really appreciate and enjoy your work even though I pick at them from time to time.

First off all that you wrote concerning the CC priesthood and the Eucharist is foreign to scripture. Again, read Hebrews.



Now for this scripture. The key word is "commemmoration." It is a memorial everytime we partake. He never ordered them to offer a sacrifice to God. It goes against all other NT scriptures to say so. Jesus ONLY offered the sacrifice. Read Hebrews.

God said over and over....I don't want your sacrifice...I want you heart.

I think we beat this horse to death....time to move on.

LULAPILGRIM POSTS:

KFC POSTS:


KFC, if it is as you say that He never ordered them to offer a sacrifice to God, then what does the last section of V. 26 mean to you? Is it just to be ignored?


We are studying the apocolyptic end times here, the Sacrifice is going to figure in with that big time.

What is St. Paul teaching the Corinthians? Here is 1Cor. 11: 23-26, "For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus Christ on the night that He was betrayed took bread, 24 and when He had given thanks, He broke it, and said, "This is My Body which is for you. Do this in remembrance of Me." 25 In the same way also the cup, after supper saying, "This cup is the covenant in My Blood. Do this as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me." 26 For as often as you shall eat this bread, and drink this chalice, you shall show the death of the Lord, until He come."


What does v. 23-26 mean to you? How do "Bible Alone" Christians, DO what Christ tells His followers to DO when He says "Do this in commemoration of Me...you shall show the death of the Lord until He come?


I know what this meant to the Corinthians. These verses clearly bear witness to the early Christians faith in the Eucharistic mystery. Just as the Apostles and disciples who believed Christ's "hard" saying, the Corinthians believe that Christ meant what He said in His discourse with the Jews at the synagogue in Carpharnaum. "I am the Bread of Life...he who eats My Flesh and drinks My Blood has eternal life."

St.Paul is writing around 57 AD,---27 years since the institution of the Holy Eucharist and the Last Supper. He was reminding the Corinthians of what they had been taught some years earlier.
They words "received" and "delivered" indicate this teaching is oral Tradition(from Christ to St.Paul and now down to the Corinthians in the early fledgling Church.

"Do this in commemoration of Me" in instituting the Eucharist, our Lord charged that It be re-offered until the end of time. St.Luke 22:19, thereby instititing the priesthood.

Jesus, at the Last Supper, OFFERED His Body and Blood under the forms of bread and wine TO GOD,and then gave His Body and Blood under the same form to the Apostles to receive, making them priests on the New Covenant (Testament) at that time. He ordered the Apostles and their appointed successors in the priesthood, to offer this sacrament when He said, "Do this in commemoration (remembrance) of Me."

The word "commemoration or remembrance" is charged with the meaning of a Hebrew word which was used to convey the essence of the feast of the Passover--commemoration of the exodus from Egypt. For the Israelites the Passover rite not only reminded them of a bygone event, they were conscious of making that event present, reviving it, in some way, generation after generation. So, when Our Lord commands His Apostles to "do this in commemoration of Me", it is not a matter of merely recalling His SUpper, but of renewing His own passover Sacrifice of Calvary, which already, at the Last Supper, was present in an anticipated way.

no of course not. Let's look at v26 closer ok?

"For as often as you eath this bread and drink this cup you do SHOW the Lord's death till he comes."

First off, there is no regimented time period. In other words whether we do this once a week, once a month or once a year. I like monthly myself. Many ex-Catholics that come to our church say it has more meaning in our church because we've taken the ritual out of it. By doing it every week it turned into more of a habit and ritual. We do it every 4-6 weeks. Some churches do it once a year.

The Lord's supper is an acted sermon (show), looking back on Christ's life and death and looking forwrd to his second coming.

Scripture is clear that this is a commeration or memorial for whaat he's done for us.

Remember Lula, the bread remains bread but REPRESENTS His body. It is an illustration such as "I am the door."