eucharist

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if the body and blood of christ is not symbolism in the eucharist but the true body and blood of Christ, and as christians we have to eat the body and drink the blood, why is it that in most churches only the hosts are given to the people and not the wine?or to put it more correctly why does the priest does not give the body AND the blood of Christ to the people?

-- janeiro (janeiro_a@rocketmail.com), April 05, 2004

Answers

bump!

-- janeiro (janeiro_a@rocketmail.com), April 05, 2004.

I have yet to be in a Catholic Church that does not give the blood.

-- Scott (papasquat10@hotmail.com), April 05, 2004.

As the Council of Trent said, "By reason of the hypostatic union and of the indivisibility of His glorified humanity, Christ is really present and is received whole and entire, body and blood, soul and Divinity, under either species alone; nor, as regards the fruits of the sacrament, is the communicant under one kind deprived of any grace necessary for salvation" (Trent, Sess. XXI, c., iii). Here is more here on the subject.



-- Bill Nelson (bnelson45-nospam@Hotmail.com), April 05, 2004.


Scott,
It is optional.



-- Bill Nelson (bnelson45-nospam@hotmail.com), April 05, 2004.


Scott,

The old Latin rite masses just distribute the host alone to the people, except perhaps on a very special occasion. People who attend that type of church would still be un-used to seeing both species distributed, but as Bill said, either is fully sufficient.

Frank

-- Someone (ChimingIn@twocents.cam), April 06, 2004.



People do receive the blood of Christ when they receive the Host, for the Host is the fullness of Christ - body, blood, soul, and divinity. The same is true when a person receives only under the form of wine. You don't receive anything "more" when you receive under both species, for there is nothing more than the fullness of Jesus Christ, and that fullness is present under either species.

-- Paul M. (PaulCyp@cox.net), April 06, 2004.

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