Posted on 03/27/2016 1:45:24 PM PDT by NYer
A beautiful holy story:
Tarcisius
When the emperor Valerian ordered the execution of bishops, priests, and deacons, Christians attended Mass in basements and in the catacombs outside the city walls. Deacons would take Communion to Christians for whom getting to Mass was too dangerous.
On one such occasion, no deacon was available. The priest did not know what he would do until his altar boy, a young Roman boy of 11 named Tarcisius, stepped forward after Mass and said that he would carry Communion to some Christians waiting inside the city walls. The priest admired Tarcisius for his grit, gave him the Sacred Hosts wrapped in silk along with a quick blessing, and sent him toward the city.
All was going well until Tarcisius ran into some pagan boys his own age who asked him to come and join their game. Tarcisius thanked them, explained he had an errand to run, but said he would join them later.
“Oh! Christian boy!” One of the pagan boys sneered. “Is it that you think you are too good to play with us?” And they circled around Tarcisius.
“Not at all,” said Tarcisius. “I have something to deliver and must be on my way.”
“Well—show us what it is! What is the big secret, Christian boy?”
“It is no business of yours,” said Tarcisius, looking each of the boys squarely in the eye. “Now step aside and make way.”
Rather than step aside, the pagan boys closed their circle around Tarcisius, and as they did they picked up heavy sticks and rocks from the ground. One of them shouted, “I bet he’s carrying the Christian Mysteries!”
“Are you, Christian boy?” demanded another. “Show us!”
Tarcisius, clutching his precious cargo to his chest made a dash for what looked like an opening in the circle, but he was not quick enough. The mob of boys closed around him and they began to club him with the stones and heavy sticks. Tarcisius did not cry out, but quietly prayed, ever clutching the Blessed Sacrament to his chest.
The pagan boys beat him to death.
With bloodied hands, they seized the bruised and broken body of Tarcisius and tried to twist the silk cloth carrying the Eucharist out of his dead arms. Although he had no life left in him, Tarcisius would not let go of our Lord. The boys tried for hours to pry his arms open but they failed and failed again. They left Tarcisius’s body by the side of the road for the vultures to eat.
After a time, some Christians went looking for Tarcisius, and when they found his broken and bloody corpse still clinging to the Blessed Sacrament, they guessed what had happened. Carefully lifting the small boy’s body, they gently bore it back to the priest, who by now had grown deeply concerned about his young altar boy. The Christians set the boy’s body at the foot of the priest, who knelt down and quietly brushed Tarcisius’s hair, matted with blood, away from his face and with his thumb made the Sign of the Cross on his forehead. At that moment, Tarcisius’s body unfolded its arms and released the Blessed Sacrament to the priest, and all who witnessed this knew that here was a holy Christian boy who had held Jesus in his arms and who now was being held forever in the arms of Jesus.
http://www.catholic.com/magazine/articles/the-empire-and-the-early-church
I attended a Lutheran funeral service, and the pastor indicated that this was in memory and not the real presence. He invited everyone to partake.
it’s only through the pope, bishops and priests that can tansubstantiate the bread into the: body, blood, soul and divinity of Jesus Christ, through the power and permission of the High Priest, Jesus.
There are Lutherans and there are Lutherans. The large majority have gone looney liberal but there are still some conservative biblically sound synods
Wrong. Christ invested no special powers in any particular denomination. And transubstantiation is not my belief anyway. I believe that in with and under the bread and wine is the true body and blood of Christ. But the bread and wine do not cease to exist - they are still present as well.
Again we will not convince each other, so I wish you a blessed Easter.
I attended a Lutheran service a few years ago with a friend, they had the communion service and gave the wine in little paper cups which they disposed of later....if they believed that the wine contained the real presence of Christ, why would they throw the cups in the trash???????
He was absolutely correct, the protestant revolution severed the apostolic succession which is required to pass the authority and the power to consecrate, forgive sin through the Sacrament of reconciliation, etc. Only in the Catholic and Orthodox churches are valid Sacraments (other than Baptism) administered....the rules didn't change just because you think they did.....they didn't.
The Missouri synod Lutherans teach the real presence I have several nondenominational friends who hold the same beliefs...
I attended a Lutheran service a few years ago with a friend, they had the communion service and gave the wine in little paper cups which they disposed of later....if they believed that the wine contained the real presence of Christ, why would they throw the cups in the trash???????
There are some that understand “take, eat, this is my body” as that the bread is Jesus’ body (and the wine His blood), only when being eaten/drank. Therefore, there would only be wine at that point. Personally, I’ve seen individual plastic cups used (which are washed), but never paper.
Regardless, the official Lutheran position is:
Augsburg Confession, Article X: Of the Lord’s Supper.
1] Of the Supper of the Lord they teach that the Body and Blood of Christ are truly present, and are distributed 2] to those who eat the Supper of the Lord; and they reject those that teach otherwise.
and
Defense of the Augsburg Confession, Article X: Of the Holy Supper.
54] The Tenth Article has been approved, in which we confess that we believe, that in the Lord’s Supper the body and blood of Christ are truly and substantially present, and are truly tendered, with those things which are seen, bread and wine, to those who receive the Sacrament. This belief we constantly defend, as the subject has been carefully examined and considered. For since Paul says, 1 Cor. 10:16, that the bread is the communion of the Lord’s body, etc., it would follow, if the Lord’s body were not truly present, that the bread is not a communion of the body, but only of the spirit of Christ. 55] And we have ascertained that not only the Roman Church affirms the bodily presence of Christ, but the Greek Church also both now believes, and formerly believed, the same. For the canon of the Mass among them testifies to this, in which the priest clearly prays that the bread may be changed and become the very body of Christ. And Vulgarius, who seems to us to be not a silly writer, says distinctly that bread is not a mere figure, but 56] is truly changed into flesh. And there is a long exposition of Cyril on John 15, in which he teaches that Christ is corporeally offered us in the Supper. For he says thus: Nevertheless, we do not deny that we are joined spiritually to Christ by true faith and sincere love. But that we have no mode of connection with Him, according to the flesh, this indeed we entirely deny. And this, we say, is altogether foreign to the divine Scriptures. For who has doubted that Christ is in this manner a vine, and we the branches, deriving thence life for ourselves? Hear Paul saying 1 Cor. 10:17; Rom. 12:5; Gal. 3:28: We are all one body in Christ; although we are many, we are, nevertheless, one in Him; for we are, all partakers of that one bread. Does he perhaps think that the virtue of the mystical benediction is unknown to us? Since this is in us, does it not also, by the communication of Christ’s flesh, cause Christ to dwell in us bodily? And a little after: Whence we must consider that Christ is in us not only according to the habit, which we call love, 57] but also by natural participation, etc. We have cited these testimonies, not to undertake a discussion here concerning this subject, for His Imperial Majesty does not disapprove of this article, but in order that all who may read them may the more clearly perceive that we defend the doctrine received in the entire Church, that in the Lord’s Supper the body and blood of Christ are truly and substantially present, and are truly tendered with those things which are seen, bread and wine. And we speak of the presence of the living Christ [living body]; for we know that death hath no more dominion over Him, Rom. 6:9.
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