“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.”
In August of 2019, a Pew Study was released that understandably created a tsunami of concern, particularly among the Bishops in our Church here in the United States. The study examined a cross section of Catholics regarding their understanding of the central sacrament of our Church, the Holy Eucharist. The study revealed that 69% of all self-identified Catholics said they believed the bread and wine used at Mass are not Jesus, but instead "symbols of the body and blood of Jesus Christ." The other 31% believed in the real presence of Jesus in the Eucharist, known as transubstantiation.
We see reverberations of the unsettling conclusions of this study today in the desire of the American Bishops to issue a pastoral teaching reiterating both the authentic meaning and central importance of this teaching in the life of the Church.
Over the 47 years of my priesthood, I have often come to the sad conclusion that many, many of our adult Catholics have a woefully deficient and often grammar school understanding of their faith. Hence, my ongoing belief that just as catechesis of our youth is critical for a vibrant faith, even more so is the critical need of adult faith formation in our parish communities.
Unpacking the meaning of the Eucharist is a challenge, even for those trained in the history and intricacies of our Catholic theology. No wonder, following the consecration of the bread and wine at every mass, the priest proclaims, “The Mystery of Faith.” Indeed, we use that term, ‘mystery,’ not as a euphemism for ‘unknowable,’ but rather as an acknowledgement of a reality that in many ways transcends the simple logic of human discourse.
Not unlike the reality of ‘love,’ human words fall short in plunging the depth and articulating perfectly the reality that defines so much of our humanity. Even though we might not capture that reality completely in words, certainly does not mean it does not exist.
Our Church teaches that in the Holy Eucharist, Christ is really and truly present, in his body and blood, soul and divinity. The scriptures and Apostolic teaching proclaim the ‘what’ and ‘why’ of the Eucharist down through the ages. Theologians and scholars down through our Christian millennia have wrestled with the question of ‘how’ – how is that real presence of Jesus in the bread and wine?
It is important to note that the ‘what’ and ‘why’ questions and the Church’s response to those questions lie at the very heart of our doctrine about the Eucharist. The simple yet profound verse that is found in the 6thchapter of St. John’s Gospel articulates in grace-filled simplicity, the answer to those questions:
“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.”
On the other hand, the question of ‘how,’ how is Christ present in the bread and wine continues to challenge theologians in attempting to articulate that ‘mystery of our faith.’
Next week we will explore that challenging question in the hope of deepening our appreciation for the Holy Eucharist in the life of the Church and in our own journey of faith.