Michael Brooks
The Eucharist is a central sacrament of the Catholic faith, believed to be the Real Presence of God, Jesus Christ, body and blood, under the appearance of bread and wine. The Catholic Church teaches that the Eucharist is both symbolic and the literal body and blood of Christ. The Eucharist is also referred to as the Lord's Supper, the Lord's Body, and the Holy of Holies, among other names. The understanding of the Eucharist as the Real Presence of Christ has been a central dogma of the Catholic faith and a point of contention with Protestant denominations.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Definition | The Eucharist is the Real Presence of God, Jesus Christ, body and blood, under the appearance of bread and wine. |
| Other Names | Lord’s Supper, Table of the Lord, Lord’s Body, Holy of Holies, Agape, Eulogia, Breaking of Bread, Synaxis, Blessed Sacrament of the Altar |
| Biblical Evidence | John 6, Luke 22:19 |
| Belief | Catholics believe in the Real Presence of Jesus in the Eucharist. |
| Miracles | There have been accounts of Eucharistic miracles, in which the consecrated bread and wine have visibly taken on the properties of real human flesh and blood. |
| Defence | There are ways to defend Christ's presence in the Eucharist against scriptural, philosophical, and historical objections. |
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What You'll Learn
The Eucharist is the Real Presence of God
The Eucharist is a central sacrament of the Catholic Church, also known as the "Lord's Supper", "Lord's Body", and "Holy of Holies". It is a mystery of Presence, Sacrifice, and Communion, prefigured in the Old Testament.
The Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist is a core doctrine of the Catholic faith. During Mass, the priest consecrates bread and wine, which are transformed into the literal body and blood of Christ. This transformation is known as transubstantiation. The belief in the Real Presence is supported by various early Christian writings, including those of Ignatius of Antioch, Justin Martyr, Origen, and Cyril of Jerusalem.
The Eucharist is also understood to have symbolic value, as Jesus himself used symbolic language when referring to his body and blood. The Catholic Church teaches that the Eucharist is both symbolic and the Real Presence of Christ, communicating his substantial reality to the people of God for their spiritual sustenance.
Throughout history, there have been accounts of Eucharistic miracles, where the consecrated bread and wine have taken on the properties of real human flesh and blood. These miracles are seen as further evidence of the presence of Jesus Christ in the Eucharist.
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Eucharistic miracles
The Eucharist is the Real Presence of God, Jesus Christ—his body and blood—under the appearances of bread and wine. This is a central dogma of the Catholic faith. When the priest consecrates bread and wine during Mass, they are transformed into the literal body and blood, soul, and divinity of Jesus Christ. This change in substance is called transubstantiation. Belief in the Eucharist is biblical and reasonable, and understanding it is a master key to understanding essential aspects of the Catholic walk with Christ.
Throughout history, there have been accounts of Eucharistic miracles, in which the consecrated bread and wine have visibly taken on the properties of real human flesh and blood. Many believe these events provide more evidence that Jesus Christ is present in the Eucharist. The Church’s official teachings do not depend on these miracles, but their existence further points to the divine mystery and sanctity of the sacrament.
The rarest reported types of Eucharistic miracles are where the Eucharist becomes human flesh, as in the miracle of Lanciano, Italy, in the 8th century, or the Eucharist becomes human blood, as in the miracle of Santarém, Portugal, in the 13th century. The Catholic Church officially recognized both miracles as authentic. A more commonly reported miracle is that of the Bleeding Host, where blood starts to trickle from a consecrated host—the bread consecrated during Mass. Other types of purported miracles include consecrated hosts being preserved for hundreds of years, such as the event of the Miraculous Hosts of Siena; consecrated hosts passing through fire unscathed; stolen consecrated hosts vanishing and turning up in churches; and levitating consecrated hosts.
Protestant views on the fact of Christ's presence in the Eucharist vary significantly from one denomination to another. While many, such as Lutherans, Anglicans, Methodists, and the Reformed agree with Roman Catholics that Christ is really present in the Eucharist, they do not accept the definition of transubstantiation to describe it, preferring the doctrine of sacramental union instead.
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Communion and the Eucharist
The Catechism states: "By this sacrament, we unite ourselves to Christ, who makes us sharers in his body and blood to form a single body". When Catholics go to Communion, they are receiving Jesus fully in the Sacrament, and they are also stating their belief and profession of faith in the Catholic Church. This is an act of love for Christ, and by taking Communion, Catholics are inviting Christ into their heart and soul.
The Eucharist is also referred to as the "Lord's Supper", "Table of the Lord", "Lord's Body", and the "Holy of Holies". The ancient title "Eucharistia" has taken precedence in the technical terminology of the Church. The Eucharist is a memorial of Christ's sacrifice, and also his true and real presence for his people. The sacrifice of Christ and the sacrifice of the Eucharist are one single sacrifice: "The victim is one and the same: the same now offers through the ministry of priests, who then offered himself on the cross; only the manner of offering is different".
There have been debates and objections to the Eucharist, often centred on the idea of cannibalism, and whether the bread and wine are symbolic or literal. The Catholic Church has always understood the Eucharist to be both symbolic and the instrument of God to communicate the body, blood, soul, and divinity of Christ.
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The Eucharist in the Old Testament
The Eucharist, or Holy Communion, is a Christian rite considered a sacraments in most churches and an ordinance in others. It is believed that the Eucharist was instituted by Jesus Christ at the Last Supper, the night before his crucifixion, when he gave his disciples bread and wine, referring to the bread as "my body" and the wine as "the blood of my covenant, which is poured out for many".
The Old Testament contains several foreshadowings and prefigurations of the Eucharist. One example is the story of Melchizedek, a priest king who offered bread and wine to Abram (later Abraham) to bless him after his victory over Chedorlaomer and his allies (Genesis 14:17-20). St. Paul declares that Jesus is "a high priest forever after the order of Melchizedek" (Hebrews 6:20), clearly identifying him as a type of Christ.
Another significant foreshadowing of the Eucharist in the Old Testament is the Passover (Exodus 12). On the night God struck down the first-born of the Egyptians, he spared the first-born of Israel, whose doorposts were marked with the blood of a lamb. This blood is seen as a foreshadowing of the "blood of the Lamb of God" in the Eucharist. The Passover supper, during which the lamb was eaten, also prefigures the Eucharist, which is celebrated as a new Passover feast.
The manna and quail that God sent to feed the Israelites in the desert (Exodus 16:4) is another Old Testament type of the Eucharist. John's Gospel (6:31-35) specifically makes this connection, with Jesus proclaiming himself as the "true bread from heaven", in contrast to the manna, which was only a foreshadowing.
In addition to these examples, the Old Testament contains several other allusions to the Eucharist through references to the lamb, blood, bread, sacrifice, and offerings. For instance, the Tree of Life in the Garden of Eden is seen as an image of the Cross, with its fruit representing the Eucharist. The story of Isaac's near-sacrifice by Abraham (Genesis 22:2) also prefigures Christ's sacrifice, with Isaac's resurrection after three days mirroring Christ's resurrection.
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Defending Christ's Presence in the Eucharist
The Eucharist is a central sacrament of the Catholic Church, and belief in the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist is a core doctrine of the Catholic faith. The Eucharist is also known as the "Lord's Supper", the "Lord's Body", and the "Holy of Holies", among other titles.
The Eucharist is the Real Presence of God, Jesus Christ—his body and blood, soul and divinity—under the appearances of bread and wine. When Catholics go to Communion, they are receiving Jesus fully in the Sacrament, and professing all that the Catholic Church believes, teaches and proclaims to be revealed by God.
There are several arguments that defend Christ's presence in the Eucharist:
- Scripture: The Bible contains several references to the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist. In John 6, Jesus promises what will be instituted at the Last Supper, saying twelve times that he is "the bread that came down from heaven", and four times that his followers will "eat my flesh and drink my blood". While some may interpret these words symbolically, Jesus does not correct them. In addition, Paul's comment that those who "eat and drink without discerning the body and blood of Christ" are "guilty of the body and blood of the Lord" (1 Cor. 11:27) would only make sense if the bread and wine were the real body and blood of Christ.
- Early Christians: The writings of early Christians, such as Ignatius of Antioch, Justin Martyr, Origen, and Cyril of Jerusalem, attest to the belief in the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist.
- Eucharistic Miracles: Throughout history, there have been accounts of Eucharistic miracles, where the consecrated bread and wine have visibly taken on the properties of human flesh and blood. These miracles provide further evidence of the presence of Jesus Christ in the Eucharist.
- Transubstantiation: The doctrine of transubstantiation teaches that, during the Mass, the bread and wine are transformed into the literal body and blood of Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit and the words of Christ. This transformation occurs despite the appearances of bread and wine remaining the same.
- Angelic Appearances: In the Old Testament, angels often took on human appearances to carry out God's work. If an angel can appear as a human, then it is reasonable to believe that God can humble himself and appear under the form of bread.
- Love and Sacrifice: The Eucharist corresponds to the love of Jesus, who sacrifices himself and gives himself totally to his followers. The Eucharist is a way for Jesus to dwell with his followers and for them to unite themselves with him.
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Frequently asked questions
The Eucharist is the Real Presence of God, Jesus Christ, body and blood, under the appearance of bread and wine.
The Eucharist corresponds to the love of Jesus the Bridegroom, who wills to dwell with us, sacrifice Himself for us, and give Himself totally to us.
The Catechism puts it this way: “The power of the words and the action of Christ, and the power of the Holy Spirit, make sacramentally present under the species of bread and wine Christ’s body and blood, his sacrifice offered on the cross once for all”.
The Catholic Church has always understood the Eucharist both to employ “figures” or “symbols” and to be God’s instrument to communicate the body, blood, soul, and divinity of Christ.
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