The faith of our fathers - Carmel Apologetics

""330 THE FAITH OF OUR FATHERSBut the best and the most reliable interpreters ofour Saviour s words are certainly the multitude, andthe disciples who were listening to Him. They allunderstood the import of His language precisely as"it isexplained by the Catholic Church. They believed that our Lord spoke literally of His body andblood. The Evangelist tells us that the Jews disputed among themselves, saying How can this man:"give us His flesh to eat ? And even His disciples,though avoiding the disrespectful language of themultitude, gave expression to their doubt in thismilder form : This sayingis hard, and who caiihearSo much were they shocked at our1it?"Saviour s promise, that after this many of Hisdisciples went back, and walked no more with Him."They evidently implied, by their words and conduct,that they understood Jesus to have spoken literallyof His flesh ; for, had they interpreted His words ina figurative sense, it would not have been a hardsaying, nor have led them to abandon their Master.But, perhaps, I shall be told that the disciples andthe Jews who heard our Saviour, may have misinterpreted His meaning, by taking His words in theliteral acceptation, while He may have spoken in afigurative sense. This objection is easily disposedof. It sometimes happened, indeed, that our Saviourwas misunderstood by His hearers. On such occasions, He always took care to remove from theiimind the wrong impression they had formed, byJohn vi. 61. Ibid. vi. 67.