1. Real Presence.
There is real presence of the Lord in the bread and wine. It is not body and blood in real nature. But it is body and blood by grace. As the bread and wine becomes His body and blood by the word of the Lord, in the same way it happens by the word of priest who is the representative of the Lord. As the Lord takes his body in St. Mary when the angel conveyed the message, the presence of the Lord is happening in the bread and wine. Though the second person in the Trinity is seen as man, he was perfect man and perfect God at the same time. In the same way the bread and wine without any external sign imbibes divinity internally, God resides in it with out making any change in the materials. The substance under goes no change in sight or taste. As in the heated iron, heat remains in iron with out any change in the substance, like wise the bread and wine become body and blood of the Lord by the presence of the Lord without any change in the substance. How this occurs, it is beyond the imbibing power of human beings, but it occurs by the unseen mighty power of the Almighty. It is the “Great Mystery”. Those who receive with faith and reverence, have remission of sin and everlasting life.We do not accept any dogmas against this faith-like the transubstantiation theory or the conception as mere sign or mere materials or mere remembrance.
2. The leavened bread made with wheat flour.
The bread used in Holy Qurbana is to be prepared only with leavened wheat flour. It is said in the Old Testament that the bread used in the pass over was unleavened bread. But the bread, which our Lord divided among the disciples at the mansion of Sehion, was leavened bread. In Syriac the name for leavened bread is “Lahamo” and for unleavened bread to remove “Patheera”. In the Bible when this portion is described “Lahamo” is clearly used and hence it is evident that the Lord used leavened bread to remove the old and to install the new. Mathew :26:26 “ While they were eating, Jesus took bread (Lahamo) and gave thanks and broke it”. Mark 14:22 “While they were eating, Jesus took bread (Lahamo) gave thanks and broke it”. Luke:22:19 “And he took bread (Lahamo) gave thanks and broke it and gave it to them”. Luke 22:20 “In the same way, after the supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you”. It means that the old is removed. The leaven represents life. It shows that there is life where Christ is. Amos 4:5 “Burn leavened bread as a thank offering”. We see the fulfillment of this prophecy in the Holy Qurbana. Certain churches use ‘Patheera’ we do not accept that.
3. It should be received after mixing together.
The bread and the wine are to be received after mixing them together. In Luke 22:17 when it is said to take and eat and drink, it is not done. How they did it, it is explained in John 13:26. “It is the one to whom I will give this piece of bread when I have dipped it in the dish”. From this saying it is quite clear that the Lord took the bread after mixing it with the wine, gave it to eat. At the fraction and commixture ceremony, the bread and wine are mixed together. Thereafter it should not be given separately. In certain churches the practice is to give them separately. But we do not accept that practice.
4. The bread broken to pieces and then to eat.
It is the sign of Old Testament sacrifice to cut the object of sacrifice into pieces. Lord broke the bread and gave it piece by piece. Mathew 26:26 Here it is clearly stated that he took bread, gave thanks and broke it and gave it to his disciples. In the same way in Luke 22:19 it is said that the bread is broken or divided into pieces and gave it. We read that the sacred apostles assembled together to break the bread. Even the name given to that service was ‘the service of breaking of the bread’. 1cor:10:16 “Is not the bread hat we break a participation in the Body of Christ”? From this we have to understand that the bread is to be eaten by breaking into pieces. Certain churches do not follow this. That we do not accept.
5. We should be recipients of the bread blessed by the priest.
The priest eats the bread blessed and broken into pieces and he should give part of that bread to others. 1Cor :10:17 ”Because there is one Loaf, we, who are many, are one body, for we all partake of the one Loaf”. Certain churches do not give to the laity the bread blessed by the priest, also do not give it divided and in piece. We do not consider it as proper.