Brethren in Christ, Peace be with you,
About a month ago, my wife and I were beginning to study Acts. We typically set aside Wed nights for Bible Study, but on this night, after two hours, we only got through the first eleven verses of Chapter 1!! I had this overwhelming feeling that verse 11 was pointing towards the Eucharist. But the connection alluded me. God Bless my wife for her patience!
Needless to say, the two hours were mostly spent with us both sitting in a pile of various books trying to make some tangible connection between this verse and the Eucharist. Our Catholic study bible did not make this connection, nor did the Ignatious Study Guide to Acts (the one put out by Hahn). Our Protestant Bible was of no help either. The RSV-CE had nothing in footnotes or appendices on these verses which indicated a connection to the Eucharist. There are other books we looked at (and many we did not - including the writings of the early Church Fathers), but we could not find this connection in a really tangible, convincing way.
This feeling followed me around for weeks. I found myself thinking of it almost constantly, yet unable to make the connection. Let me first quote the pertinent verses:
RSV-CE
Acts 1: 9-11 (9) And when he had said this, as they were looking on, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight. (10) And while they were gazing into heaven as he went, behold, two men stood by them in white robes, (11) and said, Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.
Douray-Rheims
Acts 1:9-11 (9) And when he had said these things, while they looked on, he was raised up: and a cloud received him out of their sight. (10) And while they were beholding him going up to heaven, behold two men stood by them in white garments. (11) Who also said: Ye men of Galilee, why stand you looking up to heaven? This Jesus who is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come as you have seen him going into heaven.
I quoted Douray-Rheims because I was searching for a more literal translation to compare to my thoughts on the RSV-CE translation.
Here is how I think it relates to the Eucharist (and I am anxious to hear other, much more scholarly than I, opinions on this):
Verse 11 has two very curious words: This and come.
This Jesus, as opposed to what other Jesus? I think it means the actual, physical Jesus who rose from the dead and now ascended into heaven before their eyes. Not some spiritual representation of Him. Him Himself. The blessed, resurrected Jesus Christ. This Jesus. This seems to make sense when you look at this passage in the Eucharistic context. After all, the Eucharist IS the physical Jesus. The very same Jesus that they saw ascend into heaven.
He will come, not return. A coming indicates something that is not singular in nature (and here, the coming is not limited to coming to the Apostles!). In other words, He can come and come and come.... But if He returned, He would have to leave in order to return again. But He never leaves us! He (this Jesus) comes to us now almost ceaselessly through the celebration of the Mass and the changing of bread and wine into His most precious body and blood. It is amazing to think that there is not an hour that goes by where somewhere in the world a Mass is not being celebrated! Talk about heaven on earth! Anyway, the point is, the word come has some significance that may be overlooked too often.
Now, take a look at how This Jesus will come in verse 11. It says that He will come in the same way as they saw Him go. That refers us back to verse 9. If you substitute verse 9 in the appropriate place in verse 11, verse 11 would read as follows (words in bold are mine to illustrate the flow): ...and said, Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come by being lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight.
Think about this. When the Priest consecrates the host, what does he do? He lifts it up. Or, raises it up (if you are following along with the DR version).
So what about the cloud?
This was the part I struggled with the most in trying to make this connection. Until, while speaking to a Priest, I learned of the concept regarding the transubstantiation of the Cloud of the Senses. That is, our human senses cannot see the actual change in the bread and wine. We are clouded from seeing the particulars, the actual change. It is thus, a mystery to us. We accept it in faith. This concept (and the term itself) has apparently been around a long time (I am looking for information to research this - which is part of why I bring this here).
And so, per the words of the two men (my wife and I spent much time contemplating who those two men were, coming up with some interesting ideas) in white, Jesus, This Jesus, does come. He comes (note the plural) every time that the host is lifted, and within the cloud of the senses, is changed into the actual body and blood of Jesus.
Does anyone have some background/history on the Cloud of the Senses phrase or seen this application or interpretation of this passage? Or am I just reading too much into this?
Please dont respond to the negative, that is, saying how this passage only relates to the Second Coming. I know and agree with that interpretation/application, but I am now questioning if it means much more than that. Isnt the Word of God AMAZING!?
God Bless,
Preachers12
About a month ago, my wife and I were beginning to study Acts. We typically set aside Wed nights for Bible Study, but on this night, after two hours, we only got through the first eleven verses of Chapter 1!! I had this overwhelming feeling that verse 11 was pointing towards the Eucharist. But the connection alluded me. God Bless my wife for her patience!
Needless to say, the two hours were mostly spent with us both sitting in a pile of various books trying to make some tangible connection between this verse and the Eucharist. Our Catholic study bible did not make this connection, nor did the Ignatious Study Guide to Acts (the one put out by Hahn). Our Protestant Bible was of no help either. The RSV-CE had nothing in footnotes or appendices on these verses which indicated a connection to the Eucharist. There are other books we looked at (and many we did not - including the writings of the early Church Fathers), but we could not find this connection in a really tangible, convincing way.
This feeling followed me around for weeks. I found myself thinking of it almost constantly, yet unable to make the connection. Let me first quote the pertinent verses:
RSV-CE
Acts 1: 9-11 (9) And when he had said this, as they were looking on, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight. (10) And while they were gazing into heaven as he went, behold, two men stood by them in white robes, (11) and said, Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.
Douray-Rheims
Acts 1:9-11 (9) And when he had said these things, while they looked on, he was raised up: and a cloud received him out of their sight. (10) And while they were beholding him going up to heaven, behold two men stood by them in white garments. (11) Who also said: Ye men of Galilee, why stand you looking up to heaven? This Jesus who is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come as you have seen him going into heaven.
I quoted Douray-Rheims because I was searching for a more literal translation to compare to my thoughts on the RSV-CE translation.
Here is how I think it relates to the Eucharist (and I am anxious to hear other, much more scholarly than I, opinions on this):
Verse 11 has two very curious words: This and come.
This Jesus, as opposed to what other Jesus? I think it means the actual, physical Jesus who rose from the dead and now ascended into heaven before their eyes. Not some spiritual representation of Him. Him Himself. The blessed, resurrected Jesus Christ. This Jesus. This seems to make sense when you look at this passage in the Eucharistic context. After all, the Eucharist IS the physical Jesus. The very same Jesus that they saw ascend into heaven.
He will come, not return. A coming indicates something that is not singular in nature (and here, the coming is not limited to coming to the Apostles!). In other words, He can come and come and come.... But if He returned, He would have to leave in order to return again. But He never leaves us! He (this Jesus) comes to us now almost ceaselessly through the celebration of the Mass and the changing of bread and wine into His most precious body and blood. It is amazing to think that there is not an hour that goes by where somewhere in the world a Mass is not being celebrated! Talk about heaven on earth! Anyway, the point is, the word come has some significance that may be overlooked too often.
Now, take a look at how This Jesus will come in verse 11. It says that He will come in the same way as they saw Him go. That refers us back to verse 9. If you substitute verse 9 in the appropriate place in verse 11, verse 11 would read as follows (words in bold are mine to illustrate the flow): ...and said, Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come by being lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight.
Think about this. When the Priest consecrates the host, what does he do? He lifts it up. Or, raises it up (if you are following along with the DR version).
So what about the cloud?
This was the part I struggled with the most in trying to make this connection. Until, while speaking to a Priest, I learned of the concept regarding the transubstantiation of the Cloud of the Senses. That is, our human senses cannot see the actual change in the bread and wine. We are clouded from seeing the particulars, the actual change. It is thus, a mystery to us. We accept it in faith. This concept (and the term itself) has apparently been around a long time (I am looking for information to research this - which is part of why I bring this here).
And so, per the words of the two men (my wife and I spent much time contemplating who those two men were, coming up with some interesting ideas) in white, Jesus, This Jesus, does come. He comes (note the plural) every time that the host is lifted, and within the cloud of the senses, is changed into the actual body and blood of Jesus.
Does anyone have some background/history on the Cloud of the Senses phrase or seen this application or interpretation of this passage? Or am I just reading too much into this?
Please dont respond to the negative, that is, saying how this passage only relates to the Second Coming. I know and agree with that interpretation/application, but I am now questioning if it means much more than that. Isnt the Word of God AMAZING!?
God Bless,
Preachers12