MARY, WOMAN AND HER SEED VS SERPENT AND ITS SEED

 ORIGINAL SIN AND DEATH

Adam and Eve were immaculately created and came to life, pure, innocent, and without sin. They were placed in a garden paradise by Lord God to be immortal and live in eternal happiness. They were made in the image and likeness of God with free will to do as they like in the paradise of Eden. Adam was given dominion over all the earth's creation of God. He gave them a command, a single command nothing more but it involved the nature, mind, senses, and spirit of man. One command against everything that God did for them and all the things they have in paradise. Just one and unfortunately they could not give that to God. They failed and committed the grave sin of disobedience to God’s command.  

In the article, The Unforgiven Sin, we explained the doctrine of Original Sin in a fresh perspective sans the theological terms that times hard to understand. Explaining it on layman's term that is easily understood. You may go back to it for reference.

Disobedience corrupted man and caused his fall from the Grace of God. Disobedience committed by Adam and Eve was a rejection of God's sovereign will. To the Catholic Church, it is the reality of Original Sin which is passed on by the parents to the children from generation to generation. By giving way to the temptation of the devil, Adam and Eve committed what is called a personal sin but it’s not an ordinary sin because it affected and corrupted human nature to their Fallen State. Such a fallen state of being is transmitted to every child of the first parents and is termed as the original sin. It is a sin "contracted" and not "committed" personally by us who inherited it and passed on to us in our human nature. It is a state of being, the absence of holiness and perfect charity and not an act passed on to all the descendants of Adam and Eve who are the first parents of the human race. Original sin has weakened our human nature and has resulted in our inclination to sin called "concupiscence". This inclination toward sin and evil is called "concupiscence" (CCC 405, 418). Baptism erases original sin and reconcile man with God. The inclination toward sin and evil persists, however, and he must continue to struggle against concupiscence (CCC 2520).

There are several lines of biblical evidence for the historic Christian doctrine that we are all born into the world with sinful natures, due to the sin of Adam. Psalm 51:5 states that we all come into the world as sinners: “Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin my mother conceived me.”

We are born to sin and we are in that state of sinfulness until our redemption by Jesus Christ since such sin which is not committed by free act can’t be repented by us. One cannot ask forgiveness for a sin he/she did not commit. Since it can’t be repented it can’t be forgiven except by the act of God's saving grace. The first sin or known as the original sin is the concupiscence to sin. It a sin that is in our human nature and therefore it is the only sin that is inherited from generation to generation. A sin that is passed on and caused the man to keep sinning. Since it is inherent to men, it can't be repented by men who inherit it. Many are not even aware that they have it. It is the motherload of all sins and so there is no one that can save us from that sin but God alone saves. All sins can be repented but the original sin can't, so how can God forgive a sin that is not caused by the free action of the children of Adam and Eve?

From the time of the fall of man, the battle already began. In the early period, the Serpent identified by Jesus as Satan was having the upper hand snaring souls to his kingdom except for a few like Enoch and Noah. It came to a point that in the eyes of God, the man was a hopeless creature, beyond salvation that he even regrets he created them. God who is perfect created man in his image and likeness, a perfect being but the Serpent who has opposed God made him imperfect by successfully causing his fall to the sin of disobedience.

God who is the King of the Universe and King of kings, created Man and gave him freedom from the beginning to rule and have dominion to all the physical creation. But the man gave away his dominion to Satan by becoming under him than under God. By following the voice of Satan, Adam and Eve lost everything even the paradise that God personally made for them. What was in Adam and Eve that Satan used to make them disobey God? Was it just out of curiosity or a lethal combination of curiosity and greed? Of wanting to have more than what God has already given them. We believe the sin of disobedience is caused by the freedom of choice that makes man guilty for choosing to disobey God.

Knowing what man has gotten himself into and having his great love for a man more than all his creation, God made a decree of deliverance from the one that caused the man to fall, deliverance from the evil one. But the decree was clouded with mystery if one will hear or read of it in the ancient time covering the entire Old Testament. Genesis 3:15 states "I will put enmity between you and woman. between your seed and her seed. She will crush your head and you will bruise her heel." This is the original translation which later on translated she to he. But whatever the translation be of the words, the essence of the decree of God is clear, he promised deliverance of man from the power of Satan through the woman and her seed. And this is a mystery, who is the woman and her seed that will defeat Satan and crush his head? We know that the serpent cannot be easily killed by hitting its body for it can still bite, the serpent must be killed by crushing its head.

The battle is drawn between the woman and the serpent called Satan, the evil one for the Lord said: "I will put enmity between you and the woman". Enmity means the state of being actively opposed or hostile to someone. Actively oppose to the woman? How is that possible if the woman was still to come or was she? The woman can't be Eve, theologians and scholars agree because she was already defeated by the devil. In fact, the serpent did not approach Adam first but Eve meaning the devil knew she was vulnerable and can easily be deceived and then used her. Its Eve who convinced Adam to disobey God. So the woman that will be in an active opposition against the Devil and vice versa is not Eve but another woman, but who?

In the New Testament, we already know and it was revealed to us that the woman is the Blessed Virgin Mary. But she only existed sometime in the year 20 BC more or less as she conceived Jesus and delivered him to the world of men as God in the flesh sometime about 4 BC when she was about 14 or 16 years of age. Was the Blessed Virgin Mary already existing in the time of Genesis 3:15 to be in an active opposition against Satan? Here is the mystery of who the Blessed Virgin Mary is and why is she so much special to God that she is found to be full of Grace by the angel even before she conceived Jesus to be his mother in the flesh. To know about this mystery we need to comb the scriptures for an answer.

Enmity Between the Serpent and the Woman

And God said to the serpent in the Garden of Eden which tempted Eve and caused the downfall of man as a slave of sin, “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed; it shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel." (Genesis 3:15). This is also known as Protevangelium in Christian theology which prefigures the plan of salvation, the coming of the Messiah, the savior that will redeem man from the slavery of sin which began from the fall of Adam and Eve. While the focus is on the Savior alone and it is fitting and right but there is one person who has not been given much attention, the woman especially by the Protestants. 

1.      There are 2 against 2 personages in the Protevangelium Genesis 3:15, not just one. On one hand, the woman and her seed and on the other hand the serpent, that is the devil, and its seed. The words of God are clear, “I will put enmity between you and the woman”. The enmity is between the “you” that is the devil and the woman. They will be in continuing opposition from the beginning and certainly to the end of age when the devil is crushed by the head.

2.      The other is likewise similar but different, “between your seed and her seed”. There is the other enmity and it is between the seed of the devil and the seed of the woman. Here it is clear the offspring of the woman will be in opposition against the offspring of the devil.

3.      We also have to take note that the passage talks of the seed of the woman. The seed is the offspring of the woman but since it tells of only the seed of the woman and not of man then the verse has prefigured the virgin birth. There is no human father.

4.      The seed of the serpent which is an animal is also personified and will be in opposition to the seed of the woman and since the serpent is an animal, the seed of the serpent must be a beast like him.

All agreed that the “seed” of the woman is our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and therefore it logically follows that the woman is the Blessed Virgin Mary who brought forth the seed into the world, her offspring who is the Word of God incarnate. Some however in spite of obvious and logical conclusion would still try to reason out that the woman is really Eve for God was talking to her and the serpent and addressing her also as a woman. But if the woman is Eve then there will be a problem in the consistency of scriptures because she was at a fallen state like Adam and she is powerless against the devil as already shown so how can she oppose it when she herself brought the fall of men? If Eve is the tree from which the seed the Messiah will come is not that in itself a contradiction? For the scriptures tell us that: "No good tree bears bad fruit, nor again does a bad tree bear good fruit (Luke 6:43). Another contradiction is how can the Lord comes from a woman that is of a fallen state since it is written “But he who is united to the Lord becomes one spirit with him” (1 Corinthians 6:17) can we say Eve becomes one spirit with the Lord? Certainly not! Otherwise, Jesus would have been tainted with sin.

Therefore we can only conclude that in verse 3:15 God was not referring to Eve but to another woman. And who could that woman be that the Lord was already referring to her in Genesis which was the beginning? Certainly, before the awaited seed comes, the woman comes first, but is there a woman already existing aside from Eve that God was referring to in the verse? Yes, there was and she is Wisdom personified in the scripture as she. Wisdom is female Sophia in Greek, but who is she? 

The serpent and the woman will be in opposition against each other. It's going to be a continuing hostility a battle. This battle will not only between the Serpent and the woman but between their offsprings. Now if the Blessed Virgin Mary is the woman of Genesis then her seed or her offspring is Jesus Christ. 

Who is the Blessed Virgin Mary?

How is it possible that the woman with a human father and mother be untouched by original sin for even in her original state without Jesus in her womb she was already found FULL OF GRACE. The Angel of the Lord came to Mary and he greeted her with unusual greeting given only to royalty "Hail, "Full of Grace", the "Lord is with you". The young Mary who is the complete opposite of Eve being humble, obedient to God's will, trusting and loving God since she was a child, growing up serving in the Temple as a virgin consecrated to God's service was somewhat shy at the greeting of the Angel. She was used to the angels according to the story of James but the greeting given to him by Gabriel was different on the day of the annunciation of her chosen to be the mother of God concerns her. To which the Angel gave assurance to do not be afraid Mary...

And the angel of the Lord came to Mary said unto her: "Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women. Who having heard, was troubled at his saying, and thought with herself what manner of salutation this should be. And the angel said to her: Fear not, Mary, for thou hast found grace with God."

And so from then on man multiplied and became many and his sins also multiplied and became many that his sins filled the earth that God could no longer contain his anger and regretted that he ever made man. For a while, the devil may have thought that God, may have forgotten his mystery decree of deliverance through the woman and her seed because God has willed that it was time to end the reign of man under the influence of Satan on earth by destroying them with a flood. But it was really really meant first for the cleanse the world of

TO BE CONTINUED...

By Bro. Manny OTFS Chief Apologist

Copyright © 2020 by Ekklesia Katholos (Acts 9:31)

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No part of this publication may be produced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission from the publisher.

THIS IS MY BODY, THIS IS MY BLOOD

Central to the faith and worship of the Catholic Church is the Eucharist, which for the Catholics is the true body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ and therefore included is his divinity in unity with the Most Holy Trinity that is worthy of worship by the true Christians. On the other hand, the non-Catholic Bible Only believers mock and vilify the Eucharist as just a piece of bread falsely saying that it was just invented by the Roman Catholic Church. Who is correct and what is the truth about the Eucharist?

If the Catholic belief is true, the non-Catholics are in continuing blasphemy of the true body and blood of Jesus Christ and therefore they are living in a continuing mortal sin for their contempt of the Eucharist. A sin of the Holy Spirit that has no forgiveness.

If they are right on the other hand, then the Catholics are guilty of idolatry for worshiping a piece of bread which is a very grave sin against God and an abomination in the eyes of God. Thus the truth of the Eucharist is important for both sides. Let us then prove which of the two doctrines is correct, the Catholic doctrine or the non-Catholic Protestant doctrine?

What are the origin of the Eucharist and the basis of belief of each camp?

Since the doctrine as it is taught can't be found literally in the English bible naturally by the man-made "standard" of the truth of Bible Alone believers or Sola Scriptura doctrine, the doctrine of the Catholic Church is false that is what is taught by the Pastors of so many Protestant churches today. Next is the interpretation of the Protestants that the breaking of bread as taught in the scripture is only ceremonial and that the bread and the wine remain in the original species. No change has taken place and they are just that, a piece of bread and a cup of wine. With such belief, they blaspheme and profane the body and blood of the Lord that is the Eucharist.

But where is this teaching of the Protestants originated? It originated with the Reformation Movement and from the Sola Scriptura doctrine. The teachings of the Reformation Movement started out with Martin Luther who ironically was a former Priest and a Monk in the Catholic Church who protested against the practice of "Simony" done by the Catholic Church during the middle ages. He and his followers broke up with the Catholic Church and founded their own independent churches. In Luther's case, it was named after him, Lutheran Church. The Protestant Churches grew and multiplied independently of each other as they progressively developed doctrines based on their mother of all Doctrines called the Sola Scriptura and Sola Fides. With the Sola Scriptura, the dogma of the Eucharist of the Catholic Church is unacceptable to the Protestants. But they are wrong and both the scripture and history of the Catholic Church will prove the Eucharist to be what it truly is, the true body and blood of Jesus Christ.

The early Catholic Church teachings and early Christian life and practices of the Liturgy show the belief in the Eucharist that it is the true body and blood of Jesus Christ is definitely rock solid. Are there witnesses to the Catholic Church doctrine of the Eucharist? Yes, there are available early Christian Writings that have been preserved and survived from the first century to the present.

BREAD AND WINE BECOMES THE BODY AND BLOOD OF THE LORD

We will first call on the Gospel of Matthew 12:26 While they were eating, Jesus took bread, spoke a blessing and broke it, and gave it to the disciples, saying, “Take and eat; this is My body." Then He took the cup, gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you. This is My blood of the covenant which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. I tell you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until the day when I drink it anew with you in My Father’s kingdom."

Jesus did not say the bread represents his body, but he said THIS IS MY BODY. In the same way about the cup of wine, he did not say the cup of wine represents his blood, he said THIS IS MY BLOOD. When Jesus said it to his disciple was it in a form of a figure of speech or was it a true and definitive declaration? We say it was a true and definitive declaration that the bread and wine are his true body and true blood. To understand the consistency of the teaching of the Lord we should go to John 6:47-58 which states:

"Truly, truly, I tell you, he who believes has eternal life. I am the bread of life. Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, yet they died. This is the bread that comes down from heaven so that anyone may eat it and not die. I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats this bread, he will live forever. And this bread, which I will give for the life of the world, is My flesh.”

At this, the Jews began to argue among themselves, “How can this man give us His flesh to eat?”

So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I tell you, unless you eat the flesh and drink the blood of the Son of Man, you have no life in you. Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. For My flesh is real food, and My blood is real drink. Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood remains in Me, and I in him. Just as the living Father sent Me and I live because of the Father, so also the one who feeds on Me will live because of Me. This is the bread that came down from heaven. Unlike your fathers, who ate the manna and died, the one who eats this bread will live forever.”

In the discourse of Jesus with the disciples, he did not correct them in their understanding of what he was saying that he is going to give them his body to eat and his blood to drink. It was too much for them to even consider it. So many of his disciples left him and stopped following him. Yet he did not make an attempt to clarify what he was talking about even to his Apostles which he also asked "Do you want to leave too?" Jesus did not correct the disciples why? Because he was indeed talking of his true body and blood which have become clearer in the above Matthew 12:26-29. By the power of God, the bread becomes his body and the wine becomes his blood. This is the foundation of the doctrine of the Eucharist.

But how did the Apostles teach the early Christians about the Eucharist? In 1 Corinthian 10:14-22 Apostle Paul warned us about Idolatry which the Protestants with their false beliefs against the Eucharist accused us of:

Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry. I speak to reasonable people; judge for yourselves what I say. Is not the cup of blessing that we bless a participation in the blood of Christ? And is not the bread that we break a participation in the body of Christ? Because there is one loaf, we who are many are one body; for we all partake of the one loaf. Apostle Paul warned of idolatry but here in the same verse he confirmed the bread is the body of Christ and the cup of wine is the blood of Christ, therefore, the Catholics are not as guilty of idolatry as the Protestants teach others. By doing so they are sinning against the Holy Spirit

Consider the people of Israel: Are not those who eat the sacrifices fellow partakers in the altar? Am I suggesting, then, that food sacrificed to an idol is anything, or that an idol is anything? No, but the sacrifices of pagans are offered to demons, not to God. And I do not want you to be participants with demons. You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons too; you cannot partake in the table of the Lord and the table of demons too. Are we trying to provoke the Lord to jealousy? Are we stronger than He? Thus the warning of the idolatry of Paul is what the Corinthian had done at that time which was partaking of food sacrificed to idols by pagan religions to their false gods while at the same time partaking of the Eucharist which is the true body and blood of the Lord. Paul, therefore, compared the sacrifice to the idol which is actually a sacrifice to the devil, and the Sacrifice to the true God which is the Eucharist. The first is not of God and therefore idolatry while the last is a true sacrifice offered to the True God, the body and blood of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Paul is saying that after we have partaken of the Eucharist, we can’t partake of the food of the pagans offered in their altars. Otherwise, we profane the true body and blood of Jesus Christ and provoke the Lord. Let us further examine the teaching of the Apostle with regard to the bread and wine and see if he really meant what he meant in 1 Corinthian 10:14-22. Let's proceed in the next chapter of the same Letter he did for the church in 1 Corinthian 11:2 and 11:17-29 -

"Now I commend you for remembering me in everything and for maintaining the traditions, just as I passed them on to you." Here Apostle Paul commends the church in Corinth for maintaining the traditions he passed on to them. Part of the traditions passed on by Apostle Paul is of course the celebration of the Eucharist in the church of God as you will learn in the following verses after verse 2.

"In the following instructions, I have no praise to offer, because your gatherings do more harm than good. First of all, I hear that when you come together as a church, there are divisions among you, and in part, I believe it. And indeed, there must be differences among you to show which of you are approved." [Here Apostle Paul talked about the gathering of Christians together as a church. The Christians gather together for the thanksgiving of the Eucharist as a church not individually eating with their own food, not the Eucharist and Apostle Paul was so upset that it is done as shown in the next verses.]

"Now then, when you come together, it is not the Lord’s Supper you eat. As you eat, many of you proceed with your own meal to the exclusion of others. While one remains hungry, another gets drunk. Don’t you have your own homes in which to eat and drink? Or do you despise the church of God and humiliate those who have nothing? What can I say to you? Shall I praise you for this? Of course not!" [Here the Apostle Paul really castigated the Christians for not coming together for the Lord's Supper, the Eucharist, and instead, they come together bringing their own food during the gathering which is to be the remembrance of the Lord's Supper, the Last Supper, the celebration of the Eucharist.]

'For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: that the Lord Jesus, on the night He was betrayed, took bread, and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, “This is My body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of Me.” In the same way, after supper He took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood; do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.” For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until He comes. Therefore, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord. Each one must examine himself before he eats the bread and drinks the cup. For anyone who eats and drinks without recognizing the body eats and drinks judgment on himself.' [This is self-explanatory confirmation that the Eucharist is the true body and blood of the Lord Jesus Christ and not just a simple ritual of remembrance]

If the Eucharist is just the same bread and the same cup of wine in their original species after the Eucharistic prayers and offering of the sacrifice have been made how is it possible for Apostle to say they are guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord? Now the last verse sums it all up on the reality of the Eucharist and we repeat it "For anyone who eats and drinks without recognizing the body eats and drinks judgment on himself." [Now Apostle Paul is saying we should recognize the body and blood of Jesus Christ in the Eucharist or we face judgment on ourselves.]

The Protestants don't recognize the Eucharist and instead, they are mocking and vilifying the Eucharist which is the true body and blood of Jesus Christ bring judgment for themselves. This is the product of their Bible Only False Doctrine that prevents the people from entering the kingdom of God.

Let us then go forward and away from the Gospels and go to how the early Christians lived and how they regard the Eucharist. Let us take a look at the Didache document which is one of the early Christian writings that reflect the life of the church and the Christians from 33 AD. It is said that the Didache may have been written at the same time that the Gospels and the Letters of the Apostles were written. The Didache comes from the word didoskilos meaning "teacher". It is known as "Teaching of the Twelve Apostles". It is said to have originated in Syria probably Antioch and spread out to the churches there and in Egypt. According to scholars the Didache must have been written between 50 AD to 110 AD and used as a manual for the churches. The original got lost but a copy of it was found sometime in the year.

It's been used as a reference by Early Christian writers like Eusebius, Athanasius, Ignatius, and others. It's used in early Christian writings like Dedascalia and Apostolic Constitution and used in the churches in Syria and Egypt. Didache is a valuable church document as the manual that is why it's not included in the Bible because it's a church manual used to instruct the Christians like a Catechism. For purposes of this article, we will be limiting our reference to Didache's Chapter 14 Christian Assembly on the Lord's Day, Chapter 9 Thanksgiving (Eucharist), and Chapter 10 Prayer After Communion. These three chapters lead us to how the early Christians treat the Eucharist.

DIDACHE: THE SACRIFICE OF THE HOLY MASS

Chapter 14 of Didache, it gives instruction on how the Christian Assembly should gather together on Lord's Day which is Sunday, and celebrate thanksgiving that is the Eucharist. "But every Lord's Day gather yourselves together, and break bread, and give thanksgiving after having confessed your transgression that your sacrifice may be pure. But let no one that is at variance with fellow come together with you, until they are reconciled, that your sacrifice may not be profaned. For this is that which was spoken by the Lord: In every place and time offer me a pure sacrifice; for I am a great King, says the Lord, and my name is wonderful among the nations. [Clearly, too the Eucharist is the sacrifice of the assembly offered to God at the altar. Today it is called the Sacrifice of the Mass]

DIDACHE: THANKSGIVING (EUCHARIST)

Chapter 9 teaches how to give thanks on the Eucharist and how to give thanks. "First, concerning the cup: We thank you, our Father, for the holy vine of David your servant, which you made known to us through Jesus, your servant; to you be the glory forever. And concerning the broken bread: We thank you our Father for the life and knowledge which you made known to us through Jesus Your Servant; to you be the glory forever. Even as this broken bread was scattered over the hills, and was gathered together and became one, so let your Church be gathered together from the ends of the earth into your kingdom; for yours is the glory and the power through Jesus Christ forever. But let no one eat or drink of your Thanksgiving (Eucharist) but they who have been baptized into the name of the Lord; for concerning this also the Lord has said, Give not that which is holy to the dogs.

DIDACHE: PRAYER AFTER COMMUNION

Chapter 10 teaches the faithful about prayer after communion which is after receiving the Eucharist. "But after you are filled, thus give thanks: We thank you Holy Father, for your holy name which you caused to tabernacle in our hearts and for the knowledge and faith and immortality which you made known to us through Jesus your servant; to you be the glory forever. You Master almighty created all things to your name's sake; You gave food and drink to men for enjoyment, that they might give thanks to you; but to us, you freely gave spiritual food and drink and life eternal through your servant. Before all things we thank you that you are mighty; to you be the glory forever. Remember Lord, your church to deliver it from all evil and to make it perfect in your love, and gather it from the four winds, sanctified for your kingdom which you have prepared for it; for yours is the power and the glory forever. Let grace come and let this world pass away. Hossana to the God of David! If anyone is holy, let him come; if anyone is not so, let him repent. Maranatha. Amen."

From the early liturgical practices as shown above taken from Didache, we can read from the 1st Apology of St. Justin Martyrs that the Lord's Day service of the Holy Mass for the Christians of the Catholic church has progressed and developed. The 1st Apology in 148 AD is addressed to the Emperor to defend the Christians against the continuing persecution of the Roman Empire. This document shows exactly how the holy mass, the Sunday worship is still practiced, celebrated, and observed by the same Catholic Church of which St. Justin Martyr was baptized as a true Christian.

1ST APOLOGY: CHAPTER 67 WEEKLY WORSHIPS OF THE CHRISTIANS

Here St. Justin Martyr has portrayed that Christians meet weekly to celebrate the Holy Mass that we Catholics continue to do today.

"And we afterward continually remind each other of these things. And the wealthy among us help the needy, and we always keep together; and for all things wherewith we are supplied, we bless the Maker of all through His Son Jesus Christ, and through the Holy Ghost. And on the day called Sunday, [Today its the same Sunday Holy Mass that is celebrated]  (1) all who live in cities or in the country gather together to one place, and the memoirs of the apostles or the writings of the prophets are read, as long as time permits; then, when the reader has ceased, the president [priest] verbally instructs, and exhorts to the imitation of these good things. [Today this what is exactly followed called the Liturgy of the Word the same first part done in the worship as portrayed here by St. Justin] 

Then we all rise together and pray, and, as we before said, when our prayer is ended, bread and wine and water are brought, and the president in like manner offers prayers and thanksgivings, according to his ability, [This second part of the Holy Mass is the Thanksgiving also called the Eucharist which is the sacrifice of the Holy Mass exactly as still being done today]  

(2) and the people assent, saying Amen; and there is a distribution to each, and a participation of that over which thanks have been given,(3) and to those who are absent a portion is sent by the deacons. And they who are well to do, and willing, give what each thinks fit; and what is collected is deposited with the president [priest], who succors the orphans and widows and those who, through sickness or any other cause, are in want, and those who are in bonds and the strangers sojourning among us, and in a word takes care of all who are in need. [Even today, in the Catholic Church we give what we can give according to our heart's desire for the works of the church] 

"But Sunday is the day on which we all hold our common assembly because it is the first day on which God, having wrought a change in the darkness and matter, made the world; and Jesus Christ our Savior on the same day rose from the dead. For He was crucified on the day before that of Saturn (Saturday); and on the day after that of Saturn, which is the day of the Sun, having appeared to His apostles and disciples, He taught them these things, which we have submitted to you also for your consideration." [Sunday is the Lord's Day exactly why we celebrate and worship on said day because it precisely the day that the Lord rose again from the dead and it is also the day the church was officially founded, on Pentecost.]

1ST APOLOGY: CHAPTER 66 THE EUCHARIST 

From the 1st century, St. Justin Martyr clearly shows us what the Eucharist really is - the body and blood of Jesus Christ - Just as Jesus himself taught, just as the Apostle John taught, just as Apostle Paul taught, just as all the Apostles understood the teaching of Jesus of the Eucharist, just as the early Christians believed it to be true. It is not what non Catholics and Protestants mockingly portray as just a wafer or plain bread but in truth our spiritual food the true body and blood of our Lord Jesus. 

"And this food is called among us Eukaristia (5) [the Eucharist], of which no one is allowed to partake but the man who believes that the things which we teach are true, and who has been washed with the washing that is for the remission of sins, and unto regeneration, and who is so living as Christ has enjoined. For not as common bread and common drink do we receive these; but in like manner as Jesus Christ our Savior, having been made flesh by the Word of God, had both flesh and blood for our salvation, so likewise have we been taught that the food which is blessed by the prayer of His word, and from which our blood and flesh by transmutation are nourished, is the flesh and blood of that Jesus who was made flesh. (6) For the apostles, in the memoirs composed by them, which are called Gospels, have thus delivered unto us what was enjoined upon them; that Jesus took bread, and when He had given thanks, said, "This do ye in remembrance of Me, (7) this is My body;" and that, after the same manner, having taken the cup and given thanks, He said, "This is My blood;" and gave it to them alone." 

1ST APOLOGY: CHAPTER 65 THE SACRAMENTS

St. Justin Martyr's presentation of how the Blessed Sacrament that is the Eucharist in the Holy Mass is celebrated by the Priest is almost the same from the first century to the present. This is quite a wonder how early Christians celebrated the sacraments never changed in the Catholic Church. Here is how in Chapter 65 of the 1st Apology the celebration of the Sacrament is pictured

"But we, after we have thus washed him who has been convinced and has assented to our teaching, bring him to the place where those who are called brethren are assembled, in order that we may offer hearty prayers in common for ourselves and for the baptized [illuminated] person, and for all others in every place, that we may be counted worthy, now that we have learned the truth, by our works also to be found good citizens and keepers of the commandments, so that we may be saved with an everlasting salvation. Having ended the prayers, we salute one another with a kiss. [In the Holy Mass of the Catholic Church today, we greet one another with "Peace be with you". 

(3) There is then brought to the president [the Priest] of the brethren(4) bread and a cup of wine mixed with water, and he took them, gives praise and glory to the Father of the universe, through the name of the Son and of the Holy Ghost, and offers thanks at considerable length for our being counted worthy to receive these things at His hands. And when he has concluded the prayers and thanksgivings [Eucharist], all the people present express their assent by saying Amen. This word Amen answers in the Hebrew language to genoito [so be it]. And when the president [priest] has given thanks, and all the people have expressed their assent, those who are called by us deacons give to each of those present to partake of the bread and wine mixed with water over which the thanksgiving [Eucharist] was pronounced, and to those who are absent they carry away a portion." [Today this is still done in many parishes where the Eucharist is brought to the elderly and sick who can't attend the Holy Mass]

We can now conclude that from the Gospels and scriptures and in the lives of the early Christians the Eucharist is the true body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ worthy of worship and adoration. In the Eucharist the divinity of the Lord is truly present and therefore not recognize in its true form and regard it as just a mere wafer or piece of bread is a grave sin, blasphemy against the Holy Spirit which is unforgivable. Protestants' disdain and rejection of the Eucharist is the result of the false doctrines they have embraced both the Sola Scriptura and Sola Fides.

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