Reflection #1 - Introduction
Eucharist!—“the source and summit of the Christian life.”[1] While this declaration is a foundational belief of our Catholic faith, a 2019 Pew Research Center survey found that just 31% of the U.S. population, identifying themselves as Catholic Christians, agreed with the Church that the Eucharist is the Real Presence of Christ. The rest believed that the offering of gifts of bread and wine during the Mass was a purely symbolic action. And if we were to look more closely at the research, we would find that even 37% of the most observant Catholics—those who participate in Mass at least once a week—do not believe in the Real Presence of the Eucharist.
Have you ever struggled with believing or understanding the Real Presence? If you have, you’re not alone. In today’s gospel, we heard many of Jesus’ disciples walk away uttering, “This saying is hard; who can accept it?”[2] Just as his followers struggled with the depth of mystery, we too are often challenged by limited human understanding. When confronted with doubt, perhaps it’s helpful to remind ourselves that Eucharist is not a thing. It is not an inanimate object, symbol, or grandiose idea. The Church teaches us that “under the consecrated species of bread and wine Christ himself, living and glorious, is present in the true, real, and substantial manner: his Body and his Blood, with his soul and his divinity.” [3] The reality of the Eucharist is not some ancient memory—it is a living person as true God and true man.
During these coming months, through the Church's teachings and the wisdom and spirituality of the Church Fathers and Saints, join us as we explore the Eucharist as being the fountain from which the life of Christ flows.
[1] Dogmatic Constitution on the Church (Lumen Gentium), 11. (One of the significant documents of the Second Vatican Council).
[2] John 6:60.
[3] Catechism of the Catholic Church, #1413.
Have you ever struggled with believing or understanding the Real Presence? If you have, you’re not alone. In today’s gospel, we heard many of Jesus’ disciples walk away uttering, “This saying is hard; who can accept it?”[2] Just as his followers struggled with the depth of mystery, we too are often challenged by limited human understanding. When confronted with doubt, perhaps it’s helpful to remind ourselves that Eucharist is not a thing. It is not an inanimate object, symbol, or grandiose idea. The Church teaches us that “under the consecrated species of bread and wine Christ himself, living and glorious, is present in the true, real, and substantial manner: his Body and his Blood, with his soul and his divinity.” [3] The reality of the Eucharist is not some ancient memory—it is a living person as true God and true man.
During these coming months, through the Church's teachings and the wisdom and spirituality of the Church Fathers and Saints, join us as we explore the Eucharist as being the fountain from which the life of Christ flows.
[1] Dogmatic Constitution on the Church (Lumen Gentium), 11. (One of the significant documents of the Second Vatican Council).
[2] John 6:60.
[3] Catechism of the Catholic Church, #1413.