Just one-third of U.S. Catholics agree that Eucharist is body, blood of Christ

[dUSt]

https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2019/08/05/transubstantiation-eucharist-u-s-catholics/

 

 

[Guest]

Bishop Barron: "Massive failure"..........."we are all guilty".........."wake up call on the part of everybody in The Church".

[fides' Jack]

I remember 15 years ago when they said it was something like 60% didn't believe...  Hard to imagine it's gotten worse.

Although, judging from my current apprehension in letting my kids get religious instruction from our local conservative parishes, it's not going to get better any time soon.

We need to pray and fast urgently for the bishops of the Church.  They are the ones who will ultimately suffer.

[Seven77]

I think it's like fundamentally, these Catholics don't really believe that Jesus is alive.

[fides' Jack]

Or that He was even a real person, in all likelihood. 

[little2add]

I  doubt the accuracy of the aforementioned  statistic.  

[Guest]

34 minutes ago, little2add said:

I  doubt the accuracy of the aforementioned  statistic.  

I am hoping so.  The Blessed Eucharist and the Real Presence is the foundation and the whole of The Church and Catholic life.  "I am The Vine, you are the branches.............apart from Me you can do nothing".

[tinytherese]

My dad doesn't believe in the Eucharist. He was raised in a Methodist family that went to church on Christmas and Easter, but they didn't get baptized. He became Catholic for his first wife. They divorced and were granted an annulment. He got little if any education in the faith. He thought that Mary Magdalene and Our Lady were the same person.  

His sister who became Evangelical Lutheran has asked in conversation if our church gives us wine or grape juice. I told her neither. We receive Jesus. It got awkward then. She might've been confused. The last time this happened dad joked, "Well it's something" and laughed.

On one occasion when I said that the Eucharist is Jesus, dad took out wine that was around and said, "So this is Jesus." I replied no, wine becomes Jesus during the consecration at mass. I doubt that he was convinced. 

I've also heard Catholics like my grandma and once even a priest mention going up to receive the wine. I corrected a fellow Catholic saying that it's not wine. They responded with, "Well, you know what I mean." Would you call a book a giraffe? No, because that's not what it is.  

[deusluxmea]

I wonder, though, if it is possible or even desirable to force people to believe in certain things? If people sincerely don't believe, should they pretend otherwise? And I'm even sure belief is something we can really control within ourselves, like willpower. 

[dominicansoul]

The way we worship shapes and forms our beliefs.  Our Liturgies have lessened the central role of Christ in our midst and replaced it with the WE are CHRIST mentality.  If I didn’t have the amesome catholic teachers in my life growing up, my parents, I doubt I would have ever grasped the fundamental belief that Jesus is Present in the Holy Eucharist.  Why?  Look at how our church treats Him.  What was once the “Holy of Holies” the altar, the place of upmost reverence and worship has become like any other space in the Church.  We have not-so-extraordinary ministers walking up casually to the tabernacle and taking Jesus out.  Then they turn and talk to their friends and accompany them to breakfast all the while with the Hosts among them.  

Probably 75 percent don’t believe because our leadership doesn’t believe either... who ever allowed our lapsed reference is to blame.  Whoever wanted to “empower” the laity by allowing them to take over the Eucharistic duties of the priests is to blame... 

This year I’m teaching First Holy Communion class. I’ve akready told the pastor, these kids are gonna kneel to receive Him and on the tongue for their first time.    I’ve also been teaching them not to walk up past the altar rail, that place is Holy.   I’ve taught them not to talk or make noise in church, that it’s Jesus house and He deserves all their attention.  I’ve taught them how to walk in and out with silent reverence, to genuflect when they go before the Tabernacle..  They are in awe, because as little kids who have been taught about the True Presence, they truly believe He is there and they act accordingly.  

 

Now I know why the Lord says we need to be like little children...

[Anomaly]

I still attend mass very regularly to accompany my wife.  I am regularly stricken by the lack of reverence in the actions of most people.  I see more respect and reverence for the flag and military at funerals and before a hockey game, then for the concept of the Real Presence. 

[Guest]

2 hours ago, dominicansoul said:

Now I know why the Lord says we need to be like little children...

[Gary david]

You know i still go back to the time when Jesus had a thief on both sides of Him. Now Jesus didnt come to this earth without leaving a important message in all that He did and said. And after all that He did and said for us He takes us to the final moments of His life on earth. And all of His teachings were displayed in a single event that tells me so much. The requirement from Jesus is that we confess to Him that He is our God in all things past present and future. That is what one theif confessed to Jesus at the last moment and that was surely enough because if it weren't then Jesus never would have told him. "On this day you will surely be with me in heaven". I think of this often. God did not come down to this earth to make things difficult for us, it is us that have made things difficult.

[Guest]

14 hours ago, Gary david said:

God did not come down to this earth to make things difficult for us, it is us that have made things difficult.

.............and made it difficult too for God to get through to us..........

 Reminds me of an incident from the life of Jesus: 

"And he said, "Woe also to you scholars of the law! You impose on people burdens hard to carry, but you yourselves do not lift one finger to touch them" (Luke Ch 11)

 

[Gary david]

On 8/11/2019 at 11:34 PM, BarbaraTherese said:

.............and made it difficult too for God to get through to us..........

 Reminds me of an incident from the life of Jesus: 

"And he said, "Woe also to you scholars of the law! You impose on people burdens hard to carry, but you yourselves do not lift one finger to touch them" (Luke Ch 11)

 

So true Barbara. You know Jesus didnt come all the way down to this earth to leave His words and not have incredible meaning and truth in them. And they dont need additional interpretation, they mean what they mean.

God bless Barbara....gary