The Eucharist, the Real Presence of Jesus Christ

A reader asks:

Hello Martín: The Catholic Church is wrong because it says that Christ is present in the Eucharist, but that is not true; it is only a symbol. I assure you that if I take a consecrated host and examine it under a microscope, I will not see Jesus Christ. Besides, the Bible says that there is only one sacrifice, not many. Masses are not necessary…

Answer

Greetings, brother. From your comment, surely you are not Catholic. Thank you for your e-mail, and I will respond to your comments.

1.- The Real Presence of Jesus Christ: Body and Blood.

When we Catholics believe something, it is not because someone happened to invent it, but because it surely has a strong foundation in the Bible and in apostolic Tradition. In this case, the «real presence of Jesus Christ» in the consecrated Bread and Wine is a fact that the Word of God clearly shows us. Let us read what Jesus Christ says:

«I am the bread of life. Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness and died; this is the bread which comes down from heaven, that one may eat of it and not die. I am the living bread which came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread which I shall give is my flesh for the life of the world.»

Jn 6:48-51

These are the words of Jesus in every Bible in the world: the Bread that I shall give IS MY FLESH. The very words of Our Lord. Faced with this biblical text, which is so clear, many Evangelical brothers and others say that it is not something real, but that Jesus Christ was speaking symbolically.

To prove that this was not symbolic at all but something real, the best thing is not to give our opinion, but to let the Bible speak for itself and show us what the reaction was of the people who were around Jesus when he said those words. Let us see it in the following point:

2.- The three levels of faith: Jews, Protestants, Catholics.

The first group we find is that of the Jews reacting in this way:

«The Jews then disputed among themselves, saying, “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?” Jesus said to them, “Truly, 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. He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day. For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him.”

Jn 6:52-56

If you read carefully, you will notice that the reaction of the Jews is one of great unbelief. It was normal, because when they heard Jesus’ words they understood them literally, just as they heard them. Jesus Christ was speaking about eating his flesh and drinking his blood. It is like the first level of faith before the words of Jesus Christ. Nothing symbolic, as many say nowadays. It was so real that this is why they reacted in that way. So that it would be clear to them that it was something real, Jesus repeated to them four times the need to eat his flesh and drink his blood.

The second group, with a different reaction, is the following:

«Many of his disciples, when they heard it, said, “This is a hard saying; who can listen to it?” But Jesus, knowing in himself that his disciples murmured at it, said to them, “Do you take offense at this? Then what if you were to see the Son of Man ascending to where he was before?… It is the Spirit that gives life; the flesh is of no avail. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life. But there are some of you that do not believe.” For Jesus knew from the beginning who those were who did not believe, and who it was that would betray him. And he said, “This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless it is granted him by the Father.” After this many of his disciples drew back and no longer went about with him.

Jn 6:60-66

How tremendous is what the Bible tells us. Many of his disciples immediately react by saying no, that those words Jesus had spoken about eating his flesh and drinking his blood were «very hard». Of course. It was something real.

Notice, my dear brother, that this second group was not made up of Jews but of disciples of Jesus. That is, they were believers who had previously accepted the words of Jesus; believers who loved God and recognized Jesus as the Messiah; believers who had already heard before of the promises and demands of the Kingdom; believers… yes, believers, but only up to a certain level.

For those «disciples» everything was going well until they heard Jesus Christ speak about «eating his flesh and drinking his blood». Disciples, but from that moment on, the Bible tells us in verse 66, «they drew back and no longer followed him».

If their reaction of rejecting those words of Jesus is tremendous, even more tremendous is the reaction of Jesus Christ when he sees that many of his disciples decide to abandon him because of those words. Read it in your own Bible, in any language and in any version. Do you know what Jesus did? NOTHING.

He did nothing and calmly let them leave. As if saying: «If you are going to be with me, accept my words: “it is my body and it is my blood,” however hard they may be; if you do not accept them, go away» … and he let them go.
Without a doubt, those disciples are very similar to many Protestants today who love and follow Jesus, but when they come to the real presence, decide not to follow him to that level.

Let us quickly move on to see the third group, which shows us another kind of reaction and another level of faith:

«Jesus said to the Twelve, “Do you also wish to go away?” Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life, and we have believed and have come to know that you are the Son of God.”

Jn 6:67-69

How wonderful and astonishing Our Lord Jesus Christ is. After many leave him, he turns, looks at the Apostles—who, through no fault of their own, see him—and throws the question at them: Do you also want to go away?

He did it this way because Jesus took the occasion to define once and for all who was really going to accept his words. Even at the risk that some of his apostles might also leave him, he did it. His words: «eat my flesh and drink my blood» were so real and important that there could be no «negotiating» over them. Our Lord would set them as a condition for being an authentic disciple 100%.
Moreover, it should be emphasized that their reaction is not as a group, like the Jews, nor like those who abandoned him. No. Although Jesus asks the twelve, the answer comes from only one, representing the twelve: Peter took the floor and gave a personal and ecclesial YES: «You have the words of eternal life».

Coincidence? No. Peter, the first Pope, the visible head of the Church, the shepherd Jesus would leave us, accepts Jesus’ words just as they are.

Likewise we Catholics, with a personal faith and united to the successor of Peter, have the gift of reaching the third level of faith. From then on, Catholics will always accept Jesus’ words just as they are: «Eat my flesh, drink my blood».

3.- The Command of Jesus: Do this in memory of me.

Let us now see how Jesus’ words would not be only for that time, but a command so that the Apostles and their successors would do it forever:

«And he took bread, and when he had given thanks he broke it and gave it to them, saying: This is my body which is given for you; do this in memory of me.»

Lk 22:19

So, my dear brother, the reason why we celebrate the Eucharist in the Catholic Church is simply because it is a command of Jesus.

4.- Making present the one sacrifice of Jesus on the cross.

Furthermore, when we celebrate the Mass, we are not thinking of offering Jesus Christ several times, repeating his sacrifice, as the sects think. No. What we believe is that we «make present the one and unrepeatable sacrifice of Our Lord». Just as he said: «Do this in memory of me». For this reason, years later, the Apostle Paul would say:

«For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you: that the Lord Jesus, on the night when he was betrayed, took bread, and after giving thanks, broke it and said: “This is my body which is given for you; do this in memory of me.” In the same way also the cup, saying: “This cup is the New Covenant in my blood. As often as you drink it, do this in memory of me.”

1 Cor 11:23-25

More than a simple remembrance or a repetition, for the Apostle Saint Paul and for us, it is a «making present» of the covenant that Our Lord sealed with his blood.

5.- So real that it has real consequences.

If, upon reaching this point, anyone still doubts that «body and blood» are being spoken of as something real, let us see what the Apostle’s conclusion is in his Eucharistic discourse:

«Therefore whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord unworthily will be guilty of the Body and Blood of the Lord. Let a man examine himself, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the Body eats and drinks judgment upon himself».

1 Cor 11:27-29

So real is the «body and blood» for the Apostle Paul that to receive it unworthily is to eat one’s own condemnation. When someone mistreats a picture of an artist there is no punishment; but when it is the real person, there certainly is.

Paul is saying it precisely in this way: as something real.

6.- Neither with a microscope nor with a telescope.

One last aspect I want to comment on is that when you wrote to us you said that if you took a consecrated host to a microscope you would not see Jesus Christ. I answer that if you take it to a microscope, you will not see Jesus there; but if you take a telescope and look at the sky, you will not see God there either. You resemble one of the first astronauts who went to the moon and mockingly said: I went to heaven and did not see God.

You have definitely forgotten something fundamental: God is not seen with physical eyes in the microscope or in the telescope. God is found with the eyes of faith, for as the Apostle Paul said: «We walk by faith and not by sight» (2 Cor 5:7), and I believe that in this regard you are not doing very well, to say the least.

So be it. As Jesus Christ often said: «Let him understand who can».

For our part, we remain united to the Apostle Peter, accepting the «body and blood of Jesus Christ» and saying to Jesus:

«Lord, you have the words of eternal life».

And we will continue celebrating the Eucharist with joy:

«Until he comes».

1 Cor 11:26

May God bless you and enlighten your mind and heart.

 

Author: Martín Zavala