In His Real Presence

“Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed.” John 20:29

A few months ago, I asked my 35-year-old daughter this question: “Do you believe in the Real Presence of Christ in the Holy Eucharist?” She replied that she had never really understood this. 

It is definitely a mystery that is difficult to comprehend. It’s something that human reason and intelligence can never fully grasp. Just like Thomas had a hard time believing that Jesus had resurrected because he was not with the other apostles when Jesus appeared to them, it’s hard for us to believe in something that we cannot see. We must believe it in faith because we do not see the transformation of the bread into the Body and Blood of Christ with our eyes, but it is truly happening. There are many Eucharistic Miracles that have taken place through the centuries in many different places that prove that the bread and wine truly transform themselves into the Body and Blood of Christ during the transubstantiation. 

The word transubstantiation was first used in the 11th century by Hildebert of Lavardin, the Archbishop of Tours. But it was not until the Council of Trent (1545–1563) that it became authoritative church teaching. The Council of Trent declared: “Because Christ our Redeemer said that it was truly his body that he was offering under the species of bread, it has always been the conviction of the Church of God, and this holy Council now declares again, that by the consecration of the bread and wine there takes place a change of the whole substance of the bread into the substance of the body of Christ our Lord and of the whole substance of the wine into the substance of his blood. This change the holy Catholic Church has fittingly and properly called transubstantiation.”[1]

All three of my kids attended Catholic schools from Pre-K to 12th grade. We were an active Catholic family who did more than go to Mass on Sundays. We participated in retreats, we helped out preparing young couples for the sacrament of marriage, and all our kids were Peer Ministers during their high school years, leading retreats and serving in various ministries. I know that they learned about the Eucharist being the true body, blood, soul, and divinity of Christ, and yet, they have a hard time understanding it and believing that it is real. And they are not alone. According to a Pew Research Center survey conducted in 2019, just one-third of U.S. Catholics believe that the Eucharist is truly the Body and Blood of Christ.[2] This means that the other two-thirds believe that the bread and wine used in Communion are only symbols of the body and blood of Jesus Christ. 

Unfortunately, the one-third of us who truly believe in the Real Presence, sometimes do a poor job of demonstrating with our actions what we believe. I heard once that a Protestant told a Catholic, “If I believed that Jesus was truly present in the Eucharist like you Catholics claim, I would be on my knees in adoration. I would spend hours in front of the Blessed Sacrament.” It’s true. If we truly believe that Jesus is present Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity in the Blessed Sacrament, we should spend more time with Him in Adoration. When we are in love with someone, we want to spend time with that person as much as possible. If we love Jesus, we should be in His Real Presence as much as possible. Most churches nowadays have an Adoration Chapel. We should try to visit Jesus as often as possible.

If we believe in the Real Presence, we should also make it a point to go to Mass as often as possible, not just on Sundays. When the churches closed in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and we were not able to go to Mass and receive Holy Communion, that’s when I realized what I was missing. We never know what we have until we lose it, and not being able to receive the Eucharist at least once a week made me very hungry for the Eucharist. Even though I attended virtual Mass and received Spiritual Communion, it just wasn’t the same. My soul was starving for the Eucharist. Oh, how happy I was when the churches reopened. Even if I had to wear a mask, just the fact that I could receive Communion once again made it all worth it. And that is why now I try to go to weekday Mass as often as possible. 

A few years ago, I went to see an exhibition of the Holy Eucharist, which was put together by Blessed Carlo Acutis. This young boy was so in love with the Eucharist that he began to research all the miracles that had taken place around the world. He created a website to organize all these miracles with pictures and explanations. Over a span of two and a half years, he documented 187 Eucharistic miracles. In the midst of his research of Eucharistic Miracles, he was diagnosed with advanced leukemia. God was merciful and did not prolong his suffering, taking him to his heavenly home just four days after his diagnosis. He was just 15 years old. His research has now been turned into an exhibition that is traveling around the world. When I went to see it with my husband, we were taken aback. We had heard of some of these miracles, but we had no idea there were so many. Right away, we sent the information to our kids. We figured they could relate to a teenager who loved soccer, video games, and movies. What differentiated him from other typical teenagers is that he developed a love for Jesus and the Eucharist at an early age. He went to Mass every single day in order to receive Communion, and he spent a lot of his time in front of the Blessed Sacrament.

I have always believed in Christ’s real presence in the Eucharist, but after learning about Blessed Carlo Acutis and all the Eucharistic miracles that have taken place around the world, I have come to realize that the Eucharist is indeed a miracle. We live our lives searching for miracles, and all we need to do is go to Mass to experience a miracle. Every time a priest consecrates a host, a miracle is taking place in that altar. If more people believed this, our churches would be filled to capacity. I know, from personal experience, that when I receive this Blessed nourishment, my day has more meaning.

Jesus is present, Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity, in the Blessed Sacrament of every Catholic Church around the world. The Blessed Sacrament is the source and summit of the Christian faith, and when we receive Holy Communion, we are not just eating a piece of bread; we receive Jesus. He said it in the Last Supper: “This is my body, which will be given for you; do this in memory of me.”[3] May we always feel a deep desire to receive the Eucharist and spend time in His Real Presence. May we have the faith to believe even when we cannot see.

[1] Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2nd ed. (Washington, DC: United States Catholic Conference, 2011), par. 1376.
[2] Pew Research Center Survey conducted Feb 4-19, 2019, among U.S. adult Catholics.
[3] New American Bible Revised Edition, Luke 22:19