Eucharist
Video Resources
The Real Presence of Christ
Understanding how Christ is truly present in the Eucharist under the appearances of bread and wine.
Concepts
The Eucharist is the source and summit of the Christian life. The other sacraments, and indeed all ecclesiastical ministries and works of the apostolate, are bound up with the Eucharist and are oriented toward it.
In the Eucharist, Christ gives us the very body which he gave up for us on the cross, the very blood which he poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. The Eucharist is the memorial of Christ's Passover, the making present and the sacramental offering of his unique sacrifice.
By celebrating the Last Supper with his apostles in the course of the Passover meal, Jesus gave the Jewish Passover its definitive meaning. The new Passover of Jesus, his passage to his Father by his death and Resurrection, is anticipated in the Supper and celebrated in the Eucharist.
Questions & Answers
The Church bases this belief on Jesus’ teaching in John 6, where He insists that His flesh is “true food” and His blood is “true drink.” Instead of softening His language when people objected, Jesus intensified it, reinforcing that He meant His words literally, not symbolically.
Jesus shifts from the normal Greek word for “eat” to one which means “to gnaw” or “chew” like an animal. This change makes His teaching even more concrete and physical, supporting the Church’s understanding that he meant the Eucharist to be truly His body and blood.
They found His teaching about eating His flesh and drinking His blood shocking and unacceptable, especially given Jewish prohibitions against consuming blood. Their departure shows that Jesus did not reinterpret His words symbolically to ease their discomfort; He allowed them to leave rather than change His meaning.
The text contrasts ordinary descriptive speech with authoritative speech that changes reality—like a police officer declaring an arrest or an umpire calling a player “out.” These examples illustrate how God’s word, infinitely more powerful, doesn’t just describe reality but creates and constitutes it.
Scripture shows God creating through speech—“Let there be light”—and Isaiah teaches that God’s word accomplishes what it is sent to do. This theme supports the belief that when Jesus speaks over bread and wine, His divine word brings about the reality it declares.
Because Jesus is described as the Word of God made flesh—the same divine Word through which God created the universe. This means His spoken words have divine power to cause reality, not merely describe it.
At the Last Supper, Jesus declares, “This is my body” and “This is my blood.” Since His word is creative and authoritative, the Church teaches that His declaration truly changes the bread and wine into His Body and Blood at the deepest level.
The priest speaks in persona Christi—in the person of Christ. When he repeats Jesus’ words over the bread and wine, it is Christ acting through him. Therefore, Christ Himself brings about the Eucharistic change through the priest’s ministry.
Transubstantiation means the substance (deepest reality) of the bread and wine becomes Christ’s Body and Blood, while the accidents (appearances) remain unchanged. The text uses examples—like starlight from the past or misjudging someone’s character—to show that appearance and reality do not always match.
Since the Eucharist is truly Christ’s Body and Blood, receiving it draws us into deeper union with Him. By consuming the Eucharist, we are spiritually transformed and “assimilated” into Christ’s mystical body.
The Church requires Catholics to receive Holy Communion at least once a year during the Easter season. However, Catholics are encouraged to receive frequently, even daily if possible, provided they are in a state of grace (free from mortal sin). Regular reception of the Eucharist strengthens our union with Christ and the Church.