The Eucharist IS the Body, Blood of Christ

I was shocked to learn that up to two-thirds of Catholics believe that the Mass is nothing more than a communion service, and what looks and tastes like bread and wine is nothing more than just that, bread and wine (The Pew Research Center August 4-23, 2020).

Yet the truth is that the most important words in the world were spoken by Jesus at the Last Supper:

Then he took some bread and when he had given thanks, broke it and gave it to them (his Apostles), saying, ‘This is my body which will be given for you; do this as a memorial of me.’ He did the same with the cup after supper, and said, ‘This cup is the new covenant in my blood which will be poured out for you (Luke 22: 19-20).

The natural question which arises is, “Where are these words spoken today?” Where can we receive the real Body and Blood of Jesus today? The answer to this most crucial question is at every Mass, every day in every Catholic church throughout the world.

These words are spoken during Mass by the priest, who by virtue of his office stands in the very place of Christ (in persona Christi) offering the very sacrifice Jesus offered on Calvary to the Father as a sacrifice for our sins. Through the Sacrament of Holy Orders, he is given the spiritual power to change the bread and wine into the Body and Blood of our Lord, not just figuratively, but actually.

Objections to This Perpetual Sacrifice

Yet there is some objection to this perpetual sacrifice. From Protestants in general and Catholics who have either lost their faith or have been poorly catechized.  The basic argument against the  perpetual sacrifice and the “Real Presence” goes something like this: “Why does the Catholic Church  continue to crucify Jesus over and over again, when in the words of Christ himself he said, “it is over.”  Meaning it is completed in the past. He gave his life for us, as a sacrifice for our sins; he suffered and died on that cross.

Why does the Catholic Church have to bring it all back again, every day in every Mass. Isn’t once enough? How wrong it is to continue to crucify our Lord; how wrong it is for the Church to attempt to recreate such a painful moment in history. Why does the Catholic Church make the claim that every Mass is Calvary repeated?

In the Eucharist Christ gives us the very body which he gave up for us on the cross, the very blood which he ‘poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.'”  The Eucharist is thus a sacrifice because it re-presents (makes present) the sacrifice of the cross,. . . (CCC 1365-1366).

In reference to the Real Presence, the same voice will say:

Jesus himself told his apostles “do this in memory of me but doesn’t this say in very clear language that we offer the bread and wine, as bread and wine to each other as an act of friendship, in the spirit of community in remembrance of Calvary, an act of respect for the most important event in history?  Jesus dying on the cross; he did this one time, not many times, and we need to respect, honor, and worship this holy event which began in the past,  was completed in the past, and needs to stay in the past.

The aforementioned arguments have the charm of niceness, protecting Christ from additional suffering. It sounds cruel to say that Catholics are crucifying Christ repeatedly; why not leave him at the right hand of the Father in peace? So which is it- is the Mass a memorial or a sacrifice? Most Protestant denominations believe that Calvary is a sacrifice in the past tense only and that”communion,” for those denominations which practice a communion service, is sharing bread and wine in a meal of friendship to remember Calvary.

The Liturgy

The Liturgy of the Eucharist is an offering composed of two parts. First, we have the consecration which takes place through transubstantiation. The priest uses the very words of Jesus at the Last Supper on Holy Thursday. In this event, Jesus gave us the words of institution whereby the bread and wine are changed into his Body and Blood (literally, not figuratively). He also conferred the sacred Priesthood on the Apostles and told them to repeat this event in every Mass. Handed on to us today through Apostolic succession and sacred Tradition, these same words pronounced by a priest during the Liturgy of the Eucharist obtain the same results now as then: changing the bread and wine, on the Altar, into the Body and Blood of our Lord.

Second, there is the ultimate oblation, which took place on the Cross on Good Friday. Jesus offering himself as the perfect sacrifice to God the Father; Jesus is present in and through the celebrating priest, and he is present in the consecrated bread and wine. Through mystery and miracle the Mass combines these two events into one perfect sacrifice offered to God the Father as a continuing act of redemption and reparation for sin.

So the question comes to mind:  How is this sacrifice connected to Calvary?

In this writer’s opinion, this sacrifice is connected because:

• Christ acts in and through the priest celebrating Mass ( in persona Christi).
• Christ is present in the consecrated bread and wine
• The continuation of Calvary during every Mass resides in the fact that during the Mass  Jesus is offering himself as an unbloody sacrifice to God the Father in “willing surrender” on the altar as he did on Calvary.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church in article 1367 reads as follows: “The sacrifice of Christ and the sacrifice of the Eucharist are one single sacrifice.”

Fr. John A. Hardon, S.J. tells us that:

Catholicism…affirms that because Christ is really present in his humanity in heaven and on the altar he is capable now, as he was on Good Friday, of freely offering himself to the Father. He can no longer die since he is now in a glorified body, but the essence of his oblation remains the same. It is the continued willing surrender of himself to the will of the Father.” (The Catholic Catechism).

The Sacrifice of the Mass

How does the priest accomplish this oblation? First, he makes Christ present through his priesthood, and second through the miracle of transubstantiation, he re-presents Jesus in the bread and wine. In reality, a reality many reject, Jesus is once again offering himself, as a sacrifice, to the Father. Of course, it is a bloodless and non-violent sacrifice and a perfect sacrifice because it is Jesus offering himself.

The Miracle

A lot of people, it seems, wonder where God is today.  They ask, “Where are the miracles today? Jesus and the Apostles performed so many signs 2000 years ago but where are those signs today?” The answer to all these questions is in “the most important words in the world”. Go to Mass, listen to the priest, what is he saying? What is he doing? Why does God want you there? Why did Jesus create this sacrament for his church, to last until the end of time?

There is the miracle, before our eyes.  Yes, we must accept it on faith. But isn’t that what happened even when Jesus was here on Earth with us?  Even though some people “saw” a miracle, they still did not accept it as from God, instead, they accused Jesus of workings with Satan: “Then they brought to him a blind and dumb demoniac, and he (Jesus) cured him so that the dumb man could speak and see.  All the people were astounded and said,  “Can this be the Son of David?”  When the Pharisees heard this they said, “The man casts out devils only through Beelzebul, the prince of devils.” (Matthew 12:22-24).

When Jesus walked with us, miracles were performed, some believed, some did not. Today the same thing is occurring during every Mass.  Jesus said to Thomas: ” You believe because you have seen, blessed are those who do not see and still believe.”