The Eucharist Comparison
Table RCC5
| Roman Catholic Church | Scripture |
|---|---|
| The Last Supper was a real sacrifice in which Christ's blood was poured out for our sins in the cup [§610, §611, §621, §1339]. | The Last Supper was a Passover meal. Christ's blood was poured out for our sins at the cross (1 Peter 2:24). |
| The bread and wine become the real body and blood of Christ [§1373, §1374, §1375, §1376, §1377]. | The bread and wine are symbols of the body and blood of Christ (1 Corinthians 11:23-25). |
| Christ's body and blood exist wholly and entirely in every fragment of consecrated bread and wine in every Roman Catholic church around the world [§1374, §1377]. | Christ is bodily present in heaven (Hebrews 10:12, 13). |
| The consecrated bread and wine are heavenly food which help one to attain to eternal life [§1392, §1405, §1419]. | The bread and wine are symbols which help one to remember Christ (Luke 22:19). |
| God desires that consecrated bread and wine be worshiped as divine [§1378, §1379, §1380, §1381]. | God forbids the worship of any object, even those intended to represent Him (Exodus 20:4, 5; Isaiah 42:8). |
| Christ has ordained certain men to a ministerial priesthood to perpetuate the sacrifice of the cross [§1142, §1547, §1577]. | Christ has ordained every believer to a holy and royal priesthood to offer spiritual sacrifices, the praise of their lips, and lives yielded to God (1 Peter 2:5-10; Hebrews 13:15; Romans 12:1). |
| The Sacrifice of the Mass is the sacrifice of the cross [§1085, §1365, §1367]. Only the manner in which it is offered is different [§1367]. | The sacrifice of the cross is a historical event. It occurred once, approximately 2,000 years ago, outside Jerusalem (Mark 15:21-41). |
| The sacrifice of the cross is perpetuated in the Sacrifice of the Mass [§1323, §1382]. | The sacrifice of the cross is finished (John 19:30). |
| The Mass makes Christ present in His death and victimhood [§1353, §1362, §1364, §1367, §1409]. | Christ cannot be made present in His death and victimhood, for He has risen and is “alive forevermore” (Revelation 1:17, 18; Romans 6:9, 10). |
| At each Mass, the priest re-presents to the Father the sacrifice of Christ [§1354, §1357]. | Christ presented the sacrifice of Himself to the Father “once at the consummation of the ages” (Hebrews 9:24-28). |
| The Mass is an unbloody sacrifice which atones for the sins of the living and the dead [§1367, §1371, §1414]. | Without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins (Leviticus 17:11; Hebrews 9:22). |
| Each Sacrifice of the Mass appeases God's wrath against sin [§1371, §1414]. | The once-for-all sacrifice of the cross fully appeased God's wrath against sin (Hebrews 10:12-18). |
| The faithful receive the benefits of the cross in fullest measure through the Sacrifice of the Mass [§1366, §1407]. | Believers receive the benefits of the cross in fullest measure in Christ through faith (Ephesians 1:3-14). |
| The sacrificial work of redemption is continually carried out through the Sacrifice of the Mass [§1364, §1405, §1846]. | The sacrificial work of redemption was finished when Christ gave His life for us on the cross (Ephesians 1:7; Hebrews 1:3). |
| The Church is to continue the sacrifice of Christ for the salvation of the world [§1323, §1382, §1405, §1407]. | The church is to proclaim the Lord's death for the salvation of the world (1 Corinthians 11:26). |
