Transubstantiation.

[Maisy]

There were a lot of Jewish influences in the last supper.

Jesus and all of his apostles, Paul, Mark, Luke etc were all Jews up to their conversions. They all lived in a Jewish culture and society and all knew intimately the rituals practiced at that time by the local culture and the Jewish religion.

It's interesting the Catholic Eucharist is made of unleavened bread which is the bread of the Jewish Passover. Historically, it's believed that Jesus would have used unleavened bread at the Last Supper. The ancient Jews were instructed to use unleavened bread during the feast of Passover. This is scripturally and historically linked to the fact that, in their hasty exodus from Egypt, there was no time to fully knead the dough and allow the bread to rise before baking it (see Dt 16:3). Thus they baked it quickly without yeast.

The Passover sacrifice, also known as the Paschal lamb or the Passover lamb, is the sacrifice that the Torah mandates the Israelites to ritually slaughter on the evening of Passover, and eat on the first night of the holiday. Part of the ritual included the lambs blood which had to be collected by a priests using gold or silver cups.

Animal sacrifice, using the body and blood of the animal, saying prayers to God using such things, eating the animal, did not end until 70 years after Jesus's death of the cross. So at the time of the last supper, animals were still being sacrificed for religions and spiritual reasons.

I think all the words Jesus used at the last supper were a direct reference to the Jewish Passover and Jesus was directly comparing himself to the Passover lamb. As saint Paul himself says in the bible:

1 Corinthians 5:7
New International Version
7 Get rid of the old yeast, so that you may be a new unleavened batch—as you really are. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed.

It makes sense because new religions seek to covert others. Thus, they want some familiarity with the old religion to be present in the new religion.

MARK
Mark 14:23 Then Jesus took a cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, and they all drank from it. 24 “This is my blood of the covenant,...

In the Jewish religion, the covenant is a promise that God made with Abraham. According to the covenant, God would offer protection and land to Abraham and his descendants, but they must follow the path of God.

From the Catholic Mass, the Gloria:

[This ancient hymn of praise is used on all Sundays outside of Advent and Lent, on solemnities and major feasts, and in solemn local celebrations. It is preferably sung by the whole congregation, but may also be sung by the choir or recited by all. The priest may begin with a brief sung or spoken invitation for the people to praise God.]

Lord God, Lamb of God, Son of the Father,
you take away the sins of the world, have mercy on us;
you take away the sins of the world, receive our prayer;

And at the communion during Mass:

Fraction of the Bread:

All: Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world: have mercy on us.
Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world: have mercy on us.
Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world: grant us peace.

Direct references to Jesus and the Passover lamb. The following benediction was pronounced before eating the sacrificed lamb of the Passover: "Blessed be Thou, the Eternal, our God, the King of the world, who hast sanctified us by Thy commands, and hast ordained that we should eat the Passover."

[Maisy]

An old testament story started the whole lamb sacrifice thing:

Exodus 12:12 (God speaking)

For I will pass through the land of Egypt this night and will kill all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast, and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment. I am the Lord. 13 The blood shall be to you for a sign on the houses where you are. And when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and the plague shall not be upon you to destroy you when I smite the land of Egypt.


Exodus 12:21-28

21 Then Moses called for all the elders of Israel and said to them, “Draw out and take for yourselves a lamb according to your families and kill the Passover lamb. 22 You shall take a bunch of hyssop, and dip it in the blood that is in the basin, and apply the lintel and the two side posts with the blood that is in the basin, and none of you shall go out from the door of his house until the morning. 23 For the Lord will pass through to kill the Egyptians. And when He sees the blood upon the lintel and on the two side posts, the Lord will pass over the door and will not permit the destroyer to come to your houses to kill you. 24 “And you shall observe this thing as an ordinance to you and to your sons forever.

Maisy,

Thanks for #121 and #122. People, unfortunately, can be repelled by the drinking of blood…reminding them of vampires. Blood, in the context of the Bible, has a much different meaning.

Hebrews 9:22….”in fact, the law requires that nearly everything be CLEANED/ purged with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness…”. symbolically it is the cleansing agent that makes eternal life possible…..

In relation to Hebrews 9:22….the translation of The Message Bible provides some understanding….”Practically everything in a will hinges on death. That’s why blood, the evidence of death, is used so much in our tradition, especially regarding forgiveness of sins.”

All of this is related to us being inheritors of Christ……

[sky]

Originally Posted by Molearner

That’s why blood, the evidence of death, is used so much in our tradition, especially regarding forgiveness of sins.

I personally see blood as the evidence of life.....

Originally Posted by sky

I personally see blood as the evidence of life.....

The difference is between flowing blood and shed blood.

[AngelBlue]

We need several pints of blood in our body to survive.
We are born with the relevant amount of blood in order to survive.
For some , the act of violence takes that life force away.
The draining of the blood due to unimaginable acts is quite terrible.
So I see it from both sides.

[sky]

Originally Posted by AngelBlue

So I see it from both sides.

I don't

[AngelBlue]

Originally Posted by sky

I don't

Shut up...nobody asked you . LOL

[sky]

Originally Posted by AngelBlue

Shut up...nobody asked you . LOL

.......