at Last Supper, did Jesus hold himself in His hands?

[UKcatholicGuy]

We believe Christ instituted the Eucharist at the Last Supper on the night before He died. But if He had yet to die and complete the sacrifice, how did He hold His own Body and Blood in His sacred hands?

A baptist friend asked me this, and I didn't really have an answer. Anyone know?

[Fiat]

Because He is God. This act is no less awesome than God speaking the world into existence, or being born of a virgin.

Peace
Fiat

[LSK]

Of course He did - is it not INCREDIBLE???? By holding the bread, infused and transformed into His Own Body,Blood Soul and Divinity THE WORD INCARNATE performed a miracle that seems - IS - a mind boggling mystery!


As Father Corapi says, there is no shame in saying we do not understand God!

[RobNY]

8All inhabitants of the earth will worship the beast—all whose names have not been written in the book of life belonging to the Lamb that was slain from the creation of the world.[a]

Rev 13:8, that's from the NIV.

Don't try to corner God into 'time,' he exists outside of it.

And don't make God out to be a liar either. What he says is truth.

[shannin]

What a ridiculous question. Tell your friend that God can do everything and anything.

[Verbum Caro]

Originally Posted by UKcatholicGuy

We believe Christ instituted the Eucharist at the Last Supper on the night before He died. But if He had yet to die and complete the sacrifice, how did He hold His own Body and Blood in His sacred hands?

A baptist friend asked me this, and I didn't really have an answer. Anyone know?

<Disclaimer: I believe the following to be in accordance with Church Teaching, however any deviation from Chruch Teaching is through my own error and misunderstanding and should be rejected>

CatholicGuy,

I think that some of the difficulty with this stems from some imprecision in our thinking about the Last Supper/Eucharist.

Christ is present (really and substantially) in the Eucharistic species in His Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity. He is present there sacramentally, by virtue of the power of the sacrament.

At the Last Supper, the fact that Christ had not yet died is no bar to His ability to offer Himself sacramentally in an unbloody way. This, is in fact, what happens at the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.

The difference is that at the Last Supper Christ offered Himself sacramentally in anticipation of His Sacrifice at Calvary, while at Mass He (and the priest and we) offers Himself sacramentally in a re-presentation of Calvary.

But, as you rightly noted, Christ had not yet died. That is not an obstacle, as we have seen, since the Eucharist is an unbloody sacrifice. However, much more significant is that at the time of the Last Supper, Christ had not yet risen. This is significant because the Eucharist is the whole Christ as mentioned above BODY, Blood, Soul, and Divinity. When we receive the Eucharist we receive Christ as He is now -- and He has a post-ressurection and glorified body.

But the apostles recieved Him as He was then, and at that moment, before Calvary and the Resurrection ,He had a non-glorified mortal body. (Which is obvious, because without a mortal body He would not have been able to suffer death.)

The fact that Christ gave Himself to His apostles at the Last Supper before He had a glorified body is highly significant. This shows us that Christ is present in the Eucharist by power of the sacrament, and not by power of His glorifed body. To be sure He is present WITH His glorified body now, but that is not the reason why He can be present.

Therefore since Christt is really present in the Eucharist in a sacramental way, there is no problem with the Last Supper being before Calvary or the Mass being post-Calvary. Both sacramentally sacrifice, in an unbloody manner, the "one and for all" sacrifice at Calvary.

Thoughts? Does that help at all?

I'd like to discuss this further if you would like to!
God Bless,
VC

[Todd Easton]

If you look at what else Jesus did in the Gospels, transubstantiating bread and wine into his body and blood does not seem out of character for him. Remember what happened at the wedding feast of Cana? There, Jesus not only changed the substance (transubstantiated) of water into wine but the accidents of water into wine as well. Remember what happened when the crowds listening to Jesus grew hungry? Jesus multiplied loaves and fishes numerous times. At the Last Supper when Jesus transubstantiated bread and wine into his body and blood, he multiplied his body and blood, as he had previously multiplied loaves and fishes, and he changed the substance (transubstantiated) of the bread and wine into his body and blood, as he had previously changed water into wine.

[johnshelby]

Originally Posted by UKcatholicGuy

We believe Christ instituted the Eucharist at the Last Supper on the night before He died. But if He had yet to die and complete the sacrifice, how did He hold His own Body and Blood in His sacred hands?

A baptist friend asked me this, and I didn't really have an answer. Anyone know?

didn't Jesus say "this is my body"??

i guess Jesus meant it was his body..

:-)

[JimO]

Originally Posted by johnshelby

didn't Jesus say "this is my body"??

i guess Jesus meant it was his body..

:-)

Well said!

[VociMike]

Your Baptist friend has the same problem I see a lot in Protestantism (but of course it exists elsewhere too). Since he (she?) can't comprehend something outside of our experience, he thinks it can't happen. Catholics believe that Christ's Sacrifice exists not only in time but also outside of time. Christ Himself made this very clear on the night of the Last Supper when He said "this is my Body which is given" and "this is My blood...which is poured out".

[epr1993]

Which is more difficult to believe, that the Almighty Divine God became a finite, mortal man or that when Jesus said, "This is my body" that He meant it? If we can believe the first then the second is easy.

[Elzee]

Originally Posted by UKcatholicGuy

We believe Christ instituted the Eucharist at the Last Supper on the night before He died. But if He had yet to die and complete the sacrifice, how did He hold His own Body and Blood in His sacred hands?

A baptist friend asked me this, and I didn't really have an answer. Anyone know?

Sure did! Tell her Christ can do anything - doesn't he/she believe Christ can do anything? Wow, that was easy! Next question!

[Chesster]

And was carried in His Own Hands:” how “carried in His Own Hands”? Because when He commended His Own Body and Blood, He took into His Hands that which the faithful know; and in a manner carried Himself, when He said, “This is My Body.”

St. Augustine - Commentary on Psalm 34

[Topher]

Originally Posted by UKcatholicGuy

We believe Christ instituted the Eucharist at the Last Supper on the night before He died. But if He had yet to die and complete the sacrifice, how did He hold His own Body and Blood in His sacred hands?

A baptist friend asked me this, and I didn't really have an answer. Anyone know?

He held his own body because the modes of presence were different. In the natural mode, Jesus was physically present standing before his Apostles. In the Eucharist he is still physically present but supernaturally and sacramentally. Thus Christ was able to to be present in two seperate places by doing so in two separate ways. The supernatrual mode of presence can occur in multiple locations.

[blackstone]

The problem you all have is weather Jesus would or come tell his disciples to do something that is a SIN. The Mosaic or Levitical Law forbad the drinking of blood of any living creature. This is why many of his disciples left when he told them to drink his blood. They thought that Jesus was asking to break the law.