The True and Real Presence of Jesus Christ in the Holy Eucharist

God our Father in heaven, knowing his children would meet with many trials, temptations, and struggles, prepared…from all eternity…a great gift.  This gift was to surpass creation itself, for it would show the humility and depths of God’s love for his creation.  This greatest of all of His gifts would bring delight to the Saints, make heaven rejoice, refresh the Souls in Purgatory, convert sinners, strengthen the Faithful, and bring terror to Demons.  This gift, undeserved, unmerited, comes forth from the very depths of the heart of God.  This gift is none other than God Himself, present Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity in the Most Holy Eucharist.  This was planned by God all along as our Spiritual Food and Life for our souls… 

Real Presence in the Bible:

In the OT there are many foreshadowings of the Eucharistic Sacrifice. First, in Mal 1:11 we see that in every place, as an eternal decree, a sacrifice will be made. In Exo 12:14 we see that the feast of the paschal lamb is a perpetual ordinance. Jer 33:17-18 says that the house of Israel shall never want of a priest “to do sacrifice continually.”  The Eucharistic Sacrifice fulfills all of these prophecies.

Also in Genesis 14:18 Melchizedek, priest and king of Salem  (Melchizedek and Salem together mean “King of righteousness and Peace”), brought out bread and wine to offer to God Most High.  Melchizedek is a mysterious figure in Scripture.  He is mentioned in the Book of Hebrews as having no beginning or end, without geneology (Hebrews 7:3)…a type of Christ.   

Next, although it is common knowledge that Jesus is the “paschal lamb” (cf. 1 Cor 5:7), what is often forgotten is that the lamb must be eaten.  This is seen in Exo 12:8,11 where the Israelites were told to eat the lamb so that the angel would pass over them.  If they did not eat the lamb, they would die.  In Exo 29:33  ”they shall eat those things with which the atonement was made, to consecrate and to sanctify them”.  In Lev 7:15 the flesh of the sacrifice must be eaten. In 2 Chron 30:15-17 (cf. 2 Chron 35:1,6,11,13; Ezr 6:20-21) the lamb is eaten so as to achieve purification. In Ezek 2:8-10 and 3:1-3 Ezekiel is commanded by God to eat the scroll–the Word of God–which was in his mouth “as honey for sweetness.”  All of these verses foreshadow Jesus Christ, the lamb and the Word of God, who must be eaten and consumed for our eternal life.

Jesus Himself said that those who eat His flesh and drink His blood have eternal life and He would raise them up on the last day…in other words, pass from death to life.  So we see that eating the paschal lamb in the old testament caused the Angel of death to ‘passover’ the Israelites homes, so we consume Jesus our Paschal lamb and the Angel of death ‘passes over’ us as we journey towards our promised land which is Heaven.

From here we move to the New Testament.

The first thing about the “Eucharistic Discourse” (as it is often called) from the Gospel of John chapter 6 is that it occurs on the eve of the Passover, sign of the old covenant, when the lambs are slaughtered and eaten (John 6:4). This adds greater significance to His words and further points to Him as the paschal lamb that must be eaten as  a pledge of the new covenant.  Jesus reveals His divine plan for this new covenant, and he begins to gradually call the Jews to a greater act of faith. First, Jesus multiplies the loaves and the fishes. This points to the Eucharist in many ways. Jesus will be their nourishment and they will never grow hungry. Also noteworthy is the fact that the account of the miracle begins with almost the very same words as those which the Gospels and St. Paul use to describe the institution of the Eucharist (cf. Mat 26:26; Mark 14:22; Luke 22:19; 1 Cor 11:25).  Jesus took bread, blessed, broke, and gave it away.  This indicates that the miracle is a symbol of the Eucharist, about which our Lord will speak shortly.  After this miracle, the people begin to believe, but their beleif is imperfect because they see him as an earthly savior and wish to make him king (cf. John 6:14-15).  Remember what he tells the people right after this miracle, “you’re looking for me because you were fed, but seek after the food that lasts forever…”  then He tells them about His body and blood.

From this act of faith, he calls for one still greater. 

Next, He compares Himself to the manna which came from heaven that fed the Israelites is the desert for 40 years before they entered the promised land. But, while that manna nourished for a time, if they will only believe in Him, the True Bread, they will be filled forever (John 6:32-35).  This is no small claim, to compare oneself to that very bread that saved the Israelites.  But this is what Jesus has done… and on top of that, He asks that they believe in Him as their spiritual savior.  The Manna was the bread and nourishment for their journey in the desert until they reached the Promised Land.  It wasn’t only once and a while they received this bread, but Scripture tells us that is was every day for 40 years.  In the same way, Jesus is our spiritual nourishment for the whole of our earthly journey, feeding us until we reach our promised land which is in heaven.  

But, yet again, the Jews show their lack of faith (John 6:36,41).  Jesus is not done, for he demands the most sublime act of faith, and what is this sublime act of faith, that will weed out the unbelievers and even cause some of His very own apostles to depart from Him?  It is to eat His flesh and drink His blood.

He begins by saying that this bread from heaven which they will eat is His flesh (John 6:51).  The Greek word used for “eat” here is φαϖγομαι (or “phago”), which means “to eat or consume.”  In response, the Jews obviously take Him literally; they “argued among themselves” (John 6:52).  If He was still speaking metaphorically, would this not have been the time to clarify Himself?  Afterall, He wasn’t getting the act of faith He was looking for and it seemed to be because of how they were understanding Him.  Also, we know that in many similar instances, Jesus explains Himself to the people and clarifies any symbolism, or at least to the 12 Apostles on the side (see Mat 16:11-12; Mark 4:34; John 3:3-11 to name but a few).

But, He does not do that here.  Instead, He is even more persistent.  Starting with vs. 54 in John chapter 6, we find Jesus telling the crowd 4 more times that they must eat His flesh and 3 more times that they must drink His blood:

Gospel of John Chapter 6:

54 “Whoever eats my flesh, and drinks my blood, has eternal life; and I will raise him up on the last day.

55 For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed.

56 He that eats my flesh, and drinks my blood, dwells in me, and I in him.  (dwelling here means to ‘take up residence’…)
57 As the living Father hath sent me, and I live by the Father: so he that eats me, shall have life because of me.
58 This is that bread which came down from heaven: unlike your fathers who ate and are dead: he that eats of this bread shall live for ever”.

*** Despite using repitition to drive the point home, he even uses a new, much harsher and more explicit word for “eat.”  In these instances, the Greek word is τρωϖγω (or “trogo”) which means “to gnaw, crunch, or chew.”  While “phago” may have a spiritual application, “trogo” is never used metaphorically in Greek.  It occurs only two other times outside this discourse (Mat 24:38 and John 13:18) and in both cases means a literal eating.  It is undeniable what Jesus is asking of them.  They must eat His flesh and drink His blood.

Verse 55 in chapter 6 of John is also quite significant.  For one, we are to eat, not His “body” (σω∍μα, or “soma”), which often has a metaphorical meaning in the Bible, but His flesh.  The Greek word here is σαϖρξ (or “sarx”) and it is always used for literal flesh in the Bible.  Also, His flesh is meat indeed, his blood is drink indeed.  The Greek word here for ‘indeed’ is αϕληθω∍⇓ (or “alethos”).  It means “truly, of a truth, in reality, most certainly” and would only be used if there were doubts concerning the reality of Jesus’ flesh and blood as being food and drink.  This is why we say ‘Amen’ before receiving the Holy Eucharist.  We confirm, by an act of Faith, that truly, certainly, it is a reality that Jesus is really, truly, substantially present in the Blessed Sacrament.

In response to this many walk away, including many of His very beloved disciples.  But even now, even when He has lost His most faithful followers, He does not back down.  He turns to the faithful remnant, who acknowledge that this is a hard saying (vs. 60), and says to them, “Does this offend you?” (vs. 61). “Will you also leave?” (vs. 67).  He does not intend to retract His statement or to explain it away.  Instead, He explains to them why some don’t believe, because they are not thinking spiritually:

61 When Jesus knew in himself that his disciples murmured at it, he said to them, “Does this offend you?
62 What if you should see the Son of man ascend up to where he was before? (in other words, Jesus is from heaven, the Son of God, all things are possible with Him)
63 It is the spirit that gives life; the flesh profits nothing (don’t worry about being filled physically): the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.
64 But there are some of you that do not believe”. For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were that would not believe, and who would betray him.

Side note:

- St. Padre Pio, while meditating on the agony of Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane, said that the greatest suffering of Jesus at that moment, was that some would not believe in His real presence in the Holy Eucharist, and that this great gift that issues from His Sacred Heart would be neglected and abused down through the centuries.-  

It is often asserted here that, by saying that His words are spirit and life that He is meaning to clarify that He was only speaking symbolically. There is no merit in this claim.  For one, nowhere in the bible is the word “spirit” meant to mean “symbol” and nowhere else is something said to be symbolic because it is spiritual.  Instead, what we find here is a comparison between the spirit and the flesh that is often used throughout the bible to mean one thing:  human wisdom vs. supernatural faith.  Both Jesus and Paul use this terminology often to point out that we must go beyond the natural to comprehend the supernatural (cf. John 3:6; Mark 14:38; 1 Cor 2:14; 3:3; Rom 8:5; Gal 5:17).

In response to all of this, we find the words of Peter:

68 Then Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.
69 And we believe and are sure that you are the Christ, the Son of the living God”.

Here Jesus has finally received that most sublime act of faith that He requires from every one of us.

It doesn’t mean that Peter understood everything that Jesus was saying, but because he believes that  Jesus is the Son of God, then it is possible and will come about whether he completely understands it or not.  Faith has taken over.

At the Last Supper, Jesus reveals to His Apostles how He is to fulfill this promise of giving them His body and His blood.

Matthew 26:26f, Mark 14:22f, Luke 22:19f

1. The Last Supper; ‘This is my body…This is my blood”.  Eucharistic language: “took, blessed, broke, gave”

       a. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” (John 1:1).  The same ‘Word’ which was sent forth over the waters of chaos and the void in Genesis 1:2f and brought all things into existence out of nothing, is the same ‘Word’ – now become flesh in the person of Jesus Christ – who spoke these words over bread and wine.  God who brought all things into being out of nothing can turn bread and wine into His body and blood.  

Luke 24:30f… Jesus reveals Himself in the breaking of the bread:

1. Jesus reveals himself in the ‘breaking of the bread’ to the two disciples on the road to Emmaus, and reveals His true presence in the Eucharist.  

The “breaking of the bread” was the terminology used in the early Church for the Eucharistic Sacrifice of the Mass.  

The two disciples are walking along the road to Emmaus shortly after the resurrection, when Jesus suddenly appears next to them and asks them what they are discussing along the way.  They say they are saddened at the death of Jesus who they thought was the Promised One of Israel.  Jesus explains to them that the Promised One was indeed supposed to suffer and die in fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy.  They are moved by His words and invite Him in to their home, though they did not recognize that it was Jesus.

While there, we hear again the use of Eucharistic language:  Jesus took bread, blessed, broke, and gave it to them.  Then their eyes where opened and they recognized Him.  They didn’t recognize Him because they suddenly saw His wounds (as some false teachings would say), but they recognized Him in His real, substantial presence in this Eucharist which they just now received.  That is why Jesus suddenly disappears from their sight.  He doesn’t get up and walk out the back door, but literally disappears from before their very eyes.  Why?  Because He is giving them a teaching…He will shortly ascend into heaven but He will still be with them, among them, until the end of time, present in the Holy Eucharist!  He never actually left them, but truly remains with them under the appearance of bread and wine.  The two disciples are filled with such joy, that they run to tell the other Apostles how Jesus revealed Himself to them in the ‘breaking of the bread”.  

After this teaching, we move on to the early Church as we read St. Paul and his experience and understanding of the Eucharist in regard to the Christian community at Corinth:

1. St. Paul: 1 Corinthians 11:17f, The Lord’s Supper and abuse in Corinth.

In St. Paul’s letter to the Corinthians, St. Paul clears up some confusion over the Lord’s Supper and the common meal.  The Christians of Corinth were gathering together and not distinguishing between how they celebrated the Mass and how they conducted themselves while eating a regular, common meal.

1. St. Paul tells them that this is what was passed on to him by Jesus Himself; That the Lord Jesus took bread and said, “this is my body”.  In the same way he took the cup and said, “this is my blood”.  St. Paul admits that he did not receive this second hand, but from Jesus’ own words.  

2. Anyone who eats this bread and drinks this cup unworthily is guilty of the body and blood of Christ.  If this was common bread and wine, then this sentence would not make sense.  But Paul believes it to be the Real, True, Substantial body and blood of Jesus.  

He goes on to say:

3. Everyone is to examine himself before receiving this bread and this cup.  Why?  So as not to receive Jesus Christ in a state of sin or with a lack of faith in the Real Presence.  

Again St. Paul states:

4. He who does not discern the Body of Christ in this bread, and eats it unworthily, eats for his own condemnation, or damnation. 

- How could one ‘eat common bread and common wine’ and eat and drink for their own damnation?  These words make no sense unless St. Paul understands that it is the Real, True, and Substantial Body of Jesus Christ in the Eucharist.  

He goes on to say:

5. That’s why many are sick and have died (eating body of Our Lord unworthily).

- These are powerful words of St. Paul… many have died or become sick because they have eaten the Eucharist unworthily, in a state of sin, lack of faith and acknowledgment that it is Jesus really present Who they are receiving.  The language of St. Paul cannot get much stronger than this.  He knows and believes that at the Mass the bread and wine are changed… transubstantiated (changed in substance) into the body, blood, soul, and divinity of Jesus Christ and this is what he wants his listeners to understand.  

What they believed in the Early Church after the time of St. Paul:

There are many witnesses concerning the Real Presence of Jesus in the Holy Eucharist in the early Church among the Church Fathers:  

1.  ST. IGNATIUS OF ANTIOCH

St. Ignatius became the third bishop of Antioch, succeeding St. Evodius, who was the immediate successor of St. Peter. He heard St. John preach when he was a boy and knew St. Polycarp, Bishop of Smyrna. Seven of his letters written to various Christian communities have been preserved. Eventually, he received the martyr’s crown as he was thrown to wild beasts in the arena.

“I have no taste for the food that perishes nor for the pleasures of this life. I want the Bread of God which is the Flesh of Christ, who was the seed of David; and for drink I desire His Blood which is love that cannot be destroyed.”

-”Letter to the Romans”, paragraph 7, circa 80-110 A.D.

2.  ST. JUSTIN MARTYR

St. Justin Martyr was born a pagan but converted to Christianity after studying philosophy. He was a prolific writer and many Church scholars consider him the greatest apologist or defender of the faith from the 2nd century. He was beheaded with six of his companions some time between 163 and 167 A.D.

“This food we call the Eucharist, of which no one is allowed to partake except one who believes that the things we teach are true, and has received the washing for forgiveness of sins and for rebirth, and who lives as Christ handed down to us. For we do not receive these things as common bread or common drink; but as Jesus Christ our Savior being incarnate by God’s Word took flesh and blood for our salvation, so also we have been taught that the food consecrated by the Word of prayer which comes from him, from which our flesh and blood are nourished by transformation, is the flesh and blood of that incarnate Jesus.”

” First Apology”, Ch. 66, inter A.D. 148-155.

3.  ST. IRENAEUS OF LYONS

St. Irenaeus succeeded St. Pothinus to become the second bishop of Lyons in 177 A.D. Earlier in his life he studied under St. Polycarp. Considered, one of the greatest theologians of the 2nd century, St. Irenaeus is best known for refuting the Gnostic heresies.

“[Christ] has declared the cup, a part of creation, to be his own Blood, from which he causes our blood to flow; and the bread, a part of creation, he has established as his own Body, from which he gives increase to our bodies.”

Source: St. Irenaeus of Lyons, Against Heresies, 180 A.D.:

“So then, if the mixed cup and the manufactured bread receive the Word of God and become the Eucharist, that is to say, the Blood and Body of Christ, which fortify and build up the substance of our flesh… It is this which is nourished by the cup which is His Blood, and is fortified by the bread which is His Body… These two then receive the Word of God and become the Eucharist, which is the Body and Blood of Christ.”

-”Five Books on the Unmasking and Refutation of the Falsely

4.  ST. ATHANASIUS

St. Athanasius was born in Alexandria ca. 295 A.D. He was ordained a deacon in 319 A.D. He accompanied his bishop, Alexander, to the Council of Nicaea, where he served as his secretary. Eventually he succeeded Alexander as Bishop of Alexandria. He is most known for defending Nicene doctrine against Arian disputes.,

“‘The great Athanasius in his sermon to the newly baptized says this:’ You shall see the Levites bringing loaves and a cup of wine, and placing them on the table. So long as the prayers of supplication and entreaties have not been made, there is only bread and wine. But after the great and wonderful prayers have been completed, then the bread is become the Body, and the wine the Blood, of our Lord Jesus Christ. ‘And again:’ Let us approach the celebration of the mysteries. This bread and this wine, so long as the prayers and supplications have not taken place, remain simply what they are. But after the great prayers and holy supplications have been sent forth, the Word comes down into the bread and wine – and thus His Body is confected.”,

-”Sermon to the Newly Baptized” ante 373 A.D.,

5.  ST. CYRIL OF ALEXANDRIA

“Christ said indicating (the bread and wine): ‘This is My Body,’ and “This is My Blood,” in order that you might not judge what you see to be a mere figure. The offerings, by the hidden power of God Almighty, are changed into Christ’s Body and Blood, and by receiving these we come to share in the life-giving and sanctifying efficacy of Christ.”

Source: St. Cyril of Alexandria, Commentary on the Gospel of Matthew 26,27, 428 A.D.:

6.  ST. AUGUSTINE

“You ought to know what you have received, what you are going to receive, and what you ought to receive daily. That Bread which you see on the altar, having been sanctified by the word of God, is the Body of Christ. The chalice, or rather, what is in that chalice, having been sanctified by the word of God, is the Blood of Christ.”

-”Sermons”, [227, 21]

This is only a partial list of the early Church Fathers and their teachings on the Real, True, and Substantial presence of Jesus in the Holy Eucharist.  A study of what the early Church believed is a witness to what was handed down through Tradition from the time of the Apostles to our own day.

Throughout the centuries, God Himself has given witness to His True presence in the Holy Eucharist through Eucharistic miracles.  Here are a few:

Eucharistic Miracles

A. Sienna, Italy – year 1730

1. Thieves steal Ciborium containing over 340 consecrated Hosts from the church of St. Francis. 

2. The Hosts are found and preserved in the tabernacle for veneration and reparation.

3. After hundreds of years have passed, Hosts are still fresh with no sign of deterioration. 

B. Amsterdam, Holland – year 1345

1. A sick man threw up after receiving Eucharist (Viaticum) in his home.

2. Contents are thrown into the fireplace.

3. Next day, while cleaning the warm coals of the fireplace, a woman finds the Host perfectly intact, surrounded by light.

4. Host was put into a box until the Church could be notified.

5. Priest places the Host in a pyx, but next time he looks the Host had miraculously transported back to the box.

6. After several fires over the centuries, the Host and the monstrance always survived unscathed.

C. Bolsena-Orvieto, Italy – year 1263

1. Fr. Peter of Prague begins to doubt that the bread and wine really turn into the Body and Blood of Christ while celebrating Mass.

2. After saying the words of consecration at Holy Mass, the Host begins to bleed profusely.

3. Mass is interrupted, and Church authorities are called in to witness the blood.

4. It is found to be miraculous, and the priest has a conversion.

5. Pope Urban IV, who personally met with this priest, orders St. Thomas Aquinas to compose a ‘Proper of Mass’ and ‘Divine Office’ in honor of the Holy Eucharist as the Body of Christ.

6. Shortly after this, Pope Urban IV institutes the Feast of Corpus Christi.

D. Blanot, France – year 1331

1. Host which falls onto a piece of cloth during Mass dissolves into a round stain of blood.

E. Lanciano, Italy – 8th century

1. Priest doubts the True Presence of Christ in the Eucharist.

2. During Mass, after the words of consecration, the Host and wine in the cup turn to flesh and blood.

3. The miracle is still visible in Lanciano, Italy.

4. In our own day, the flesh and blood have been scientifically tested, and the flesh was found to be heart muscle of a human being, and the blood was of the rarest type and still retains the qualities of freshly shed blood.

5. The blood type, AB, was the same as tested on the Shroud of Turin. 

Today, Jesus continues to reveal His True Presence in the Eucharist through heroic figures… often young children, who have the simple faith required to see with spiritual eyes. They give us the model of Faith and courage to witness His love in the Most Blessed Sacrament.  

Here are some of those witnesses:

1.  THIS GREAT SACRAMENT OF LOVE – Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen

A couple of months before his death Bishop Fulton J. Sheen was interviewed on national television. One of the questions was this:

4.  When I attended Franciscan University of Steubenville, one of my friends came to my room at the dorm late at night in tears.  I asked him what had happened, and this is what he told me;  He had always been a proud, arrogant person but was experiencing a real conversion while at Steubenville.  He went in front of the Blessed Sacrament and asked Jesus to reveal Himself to him.  As soon as he said this, he felt a power overwhelm him and he was unable to move for one hour.   He felt the power of God and his own weakness.  His faith in the Real Presence grew stronger over time and he eventually became a Priest.

The list goes on and on.  If Jesus Christ were not truly present in the Blessed Sacrament and it was only ‘cookie worship’, he would not answer our prayers in front of it…but He has revealed Himself countless times as is evident in the writings and miracles of the Saints, Fathers and Doctors of our Catholic Church over the last two thousand years, and the experiences of the Faithful in our own day.

Jesus told St. Margaret Mary as He revealed His Sacred Heart to her, “Behold this Heart, which has loved so much, but is loved so little in return”.  The depths of God’s love is revealed in the Holy Eucharist.  It is there that He humbles Himself to be with us.  But more than that, He gives His very life, all that He has and is, to be one with us.   In this great gift something wonderful takes place, something that makes the Angels look on in wonder… 

A mystical marriage takes place.  In Holy Communion God becomes one with His creatures.  And just as in the oneness and union of natural marriage between one man and one woman new life is brought forth in the form of a child, the fruits of that union, so our oneness with Jesus brings forth the fruits of new life… the Virtues and Holiness of life.  

Jesus doesn’t come to us with the revelation of His full power and glory because we would be afraid to approach Him.  Remember Mt. Tabor and the Transfiguration, where Jesus appeared in all His glory and majesty, the Apostles saw Him like this and fell down afraid, as if dead.  

Remember the Book of Revelation, where Jesus reveals Himself to John the Apostle, His beloved friend… what happened?   John, seeing Jesus in all His glory and majesty, falls down in fear as if dead.  Jesus has to touch him and assure him, “it’s o.k.’. 

Jesus, knowing the weakness of our human nature, does not come to us in that way.  Every Holy Communion is like Christmas, where Jesus humbled Himself and was pleased to dwell in a manger… He humbles Himself and is pleased to dwell in our hearts as the new manger where he takes up His place among us, with us, within us.  He humbles Himself under the appearance of bread and wine but is truly present, body, blood, soul and divinity, so that we can approach Him, so we can touch Him, so we can be one with Him.

Jesus, we thank you for giving us this Bread of Life, this greatest of all your gifts to the world.  May we never take this blessing for granted.  May we always approach this great mystery in a state of grace, and return love for love.  Amen.