erected, and our Priests daily fulfilling the words of the prophets by
offering the clean oblation of the body and blood of Christ.”
4
In October 1529 Luther and Zwingli met in Marburg, Germany, to resolve
their differences concerning the Eucharist. The two leaders failed to reach
an agreement. Ever since, Protestantism has been a house divided over the
issue, with hundreds of different interpretations of the words “This is my
Body” appearing. How paradoxical that the very gift God gave to the world
as a sign of the visible unity of Christians has become the source of so
much dissension and division. St. Alphonsus de Liguori comments that
Satan, through heretics and blasphemers, tries to deprive the world of the
Mass and the Eucharist, making them precursors of the Antichrist, who
before the coming of Christ will succeed in abolishing the Holy Sacrifice of
the Altar as a punishment for the world’s sins, according to the prophecy of
Daniel:
“And strength was given him against the continual sacrifice,
because of sins...” (Dan. 8:12).
The Fathers
The Didache 14, 1 (c. 90-150 AD)
“Assemble on the Lord’s day, and break bread and offer the Eucharist. But
first make confession of your faults, so that your sacrifice may be a pure
one ... For this is the offering of which the Lord has said, ‘Everywhere and
always bring me a sacrifice that is undefiled, for I am a great king, says the
Lord and my name is the wonder of nations’ (Malachi 1:11).”
St. Clement of Rome, Letter to the Corinthians 44, 4 (c. 98 AD)
“Our sin will not be small if we eject from the episcopate those who
blamelessly and holily have offered its Sacrifices. Blessed are those
presbyters who have already finished their course, and who have obtained a
fruitful and perfect release.”
St. Ignatius of Antioch, Letter to the Philadelphians 4, 1 (c. 110 AD)
4
James Cardinal Gibbons, The Faith of Our Fathers, TAN Books and Publishers,
Inc., 1980 Ed., p. 254.
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