Hi! Welcome to “Dusty Phrases.” You will find below an ancient phrase in one language or another, along with its English translation. You may also find the power to inspire your friends or provoke dread among your enemies.
For other examples, visit HERE:
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Latin:
Hoc est corpus meum
English:
This is my body
This is a phrase that should be relatively well-known among practicing Catholics who still sometimes hear liturgy in Latin. Interestingly, though, I think a parody of the phrase (or a mockery?) is probably even more well-known: hocus pocus (which I wrote about previously at the link.) Hocus pocus is broadly used as a term of magic in the English-speaking world by all segments of society, religious and non-religious alike.
The Latin phrase “Hoc est corpus meum” above is from the Vulgate Latin Bible and it is part of Christian Holy Communion / The Eucharist.
Luke 22: 19 And he took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.”
Mark 14: 22 And as they were eating, he took bread, and after blessing it broke it and gave it to them, and said, “Take; this is my body.
Roman Catholics and Orthodox Christians (and others) believe that during Holy Communion, the bread and wine “change” and become the actual body and blood of Jesus Christ. This mysterious “change” or as Catholics put it, “transubstantiation” is the thing being mocked by the magic term “hocus pocus.” Defense of this “mysterious change” belief though is found in the Gospel of John, in the section of Chapter 6 wherein Jesus discusses Himself as “the bread of life” and then discusses the necessity of eating His body and drinking His blood.
John 6: 52 The Jews then disputed among themselves, saying, “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?” 53 So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. 54 Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day. 55 For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. 56 Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him. 57 As the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so whoever feeds on me, he also will live because of me. 58 This is the bread that came down from heaven, not like the bread the fathers ate, and died. Whoever feeds on this bread will live forever.” 59 Jesus said these things in the synagogue, as he taught at Capernaum.
60 When many of his disciples heard it, they said, “This is a hard saying; who can listen to it?” 61 But Jesus, knowing in himself that his disciples were grumbling about this, said to them, “Do you take offense at this? 62 Then what if you were to see the Son of Man ascending to where he was before? 63 It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh is no help at all. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life. 64 But there are some of you who do not believe.” (For Jesus knew from the beginning who those were who did not believe, and who it was who would betray him.) 65 And he said, “This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless it is granted him by the Father.”
66 After this many of his disciples turned back and no longer walked with him.
The reaction – not to mention the literal words – are pointed to as evidence that Communion is not merely a symbolic remembrance.
Nevertheless, many Christian sects and denominations do not believe that Jesus meant what He said literally (though their failure to do so can be viewed as heresy by those who do.) Many Protestant Christian denominations view Holy Communion as symbolic or as a ceremony of remembrance.
There is today a relatively wide belief among practicing Catholics in the occurrence of “Eucharistic miracles.” These miracles usually take the form of the Holy Communion bread and wine miraculously turning into literal flesh and blood without being consumed (with subsequent scientific confirmation.)
There are a lot of examples of these occurrences. Many of them are scientifically documented. A few of the alleged miracles are noted in the video below:
