A Biblical Dilemma For Catholic Eucharistic Theology

• Discussion:

           -The Roman Catholic Church maintains that its priests transubstantiate bread and wine into the body and blood of Jesus Christ. Hence, it wholly ceases to be what it originally was. Roman Catholics believe that they literally eat Him at each worship gathering in order to obtain a further supply of grace from God. However, we are told in the New Testament that God does not dwell in places made by human hands. The biblical teaching on the presence of Christ is distinct from that taught by the Catholic Church:

           "However, the Most High does not dwell in houses made by human hands; as the prophet says: ‘Heaven is My throne, and earth is the footstool of My feet; what kind of house will you build for Me?’ says the Lord, ‘Or what place is there for My repose?" (Acts 7:48-49)

           "The God who made the world and all things in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands; nor is He served by human hands, as though He needed anything, since He Himself gives to all people life and breath and all things." (Acts 17:24-25)

          If God in some mysterious way is said to not "dwell" in temples, then it is only fair to infer that He (Christ is God in the flesh) is not "coming down" from His throne in the heavens at the command of some priest. Roman Catholic theology does not simply affirm Christ's presence in the bread and wine, but that they actually become His body and blood under unchanged substance and accidents.

          There is no change in the communion elements in the way alleged by Rome. He is simply not made present at the words of consecration by the parish priest. Jesus Christ is omnipresent in His divinity, but it is absurd to claim He is physically consumed in His entirety (i.e. "body, blood, soul and divinity") to begin with. Christ's divinity transcends physical forms.

          Christ did not enter a holy place made with human hands, so there is no reason to suppose that He is going to descend from above on a daily basis to be sacrificed for sin. The Catholic priest's act of consecration is null and void. It does not effectuate a true transformation of the communion elements. Further, the divine is not to be equated with physical matter:

          "Being then the children of God, we ought not to think that the Divine Nature is like gold or silver or stone, an image formed by the art and thought of man." (Acts 17:29)

           Is not the eucharist wafer manna? Is it not earthly and tangible? The answer to both questions is a resounding yes. The bread and wine used in the mass does not really become Jesus Christ, but an image of Himself. They are only an earthly depiction of the divine. This point is a springboard for a separate objection, namely, Catholics are guilty of idolatry as a result of worshiping the eucharist. They worship bread and wine. This claim is rooted in the commandment against idolatry and the worship of created things (Exodus 20:4-5).