REFLECTIONS: THE CATHOLIC BELIEF
IN THE REAL PRESENCE OF CHRIST
IN THE EUCHARIST
The Catholic Church believes that in the consecration of the bread and wine in the celebration of the Eucharist the Risen Christ becomes really present in the community in the fullness of his being. Jesus is present as the Son of God who took on flesh and became human, lived in this world, suffered, died, and rose from the dead, ascended to the Father, and sent the Holy Spirit. He is present as true God, true humanity, full divinity as the Son of God, full humanity, two natures, divine and human united in one person. In the Eucharist Christ’s humanity is present in his transformed resurrected bodily existence. In his risen bodily existence Christ is no longer limited by a corruptible body subject to suffering and dying. The Risen Christ has taken on an incorruptible body, a body that will no longer die, but live forever. This is the whole point of salvation. Jesus Christ, the Son of God, became human, suffer, died, and rose from the dead in order to bring salvation and eternal life to all humanity. St. Paul speaks about the risen body of Christ as a spiritual body as distinct from a physical corruptible body. In the Eucharist, the risen Christ is present in the fullness of his glorified humanity.
The Council of Trent (1545-63) teaches that “after the consecration of the bread and wine, our Lord Jesus Christ, true God and true man, is truly, really, and substantially contained under the perceptible species of bread and wine. is present “body and blood, soul and divinity.” (DS, 874). The council goes to state that it is not contradictory to say that Christ who “always sits at the right hand of the Father in heaven according to his natural way of existing” can be sacramentally present in other places. (DS, 874). When discussing the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist in another place the council refers to Christ as he “who has risen from the dead and dies now no more.” (DS, 876) The Catechism of the Catholic Church adopts the language of Trent when it states that 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.” (CC, 1374).
Belief in the real presence is the catalyst that provides the faithful with the spiritual grace and motivation to live out their baptismal faith which is a commitment to suffer, die, and rise from the dead as Jeus did. The Catechism of the Catholic Church states that “Life in Christ has its foundation in the Eucharistic banquet. (1391). “Truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you.” (Jn 6:53). In the Eucharist, Christ is not just statically present as an object to be adored and worshiped. He is present as the living and active revelation of God, as the bearer of eternal salvation, the foundation of the Christian believer’s encounter with God, and the source of our reception of the Holy Spirit. When one receives the Eucharist, the risen Christ in the fullness of his salvific presence comes to dwell in the individual believer. “ He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me and I in him.” (Jn. 6:56). Paul tells us that the cup of blessing which we bless in the Eucharist gives us a participation or communion in the blood of Christ, and the bread broken gives us a participation or communion in the body of Christ. (1 Cor 10:16). This is the great mystery of the Eucharistic celebration that the Son of God in his Risen humanity choses to become united with each individual believer, manifesting God’s unconditional love and the ultimate value of each individual human person. Consequently, the reality is, that, in the reception of the bread and wine in communion, we are not just encountering something, but someone, the Risen Christ.
However, the Eucharist is not just a celebration of the individual believer’s union with the Risen Christ. It is not a private prayer that focuses on the individual’s own relationship with Christ. In the union between Christ and the believer Christ units the individual person with all the faithful in one body – the Church. “Communion renews, strengthens, and deepens this incorporation into the Church, already achieved by Baptism.” (CC, 1396). “The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not a participation in the body of Christ? Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body for we all partake of the one bread.” (1 Cor 10:16-17). The Eucharist is a community prayer, a celebration of the church, of the community of believers, of the body of Christ. Every Eucharist is celebrated in communion with the whole Church, with all those present, with all those living on earth, those in purgatory, all those is heaven, the communion of saints. (CC, 1354). It is celebrated in communion with all the pastors of the Church, the Pope, the diocesan bishop, and all the bishops of the World and their Churches. (CC, 1354). The Catechism of the Catholic Church states that the Pope, who exercises the ministry of Peter in the Church, “is associated with every celebration of the Eucharist, wherein he is named as the sign and the servant of the unity of the universal Church.” (CC, 1369).
The fundamental revelation of the presence of Christ in the Eucharist is not that we are sinners, but that in spite of our sin, we have been chosen from all eternity to be united with God in eternal life. This is why we were created. Eternal life is our destiny. Every human person has eternal value. In this Eucharistic union God is revealing that we have been chosen as welcome and acceptable daughters and sons of God. We have been accepted for who we are. Through Christ’s presence in the Eucharist, we have been made worthy. Our worthiness is not something that comes from us or that we merit. Nonetheless, we have be made worthy though our adoption as sons and daughters of God.
Christ’s presence in the Eucharist also reveals to us how we must live in order to reach eternal life. We must live as Jesus did, follow in his path, live a life of love of God and all others, including enemies, live a life in service of others, respecting the value of all human persons. The means are found in the grace of the Holy Spirit which we receive in and through the presence of Christ. What it means to live as Christ did is spelled out more concretely in the Eucharistic prayers, the readings from Scripture, the Old Testament and the New Testament, the homily, and the music and the singing.
The basis of a Catholic’s call and right to participate in the Eucharist is rooted in one’s Baptism. Through Baptism all Catholics are joined with Christ through the Holy Spirit, become members of the Catholic community of faith, and receive the call to participate in the priestly ministry of Christ, the priesthood of the faithful. (The Catechism of the Catholic Church, CC, 1267). The Second Vatican Council teaches that Catholics, through their baptism, are made “one body with Christ and are constituted among the People of God” and are “made sharers in the priestly, prophetical, and kingly functions of Christ.” (LG, 31). “The baptized, by regeneration and the anointing of the Holy Spirit, are consecrated to be a spiritual house and a holy priesthood.” (Lumen Gentium, LG, 10, and CC, 1141 and 1268). Through their participation in the Eucharistic sacrifice, which Lumen Gentium describes as “the summit of Christian life,” the Catholic faithful “offer the divine victim to God and themselves along with it.” (LG, 11). As the Second Vatican Council teaches the faithful are “charged with offering spiritual sacrifices presenting themselves as a sacrifice, living, holy and pleasing to God.” (LG, 10). Consequently, both in the celebration of the Eucharist and in the reception of communion, the faithful have a part to play in the liturgical action. (LG, 11). The council distinguishes between the priesthood of the faithful (the common priesthood) and the ministerial priesthood of the priest celebrating the Eucharist but affirms that they are both interrelated. (LG, 10). “Both in the offering and in holy Communion in their separate ways…have their own part to play.” (LG, 11).
One of the major objectives of the Vatican II reformed liturgy is to facilitate the participation of the laity in the Eucharistic celebration in order to allow the faithful to publicly exercise their priesthood. The Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy of the Second Vatican Council states that “In the restoration and promotion of the sacred liturgy, the full and active participation by all the people is the aim to be considered before all else…” (Sacrosanctum Concilium, 14). In the celebration of the Eucharist the people should not simply be present as strangers and spectators, passively watching the priest. “They should take part in the sacred action conscious of what they are doing, with devotion and full collaboration.” (Sacrosanctum Concilium, 48). In order to promote their active participation, the people should be encouraged to take part in the acclamations, responses, antiphons, and singing, as well as through their actions, gestures and bodily attitudes. (Sacrosanctum Concilium, 41). The extension of the use of the vernacular was introduced in order to facilitate the participation of the laity, although the use of Latin was preserved. (Sacrosanctum Concilium, 36). The decision by the General Instruction of the Roman Missal, 1970 (GIRM) to make the altar freestanding, away from the wall, allowing the priest to face the people, more clearly manifests the role of people as celebrants with the priest in the celebration of the Eucharist. By the priest facing the people they are drawn into the very mystery they are celebrating with him and are exercising the priestly function that they received at baptism.
John R. Connolly
June 5, 2025
The Council of Trent (1545-63) teaches that “after the consecration of the bread and wine, our Lord Jesus Christ, true God and true man, is truly, really, and substantially contained under the perceptible species of bread and wine. is present “body and blood, soul and divinity.” (DS, 874). The council goes to state that it is not contradictory to say that Christ who “always sits at the right hand of the Father in heaven according to his natural way of existing” can be sacramentally present in other places. (DS, 874). When discussing the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist in another place the council refers to Christ as he “who has risen from the dead and dies now no more.” (DS, 876) The Catechism of the Catholic Church adopts the language of Trent when it states that 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.” (CC, 1374).
Belief in the real presence is the catalyst that provides the faithful with the spiritual grace and motivation to live out their baptismal faith which is a commitment to suffer, die, and rise from the dead as Jeus did. The Catechism of the Catholic Church states that “Life in Christ has its foundation in the Eucharistic banquet. (1391). “Truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you.” (Jn 6:53). In the Eucharist, Christ is not just statically present as an object to be adored and worshiped. He is present as the living and active revelation of God, as the bearer of eternal salvation, the foundation of the Christian believer’s encounter with God, and the source of our reception of the Holy Spirit. When one receives the Eucharist, the risen Christ in the fullness of his salvific presence comes to dwell in the individual believer. “ He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me and I in him.” (Jn. 6:56). Paul tells us that the cup of blessing which we bless in the Eucharist gives us a participation or communion in the blood of Christ, and the bread broken gives us a participation or communion in the body of Christ. (1 Cor 10:16). This is the great mystery of the Eucharistic celebration that the Son of God in his Risen humanity choses to become united with each individual believer, manifesting God’s unconditional love and the ultimate value of each individual human person. Consequently, the reality is, that, in the reception of the bread and wine in communion, we are not just encountering something, but someone, the Risen Christ.
However, the Eucharist is not just a celebration of the individual believer’s union with the Risen Christ. It is not a private prayer that focuses on the individual’s own relationship with Christ. In the union between Christ and the believer Christ units the individual person with all the faithful in one body – the Church. “Communion renews, strengthens, and deepens this incorporation into the Church, already achieved by Baptism.” (CC, 1396). “The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not a participation in the body of Christ? Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body for we all partake of the one bread.” (1 Cor 10:16-17). The Eucharist is a community prayer, a celebration of the church, of the community of believers, of the body of Christ. Every Eucharist is celebrated in communion with the whole Church, with all those present, with all those living on earth, those in purgatory, all those is heaven, the communion of saints. (CC, 1354). It is celebrated in communion with all the pastors of the Church, the Pope, the diocesan bishop, and all the bishops of the World and their Churches. (CC, 1354). The Catechism of the Catholic Church states that the Pope, who exercises the ministry of Peter in the Church, “is associated with every celebration of the Eucharist, wherein he is named as the sign and the servant of the unity of the universal Church.” (CC, 1369).
The fundamental revelation of the presence of Christ in the Eucharist is not that we are sinners, but that in spite of our sin, we have been chosen from all eternity to be united with God in eternal life. This is why we were created. Eternal life is our destiny. Every human person has eternal value. In this Eucharistic union God is revealing that we have been chosen as welcome and acceptable daughters and sons of God. We have been accepted for who we are. Through Christ’s presence in the Eucharist, we have been made worthy. Our worthiness is not something that comes from us or that we merit. Nonetheless, we have be made worthy though our adoption as sons and daughters of God.
Christ’s presence in the Eucharist also reveals to us how we must live in order to reach eternal life. We must live as Jesus did, follow in his path, live a life of love of God and all others, including enemies, live a life in service of others, respecting the value of all human persons. The means are found in the grace of the Holy Spirit which we receive in and through the presence of Christ. What it means to live as Christ did is spelled out more concretely in the Eucharistic prayers, the readings from Scripture, the Old Testament and the New Testament, the homily, and the music and the singing.
The basis of a Catholic’s call and right to participate in the Eucharist is rooted in one’s Baptism. Through Baptism all Catholics are joined with Christ through the Holy Spirit, become members of the Catholic community of faith, and receive the call to participate in the priestly ministry of Christ, the priesthood of the faithful. (The Catechism of the Catholic Church, CC, 1267). The Second Vatican Council teaches that Catholics, through their baptism, are made “one body with Christ and are constituted among the People of God” and are “made sharers in the priestly, prophetical, and kingly functions of Christ.” (LG, 31). “The baptized, by regeneration and the anointing of the Holy Spirit, are consecrated to be a spiritual house and a holy priesthood.” (Lumen Gentium, LG, 10, and CC, 1141 and 1268). Through their participation in the Eucharistic sacrifice, which Lumen Gentium describes as “the summit of Christian life,” the Catholic faithful “offer the divine victim to God and themselves along with it.” (LG, 11). As the Second Vatican Council teaches the faithful are “charged with offering spiritual sacrifices presenting themselves as a sacrifice, living, holy and pleasing to God.” (LG, 10). Consequently, both in the celebration of the Eucharist and in the reception of communion, the faithful have a part to play in the liturgical action. (LG, 11). The council distinguishes between the priesthood of the faithful (the common priesthood) and the ministerial priesthood of the priest celebrating the Eucharist but affirms that they are both interrelated. (LG, 10). “Both in the offering and in holy Communion in their separate ways…have their own part to play.” (LG, 11).
One of the major objectives of the Vatican II reformed liturgy is to facilitate the participation of the laity in the Eucharistic celebration in order to allow the faithful to publicly exercise their priesthood. The Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy of the Second Vatican Council states that “In the restoration and promotion of the sacred liturgy, the full and active participation by all the people is the aim to be considered before all else…” (Sacrosanctum Concilium, 14). In the celebration of the Eucharist the people should not simply be present as strangers and spectators, passively watching the priest. “They should take part in the sacred action conscious of what they are doing, with devotion and full collaboration.” (Sacrosanctum Concilium, 48). In order to promote their active participation, the people should be encouraged to take part in the acclamations, responses, antiphons, and singing, as well as through their actions, gestures and bodily attitudes. (Sacrosanctum Concilium, 41). The extension of the use of the vernacular was introduced in order to facilitate the participation of the laity, although the use of Latin was preserved. (Sacrosanctum Concilium, 36). The decision by the General Instruction of the Roman Missal, 1970 (GIRM) to make the altar freestanding, away from the wall, allowing the priest to face the people, more clearly manifests the role of people as celebrants with the priest in the celebration of the Eucharist. By the priest facing the people they are drawn into the very mystery they are celebrating with him and are exercising the priestly function that they received at baptism.
John R. Connolly
June 5, 2025