under both species QUESTION from Kathy Jaaskelainen March 19, 20 I recently was teaching my religious ed class about the eucharist. My very curious sixth graders were full of questions beyond what was stated in their textbook. One girl asked me why if Jesus is present in both the wafer and wine, the minister proclaims this is the body of Christ when presenting the wafer and this is the blood of Christ when offered the wine. I was unable to give any answer except that because we receive under both species in our parish that the eucharist wafer and wine simply are refered to separately, but are actually both the body and blood of Christ. Please enlighten me with an answer I can share with my class. Thank you, God Bless, Kathy J
ANSWER by John-Paul Ignatius, OLSM on April 17, 2001 Dear Mrs. Jaaskelainen:
Well first, this separation in the wording is that we have two species, the Body and the Blood. Jesus instituted the Euxharist in this was at the Last Supper, offering his Body and his Blood.
This phraseology also points out the Body and the Blood. The host is the perfect symbol of the Body, the wine is the perfect symbol of the Blood. The words this is the body of Christ thus specifically emphasize the Body of our Lord, the body that was tortured and nailed. The words, this is the blood of Christ thus specifically emphasizes the Blood of our Lord, the blood that was shed for our sins. The Body can be offered without offering death, is my thought. Thus the blood indicates that not only was the Body of our Lord offered up, but so was His blood. The sheding of blood is the indicator certainly of death.
But in terms of the Real Presence, each is the whole. Even in our own bodies, our bodies contain blood, and our blood contains portions of our body in the liquid that spills out of a wound.
I could give you a more theological answer I suppose, but off the top of my head that is what I would tell the kids.
Sorry I couldn't give a better answer... a victim of being 80 quesitons behind. I may come back to this later with a better answer.
Bro. Ignatius
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