Today we celebrate the feast of Ignatius of Antioch, who shed his blood, was "ground by the teeth of beasts into Christ's pure bread," in the opening years of the second Christian century. Ignatius is one of my favorites of the primitive Church; he is a strong witness at a very early date to much that we take for granted in the Church today. Thus I find him to be a poignant counterpoint to the oft-repeated Protestant claim that much that is "Catholic" is merely medieval invention.
I particularly rely on him in teaching that most Catholic of all doctrines, the Real Presence. In his letter to the Church at Smyrna Ignatius rails against the heretics (docetists) who "abstain from the Eucharist and from prayer, because they confess not the Eucharist to be the flesh of our Saviour Jesus Christ, which suffered for our sins, and which the Father, of His goodness, raised up again" (7:1). How much more clearly could the case be stated? Here, within eighty years of the death and Resurrection of the Lord Jesus, we have clear proof that the orthodox teaching of the Church was that the Eucharist was truly, not symbolically, the Body and Blood of Christ.
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6 comments:
phony
What, you don't believe in the Real Presence?
Have you heard this story:
Pope John Paul II was going to be speaking at a parish or cathedral, I want to say it was in New York, but I don't remember the specifics. So the Secret Service and other law enf. organizations were "clearing" the church, including sending through dogs to sniff for bombs and people....they are very specialized canines.
When they got to the area of the tabernacle, the German Shepherd Dog sat down, staring at it, and would not move.
This is the signal the dog was trained to give upon discovering the presence of a PERSON, very specifically.
True Presence, indeed.
Did hear that one. A powerful one!
Thanks for sharing.
I hadn't heard that one. Fabulous! Is there any documentation of it? I'd love to use it in my informal apologetics...
Fr. Charles Ledderer, The Dakotas, USA you are impersonating a Catholic priest. Your identity is fictitious. There are people on here that are believing you. I am asking you not to trick people anymore.
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