TRUTH AND FALSEHOOD RE THE EUCHARIST

OR HOLY COMMUNION

     In the Mystery of holy Communion or the Eucharist there is a vast difference in the Church from those outside, which verifies our unique identity as the Body of Christ. In the papacy the server does not pray and ask the Lord to send down the Holy Spirit upon the gifts so as to transform them. Protestants either believe similarly to the Papacy or do not believe in the divine nature of the Eucharist. The general Protestant view regarding the sacrifice of Christ on the Cross is that it was done just once and forever on Golgotha, which is a blasphemous assertion, for it is continual unto the ages.

     Only in the Orthodox Church is the historical and biblical tradition of the Eucharist preserved as Christ had established. Also the papacy introduced their own ideas, first in the use of unleavened wafers, and second by their claim that the change is accomplished by the words of the celebrant quoriunf Christ’s words: “Take eat . . . ”. The Protestants follow their distorted view relying on  a serious mistranslation of Holy Scripture, the epistle of St. Paul to the  Hebrews, as follows.

St. Paul says concerning Christ: “He after He had offered a sacrifice f o r e v e r  sat down at the right hand of God. For by one offering He has perfected f o r e v e r those being sanctified.”  (Heb. 10:14) 

     These grossly mistranslated verses are quoted by Protestants to support their denial that the Eucharist is bread, wine and water which is essentially changed by the Holy Spirit into the true Body and Blood of Christ. The mistranslated word is thi-nekes and appears three times in one paragraph with the translated improperly as “f o r e v e r”, but “thi nekes” in the original Bible  means  “continual”, not forever. 

BEAUTY!

• BEAUTY!

   Beauty is desired by everyone and although there are many forms and ideas of beauty in the world, every form of beauty involves an eventual degradation into ugliness which mars memory of their former beauty. There is much beauty in nature, mountains, lakes and streams;  in trees and sweet-smelling and colorful flowers, but though we enjoy their beauty, we also foresee the end of these beauties in their eventual corruption and death. For everything in the material world has a beginning in good health in  youth, but is followed by old age and a corruptible end.  “Here today and gone tomorrow, is said about material things.” This includes animals, birds, men and women, all displaying a particular beauty. This particularly true in early life, but age, weather, usage, accident and corruption eventually cause their beauty to fade and be short lived, ending in  death and corruption. 

     For example a beautiful little infant attracts the attention of people who rejoice in  its outer and inner beauty and innocence, We  are witnesses to their initial eye and hand movements. We marvel at the abilities of the quickly learned speech and action soon  acquired by the young child. We also see their response to various sounds, laughter and words, as well as their need for food and drink.  But we are aware that it will one day fade, sooner or later, suffering death and  corruption which eradicates its former beauty. There is no form of permanent beauty in this word that can impart its own beauty to others who desire it.  

     But there is a lasting beauty that is not of this world, and we know that all the beauty in this world reflects the indescribable beauty of the Creator who made everything and acclaimed that what He made was good.

   Men such as Juan Ponce de Leon were said to have been searching for beauty that everyone  desires, called the fountain of youth, which is said to have power to impart lasting beauty to those who drink of it.