I happened upon a blog the other trying to explain away, very intelligently, the “Catholic view” of Holy Communion. I won’t post it because I don’t know if the blogger would like that or not, but I am currently taking that on as my next major topic to blog about. I did make a brief(ish) comment on his blog that I would like to share in the meantime:
“Interesting read, however, I do not agree. Having been raised evangelical Christian, I have heard similar, almost identical arguments. (I came into full communion with the Catholic Church a few years ago). The general problem with Protestant theology is the idea that each saved individual is given the power through the Holy Spirit to interpret Scripture… which ironically is precisely, in many ways, why we have thousands and thousands of post-Reformation Christian denominations. Christ gave this authority to the Church, which is evident throughout the new testament. To say over and over again “the Catholic belief is…” might be accurate, but it was the unified, dogmatic, Christian belief right up until the Reformation (though Luther did believe in the true presence). The historical Christian doctrine of the Eucharist is long standing and accurate. The idea that “it’s all just a symbol” is relatively new in terms of historical Christian belief, and depending on which church you belong to, there are a plethora of beliefs when it comes to Holy Communion, again based on individual interpretation. The Catholic view on John 6 is exegetically accurate and historically proven to be what Christians believed up to and after the Reformation. Mind you, these Christians who believed in the true presence were the ones whom the Holy Spirit guided to assemble the books of the new testament as we know them today. So, while I hear what you are trying to say based on your personal study of the text, and I even ascribed to a version of yours most of my life, I know that the next Protestant might have a slightly different version of it. To me, that’s a red flag. Christ desires the Church to be unified in all beliefs. We need to ask ourselves what that looks like. We need to ask Him for truth, and not rely on ourselves. Just my two cents… I certainly meant all of the above with respect for what you believe, as my brother in Christ. God Bless.”
I often find it hard to communicate my Catholic beliefs to my Protestant brothers and sisters without offending them, so I usually find myself finishing my thoughts with qualifying statements like the one above. I can only speak from my experience, and I honestly do desire to respect all beliefs. More to come…
dailyconversion 
I don’t think we should want to “respect all beliefs”–why on earth would we respect something untrue, stupid, harmful, deluded, (etc.)?!? I’m not saying the Protestant perspective is necessarily any of those things, but many beliefs are. To be tolerant and respectful means honoring an individual’s RIGHT to hold a particular belief, no matter how absurd or illogical; and to seek to understand where the other is coming from, how they arrived at their belief, and what informs their conclusion–without losing sight of their God-given dignity. Truth is, by nature, intolerant: if something is true, it’s opposite is false; if something is fully true, than anything that departs from that Truth is only partially true. This reality is FELT painfully: none of us relish the feelings of insecurity that raise our defensive. But it is not uncharitable. Paul VI wrote that “Dialogue is the new name of charity.” So let’s dialogue, and find what goes on in the hearts and minds of others, being willing to reveal our own minds and hearts even though we may be scorned or rejected or abused.
You were spot on with this post: the real issue when discussing Faith with Protestants is Authority. Oh, but that would take another blog…or four. Keep up the writing, friend.
What a great, succinct defense of the Eucharist, brother!