# Learn > The Eucharist is the source and summit of the Christian life. Source: https://breadtobody.com/learn Site: Bread ## Learn ### "God dwells in our midst, in the Blessed Sacrament of the altar." - St. Maximilian Kolbe ## Understanding the Real Presence of the Eucharist ### Get ready to delve into the profound love of Jesus! Our Faith is a journey. To help us along this journey, God has given us the gift of the Eucharist. As Pope St. John Paul II said, “the Eucharist is the source and summit” of our faith. *What does that mean?* The Eucharist brings God and us together – in a covenant of love. While our personal faith journey has constant change – ebbs and flows – His love never changes, and it is demonstrated in the sacrifice of His son on the cross. We experience that love – that sacrifice – in the Eucharist. Once you fully understand the Holy Eucharist it will change your life and your relationship with Christ forever. Below you will find quick resources meant to help you get the answers you are looking for in an easy to understand format. ## Questions About The Eucharist #### What is the Eucharist? The Eucharist is the source and summit of the Christian life. The term “Eucharist” originates from the Greek word *eucharistia*, meaning thanksgiving. #### What is Transubstantiation? According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church “[i]t is by the conversion of the bread and wine into Christ’s body and blood that Christ becomes present in this sacrament... [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.” (CCC 1375-76.) So, Transubstantiation is a change from the substance of bread into the substance of the body of Christ, and the substance of wine into the substance of the blood of Christ. St. Thomas Aquinas said that the existence of Christ’s real body and blood in the Eucharist “cannot be grasped by the experience of the senses, but only by the faith which has divine authority and its support.” #### Does the Bible say anything about the Eucharist? Christ proclaiming the Eucharist as His body and blood can be found in: Matthew 26:26-28; Mark 14: 22-24; and Luke 22: 19-20, but the most compelling example is found in John, Chapter 6. Jesus says “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.” (John 6: 51). “How can He give us flesh to eat?” people ask, and Christ reiterates: “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.” (John 6: 53-55.) The people begin to leave. Jesus doesn’t try to stop them! He doesn’t say, “Hey, that was a metaphor! Don’t leave!” No, Jesus turns to the Apostles and says, “Do you also want to leave?” Wow. When Jesus said, “my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink,” He meant it. He left no other way to interpret it. #### What did the early Church believe about the Eucharist? The early church fathers believed in the real presence of the Eucharist. St. Ignatius of Antioch, in his letter to the Romans in 110 AD, stated “I have no taste for corruptible food nor for the pleasures of this life. I desire the bread of God, which is the flesh of Jesus Christ . . . and for drink I desire his blood, which is love incorruptible.” Even more interesting, however, is that Pope St. Clement I, the fourth pope, was a contemporary of Sts. Peter and Paul. In fact, he was ordained by St. Peter! And here is what our earliest Church Father says about the Eucharist: “Eat my flesh, he says, and drink my blood. Such is the suitable food which the Lord ministers, and he offers his flesh and pours forth his blood, and nothing is wanting for the children’s growth. O, amazing mystery! We are enjoined to cast off the old and carnal corruption, as also the old nutriment, receiving in exchange another new regimen, that of Christ, receiving him if we can, to hide him within; and that, enshrining the Savior in our souls, we may correct the affections of our flesh.” Clement was Pope from 92 A.D. to 101 A.D. — which is during, and just after, the life of St. John the Apostle. So, the earliest church fathers — even those that were literally with the Apostles, believed that the Eucharist was truly the body and blood of Christ. #### What are Eucharistic Miracles? Eucharistic miracles are extraordinary events, where the Eucharist no longer appears under the form of bread and wine, but takes on the biological qualities of human flesh or blood or both. There have been 107 recorded Eucharistic Miracles. Of those 107, 5 have undergone scientific testing in the last two decades and have published reports. In all 5 cases human heart tissue was detected in the host! #### Do I need to believe in the Eucharist to be Catholic? Yes, but let's take a step back. It is not like being Catholic can even be separated from the Eucharist. Remember, it is the SOURCE and SUMMIT of our Catholic Faith! But this is not really the proper outlook as you negotiate what you believe. Instead, seek the truth. Look to scripture, and you will find the Eucharist. Look to history, and you find the Eucharist. Look at the miracles and scientific investigations surrounding them and you will find the Eucharist. Go to Adoration and sit before the Blessed Sacrament and you will FEEL the presence of Christ in the Eucharist. And once you fully understand the Eucharist -- mind, body, and soul -- it will deepen your need to be Catholic, to attend Holy Mass, and to embrace the Sacraments. Alternatively, go to Mass every week! Being in Christ's presence in Mass as the bread and wine turns to His body and blood will transform you! In sum, get involved and you will find the Eucharist! [On The Eucharist (USCCB)](https://www.usccb.org/eucharist) [On The Mass (USCCB)](https://www.usccb.org/offices/public-affairs/structure-and-meaning-mass) ## Resources