Seeker Track
November Week 3
Theme: The Mass & the Eucharist
Focus: Why Catholics Worship the Eucharist and What “Adoration” Really Means
Audience: Seekers, non-Catholics, returning Christians
Weekly Goal
To explain why Catholics believe Jesus Christ is truly present — Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity — in the Eucharist, and why they worship Him in this form.
Many Christians love Jesus deeply but struggle to understand how Catholics can kneel before what appears to be bread.
This week answers that question through Scripture, history, and reason — showing that adoration of the Eucharist is not idolatry but an act of love and faith toward the living God.
What You’ll Need
A Bible
A quiet space for reflection
Optional: attend or observe a time of Eucharistic Adoration in a Catholic church
Opening Prayer (Daily)
Lord Jesus,
help me to understand who You are and how You are truly with us.
If You are truly present in the Eucharist,
give me the faith to recognise You and to adore You.
Amen.
Day 1 – “This Is My Body”: Jesus Meant What He Said
Teaching:
At the Last Supper, Jesus said, “This is My Body… This is My Blood.” (Luke 22:19–20)
He did not say, “This represents My Body.”
The Greek word estin (“is”) was always understood literally in the early Church.
John 6:51–55 – “My flesh is true food, and My blood is true drink.”
When some disciples found this “hard to accept,” Jesus didn’t explain it away — He let them leave (John 6:66).
Apologetics:
Objection: “It’s only a symbol.”
→ Jesus repeats six times that His flesh is real food and His blood real drink. No Jewish teacher would use such shocking words unless He meant something profound.
Objection: “We can’t eat God.”
→ True, but God can give Himself to us however He wills. The Incarnation already shows He loves to unite Himself physically to His people.
Reflection:
If Jesus can turn water into wine, raise the dead, and forgive sins, He can make bread become His Body.
Day 2 – The Early Church Believed in the Real Presence
Teaching:
From the very beginning, Christians believed the Eucharist is Jesus.
Long before the Bible was compiled, the Church was celebrating Mass — and calling the Eucharist a sacrifice and the Body of Christ.
St Ignatius of Antioch (AD 107):
“They abstain from the Eucharist because they do not confess that the Eucharist is the flesh of our Saviour Jesus Christ.”
St Justin Martyr (AD 155):
“This food is called among us Eucharist… not as common bread and drink, but as Jesus Christ made flesh.”
Apologetics:
Objection: “The idea of the Real Presence came later.”
→ No. Every Church Father for the first 1,000 years taught it. No Christian denied it until the Reformation in the 1500s.
Objection: “Jesus said, ‘Do this in memory of Me.’”
→ In the Bible, “memorial” (zikkaron in Hebrew) means a sacred act that makes God’s saving work present — like the Passover. The Mass is a living memorial.
Reflection:
If the first Christians — taught by the Apostles — adored the Eucharist, then to do the same today is not innovation but obedience.
Day 3 – Why Catholics Adore the Eucharist
Teaching:
Catholics believe the Eucharist is Jesus Himself, not a reminder of Him. Therefore, when we kneel, bow, or spend time in Adoration, we are not worshipping bread — we are worshipping the living God under the form of bread.
Philippians 2:10–11 – “At the name of Jesus every knee should bow.”
CCC 1378: “In the liturgy, the Church expresses her faith in the real presence… by genuflecting or bowing deeply as a sign of adoration.”
Apologetics:
Objection: “Isn’t this idolatry?”
→ No. Idolatry means giving divine honour to something that is not God. But if Christ is truly present, adoration is not idolatry — it’s the only fitting response.
Objection: “How can Jesus be everywhere?”
→ His divine nature is not limited by time or place. Through the Eucharist, He extends His risen presence sacramentally throughout the world.
Reflection:
Adoration is love responding to Love — a silent meeting between the believer and the living Christ.
Day 4 – The Beauty of Silence and Relationship
Teaching:
In Adoration, Jesus is exposed in a special holder called a monstrance. Catholics kneel, pray, or simply sit in silence before Him.
You don’t have to say much. Love doesn’t always need words.
Psalm 46:10 – “Be still, and know that I am God.”
Apologetics:
Objection: “Why sit silently instead of praying aloud?”
→ Silence is the language of love. When you sit quietly with a friend, you don’t need constant talking — your presence speaks.
Objection: “What’s the point of looking at the Eucharist?”
→ Because love looks. To “adore” means to gaze with wonder and affection. As St John Vianney said: “He looks at me, and I look at Him — that is enough.”
Reflection:
The more time you spend before the Blessed Sacrament, the more you begin to recognise Christ in everyday life.
Practice:
Visit a church or Adoration chapel this week. Sit in silence and simply say:
“Jesus, if You are truly here — teach me to believe.”
Day 5 – The Fruits of Adoration
Teaching:
Adoration changes those who adore.
Time before the Eucharist deepens peace, humility, and love for others. It makes us aware that Jesus is present not only in the tabernacle, but in the poor, the suffering, and those who need our mercy.
John 15:4–5 – “Abide in Me, and I in you.”
CCC 1397: “The Eucharist commits us to the poor.”
Apologetics:
Objection: “Why not just pray at home?”
→ You should pray at home — but Adoration is a special meeting with Jesus Himself, sacramentally present. It’s like visiting a loved one in person, not just calling on the phone.
Objection: “How does this help the world?”
→ The world changes because hearts change. Adoration is the hidden engine of the Church’s mission — prayer before Christ fuels every act of love.
Reflection:
When Catholics leave Adoration, they are sent out to be living tabernacles — carrying Christ’s peace into the world.
Weekend Wrap-Up – Why Catholics Worship the Eucharist
Jesus said, “This is My Body,” and the early Church believed Him.
The Eucharist is the continuation of the Incarnation — God still among us.
Catholics adore not bread, but the living Christ under the appearance of bread.
Adoration is a personal encounter with Jesus, deepening faith and transforming life.
Love for the Eucharist leads naturally to love for others.
Summary Apologetic Point:
Catholic worship of the Eucharist is not idolatry; it’s obedience to the reality of the Incarnation. If Jesus is God and He said, “This is My Body,” then the only proper response is adoration.
Journal Prompts
“If Jesus is truly present, how should that change my life?”
“What do I notice or feel when I’m silent before Him?”
“How could Adoration become part of my search for truth?”
Quick Apologetic Summary
| Objection | Catholic Response |
| “It’s just a symbol.” | Jesus’ words in John 6 and Luke 22 are literal; the early Church agreed. |
| “Adoring bread is idolatry.” | Catholics adore Christ, not bread — because the substance has become His Body. |
| “No one believed this before the Middle Ages.” | Every early Christian writer did; denial came only after the 1500s. |
| “You can’t see Jesus there.” | Faith sees what the eyes cannot: the hidden Christ under sacramental signs. |
| “I can meet God anywhere.” | True — but the Eucharist is where He promised to be until the end of time. |
Catechism & Church Teaching
CCC 1373–1379 – The Real Presence.
CCC 1380–1381 – Adoration of the Eucharist.
CCC 1418 – Visits to the Blessed Sacrament.
Mysterium Fidei (Paul VI)
Ecclesia de Eucharistia (John Paul II)
Further Reading for Seekers
Brant Pitre, Jesus and the Jewish Roots of the Eucharist
Scott Hahn, The Lamb’s Supper
Bishop Robert Barron, This Is My Body
Catholic Answers Tracts: “The Real Presence,” “Adoration,” “The Eucharist in the Bible”
Closing Prayer
Jesus,
if You are truly here in the Eucharist,
help me to recognise You.
Give me the courage to believe Your words,
the humility to adore You,
and the love to live Your presence each day.
Amen.
St. Mary's, St. John Bosco and St. Edward's 