Friday 17 February 2012

The Corruption of the Real Presence: The Heart of the "Winnipeg Heresy"

The Winnipeg liturgical document claims that the liturgy is an action of "experience" of "taking, blessing, breaking and sharing".  The document, claims that there are three elements "changed and transformed" by the words of consecration: bread, wine and the assembly. In doing so, the Catholic doctrine of the Sacrifice of the Mass is corrupted and destroyed. 
In the action of blessing, the gifts now identified for sacrifice are blessed and made holy. Through the praying of the Eucharistic Prayer, the bread and wine as well as the entire worshipping assembly are changed and transformed into the Eucharistic Presence of Jesus. With the words “this is my body; this is my blood”, a true and substantial change occurs by which bread and wine are no longer simply bread and wine and the worshipping assembly is no longer simply a group of individuals. With the words of consecration, the Eucharistic Prayer transforms bread, wine and assembly into the presence of Jesus, one body and one cup, now food for the world.
Implicitly, the formulas of the Council of Trent are being modified; explicitly, a bizarre notion of Eucharistic symbolism is being confused with Eucharistic reality. All of this reeks of heresy. The words of consecration apply only to the actual sacrificial words and action of the priest (who acts in persona Christi). If the "assembly" is "transformed" into part of this "presence of Jesus" does that mean that the assembly is to be worshiped as part of the "Eucharistic Presence"? When will the Archdiocese correct this? How is such confusion possible? Truly Pope Benedict is correct when he wrote that there is a "crisis of faith". 

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