The Bread of Life

Eucharistic stained glass window depicting bread and wine, St. Michael the Archangel Catholic Church, Findlay, OH, Author Nheyob, (CC BY-SA 3.0 Unported)

Transubstantiation — a fundamental belief of the Roman Catholic Church — holds that the Eucharistic elements are sacramentally transformed into the body and blood of Christ at consecration [1].  The substance of the bread and wine changes, though the appearance remains.

The 4th Century martyr Tarcisius is among those who died to prevent desecration of the Eucharist [2].  Cistercian monks Fr. Dominik Zavrel and Fr. Albertin Maisonade died doing this in 1799.

Methodists likewise believe in the real presence of Christ in the bread and wine.  However, Anglicans, Presbyterians, and Lutherans do not.  The Eastern Orthodox Church has not taken a formal stand.

Origin

“And He took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, ‘This is My body which is given for you;do this in remembrance of Me’” (Luke 22: 19).

Christ instituted the sacrament of the Eucharist at the Last Supper.  However, He, also, referred to Himself as the bread of life (John 6: 48).

“I am the living bread which came down from heaven.  If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread that I shall give is My flesh, which I shall give for the life of the world” (John 6: 51).

“For My flesh is food indeed, and My blood is drink indeed. He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him” (John 6: 55-56).

Symbolism and Physicality

Though He did use metaphors in the parables, Christ never said that He was speaking symbolically on this issue.  He did clarify that He was not speaking about mere physicality.

“It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life” (John 6: 63).

The Catholic Church interprets this to mean that the presence of Christ in the bread and wine is a sacred mystery.

Early Church

The early church fathers were in agreement about the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist [3A][4].

When Christians were accused of ritual cannibalism, Athenagoras in 176 AD wrote to the Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius:

“You cannot eat human flesh unless you have killed someone.  Christians are not cannibals because the flesh of Christ which is consumed is not dead flesh but the resurrected, fully alive, glorified body of Christ [3B].“

The martyr Ignatius of Antioch (108 AD – 140 AD) in letters to the Christians in Rome and Smyrna affirmed the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist [3C].

St. Augustine of Hippo (354 AD – 430 AD) in two sermons (#227 and #232) did the same.  In the latter, he wrote:

“You Christian should receive what you are, and in saying amen say amen both to the mystery of the Eucharist as the real presence but also, therefore, to the mystery of the Body of Christ in which we are united and made members through the celebration of the sacrament [3D].”

Middle Ages

The 4th Lateran Council in 1215 reiterated that there is a substantial change in the Eucharistic elements, real though not physical [5].

Thomas Aquinas used Aristotelian logic to address the subject [3E].

Aquinas explained that the “substance”, i.e. the essential reality of the Eucharistic elements, changes during consecration.  The “accidents”, i.e. the secondary aspects of those elements, remain the same.

In other words, the bread and wine retain their outward characteristics, but are transmuted into the whole substance of Christ.

Protestant Reformation

Protestant reformers, by and large, rejected this interpretation.  Their position was that transubstantiation was not supported by Scripture.

John Wycliffe, John Calvin, and Huldrych Zwingli viewed Christ’s presence in the Eucharist as spiritual only [3F][6][7][8].  For them, the communion service was a solemn, commemorative meal.

In response, the Council of Trent in 1545 reasserted the sacrificial nature of the Eucharist and the presence of Christ, using the terms:  true, real, and substantial [9].

This is still the Catholic Church’s position today.

—

[1]  Wikipedia, “Transubstantiation”, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transubstantiation.

[2]  Salt and Light Media (S&L), “Remembering Eucharistic martyrs on the feast of Corpus Christ” by Kristina Glicksman, 6/11/20, https://slmedia.org/blog/remembering-eucharistic-martyrs-on-the-feast-of-corpus-christi.

[3A – 3F]  Eternal Word Television Network (EWTN), “The Heresies” with Tim Moriarty, Episode 12:  Denying the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist.  See, https://www.ewtn.com/tv/shows/heresies.

[4]  Catholic Answers, “What if Protestants Are Right about the Eucharist” by Joe Heschmeyer, 1/17/18, https://www.catholic.com/magazine/online-edition/what-if-protestants-are-right-about-the-eucharist.

[5]  Wikipedia, “Fourth Council of the Lateran”, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fourth_Council_of_the_Lateran.

[6]  Wikipedia, “John Wycliffe”, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Wycliffe.

[7]  Brittanica, “John Calvin” by William Bouwsma, 7/6/23, https://www.britannica.com/biography/John-Calvin.

[8]  Brittanica, “Huldrych Zwingli” by Geoffrey Bromiley, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Huldrych-Zwingli.

[9]  Wikipedia, “Council of Trent”, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Council_of_Trent.

READERS CAN FIND MY VIEWS ON ABUSE AND ABUSE-RELATED ISSUES AT ANNA WALDHERR A Voice Reclaimed, Surviving Child Abuse 
https://avoicereclaimed.com