Q. Duuude! Wow! That's pretty impressive! But if at the Last Supper the elements were changed and were really the body and blood, then why do the Evangelists and St. Paul refer to the element of bread as bread and not the literal body or blood of Christ?
A. Just elaborate on that, please.
Q. After the institution of the communion supper, both the elements were still referred to as bread and wine.
After Jesus said, "This is my blood," (Matt. 26:28), he said, "But I say to you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in My Fathers kingdom," (Matt. 26:29). Why would Jesus speak figuratively of His blood as "the fruit of the vine" if it was His literal blood? He called it wine.
"For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus in the night in which 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 He took the cup also, after supper, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in My blood; do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me." 26 For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until He comes. 27 Therefore whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner, shall be guilty of the body and the blood of the Lord. 28 But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of the bread and drink of the cup," (1 Cor. 11:23-28).
If the elements were changed and were really the body and blood, then why does Paul refer to the element of bread as bread and not the literal body of Christ?
A. Wow! I honestly do not know how to answer this question...
But in Catholic tradition we still have hymns today, some written even 8 centuries ago where we hail the "Bread of angels", or the "Bread of wayfarers" and are filled with wonder at how mere men can now eat the Bread of angels. These terms all make use of imagery just like "Lamb of God", or "Bread come down from heaven".
Why did the early Christians then and why do the Christians today refer to the Body of Christ as bread? All imagery aside, the only reason I can think of is because the Body of Christ maintains the accidents of bread.
Q. So you guys mean it literally in every sense: that bread and that wine are really the Body and Blood of Christ?
A. Yup.
Q. So you guys are cannibals?
A. Wow! Eeee... Yes, if you want to look at it that way. We eat the flesh of a man who was and is God and drink His blood under the appearances of bread and wine.
Happy New Year!
3rdJanuary 2017