Symbol or Reality?
Introduction
At the heart of Catholic life stands the Eucharist.
It is celebrated daily throughout the world.
It is reserved in tabernacles.
It is carried to the sick.
It is adored in silence.
Yet many Catholics quietly wonder:
Is it truly Christ?
Or is it symbolic language for spiritual closeness?
The answer determines whether the Mass is devotion or encounter.
1. The Words of Christ
At the Last Supper, Jesus took bread and said:
“This is my body.”
He did not say:
“This represents my body.”
“This reminds you of me.”
“This symbolises my presence.”
The language is direct.
In the Gospel of John, He declares:
“My flesh is meat indeed: and my blood is drink indeed.”
When many disciples found this difficult and left Him, He did not soften the claim.
He allowed them to depart.
If His words were only metaphor, the confusion would have been corrected.
Instead, the teaching remained.
The Church’s belief in the Real Presence rests first on the authority of Christ’s own words.
2. What the Church Teaches
The Church teaches that at Mass:
The bread and wine truly become
the Body and Blood of Christ.
This change is called transubstantiation.
The outward appearances remain:
It looks like bread.
It tastes like wine.
But the underlying reality — what it truly is — is changed by Christ’s power.
This language does not attempt to describe a chemical alteration.
It describes a metaphysical change.
Substance changes.
Accidents remain.
This distinction preserves two truths:
The transformation is real.
The appearances remain accessible to the senses.
The Eucharist is not symbolic presence.
It is sacramental presence.
3. The Sacrifice of the Mass
The Mass is not a repetition of Calvary.
Christ’s sacrifice occurred once.
But that one sacrifice is made present sacramentally.
The Eucharist is not merely a meal.
It is participation in the sacrifice of Christ.
This explains:
The altar.
The priesthood.
The language of offering.
If Christ is risen, He is not confined to the past.
He makes His saving act present in time.
The Eucharist unites the Church to that act.
Without sacrificial understanding, the Mass becomes a gathering.
With it, the Mass becomes encounter with the living Lord.
4. Why This Matters
If the Eucharist is symbolic:
Sunday Mass is optional encouragement.
Reverence is sentimental preference.
Worthy reception is secondary.
If the Eucharist is truly Christ:
Sunday worship is serious obligation.
Preparation matters.
Confession matters.
Reverence matters.
The Church teaches that receiving Holy Communion in a state of mortal sin is spiritually harmful.
This is not severity.
It is coherence.
Communion signifies union.
If union is broken through grave sin, restoration must precede reception.
The seriousness of the Eucharist protects both the sacrament and the soul.
5. The Witness of the Early Church
From the earliest centuries, Christian writers speak clearly of the Eucharist as the flesh of Christ.
This belief did not emerge slowly in the Middle Ages.
It belongs to apostolic faith.
The Church did not invent Eucharistic realism.
She preserved it.
Throughout history, saints have centred their lives on the Eucharist.
Adoration, devotion, martyrdom — all flowed from the conviction that Christ is truly present.
If this conviction is false, centuries of Catholic devotion are misdirected.
If it is true, indifference is tragic.
6. The Personal Dimension
Belief in the Real Presence reshapes behaviour.
How one enters a church.
How one kneels.
How one receives.
How one remains in silence afterward.
Casualness suggests doubt.
Reverence suggests belief.
The Eucharist is not reward for the perfect.
It is nourishment for the faithful.
But it requires honesty.
To approach Christ physically while rejecting Him morally is contradiction.
The Eucharist calls for coherence of life.
Conclusion
The Eucharist stands at the centre of Catholic identity.
It is not optional devotion.
It is not symbolic memory.
It is the sacramental presence of the risen Lord.
If Christ rose,
He can give Himself.
If He gives Himself,
He deserves reverence.
The question is not whether the Eucharist is meaningful.
The question is whether it is real.
If it is real, everything changes.
Reflection Questions
Do I believe the Eucharist is truly Christ?
Does my behaviour at Mass reflect that belief?
Do I prepare my soul before receiving Holy Communion?
Closing Prayer
Lord Jesus Christ,
You give Yourself to us in the Eucharist.
Deepen my faith in Your real presence.
Guard me from indifference.
Strengthen my reverence
and draw me closer to You.
Amen.
St. Mary's, St. John Bosco and St. Edward's 