"This Is My Body"

WHY JESUS GIVES HIMSELF TO US AS FOOD AND DRINK ?

Jesus gives himself to us in the Holy Eucharist as spiritual nourishment
because He loves us . God's whole plan for our salvation is directed to our
participation in the life of the Trinity,
the communion of Father , Son , and Holy Spirit.
Our sharing in this life begins with Our Baptism.
When by the power of the Holy Spirit we are joined to Christ , thus
becoming adopted sons and daughters of the Father.  It is
strengthened and increased in Confirmation .  It is nourished
and deepened through our participation in the Eucharist.
By eating the Body and drinking the Blood of Christ in the
Eucharist we become United to the person of Christ through
his humanity.  "Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood
remains in me and I in him. (John Ch. 6 V-56)  in being
united to the Humanity of Christ we are at the same time
united to His Divinity .
Our mortal and corruptible natures are transformed by being
joined to the source of life "Just as the living Father sent
me and I have life because of the Father , so also the One
who feeds on me will have life because of me." (John 6 V-57) 
By being united to Christ through the Power of the Holy Spirit
dwelling in us, we are drawn up into the eternal relationship of
love among the Father , the Son , and the Holy Spirit.  As Jesus
is the eternal Son of God by nature , so we become sons and
daughters of God by adoption through the sacrament of Baptism.
Through the sacrament of Baptism and Confirmation (Chrismation) 
We are temples of the Holy Spirit , who dwells in us.
And by his dwelling we are made Holy by the gift of sanctifying grace.
The ultimate promise of the Gospel is that we will share in the
life of the Holy Trinity.
The Fathers of the Church called this participation in the divine life
"divinization" (theosis) In this we see that God does not merely send
us good things from on high.  Instead , we are brought up in the inner life
of God. The communion among the Father , the Son , and the Holy Spirit.
In the celebration of the Eucharist (which means : thanksgiving ) 
We give praise and glory to God for this sublime gift. 

WHY IS THE EUCHARIST NOT ONLY A MEAL BUT ALSO
A SACRIFICE ?

While our sins would have made it impossible for us to share in
the life of God.  Jesus Christ was sent to remove this obstacle.
His death was a sacrifice for sins.  Christ is "The Lamb of God,
who takes away the sins of the world." (John ch. 1 V-29)
Through his death and resurrection , he conquered sin and death
and reconciled us to God.  The Eucharist is the memorial of this
sacrifice.  The church gathers to remember and to re-present
the sacrifice of Christ in which we share through the action
of the priest and the power of the Holy Spirit. Through the
celebration of the Eucharist , we are joined to Christ's sacrifice
and receive it's inexhaustible benefits.
In the Eucharistic re-representation of Christ eternal sacrifice before
the Father , we are not simply spectators. The priest and the
worshiping community are in different ways active in the
Eucharistic sacrifice.  The ordained priest standing at the altar
represents Christ as head of the church.  all the baptized , as
members of Christ Body , share in his priesthood , as both
priest and victim.
The Eucharist is also the sacrifice of the church . The church,
which is the body and bride of Christ, participates in the
sacrificial offering of her head  and spouse. In the Eucharist , the
sacrifice of the members of his Body who united to Christ form
one sacrificial offering.  As Christ's sacrifice is made
sacramentally present , united with Christ.  We offer ourselves
as a sacrifice to the Father. The whole church exercises the role
of the priest and victim along with Christ, offering the sacrifice
of the mass and itself completely offered in it.

WHEN THE BREAD AND WINE BECOME THE BODY AND
BLOOD OF CHRIST , WHY DO THEY STILL LOOK AND TASTE
LIKE BREAD AND WINE?

In the celebration  of the Eucharist the glorified Christ becomes
present under the appearances of bread and wine , in a way that is
unique. A way that is uniquely suited to the Eucharist.
In the churches traditional theological language.  In the act of consecration
during the Eucharist the "substance" of bread and wine is changed 
by the power of the Holy Spirit into the "substance" of the Body and
Blood of Jesus Christ.  At the same time , the appearances of bread and
wine remain "substance" are here used as philosophical terms , that
have been adapted by great medieval theologians . Such as St. Thomas
Aquinas in their efforts to understand and explain the faith .Such terms
are used to convey the fact that what appears to be bread and wine
in every way ( at the level of physical attributes )- that is , what can be
seen , touched, taste, or  measured.) in fact is now the body and blood
of Christ (at the level of substance or deepest reality). This change at the
level of substance from bread and wine into the Blood of Christ is called
"Transubstantiation" According to Catholic Faith , we can speak of the
Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist because his transubstantiation
has occured. This is a great mystery of our Faith - We can only know it
from Christ's teaching given us in the scriptures and in the tradition of
the church.
Every other change that occurs in the world involves a change in accidents
or characteristics.  Sometimes the accidents change while the substance
remains the same. For example , when a child reaches adulthood , the 
characteristics of the human person change in many ways, but the adult
remains the same person - the same substance . At other times the 
substance and the accidents both change
For example, when a person eats an apple , the apple is incorporated into
the body of that person - is changed into the body of that person. 
+++ Christ's presence in the consecrated bread and wine+++
Truly are in substance the Body and Blood of Christ, they have
none of the characteristics of a human body, but only then of 
bread and wine.

DOES THE BREAD CEASE TO BE BREAD AND THE WINE CEASE TO BE 
WINE?

Yes ! In order for the whole Christ to be present - body , blood, soul , and divinity-
the bread and wine cannot remain, but must give way. So that his glorified
Body and Blood may be present. Thus in the Eucharist the bread ceases to be
bread in substance , and becomes The Body of Christ , while the wine ceases to
be wine in substance , and becomes The Blood of Christ . 
As St. Thomas Aquinas observed . "Christ is not quoted as saying
"This bread is my body" but " This Is My Body."

TRANSUBSTANTIATION / THE HOLY EUCHARIST / 9-23-2-18

Dear One's , remember always Christ didn't try to convince his Disciples
and try to PROVE "This is My Body and Blood to be shed for the World"
he only REPEATED in saying "This is My Body" for "I Am
The Way , The Truth and The life ."