Why do Catholics consider the Eucharist so important? And what do they mean by words such as ‘transubstantiation’ and ‘the real presence’? This topic is very vast, covering the discussion of how Mass is both a holy meal and a sacrifice, one and the same with the sacrifice of the cross; how we are nourished, strengthened and healed by Christ’s Body and Blood; how we are then sent out to do God’s work; and much more besides. Therefore I will limit myself in this article to discussing Jesus’ presence in the Eucharistic species (under the appearance of bread and wine), and some of the implications that flow from it.

Probably the best point to start is the “I am the bread of life” discourse in John 6. It would be good for you to read the whole of this chapter for yourself. In verse 51 Jesus says: “I am the living bread which has come down from heaven. Anyone who eats this bread will live for ever; and the bread that I shall give is my flesh, for the life of the world.” After fuller explanations by Jesus, the Jews in the synagogue left him, thinking: “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?” (verse 52) and “This is intolerable language. How could anyone accept it?” (verse 60) Then in verse 66 it says: “After this, many of his disciples left him and stopped going with him.” Jesus knew what they were thinking, as in verse 64b it says: “for Jesus knew from the outset those who did not believe, and who it was that would betray him.” Had the Jews taken a more symbolic interpretation, they probably wouldn’t have been so annoyed. However, they said: “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?” Surely in full knowledge of what they were thinking, and at the sight of so many leaving, if they had misinterpreted Jesus’ words then surely Jesus would have called them back saying: “Let me explain. You don’t seem to quite understand.” But he didn’t. He “came to bear witness to the truth” (John 18:37) and therefore didn’t modify anything for the sake of greater popularity. These are hard steps to follow in.

Holy Thursday is the day that Jesus instituted the Eucharist. In Matthew 26:26–29 we read:

Now as they were eating, Jesus took some bread, and when he had said the blessing he broke it and gave it to his disciples. “Take it and eat;” he said “this is my body”. Then he took a cup, and when he had returned thanks he gave it to them. “Drink all of you from this,” he said “for this is my blood, the blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. From now on, I tell you, I shall not drink wine until the day I drink the new wine with you in the kingdom of my Father.”

But, on first glance, how could the bread and wine have been Jesus’ body and blood? The Catechism of the Catholic Church gives us a good answer (numbers 1375–1376):

1375 It is by the conversion of the bread and wine into Christ’s body and blood that Christ becomes present in this sacrament. The Church Fathers strongly affirmed the faith of the Church in the efficacy of the Word of Christ and of the action of the Holy Spirit to bring about this conversion. Thus St. John Chrysostom (354–407) declares:

It is not man that causes the things offered to become the Body and Blood of Christ, but he who was crucified for us, Christ himself. The priest, in the role of Christ, pronounces these words, but their power and grace are God’s. This is my body, he says. This word transforms the things offered.

And St. Ambrose (339–397) says about this conversion:

Be convinced that this is not what nature has formed, but what the blessing has consecrated. The power of the blessing prevails over that of nature, because by the blessing nature itself is changed … Could not Christ’s word, which can make from nothing what did not exist, change existing things into what they were not before? It is no less a feat to give things their original nature than to change their nature.

1376 The Council of Trent (1545–1563) summarizes the Catholic faith by declaring: “Because Christ our Redeemer said that it was truly his body that he was offering under the species of bread, it has always been the conviction of the Church of God, and this holy Council now declares again, that by the consecration of the bread and wine there takes place a change of the whole substance of the bread into the substance of the body of Christ our Lord and of the whole substance of the wine into the substance of his blood. This change the holy Catholic Church has fittingly and properly called transubstantiation.”

Thus what is present at communion at Catholic Mass is Jesus himself, as real before us as He was when He walked with His disciples two thousand years ago. Hence the term, ‘the real presence’. The original bread and wine are no longer there, but rather Jesus in the form of bread, and Jesus in the form of wine. This is why at some Catholic churches ‘exposition’ takes place, where the Body of Christ is prayed to, as it is Christ himself. (It is worth noting, however, that the phrase ‘(mystical) Body of Christ’ is also used to refer to the baptised Catholic community, which, when gathered in prayer, Christ is also present as “where two or three meet in my name, I shall be there with them” (Matthew 18:20). However, in the Eucharistic species He is present in the fullest possible sense, right before our eyes.)

But is there any further biblical evidence? If we read the biblical account of Holy Thursday, we notice that it didn’t occur on any old Thursday but on the day of Passover. In the Passover celebration the lamb that was slain had to be eaten (see Exodus 12:3–14). Jesus is the Lamb of God, which as part of the new Passover was consumed quite literally, at his command.

Looking to the Old Testament, we find that concerning animals, it is written not to drink the blood but to drain it away, “for the life is in the blood”. So why should Jesus want us to drink his blood? Jesus gave his life for us, not only on the cross but also in the Eucharist. In John 6:56–57 Jesus says: “He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood lives in me and I live in him. As I, who am sent by the living Father, myself draw life from the Father, so whoever eats me will draw life from me.” It follows from this that by feeding on Christ, we become more like Him.

However, since Jesus really is present in the Eucharistic species, there has to be a warning attached. The Catechism states (numbers 1385 and 1415):

1385 To respond to this invitation we must prepare ourselves for so great and so holy a moment. St. Paul urges us to examine our conscience: “Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of profaning the body and blood of the Lord. Let a man examine himself, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For any one who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgement upon himself.” (1 Corinthians 11:27–29) …

1415 Anyone who desires to receive Christ in communion must be in the state of grace. Anyone aware of having sinned mortally must not receive communion without having received absolution in the sacrament of Penance [confession].

To conclude, the Catholic belief on the presence of Jesus in the Eucharist is that at the consecration, when the priest says: “this is my body” and “this is my blood”, the bread and wine are transformed into Jesus himself with the original bread and wine no longer existing. This transformation is called ‘transubstantiation’, with Jesus’ presence in the Eucharist being referred to as “the real presence”. This is the reason why Catholics either bow or ‘bend the knee’ (genuflect) to the Body of Christ (the Blessed Sacrament) and why exposition takes place in Catholic churches; and why it is such a horrid sin of indifference to stay in bed on Sunday rather than go to Mass. Therefore I invite you, including those who are not Catholics, to go to exposition and pray before Jesus. There are opportunities at the chaplaincy on Sunday evenings and at St. George’s and St. Wilfrid’s in York during the week and on Saturday. He has given us so much. Should we not give something in return?

O bread of heaven, beneath this veil,
Thou dost my very God conceal:
My Jesus, dearest treasure hail;
I love thee and adoring kneel;
Each loving soul by thee is fed
With thine own self in form of bread

(Hymn by St. Alphonsus (1696–1787), translated by E.Vaughan.)

Michael Puljic

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