They deny the plain words

The heretics are obsessed with their fancy rose colored shades which allows them to see the things which have never before been seen (gnosticism) and gloss over, reinterpret or completely ignore the things which are extremely obvious. Their entire worldview has a different landscape, as the things which they believe at their core is founded on an unreasonable faith, where they become the measuring stick, the judge, the source of all truth by means of their own brain in determining the scriptures by taste tests.

They build castles of sand with their arguments from silence; willing to bank their eternal soul on an assumption they made from holy scriptures, building an entire theorem of how the early church functioned by reading between the lines while willingly ignoring historical evidence.

For instance, one of my dear friends has argued with me that the Chair of St. Peter, the Bishop of Rome, did not have authority over any of the other churches because he was not addressed in the first several chapters of Apocalypse (Revelation) as the letters were written to individual bishops of the seven churches of Asia, and not to Rome to hold them to account. While I must confess, this is an interesting argument, one that I had never encountered before, nonetheless it is an argument from silence. There could be some logic gleaned from this argument, if indeed the early church had written similarly or used such an argument themselves. But rather we find the exact opposite, written within the first one hundred years of St. John’s Apocalypse.

Pope Clement of Rome writes to the Corinthian Church still within the first century, in chapter 58 of his epistle, “Receive our counsel, and you shall be without repentance […]” and the following chapter, “If, however, any shall disobey the words spoken by Him through us, let them know that they will involve themselves in transgression and serious danger; but we shall be innocent of this sin […]”.

St. Irenaeus [130 - 202 AD] (Bishop of Lyons), who studied under St. Polycarp [69 - 155 AD] (Bishop of Smyrna), in his writings “Against Heresies” volume iii.3 writes when speaking of Rome: “For it is a matter of necessity that every Church should agree with this Church, on account of its preeminent authority”.

And also St. Cyprian [210 - 258 AD] (Bishop of Carthage) writes in his treatise regarding the Unity of the Catholic Church speaks of the primacy of Rome.

These historical evidences yet prove that my friend’s gnostic reading between the lines, arguments from silence, are but castles of sand, an assumption at best, that intends to disprove the authority of Rome. These rose colored glasses that he views the world through are able to provide more than just a tint on reality. They deceive the wearer, by creating things that do not exist and hiding the things which are so obvious that they stumble and fall over the plain words.

They [the multitude] said therefore to him: What sign therefore dost thou shew, that we may see, and may believe thee? What dost thou work? Our fathers did eat manna in the desert, as it is written: He gave them bread from heaven to eat. Then Jesus said to them: Amen, amen I say to you; Moses gave you not bread from heaven, but my Father giveth you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is that which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life to the world. They said therefore unto him: Lord, give us always this bread.

John 6:30-34

I will attempt to state the obvious, as many Protestants gloss over this chapter and attempt to reinterpret the plain words.

1. The multitude asked for a sign
2. The multitude was looking for a new miraculous sign, a new manna.
3. Jesus affirms, “So be it” (amen).
4. Jesus reminds them that Moses did not give the “true bread of heaven”.
5. The bread of God comes from heaven and gives life to the world.
6. The multitude requests this true bread of heaven.

And Jesus said to them: I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall not hunger: and he that believeth in me shall never thirst. But I said unto you, that you also have seen me, and you believe not.

John 6:35-36

1. Jesus affirms that He is the “bread of life”.
2. He will feed the hungry and the thirsty.
3. He counters their lack of faith.

The Jews therefore murmured at him, because he had said: I am the living bread which came down from heaven. And they said: Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How then saith he, I came down from heaven? Jesus therefore answered, and said to them: Murmur not among yourselves. No man can come to me, except the Father, who hath sent me, draw him; and I will raise him up in the last day. It is written in the prophets: And they shall all be taught of God. Every one that hath heard of the Father, and hath learned, cometh to me. Not that any man hath seen the Father; but he who is of God, he hath seen the Father. Amen, amen I say unto you: He that believeth in me, hath everlasting life. I am the bread of life. Your fathers did eat manna in the desert, and are dead. This is the bread which cometh down from heaven; that if any man eat of it, he may not die. I am the living bread which came down from heaven. If any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever; and the bread that I will give, is my flesh, for the life of the world.


John 6:41-51

1. The Jews lacked faith that He was the true “bread of heaven” and murmured.
2. The Jews lacked faith that He came down from heaven.
3. Jesus corrects their lack of faith again.
4. Jesus states again that He is “the bread of life”.
5. Jesus states that he who eats this bread “shall live for ever”.
6. Jesus states that the bread that He will give for the life of the world is His flesh.

The Jews therefore strove among themselves, saying: How can this man give us his flesh to eat? Then Jesus said to them: Amen, amen I say unto you: Except you eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, you shall not have life in you. He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath everlasting life: and I will raise him up in the last day. For my flesh is meat indeed: and my blood is drink indeed. He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, abideth in me, and I in him. As the living Father hath sent me, and I live by the Father; so he that eateth me, the same also shall live by me. This is the bread that came down from heaven. Not as your fathers did eat manna, and are dead. He that eateth this bread, shall live for ever.

John 6:52-58

1. The faithless Jews took issue with His promise, “flesh to eat”.
2. Jesus reaffirms with “So be it” (amen).
3. Jesus says they must “eat his flesh and drink his blood” to have everlasting life.
4. Jesus confirms that His “flesh is meat indeed” and His “blood is drink indeed”.
5. Jesus says that one must do this to “abide” in Christ and He in them.
6. Jesus again states that He is the living bread of heaven.

Many therefore of his disciples, hearing it, said: This saying is hard, and who can hear it? But Jesus, knowing in himself, that his disciples murmured at this, said to them: Doth this scandalize you? If then you shall see the Son of man ascend up where he was before? It is the spirit that quickeneth: the flesh profiteth nothing. The words that I have spoken to you, are spirit and life.

John 6:60-63

1. Many disciples were offended at His sayings.
2. He rebukes their lack of faith.
3. Christ wonders about their faith after the ascension.
4. The Spirit of God gives life (quickens).
5. The Bread of Heaven is unprofitable if there is no faith.
6. Christ’s words are spiritual and life giving.

And how can they read these beautiful passages without seeing the glory, the grandeur and the blessed Eucharist spelled out in these passages? With the slight stroke of undue emphasis and grave error of misinterpretation they make null and void Christ’s blessed promise by stating that Christ’s words are only spiritual. What a terrible trick of the devil! What a crafty and subtle serpent to reduce the blessed promise of true manna, living bread of heaven to merely a spiritual application! By all means we believe it to be spiritual! It is spirit and life! Christ said that we shall abide in Him and He in us if we eat His flesh and drink His blood! His spiritual promise also extends to warn those heretics that except [they] eat His flesh and drink His blood, [they] shall not have life!

But this is not all; for they yet ignore more of Christ’s words:

And whilst they were at supper, Jesus took bread, and blessed, and broke: and gave to his disciples, and said: Take ye, and eat. This is my body. And taking the chalice, he gave thanks, and gave to them, saying: Drink ye all of this. For this is my blood of the new testament, which shall be shed for many unto remission of sins.
Matthew 26:26-28

But my dear friends, if as you say, your communion service is merely a remembrance service, of Christ’s Last Supper, His passion, agony and death on the cross, then how do you miss these clear words of Christ our Lord, sitting with His twelve disciples at His Last Supper, before the agony, before the scourging, before the crown of thorns and whips and crucifixion on the cruel cross quite clearly and plainly declare of the bread and of the wine “This is my body” and “this is my blood” “which shall be shed”? His words are yet so clear, so unmistakable, that I marvel at the great blindness you have! How can this supper be a memorial service of something that has yet to happen? For of truth, you must confess, Christ had not shed his blood; yet He says “this is my blood which shall be shed”! Christ performs a great miracle before thy very eyes, he turns the natural elements of bread and wine into his very flesh and blood before it had ever been shed!

For even St. Paul, when writing to the Corinthian states: “Therefore whosoever shall eat this bread, or drink the chalice of the Lord unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and of the blood of the Lord.” Pray tell me how one who only remembers Christ’s passion and death can be guilty of his body and blood, when partaking of the bread and drink unworthily? For yet he continues, “For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh judgment to himself, not discerning the body of the Lord.” How do these rose colored shades blind you so from the clear words of holy scripture? How can one who eats some bread and drinks some wine in remembrance of Christ’s passion be guilty of his body and blood, unless that which he partakes of is truly the flesh and blood of our risen Lord?

For on this account, history bears witness; yea, the successors of the Apostles who learned the Faith and traditions from the hands of the Apostles do also testify. St. Ignatius (3rd Bishop of Antioch) writes in the early second century to the Church at Rome, “I desire the bread of God, the heavenly bread, the bread of life, which is the flesh of Jesus Christ, […] and I desire the drink of God, namely His blood”. To the Philadelphian’s he writes, “Take heed, then, to have but one Eucharist. For there is one flesh of our Lord Jesus Christ, and one cup to [show forth] the unity of His blood; one altar;”. To the Smyrnaean’s he writes, “They [heretics] abstain from the Eucharist and from prayer, because they confess not the Eucharist to be the flesh of our Saviour Jesus Christ, which suffered for our sins, and which the Father, of His goodness, raised up again.”.

St. Justin Martyr (90 - 165 AD), in his first apology, when speaking of the Eucharist, writes: “[…] so likewise have we been taught that the food which is blessed by the prayer of His word, […] is the flesh and blood of that Jesus who was made flesh."

And also St. Irenaeus [130 - 202 AD] (Bishop of Lyons) speaks very clearly about the Eucharist being the very body and blood of our Lord, in his writings “Against Heresies”, which are too many to enumerate here.

But how is this then, that you can deny the plain words of Christ, His Apostles and their successors? You take those words of Christ, as the serpent did in the garden, and slightly twist them here, add a hint of emphasis there, and make null the eternal promise of God which is able to save your souls from eternal damnation! You say, His words are spiritual. And this we do not deny; but not only spiritual! For we must have our daily manna as we travel through this wilderness, as Jesus taught us to pray to our Father, “Give us this day our daily bread”, where Christ is the true and living bread that comes down from the Father!

You would rather read between the lines, finding some hidden mysteries which exist only in your imagination, than accepting the plain words of Our Lord, His Apostles and their successors. What are these tainted glasses which you wear that cause such blindness?