A Mohammedan Questions a Bishop


This comes from a Catholic tract on the Real Presence, which I've seen in circulation for many years.  I have reproduced it here in full, without changing a word.  I even left in the inaccurate designation "Mohammedan", not because I use or agree with that erroneous term for a Muslim, but in the name of faithfully reproducing the original tract.

I don't know whether it is a true story or not, but I post it because it makes some good points.  Though the questioner is a Muslim, these arguments are suitable to answer Protestant reservations about the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist.

Bishop Samonas of Gaza had come to Jerusalem with a party of pilgrims.  A Mohammedan there requested him, before a large concourse of people, to answer some questions regarding the Blessed Sacrament.  The Bishop acceded to the request, whereupon the Mohammedan asked: "How is it possible for bread and wine to become the Body and Blood of Christ?"  To this question the Bishop replied: "You have not always been as tall as you are now.  You have grown since childhood and today you have more flesh and blood than you had then.  What is the reason for this? Your body changed the food you ate into flesh and blood.  Now, if the human body changes food and drink into flesh and blood, then indeed God can do it also."

Satisfied with this reply, the Islamite continued: "But how is it possible for Christ to be present in His entirety in the small host?"  "The landscape that you see before you with the blue sky above it," responded the Bishop, "is something immense, while on the other hand your eye is very small.  Yet your tiny eye contains in itself the whole gigantic picture of the landscape.  When you consider this, it will not seem impossible for Christ to be present in His entirety in the little piece of bread."

The Mohammedan put another question to the Bishop:  "How is it possible then for the same Body of Christ to be simultaneously present in all your churches?"  "To God nothing is impossible," answered the Bishop.  "This answer alone ought to be sufficient.  I will, however, show you something similar in everyday life.  When I speak to a single individual, he hears me and takes to himself what I say.  If I should address the same words to a thousand people, they would all hear the same thing.  Or, look in to a large mirror.  You see your image reflected in it but once.  When you break the mirror into a hundred pieces, you see the same image of yourself in each of the hundred fragments of glass.  If such phenomena occur in everyday life, how should it be impossible for the Body of Our Lord to be present in many places at the same time?"

Astonished at this remarkable analogy, the Mohammedan made no reply, but went his way deeply engaged in thought.


Tell A Friend About This Site!


| Next: Hail Mary of Protestant | Apologetics Index | Site Index | Home Page |