Defending the Faith 6
Opening Prayer
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Lord Jesus Christ,
You are the Bread of Life.
You gave Yourself for us on the Cross,
and You give Yourself to us in the Holy Eucharist.
Open our minds to Your truth,
increase our faith in Your Real Presence,
and teach us to receive You with love, reverence, and humility.
Amen.
In our first session, we asked:
Why be Catholic?
And we said that Catholic faith begins with Jesus Christ. We are Catholic because Jesus is Lord, because He founded a Church, and because in that Church He gives us His truth, His mercy, and His Body and Blood.
In our second session, we asked:
Did Jesus really found the Church?
And we saw that the Church is not a human invention added on later. Jesus gathered disciples, chose the Twelve, gave authority, gave Peter the keys, commanded the Apostles to teach and baptise, gave the Eucharist, gave the power to forgive sins, promised to remain with His Church, and sent the Holy Spirit.
In our third session, we asked:
Is the Bible enough?
And we saw that Catholics love the Bible as the inspired Word of God, but we do not separate Scripture from the Church, Sacred Tradition, and the apostolic faith in which the Bible was received and handed on.
In our fourth session, we asked:
Who has authority in the Church?
And we saw that all authority in the Church belongs first to Jesus Christ. The Church’s authority comes from Him, stands under Him, and exists to keep us faithful to Him.
In our fifth session, we asked:
Why do Catholics go to Mass every Sunday?
And we saw that Sunday Mass is not an optional extra. It is the heart of Catholic life, because there Christ gathers, teaches, offers, and feeds His Church.
Now we come to the heart of the Mass:
Is the Eucharist really Jesus?
This question matters deeply.
Many people today think Holy Communion is only a symbol.
They may say:
“It is just bread and wine.”
Or:
“It helps us remember Jesus.”
Or:
“It is a sign of community.”
Or:
“Surely Jesus did not mean it literally.”
Or even:
“Why do Catholics make such a big thing of the Eucharist?”
These are serious questions.
And we need to answer them calmly, clearly, and with faith.
Because the Catholic answer is astonishing.
At Mass, after the consecration, what looks like bread is no longer bread.
What looks like wine is no longer wine.
The appearances remain, but the reality has changed.
The Eucharist is truly, really, and substantially Jesus Christ: His Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity.
Not a symbol only.
Not a reminder only.
Not a holy object only.
Not a piece of bread that makes us think of Jesus.
The Eucharist is Jesus Himself.
The same Lord born of the Virgin Mary.
The same Lord who taught in Galilee.
The same Lord who healed the sick.
The same Lord who died on the Cross.
The same Lord who rose from the tomb.
The same Lord who is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He gives Himself to us under the appearances of bread and wine.
That is why the Eucharist is the source and summit of the Christian life.
That is why Catholics genuflect.
That is why the tabernacle matters.
That is why the altar matters.
That is why Mass matters.
That is why receiving Holy Communion is never casual.
So we are not speaking about a Catholic extra.
We are speaking about the gift of Christ Himself.
1. Jesus is the Bread of Life
The Catholic faith in the Eucharist begins with Jesus Himself.
In the sixth chapter of Saint John’s Gospel, Jesus says:
“I am the bread of life.”
He does not merely say:
“I give good teaching.”
He does not merely say:
“I give inspiring thoughts.”
He says:
“I am the bread of life.”
Then He goes further.
He says that the bread He will give is His flesh for the life of the world.
The people listening are shocked.
They ask:
“How can this man give us his flesh to eat?”
This was the moment when Jesus could have softened His words.
He could have said:
“You misunderstand me. I only mean this symbolically.”
But He does not.
Instead, He speaks even more strongly.
He says:
“Unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you.”
And again:
“My flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink.”
These are not easy words.
They were not easy then.
They are not easy now.
Many of His disciples found this teaching hard, and some no longer walked with Him.
But Jesus did not call them back by saying, “I only meant it as a metaphor.”
Instead, He turned to the Twelve and asked:
“Do you want to go away as well?”
And Peter answered:
“Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.”
That is the Catholic response to the mystery of the Eucharist.
We may not understand everything.
We may find it beyond our imagination.
We may wonder how bread and wine can become the Body and Blood of Christ.
But we trust the Lord who speaks.
If Jesus says, “This is my Body,” we do not say, “No, Lord, it is not.”
We say:
“Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.”
2. The Last Supper: “This is my Body”
At the Last Supper, on the night before He died, Jesus took bread, blessed it, broke it, and gave it to His disciples, saying:
“This is my Body.”
Then He took the chalice and said:
“This is my Blood.”
He did not say:
“This is a symbol of my Body.”
He did not say:
“This represents my Blood.”
He said:
“This is my Body.”
“This is my Blood.”
And then He commanded:
“Do this in remembrance of me.”
That command is very important.
Jesus was not only giving the Apostles a memory to think about.
He was giving them a sacred action to continue.
The Last Supper looks forward to the Cross.
The Cross gives itself sacramentally in the Mass.
At the Last Supper, Jesus gives His Body and Blood sacramentally before He gives Himself physically on Calvary.
On the Cross, He offers Himself once for all.
In the Mass, that one sacrifice is made present sacramentally.
This is why the Eucharist is both sacrifice and sacrament.
It is the sacrifice of Christ made present.
It is also the sacrament in which Christ gives Himself to us as food.
The Eucharist is not a separate thing from the Cross.
It is the same self-giving love of Christ made present to His Church.
So when we come to Mass, we are not merely remembering something far away.
We are being brought into the saving mystery of Christ’s death and Resurrection.
We also see this after the Resurrection on the road to Emmaus. The disciples walk with Jesus, but they do not recognise Him at first. He opens the Scriptures to them, and then they recognise Him “in the breaking of the bread.”
That pattern remains at every Mass: Christ opens the Scriptures to us, and then He gives Himself to us in the breaking of the bread. The Mass is not something invented by the Church later. It is the risen Christ continuing to make Himself known to His people.
3. The Eucharist is not merely a symbol
Sometimes people say:
“The Eucharist is symbolic.”
We need to be careful here.
Catholics do not deny that the Eucharist has symbolic meaning.
Of course it does.
Bread and wine speak of nourishment, sacrifice, communion, joy, and offering.
The breaking of bread speaks of Christ’s Body given for us.
The chalice speaks of His Blood poured out.
The shared Communion of the Church speaks of unity in Christ.
So yes, the Eucharist is full of meaning.
But it is not merely a symbol.
A wedding ring symbolises marriage, but it is not the marriage itself.
A photograph symbolises someone you love, but it is not the person.
The Eucharist is different.
In the Eucharist, Christ is not absent and merely remembered.
He is present.
The sign contains what it signifies.
The sacrament gives what it shows.
The appearances of bread and wine remain, but the underlying reality has changed.
This is why Catholics do not treat the Eucharist like ordinary bread.
We adore the Eucharist.
We reserve the Eucharist in the tabernacle.
We carry the Eucharist to the sick.
We kneel before the Eucharist.
We receive the Eucharist with reverence.
Because it is the Lord.
Not a thing.
Not a reminder.
Not a symbol only.
The Lord.
4. What does “transubstantiation” mean?
The Church uses a particular word to describe the change that happens at Mass.
That word is:
Transubstantiation.
It sounds difficult, but the meaning is clear.
At the consecration, by the power of the Holy Spirit and the words of Christ spoken through the priest, the substance of bread becomes the Body of Christ, and the substance of wine becomes the Blood of Christ.
The appearances remain.
It still looks like bread.
It still tastes like bread.
It still looks like wine.
But the deepest reality has changed.
The substance is no longer bread and wine.
The substance is Christ Himself.
This is why the Church says Christ is present truly, really, and substantially.
Not only in our thoughts.
Not only in the community.
Not only in the reading of Scripture.
Not only in a spiritual influence.
But substantially.
The Eucharist is Christ.
This mystery is beyond what our senses can detect.
Our eyes see the appearances.
Faith receives the reality.
That does not mean faith is irrational.
It means faith trusts the word of Christ more deeply than the surface of things.
At Cana, water became wine.
At the multiplication of the loaves, Christ fed the multitude.
At the Resurrection, His glorified Body passed beyond the limits of ordinary human experience.
If Christ is truly God, then He can give Himself to us under sacramental signs.
The question is not:
“Can I explain this completely?”
The question is:
“Do I trust the One who said, ‘This is my Body’?”
5. The priest does not make this happen by his own power
It is important to say this clearly.
The priest does not change bread and wine into Christ by his own holiness, personality, or power.
The priest is an instrument.
Christ is the true priest of the Mass.
At the altar, the ordained priest acts in the person of Christ the Head.
That does not mean the priest is personally better than the people.
It does not mean his sins do not matter.
It does not mean he owns the Eucharist.
It means that Christ acts through the ordained ministry He gave to His Church.
This should humble every priest.
When the priest says, “This is my Body,” he is not speaking in his own name.
He is lending his voice and hands to Christ.
Christ speaks.
Christ offers.
Christ gives.
Christ feeds His Church.
That is why even a simple Mass, celebrated by an ordinary priest, is infinitely greater than the talents or weaknesses of the priest.
A poor homily does not make the Eucharist less Christ.
A distracted congregation does not make the Eucharist less Christ.
A plain church does not make the Eucharist less Christ.
The gift depends on Christ’s faithfulness, not our impressiveness.
This is very consoling.
Because if the Eucharist depended on our worthiness, we would have no confidence.
But the Eucharist depends on Christ.
And Christ is faithful.
6. Why reverence matters
If the Eucharist is really Jesus, then reverence is not optional.
Reverence is not fussiness.
It is not nostalgia.
It is not theatre.
It is not being stiff.
Reverence is love recognising the presence of the Beloved.
This is why Catholics genuflect before the tabernacle.
This is why we keep silence in church.
This is why we dress and behave with respect.
This is why we prepare before receiving Holy Communion.
This is why we say “Amen” with faith.
This is why we receive carefully.
This is why we make a thanksgiving after Communion.
This is why we do not treat the church as merely a hall.
If Christ is truly present, then everything changes.
A lack of reverence often comes from a lack of faith.
If I truly believe that the Eucharist is Jesus, I will not treat Holy Communion casually.
I will not receive while distracted, chatting, chewing gum, or indifferent.
I will not approach as though I am receiving ordinary food.
I will not leave immediately after Communion unless there is a serious reason.
I will not ignore the tabernacle as though no one is there.
But reverence must also be taught gently.
Some people have never been shown.
Some have never understood.
Some have grown up in casual surroundings.
Some are returning after many years.
So we do not humiliate people.
We teach.
We model.
We invite.
We explain.
We help people see that reverence is not about fear.
It is about love.
The more we believe in the Eucharist, the more reverent we become.
Not because God is far away.
But because He is so near.
7. Why we must prepare for Holy Communion
Holy Communion is the greatest gift we can receive on earth.
But because it is so great, we must receive worthily.
Saint Paul warns that whoever eats and drinks unworthily eats and drinks judgement upon himself.
That is serious.
It does not mean we must be perfect before receiving Communion.
If only perfect people could receive, no one would come.
Holy Communion is food for sinners.
But it is not casual food.
To receive Holy Communion worthily, we must be in communion with Christ and His Church.
We must believe what the Church believes about the Eucharist.
We must be baptised Catholics properly disposed.
We must have observed the required Eucharistic fast.
We must not be conscious of grave sin.
If someone is conscious of grave sin, he or she should go to Confession before receiving Holy Communion.
Again, this is not because the Church wants to exclude people harshly.
It is because Communion means communion.
To receive the Body of Christ while knowingly refusing His grace in a serious matter is a contradiction.
It says with the body, “Amen, I am in communion,” while the soul is not.
That is why Confession is such a mercy.
Confession is not a punishment before Communion.
It is the way Christ restores us to Communion.
So if someone cannot receive Holy Communion at a particular Mass, that person should still come to Mass.
Listen.
Pray.
Ask for grace.
Make a spiritual communion.
Speak to the priest.
Go to Confession.
Begin again.
The goal is not exclusion.
The goal is healing.
The Church wants everyone to be able to receive Christ fruitfully.
But fruitfulness requires truth.
Love never asks us to pretend.
For those in a state of grace, a simple preparation can help: arrive in good time, recollect yourself, listen to the readings, join in the prayers, make an act of faith before Communion, and after receiving say quietly, “Lord Jesus, I believe You are truly present. Help me to love You more.”
8. The Eucharist makes the Church
The Eucharist is not only about my private relationship with Jesus.
It also makes the Church.
Saint Paul says that because there is one bread, we who are many are one body.
When we receive the Body of Christ, we are drawn more deeply into the Body of Christ, the Church.
Holy Communion is not individualism.
It is communion.
Communion with Christ.
Communion with His Church.
Communion with the faith of the Church.
Communion with the saints.
Communion with the poor, the suffering, the lonely, and the forgotten.
This is why the Eucharist should make us more charitable.
If we receive Christ and then despise our neighbour, something is wrong.
If we receive Christ and ignore the poor, something is wrong.
If we receive Christ and refuse forgiveness, something is wrong.
If we receive Christ and cause division, something is wrong.
The Eucharist is meant to make us more like the One we receive.
Christ gives Himself completely.
So we must learn to give ourselves.
Christ forgives.
So we must forgive.
Christ humbles Himself.
So we must become humble.
Christ feeds us.
So we must care for the hungry.
Christ unites us to Himself.
So we must not live as isolated Christians.
The Eucharist is not only something we receive.
It is something we must become.
We receive the Body of Christ so that we may live as the Body of Christ.
The Eucharist is also a pledge of heaven. In Holy Communion, Christ gives us even now a share in the life for which we were made. The Eucharist points us towards the wedding feast of the Lamb, when God’s people will be gathered in perfect communion with Him.
Every Mass is therefore a foretaste of heaven. We are still on pilgrimage. We still struggle. We still suffer. But already Christ feeds us with the bread of eternal life.
9. Eucharistic Adoration
Because the Eucharist is truly Jesus, Catholics adore the Blessed Sacrament.
We do not adore bread.
We adore Christ present under the appearances of bread.
This is why the Church reserves the Eucharist in the tabernacle.
First, so Holy Communion can be taken to the sick and dying.
And also so the faithful may pray before the Lord truly present.
Eucharistic adoration flows naturally from the Mass.
The Mass is the source.
Adoration extends our love for the presence of Christ given in the Mass.
In adoration, we do not need many words.
We come before the Lord.
We look at Him.
He looks at us.
We bring our sins, fears, hopes, wounds, gratitude, and silence.
Sometimes adoration feels peaceful.
Sometimes it feels dry.
Sometimes we are distracted.
But Christ is there.
A person who spends time before the Blessed Sacrament slowly learns a different kind of prayer.
Less noise.
Less self.
More receiving.
More trust.
More love.
If we want to renew Eucharistic faith, adoration helps.
Not because it replaces Mass.
It never replaces Mass.
But because it teaches the heart to recognise the One who comes to us at Mass.
The more we adore Christ in the Blessed Sacrament, the more deeply we will receive Him in Holy Communion.
10. What if I struggle to believe?
Some people struggle to believe in the Real Presence.
That does not mean they are wicked.
The Eucharist is a great mystery.
Even in the Gospel, some disciples found it hard.
So if someone struggles, the answer is not to pretend.
The answer is to bring the struggle to Christ.
A person might pray:
“Lord, I believe; help my unbelief.”
Or:
“Lord Jesus, if this is truly You, increase my faith.”
Or:
“Lord, teach me to recognise You in the breaking of the bread.”
Faith often grows through prayer, teaching, reverence, and repeated contact with the mystery.
Come to Mass.
Listen to John chapter 6.
Pray before the tabernacle.
Read the Last Supper accounts.
Watch how the saints speak about the Eucharist.
Go to adoration.
Receive Holy Communion worthily.
Ask for faith.
Faith is not merely an idea we force ourselves to accept.
Faith is a gift.
And we can ask for it.
The Lord is patient with honest weakness.
But we should not be content with indifference.
There is a difference between struggling to believe and not caring whether it is true.
If the Eucharist is really Jesus, then this is too important to ignore.
We should seek the truth.
And we should ask the Lord to open our eyes.
Some people also find it helpful to learn about Eucharistic miracles recognised in the life of the Church, but our faith does not rest on miracles alone. It rests first on the words of Christ and the faith of the Church.
11. How to answer this simply
So if someone asks:
“Do Catholics really believe the Eucharist is Jesus?”
You might say:
“Yes. Catholics believe that after the consecration, the bread and wine truly become the Body and Blood of Christ. The appearances remain, but the reality is changed.”
Or:
“We believe this because Jesus said, ‘This is my Body,’ and ‘My flesh is true food and my blood is true drink.’”
Or:
“The Eucharist is not just a symbol. It is Christ Himself given to us under the appearances of bread and wine.”
If someone says:
“Isn’t it just bread?”
You can say:
“Our senses still perceive the appearances of bread, but faith receives the reality Christ gives. At the consecration, the substance is changed into Christ Himself.”
If someone says:
“Why do Catholics genuflect?”
You can say:
“Because Jesus is truly present in the tabernacle. Genuflection is an act of love and adoration.”
If someone says:
“Why can’t everyone receive Communion?”
You can say:
“Because Communion means real communion with Christ and His Church. The Church wants everyone to receive, but to receive fruitfully and truthfully, we must be properly disposed.”
Simple answers are often best.
The Eucharist is a mystery, but our explanation need not be confusing.
12. What this asks of us
If the Eucharist is truly Jesus, then our lives must change.
We should come to Mass with faith.
We should arrive in time.
We should prepare our hearts.
We should listen to the Word.
We should join in the offering.
We should receive Holy Communion reverently.
We should make thanksgiving after Communion.
We should genuflect before the tabernacle.
We should keep silence in church.
We should go to Confession when needed.
We should visit the Blessed Sacrament.
We should teach our children who is present in the tabernacle.
We should never treat the Eucharist casually.
But above all, we should love Him.
The Eucharist is not an object to be managed.
The Eucharist is the Lord to be adored and received.
Every Catholic church with a tabernacle is not empty.
Someone is there.
The Lord is there.
Waiting.
Calling.
Giving Himself.
So each of us should ask:
Do I believe this?
Do I live as though I believe this?
Does my behaviour at Mass show faith?
Does my preparation for Communion show love?
Does my life after Communion show that I have received Christ?
The Eucharist is not meant to remain only on the altar or in the tabernacle.
Christ comes to dwell in us, so that we may carry Him into the world.
If we receive the Eucharist, we must become more Eucharistic.
More thankful.
More sacrificial.
More humble.
More united.
More loving.
More ready to give ourselves.
Because the one we receive is the one who gives Himself completely.
Conclusion
So, is the Eucharist really Jesus?
Yes.
The Eucharist is truly, really, and substantially Jesus Christ: Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity.
Jesus says:
“I am the bread of life.”
He says:
“My flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink.”
At the Last Supper, He says:
“This is my Body.”
“This is my Blood.”
And the Church, trusting His word, believes.
At Mass, by the power of the Holy Spirit and the words of Christ, bread and wine become the Body and Blood of the Lord.
The appearances remain.
The reality is changed.
The Eucharist is not a symbol only.
It is Christ Himself.
That is why the Mass matters.
That is why reverence matters.
That is why Communion matters.
That is why Confession matters.
That is why adoration matters.
That is why Catholic life must be Eucharistic.
We do not come to Holy Communion because we are worthy.
We come because He is merciful.
We do not adore the Eucharist because we worship bread.
We adore because Christ is truly present.
We do not receive casually because the gift is too great.
We receive with humility, faith, and love.
Before we move to questions, remember these three simple answers.
Is the Eucharist really Jesus?
Yes.
Jesus said, “This is my Body.”
At Mass, bread and wine become the Body and Blood of Christ.
If you remember nothing else, remember this:
The Eucharist is not merely a symbol of Jesus. The Eucharist is Jesus Himself, given to us as the Bread of Life.
And perhaps each of us should ask:
Do I treat the Eucharist as Christ Himself?
Because if the Eucharist is truly Jesus, then the centre of Catholic life is not an idea, a memory, or a custom.
The centre of Catholic life is a Person.
Jesus Christ, truly present, offered, adored, and received.
Amen.
Q&A after Session 6
- What would you say to someone who says the Eucharist is only a symbol?
- Why do Catholics believe Jesus meant what He said in John 6?
- What does transubstantiation mean?
- Why does the Church reserve the Eucharist in the tabernacle?
- Why do Catholics genuflect?
- Why is Confession sometimes necessary before Holy Communion?
- What should we do if we struggle to believe in the Real Presence?
- How should receiving the Eucharist change the way we live?
Closing prayer
Lord Jesus Christ,
Bread of Life and true food for our souls,
increase our faith in Your Real Presence.
Forgive us for the times we have received You carelessly
or failed to recognise You in the Holy Eucharist.
Teach us to adore You with reverence,
receive You with humility,
and carry You into the world with love.
Make our parish more deeply Eucharistic,
and draw many hearts to You in the Blessed Sacrament.
Amen.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
St. Mary's, St. John Bosco and St. Edward's 