The purpose of the Supper, remembrance, and the claim of literal participation
Claim examined: Worship, music, and prayer
Scriptural Answer
You wrote, "It amazes me that non-Catholics do not see this correlation. Of course Christ's "words" are spirit and life, but they are also tangible. His body was literally given for us, and he is literally the Manna from Heaven. Peter's confession certainly is profound. But he was not the first one to make that confession. (There was another disciple who made that confession first.) If Peter's confession was what "eating my flesh and drinking my blood" was all about, then why did Christ institute the "Lord's Supper"?" Jesus instituted the Lord's Supper so that as Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 11:26, "For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death till He comes." We partake of the Lord's Supper every week to remember Jesus death... We don't literally eat His body or drink His blood when we remember His death... You wrote, "No, [name omitted], on this you are dead wrong, "This we DO in remembrance of Him." That is your opinion Gail... Sorry, I am not "dead wrong" as you assert... You wrote, "Did not the Jews literally "eat" the passover lamb? And did they not literally "eat" the manna from heaven? Of course they did, and these are foreshadows of the true heavenly food . . . Christ's body broken for us." We are not talking about the Jews "literally" eating the passover lamb or "literally" eating the manna from heaven now are we Gail??? Did Jesus disciples "literally" eat Jesus body and "literally" drink His blood when they were with Him in person??? I think not... You wrote, "It may seem odd to you, as a non-Catholic, but I assure you, historically speaking, it has always been this way. Symbolic, yes it is that, but it also much much more . . .it is also substantive." You and I have been back and forth on how much I really like listening to those so-called "historians" right Gail... :-) You wrote, "The Eucharist is the central feature of the mass. There is nothing that compares to it by way of "union with Christ." There is nothing more holy, nothing more profound, nothing more reverential than the "Marriage Feast of the Lamb." One does not need to "literally" partake of the Lord's Supper in order to remember Jesus death... You wrote, "It is by the far the most glorious, the most uniquely divine moment of the spiritual journey; it is a grace that far surpasses any other. I cannot find a human word to describe the majesty of this great gift. It is touching the fingertip of God! It is like standing on the brink of eternity. It is AWESOME!" Again Gail, that is your opinion and you are entitled to it however I do not agree with the Catholic view concerning the Lord's Supper and until someone can change my mind, I will continue to say that this is not the correct way to observe the Lord's Supper... You wrote, "I wish you could believe!" I do "believe" Gail, just not how Catholics observe the Lord's Supper...
KJV Scriptures Used
Read each passage in its chapter and compare the Scriptures together.