An Apologetical Explanation of Christ’s Real Presence in the Eucharist
How is Christ truly present in the Eucharist?
Jesus said to (the Jews), “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh
of the Son of man and drink his blood, you have not life in you; he who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life…. For my flesh is food indeed, and my blood is drink indeed.” (Jn 6: 53-55)
The Church teaches that Jesus Christ is truly, really, and substantially
present-in his Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity-in the Eucharist. The bread
and wine consecrated by the bishop or priest in the Liturgy of the Eucharist become the Body and Blood of Christ.
The Church has always recognized Christ’s Real Presence in the Eucharist. Christ’s words in, instituting this Sacrament at the Last Supper were unequivocal: “ This is my body…. This is my blood” (Lk 22: 19-20). In the Eucharist, “the body and blood, together with the soul and divinity, of our Lord Jesus Christ and, therefore, the whole Christ is truly, really, and substantially contained” (Council of Trent (1551): DS 1651). St. Paul condemns the unworthy reception of the Eucharist as a profanation of the very Body and Blood of Christ (cf. 1 Cor 11: 27-29). Already in the fourth century, St. Cyril of Jerusalem exhorted, “Do not see in the bread and wine merely natural elements, because the Lord has expressly said that they are his Body and his Blood: faith assures you of this, though your senses suggest otherwise.” (Cf. CCC 1373, 1375)
This change in the Eucharistic species, in which the substance of the bread and wine becomes the Body and Blood
of Christ, is called transubstantiation. It occurs at the consecration during the Mass, when the bishop or priest pronounces the words of consecration over the bread and wine as Christ commanded (Cf. CCC 1376-1377, 1411-1413)
In the Eucharist Christ remains truly and totally present under the appearances of bread and wine. He offers his Body and Blood to us in Holy Communion to be nourished by his divine life. The Eucharist is, therefore, not merely a symbol of Christ’s presence but also the active presence of Christ himself, who gives himself to us unconditionally so our lives might be united to his intimately. The Eucharist is “the perfection of the spiritual life and the end to which all the sacraments tend” (Sth III, 73, 3c). (Cf. CCC 1323-1325) (from The Didache Bible, Ignatius Bible Edition, p. 1373)
Dear friends, after the Holy Communion, when we place the Eucharist in a monstrance and conduct Eucharistic procession through Elizabethtown to the historic church of St. Peter, we demonstrate our faith in the Real Presence
of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ in the Eucharist. Our worship and adoration of the Eucharist in procession is
a witness to our faith.
“When, therefore, the Church bids us adore Christ hidden behind the Eucharistic veils and pray to Him for the
spiritual and temporal favors of which we ever stand in need, she manifests living faith in her divine Spouse who is present beneath these veils” (Pope Pius XII, Mediator Dei, 131).
In your prayers, please pray for my vacation trip to Nigeria tonight. Remember my mother, Veronica, in your prayers as she turns eighty on June 12. Pray that the celebration turns out well and is memorable.
In Eucharistic Faith,
Fr. Alayode, OP
How is Christ truly present in the Eucharist?
Jesus said to (the Jews), “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh
of the Son of man and drink his blood, you have not life in you; he who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life…. For my flesh is food indeed, and my blood is drink indeed.” (Jn 6: 53-55)
The Church teaches that Jesus Christ is truly, really, and substantially
present-in his Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity-in the Eucharist. The bread
and wine consecrated by the bishop or priest in the Liturgy of the Eucharist become the Body and Blood of Christ.
The Church has always recognized Christ’s Real Presence in the Eucharist. Christ’s words in, instituting this Sacrament at the Last Supper were unequivocal: “ This is my body…. This is my blood” (Lk 22: 19-20). In the Eucharist, “the body and blood, together with the soul and divinity, of our Lord Jesus Christ and, therefore, the whole Christ is truly, really, and substantially contained” (Council of Trent (1551): DS 1651). St. Paul condemns the unworthy reception of the Eucharist as a profanation of the very Body and Blood of Christ (cf. 1 Cor 11: 27-29). Already in the fourth century, St. Cyril of Jerusalem exhorted, “Do not see in the bread and wine merely natural elements, because the Lord has expressly said that they are his Body and his Blood: faith assures you of this, though your senses suggest otherwise.” (Cf. CCC 1373, 1375)
This change in the Eucharistic species, in which the substance of the bread and wine becomes the Body and Blood
of Christ, is called transubstantiation. It occurs at the consecration during the Mass, when the bishop or priest pronounces the words of consecration over the bread and wine as Christ commanded (Cf. CCC 1376-1377, 1411-1413)
In the Eucharist Christ remains truly and totally present under the appearances of bread and wine. He offers his Body and Blood to us in Holy Communion to be nourished by his divine life. The Eucharist is, therefore, not merely a symbol of Christ’s presence but also the active presence of Christ himself, who gives himself to us unconditionally so our lives might be united to his intimately. The Eucharist is “the perfection of the spiritual life and the end to which all the sacraments tend” (Sth III, 73, 3c). (Cf. CCC 1323-1325) (from The Didache Bible, Ignatius Bible Edition, p. 1373)
Dear friends, after the Holy Communion, when we place the Eucharist in a monstrance and conduct Eucharistic procession through Elizabethtown to the historic church of St. Peter, we demonstrate our faith in the Real Presence
of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ in the Eucharist. Our worship and adoration of the Eucharist in procession is
a witness to our faith.
“When, therefore, the Church bids us adore Christ hidden behind the Eucharistic veils and pray to Him for the
spiritual and temporal favors of which we ever stand in need, she manifests living faith in her divine Spouse who is present beneath these veils” (Pope Pius XII, Mediator Dei, 131).
In your prayers, please pray for my vacation trip to Nigeria tonight. Remember my mother, Veronica, in your prayers as she turns eighty on June 12. Pray that the celebration turns out well and is memorable.
In Eucharistic Faith,
Fr. Alayode, OP
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