“Whoever, therefore,
eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be
guilty of profaning the body and blood of the Lord. Let a man examine himself, and so eat of the
bread and drink of the cup. For anyone
who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment upon
himself. That is why many of you are
weak and ill, and some have died.” (1 Cor 11:27-30)
The clue that precludes a mere symbolic understanding of the
Eucharist is St. Paul’s usage of “guilty of blood,” which is a figure of speech
connoting murder (Nm 35:27; Ez 35:6).
One incurs the “guilt of blood” only if the victim is present in
person. If someone fires a gun at a
picture of the President of the United States, that person is not guilty of the
President’s blood. But if someone
actually shoots the President, then that person is guilty of the President’s
blood.St. Paul says that we are guilty of Jesus’ blood if we partake of the Eucharist unworthily. Therefore, we cannot conclude that St. Paul understood the Eucharist to be a mere symbol. He must mean the Eucharist is Jesus present in person, with his body, blood, soul, and divinity.
And lastly, There are several other ways Jesus could have
more clearly indicated that His words of institution (This is my body, this is
my blood) was symbolism if He had wished to do so. Aramaic [Jesus’ native language] has around
three-dozen words that can mean ‘represents.’
That’s why Paul warns us that we are to discern the body (if we partake
in an unworthy manner, then we are guilty of the blood of Christ. Now, how can we ‘discern’ the body if it’s
merely a symbol? We can’t! We are to discern the body in the Eucharist
because the Eucharist IS the body.
God Bless
Nathan
Adapted from
a Catholic Answers Newsletter
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