Why do Catholics continually sacrifice Jesus?

The teachings of (their) men overide what Scripture states

You are mistaken. The sacrifice was on the cross. The Eucharist is the celebration, the remembrance of the last supper, which Christ charged that his apostles do in remembrance of him. Twist it any way you want, this is how the early disciples - including Paul, who probably wrote Hebrews - celebrated, with a consecration of bread and wine as was done at the last supper. This is how those who knew him best celebrated, this is how it was pased down through centuries. Since your twisted version of Christianity no doubt traces its lineage back tot he catholic church, probably not more than 500 years separated, that makes you the Apostate, not the Catholics.

It's also disingenuous, and you should be ashamed of yourself, for you to quote this passage out of context, given that the preceding passage indicates that the author is speaking of Christ himself. Is it your contention that you're as pure as Christ, that you don't need to make a sin offering? That's mighty presumptuous of you.

<<I am fully aware of that passage and also understand that Jesus was speaking spiritually. He was never teaching that the bread or wine became His actual flesh and blood; this is the reason so many stopped following Him at that point.>>

Say what? He let them GO! He didn't call them back! He repeated it 3 times! He said "Truly, truly I say unto you, he that believes has eternal life. I am the bread of life. ... if anyone eats of this bread he will live for ever."

How the HECK to you get speaking spiritually out of that? Yes a ton of his followers, most of his followers it seams left. The scoffed and left and he didn't explain or say it was symbolic or spiritual. Then he turns to the disciples and seems to expect they might go too. PETER answers "you have the words of eternal life" but he doesn't go back and explain.

As for re-offering - we aren't re-sacrificing Jesus, we are re-presenting the same sacrifice. In part the Mass does not take place in the ordinary course of time and space. At the altar we are at Calgary on Good Friday with Jesus and every angel and saint in heaven is in attendance.

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Chris g -

John 6:63 - What Jesus is talking about in that Verse is that OUR natural body can't come to the faith on it's own, only in the Spirit can it see the truth. Your own denial that Jesus was speaking literally about the Body and Blood is proof of that even to this day.

We do not sacrifice Jesus in the Eucharist. But we do follow Jesus' instruction to "Do this in rememberance of me."

At the Last Supper, Jesus said, “Take this bread. It is my body.” Then he said, “Take this and drink. This is my blood. Do this in memory of me.”

Catholics believe this was the First Eucharist, that through a miracle the bread and wine actually became the body and blood of Jesus Christ.

Catholics reenact the Last Supper during every Mass, where God, acting through the priest, changes the bread and wine into the body and blood of Jesus Christ.

This is a great sacrament of thanksgiving and unity of Catholics.

By the way, the Eastern Catholic, Oriental Orthodox and Eastern Orthodox Churches, the Assyrian Church of the East, the Lutheran and many Anglican Churches also believe in the Real Presence of Jesus Christ in the Eucharist. This is more than half of all Christians in the world.

For more information, see the Catechism of the Catholic Church, sections 1322 and following: http://www.usccb.org/catechism/text/pt2sect2chpt1a...

With love in Christ.

No its not. He died once for our sins and his presence remains forever. In Catholic terms we say it is a "Sacramental Expression of a Paschal Mystery." (Paschal means "having to do with the Passover".)

When Evangelicals say "I am washed in the blood of Jesus" (which I love) are they re-sacrificing Jesus who died 2000 years ago? No, they are experiencing the perpetual nature of his sacrifice for our sins.

Breaking of bread happened every time apostles met. It appears to be a very sacred thing they did together rather than just some fellowship. (Acts 2:42, 1 Cor 11:20-21). Failing to discern the body & blood brings condemnation, "That is why many of you are ill and infirm and a considerable number are dying", (1 Cor 11:27-32). Jesus said "This is my body" ("Esti" in Greek).(1 Co 11:24) There are a dozen Greek words that could have been used to describe it as a "symbol". But those words were not used. The word used is "body."

The night before he was betrayed, Jesus took the bread and wine, blessed it, gave it to his closest friends and followers, and said they were his blood and body. Then he said, "Do this in remembrance of me."

While I am not Catholic, I fully understand the power of communion. The Eucharist is a gift, one that brings us closer to Jesus, and reminds us of what his life and death really meant. Yes, we can read about this and talk about it, but there is something very powerful (for many anyway) to humbly walk to the altar and reenact Jesus' final meal.

It's not about sacrifice; it's about becoming part of a powerful moment in Jesus' life, a moment that can be relived and felt over and over again at every mass.

Others have explained well and clearly that we do not sacrifice Jesus repeatedly.

As far as the matter of the Eucharist really and truly being the substantial actual body of Jesus Christ, I think this is an example of where many protestants have lost the fullness of Christianity. Ever since the time of the original apostles, and the very earliest Christians, many of whom personally saw and knew Jesus on earth, the Eucharist has been regarded as the literal body of Jesus Christ in the form of bread and wine. Partly by acknowledgment of and acceptance of Sacred Tradition we can know that the Eucharist really is the substantial body of Jesus Christ.

The Eucharist, the Blessed sacrament, was not regarded almost 2,000 years ago as a mere symbol. Jesus did NOT say that the bread he held up was a symbol. He said "This IS MY BODY", and He said "Do THIS".

Jesus performed a miracle, then told us "DO THIS."

Jesus did not say "do something nice to remember that I did this." Jesus said, "Do THIS in remembrance of me." Even with the problem of translation that Father Joseph (Cristoiglesia) pointed out for us all, Jesus simply did not say anything like, "Make a symbol of this and pass it around from now at when you meet for dinner."

"THIS" does NOT mean "a symbol of this." Since "THIS" was a miracle, Jesus clearly meant what He said to do, namely behold a miracle "in remembrance of me." The apostles were told to perform many miracles, like casting out demons and healing the sick, and Jesus did not tell them that they personally had the personal power to perform miracles. Jesus told them to do this with the power of God giving authority to their agency that brought about miracles.

Likewise, the agency of a Catholic priest, by the power of the Holy Spirit, brings about a miracle - the transubstantiation of bread and wine into the real body and blood of Jesus Christ. No substance can be two separate things at the same time. Thus, when the substance of bread and wine becomes the substance of Jesus Christ, it can no longer be bread and wine. Consubstantiation is illogical. The Eucharist is NOT both bread and wine AND the body of Jesus Christ. Transubstantiation is mysterious, but it is NOT illogical.

Jesus did not lie. When He said, "This is My body," that was true, miraculously true. It also was mysteriously true. God is under no obligation to get our approval of His miracles. We do not have to like or understand what God does in order for God's actions to be perfect and true. I think many people essentially say about some of God's miracles and some Catholic sacraments, "I don't understand that, therefore it is false." Few people are foolish enough and arrogant enough to say that literally, but they say it by implication in their arguments against things that actually are true.

We must remember that as mere humans, finite beings who are not omniscient, we can not fully understand God, or much of what God does. Indeed, a key component of anything that we know about God is that our knowledge must include acceptance of some mystery. With no mystery or incompleteness of our thoughts, we can be sure of only one thing - that what we believe about God is just plain false.

Human reason alone can not tell us anything about God EXCEPT that He certainly exists. Saint Anselm showed us that. A bit of mystery or incompleteness in our understanding of God is a mark of accuracy in our thoughts about God. I am not saying that confusion is proof of accuracy. I am saying that imperfection is an inherent aspect of mere human knowledge about God.

I am Roman Catholic.

Peace be with you.

sigh..

The Catholic Mass is a re-presentation of Christ's sacrifice on the cross, NOT a re-sacrifice. The book of Hebrews explains this sacrifice, "For Christ did not enter into a sanctuary made by hands, a copy of the true one, but heaven itself, that he might now appear before God on our behalf" (Hebrews 9:24). It does not say that Christ appeared on that Friday at 3 pm before our God. Rather it says that even NOW Christ's sacrifice appears before God. How does that happen? It is important to know a little about Jewish temple sacrifice. Once a year (Yom Kippur), the High Priest offered a sacrifice for the forgiveness of sins. The writer of Hebrews is contrasting that sacrifice of the High Priest with the sacrifice of Christ. It is not only once a year, it is a sacrifice that was sacrificed once, but continually presented before God. The Catholic Mass is that re-presentation of Christ‚s sacrifice. This follows Paul's comment in his letter to the Corinthians, "For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes" (1 Corinthians 11:26).

At Mass Catholics present themselves as "a living sacrifice" to the Lord (Romans 12:1). Our sacrifice is united to the re-presentation of Christ's once and for all sacrifice, so that we too may experience the resurrection to new life.

Um... Catholics are Christians. Christians who communicate with themselves as in simple terms "Christians" normally in simple terms recommend they are non-deonominational or fundamentalist... (i.e. Christian, yet no longer inevitably Catholic, Baptist, Methodist, Lutheran, Mormon, Episopalian, and so on). As Christians... whatever denomination, Jesus is our Savior... so there is not any longer likely a distinction in concentration. Jesus is the main concentration regardless.

Yes, it's finished, but it's also an eternal, ongoing event. We aren't sacrificing Jesus over and over again -- He is in a state of constant sacrifice for us. He's also in a state of constant resurrection for us.

The Sacrifice of the Mass is the SAME Sacrifice that Jesus made on the Cross for our sake, transcending time and space.

We don't.

You have one verse that you don't understand, reconcile it with this long list of verses:

http://scripturecatholic.com/the_eucharist.html

Will you look through the list? I would consider it if I were you, Jesus said whoever does not eat his flesh and drink his blood has no life in them. If the possibility is there that you may be wrong in your rejection of the Eucharist, it would be wise to try to understand why we believe what we do and haven't backed down from that belief in 2000 years.

edit - chris g: Please reconcile your verse with the list I linked to you. I don't believe you understand the implications of your rejection of the eucharist and transubstantiation.