4 Proofs of the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist

The Eucharistic is the fount and apex of the whole Christian life (LG 11). In the Most Blessed Sacrament of the Eucharist are

“contained truly, really, and substantially the Body and Blood, together with the soul and divinity, of our Lord Jesus Christ, and therefore the whole Christ” (Council of Trent: DS 1651).

The term “real” presence is used because it is neither symbolic nor figurative, but substantial: Christ, true God and true Man, becomes fully present in the Eucharist (MF 39). Through the conversion of bread and wine into His Body and Blood—what the Church calls transubstantiation—Christ is made present under the sacred species.

And because that Christ, our Redeemer, declared that which He offered under the species of bread to be truly His own body, therefore has it ever been a firm belief in the Church of God, and this holy Synod doth now declare it anew, that, by the consecration of the bread and of the wine, a conversion is made 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; which conversion is, by the holy Catholic Church, suitably and properly called Transubstantiation.

According to the Catechism, the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist begins at the moment of consecration and endures as long as the sacramental species remain. Christ is wholly present in each of the species and wholly present in each of their parts, so that the breaking of the bread does not divide Christ.

From the earliest centuries, Christians have defended this truth of faith, although it has often been questioned or reduced to a mere symbol or metaphor. Therefore, in this article we are going to present 4 clear proofs of the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist: the testimony of the Scripture, the writings of the Church Fathers, the Eucharistic miracles confirmed by science, and the teachings of the saints.

The Eucharist in the Bible

In Sacred Scripture we find abundant references to the Eucharist. The Old Testament offers multiple prefigurations of this mystery. While in the New Testament it is Christ himself who announces it, teaches it, and finally institutes it.

In what follows we will look at three key passages: the Bread of Life Discourse, the accounts of the Institution of the Eucharist, and the teachings of Saint Paul.

Bread of Life Discourse and the Eucharist

When Jesus spoke about himself, he did so in two ways: symbolically (I am the way, the truth, and the life) and literally. In the first case, he often explain the meaning of his words to his disciples. However, when speaking of the Eucharist, the Lord offered no clarifications because His teaching was meant to be taken literally and was perfectly clear. His contemporaries understood it this way.

In the Bread of Life Discourse and of the Eucharist, the Lord reveals this mystery to his followers (Jn 6:24-59). Jesus had just performed the miracle of the first multiplication of the loaves. Because the people had eaten until they were satisfied, they wanted to seize Him and make Him king, seeing Him as a giver of material goods rather than spiritual ones. For this reason, Jesus withdrew and went to Capernaum. The crowd searched for Him until they found Him. Upon seeing them, Jesus said to them:

Do not work for food that perishes but for the food that endures for eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For on him the Father, God, has set his seal.” (6, 27)

They asked him what they should do to perform the works of God. Christ answered them:

This is the work of God, that you believe in the one He sent. (6, 29)

Once again, they demanded a sign in order to believe in Jesus, even though he had just multiplied the loaves. He answered:

“Amen, amen, I say to you, it was not Moses who gave the bread from heaven; my Father gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is that which comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” (6, 32)

They asked him to always give them this bread, thinking he was still speaking of the loaves he had multiplied for them to eat. But Jesus revealed:

“I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me will never hunger, and whoever believes in me will never thirst. […]” (6:35)

The Jews were astonished by this revelation. They knew his parents, Mary and Joseph, and could not believe that Jesus had come down from Heaven. Faced with their incredulity, the Lord insists:

I am the bread of life. Your ancestors ate the manna in the desert, but they died; this is the bread that comes down from heaven so that one may eat it and not die. I am the living bread that came down from heaven; whoever eats this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world.”

Jesus began to speak literally and the Jews took his words literally, becoming scandalized:

The Jews quarreled among themselves, saying, “How can this man give us (his) flesh to eat?” (6, 52)

Indeed, the words of Jesus and the Catholic teaching on the Eucharist are not easy to believe. Knowing that many would misunderstand him, Jesus spoke even more clearly, declaring that his body would truly become our spiritual food for eternal life:

“Amen, amen, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you do not have life within you. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him on the last day. For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. (6, 53-55)

Jesus also revealed the wonderful effects of the Eucharist in the soul of those who receive it with faith:

“Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me and I in him. Just as the living Father sent me and I have life because of the Father, so also the one who feeds on me will have life because of me. This is the bread that came down from heaven. Unlike your ancestors who ate and still died, whoever eats this bread will live forever.”

This is the only moment in the Gospels where some disciples abandoned Jesus because of his words. He did not try to hold them back or soften his message. These were men of his own people, who shared his language, knew his face, and understood his way of speaking; yet they were scandalized when he declared that his flesh was true food. If Jesus had only been speaking symbolically of a ritual meal, he would not have caused such rejection, since Jewish religion and many ancient cultures were full of symbolic banquets.

The teachings of Jesus in this passage of the Gospel are very clear. He identifies himself as the living bread that came down from Heaven. He also announces that this bread that he will give is his own Being. And that, by eating it, we will live united to him and receive from his generosity eternal life. Evidently, Jesus is speaking of the Eucharist and is teaching about his real presence in this sacrament and all that it will produce in the soul of the faithful who receive it.

The Institution of the Eucharist

The Institution of the Eucharist is recounted by the Synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke) and in the First Letter to the Corinthians by Saint Paul.

Saint Matthew, who was an eyewitness to the Institution of the Eucharist, narrates:

While they were eating, Jesus took bread, said the blessing, broke it, and giving it to his disciples said, “Take and eat; this is my body.” Then he took a cup, gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you, for this is my blood of the covenant, which will be shed on behalf of many for the forgiveness of sins“. (Mt 26:26-28)

When God speaks, what he says comes to pass (Is 55:11). His word is effective: This is my body (Mc 14:22-24). He did not say “This symbolizes my Body” but rather “This IS”. Christ having said “This is my body” makes the matter even clearer because, in Jewish thought, there is no opposition between body and soul. “My body” means the person as a whole.. “This is my body” means “this is Me”.

The authority of Saint Matthew as an apostle and witness of the Last Supper is more than enough to affirm the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist. Nevertheless, this event is so essential that Mark and Luke also narrated it and in a very similar way:

While they were eating, he took bread, said the blessing, broke it, and gave it to them, and said, “Take it; this is my body.” Then he took a cup, gave thanks, and gave it to them, and they all drank from it. He said to them, “This is my blood of the covenant, which will be shed for many.” (Mc 14:22-24)

It is possible that St. Mark wrote down what he had heard from the lips of St. Peter. St. Luke, for his part, adds important details:

When the hour came, he took his place at table with the apostles. He said to them, “I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer for, I tell you, I shall not eat it (again) until there is fulfillment in the kingdom of God.” Then he took a cup, gave thanks, and said, “Take this and share it among yourselves; for I tell you (that) from this time on I shall not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes. Then he took the bread, said the blessing, broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body, which will be given for you; do this in memory of me.” And likewise the cup after they had eaten, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which will be shed for you. ». (Lc 22:14-20)

Jesus longed for this Last Supper because in it he would institute the Eucharist, the Holy Mass, and the Sacrament of Holy Orders. He entrusted these mysteries to his apostles so that they would continue to celebrate them until the end of time. St. Paul confirms this mandate by passing on what he himself had received from apostolic tradition:

For I received from the Lord what I also handed on to you, that the Lord Jesus, on the night he was handed over, took bread, and, after he had given thanks, broke it and said, “This is my body that is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” In the same way also the cup, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.” . (1 Cor 11:23-27)

Jesus was celebrating the Passover, and for the Jews to “make memory” (anamnesis) is not simply to recall a past event, but to re-live it.. For both Christians and Jews, a memorial is an effective proclamation of God’s mighty work renewed in the present. It means that the unique, unrepeatable event of Calvary becomes real in the present through the action of the Holy Spirit. . At the altar,bread and wine are transformed into Jesus Christ, the same Lord who offered himself on that first Good Friday at Calvary.

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The Teachings of St. Paul

St. Paul in chapters 10 and 11 of the First Letter to the Corinthians, explains the Eucharistic mystery and gives practical advice for the daily life of the community.

First, he explains the intimate union between the soul and Christ in Holy Communion:

The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ? (I Cor 10:16)

Through Communion, we are also united with the whole Church, which is the Mystical Body of Christ. The Eucharist sustains the unity of the Church by fostering the Communion of Saints:

Because the loaf of bread is one, we, though many, are one body, for we all partake of the one loaf.. (I Cor 10:17)

St. Paul commands believers not to participate in pagan banquets. If we want Communion to bear fruit in our lives, we cannot live like pagans during the week and like Christians on Sunday. Integrity of life is necessary:

No, I mean that what they sacrifice, (they sacrifice) to demons, not to God, and I do not want you to become participants with demons. You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and also the cup of demons. You cannot partake of the table of the Lord and of the table of demons. (I Cor 10:20-21)

In chapter 11 (where the Institution of the Eucharist is also narrated), the Apostle teaches that the Eucharist is truly the Body and Blood of the Lord. Both he and his successors are authorized to perpetuate the sacred act of consecration. The Holy Mass is a sacrifice—it is the very same sacrifice of Calvary. The Eucharist is inseparable from the Passion, and it will be celebrated until the Second Coming of Christ:

For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the death of the Lord until he comes.. (I Cor 11:26)

Finally, he warns that the Eucharist must be received worthily, with fullness of faith and humility. We cannot receive Communion without surrendering ourselves completely to the Lord. To receive unworthily, in a state of mortal sin, brings spiritual weakness, physical illness, and even eternal condemnation:

A person should examine himself, and so eat the bread and drink the cup. For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body, eats and drinks judgment on himself.

That is why many among you are ill and infirm, and a considerable number are dying. If we discerned ourselves, we would not be under judgment;

but since we are judged by (the) Lord, we are being disciplined so that we may not be condemned along with the world.. (I Cor, 27-32)

If we frequent the Eucharist, we cannot live as worldly people. Let us examine our lives and ask for the grace to grow in love for the Lord and devotion to the Eucharist. We must strive to be faithful to Jesus by keeping his commandments. He himself said:

“Whoever has my commandments and observes them is the one who loves me. And whoever loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and reveal myself to him.” (Jn. 14:21)

In the Writings of the Church Fathers

The belief in the Real Presence is not a medieval invention, but a constant and original truth of faith that goes back to the earliest centuries of Christianity.

The writings of the The Church Fathers, who were the first to receive and transmit the apostolic faith, offer unanimous testimony to this truth. Their language is clear and direct. The Real Presence was a central doctrine from the very beginning.

The oldest Christian document outside the New Testament, the Didache (c. 48 AD), refers to the Eucharist as a pure sacrifice and requires confession of sins before participating.

St. Ignatius of Antioch (c. 107 AD), a disciple of the Apostle Saint John, is one of the strongest witnesses. In his letters, he refers to the Eucharist as the flesh of our Savior Jesus Christ and the blood of God. He even condemns heretics who abstain from the Eucharist because they do not admit that the Eucharist is the flesh of our Savior Jesus Christ. Saint Ignatius considered denying this truth to be separating oneself from the Church. He also describes the Eucharist as a medicine of immortality, an antidote to not dying, and food to live in Jesus Christ forever.

St. Justin Martyr (c. 165 AD), in his defense of the faith before the Roman authorities, testified that the Eucharistic bread and wine are not ordinary food, but the flesh and blood of that same Jesus who became incarnate. His testimony is particularly valuable because it responds to the accusation of cannibalism by pagans, which demonstrates that the belief in the physical presence of Christ in the sacrament was so literal that it was incomprehensible and offensive to the outside world.

The consistency and clarity of these testimonies, from the first generation of Christians, refute the idea that the doctrine of the Real Presence is a later invention or a deviation from the original faith. On the contrary, historical evidence establishes an uninterrupted line of continuity from Christ and the Apostles to the faith of the current Church.

• You may be interested in: Comments of the Church Fathers on the Gospels (Catena Aurea)

Eucharistic Miracles

Throughout history, the Church’s faith in the Real Presence has been confirmed by extraordinary signs known as Eucharistic miracles. These events, which involve the transformation of the species of bread and wine into visible flesh and blood, are signs meant to strengthen the faith and move the hearts of believers and skeptics.

One of the most recent miracles recognized by the Church occurred in Poland. On December 25, 2013, in the church of St. Hyacinth in Legnica, a consecrated host fell to the ground during Holy Mass and was placed in water, as prescribed by liturgical norms. After a few days, a red stain. appeared on it. The bishop ordered a scientific investigation.

Analyses carried out in various forensic institutes ruled out bacteria or fungi. They confirmed that the fragments corresponded to human heart muscle tissue in a state of agony.. The Vatican recognized the supernatural character of the event and, in 2016, the local bishop ordered that the relic be exposed for the adoration of the faithful.

It is very significant that it happened in a temple under the invocation of this saint, since St. Hyacinth (1185-1257) was also the protagonist of a Eucharistic miracle. During the Mongol invasion of Kiev, he saved the consecrated hosts and, encouraged by the Blessed Virgin, he miraculously carried his heavy statue as well, which became light. Together with his friars, he managed to cross the Dnieper River without being seen by the invaders, saving both treasures: Christ in the Eucharist and his Immaculate Mother.

This miracle bears a surprising similarity to other recognized ones, such as those of Lanciano (8th century), Sokółka (2008), Tixtla (2006) and Buenos Aires (1996).

If you want to know more Eucharistic miracles, you can visit the website created by Saint Carlo Acutis. The millennial saint compiled various Eucharistic miracles throughout history and in different parts of the world.

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The Testimony of the Saints

Our Lord said:

By their fruits you will know them (Mt 7:16)

The effect that the Eucharist has had on so many souls who have been devoted is admirable. The saints have fallen in love with the Blessed Sacrament.. In Him they found all their joys and consolation for sad moments. They used to receive communion daily. They spent time with Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament in hours of adoration or visits to a church. They constantly thought of their Jesus, their beloved friend, who was hidden. Some even gave their lives to attend Holy Mass or to defend the Blessed Sacrament. Without the Eucharist it is impossible to be saints.

Saint Thomas Aquinas, one of the greatest theologians of the Eucharist, had a special devotion to the Blessed Sacrament. He participated in Holy Mass three times a day. And he spent hours contemplating the tabernacle. It was his prayer that gave him so much wisdom to explain the truths of faith.

Saint John Bosco, for his part, taught that the Eucharist and devotion to Mary were the two wings to reach Christian perfection.

Saint Carlo Acutis, a young digital evangelizer, called the Eucharist the highway to get to Heaven and dedicated his life to promoting Eucharistic miracles.

The fruits that devotion to the Eucharist has given in the saints also prove that Jesus Christ is really present in it and that He works wonders in the souls of those who receive Him with love.

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We have seen 4 irrefutable proofs of the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist. Truly, He is in the Blessed Sacrament. His words in the Gospel confirm it. Saint Paul preached it. The Church from its beginnings taught it faithfully. In addition, God has given Eucharistic Miracles with scientific evidence to support them to convince us of this truth. And the spiritual and apostolic fruits in the lives of the saints show that Jesus, through Holy Communion, works in them.

After all, as Saint Thomas Aquinas teaches, the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist

is not known by the senses but only by faith, which is based on the authority of God.

We have to ask the Lord for the grace to grow in the virtue of faith to firmly believe in the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist. We can pray this precious prayer composed by Saint Thomas, asking for this gift and an ardent love for Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament:

I adore You devoutly, hidden God, truly concealed under these appearances. My heart submits to You completely, and surrenders totally in contemplating You.

 

When judging You, sight, touch, and taste are mistaken; but hearing alone is enough to believe firmly; I believe everything that the Son of God has said: nothing is more true than this Word of truth.

 

On the Cross, only the Divinity was hidden, but here the Humanity is also hidden; nevertheless, I believe and confess both things, and I ask for what that repentant thief asked.

 

I do not see the wounds as Thomas saw them, but I confess that You are my God: make me believe more and more in You, hope in You, and love You.

 

In Thee my hope, in Thee my love to store. Living Bread that gives life to man: grant my soul to live from You and always savor Your sweetness.

 

Lord Jesus, good Pelican, cleanse me, unclean, with Your Blood, of which a single drop can free the entire world from all crimes.

 

Jesus, whom I now see hidden, I beg You, may what I so desire be fulfilled: that upon seeing Your face to face, I may be happy seeing Your glory.

 

Amen.