Biblical Foundations

• Scripture and tradition are the two sources of Catholic beliefs.Jupiterimages/Photos.com/Getty Images
  
  Interestingly, Catholics are more fundamental than fundamentalists when it comes to the Biblical foundations of the Eucharist, taking John 6:53-56 literally: "So Jesus said to them, 'Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of man and drink his blood, you have no life in you; he who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. 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'" (RSV). This passage, coupled with the Last Supper narratives, forms the foundation for the belief that the Eucharist is indeed the body and blood of Christ.
  
  Each of the Synoptic Gospels (another term for the Gospels of Mark, Matthew and Luke) has a similar passage about the Last Supper, and here is the passage from Matthew 26:26-28: "Now as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed, and broke it, and gave it to the disciples and said, 'Take, eat; this is my body.' And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, saying, 'Drink of it, all of you; for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.'" Because Jesus promised the apostles that He would remain with them until the end of time, Catholics see this presence as an actual presence, and not solely a spiritual presence, as Protestants believe. Catholics see Jesus as present in Scripture, in the sacraments, in the believing members of the Church, and most fully, in the Eucharist.
  
  

Transubstantiation

• This doctrine provides an explanation for the transformation of the bread and wine upon the altar into the body and blood of Jesus Christ. It is an article of faith, which means there is no way to scientifically prove that the bread and wine have been transformed. Nonetheless, at the words of consecration, Catholics believe a miracle occurs. The term "transubstantiation" is a term St. Thomas Aquinas uses to explain the miracle. Every object in existence has a substance (what something is at a metaphysical level) and a set of accidents (how it appears to us). A substance can never change, but accidents can. Thus, while bread is fundamentally bread, it can be served in many different fashions: pizza dough, sliced sandwich bread or dinner roll. Bread is the substance, and the accidents are the different forms of bread. In transubstantiation, the substance of the bread and wine is transformed into the body and blood of Christ, but the bread and wine still retain their accidents. In other words, the bread and wine still look like bread and wine, but their substances have been transformed.
  
  

Real Presence

• Catholics believe Jesus is truly present in the Eucharist, and therefore they worship it because He is there. Catholics genuflect (go down on the right knee) before the tabernacle where the consecrated hosts are stored. Many look to Paul's "First Letter to the Corinthians" (11:27-32) as further proof for the real presence: "Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of profaning the body and blood of the Lord. Let a man examine himself, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment upon himself. That is why many of you are weak and ill, and some have died. But if we judged ourselves truly, we should not be judged. But when we are judged by the Lord, we are chastened so that we may not be condemned along with the world." If the bread and wine were merely symbolic instead of actual, then it would not make sense that a believer is eating and drinking judgment upon himself.
  
  

Transformation of the Believer

• The spiritual blessings of the Eucharist are many. Having perfect communion with Christ allows the believer to act more like Jesus because the Eucharist confers so many graces and blessings. If the Christian life is to be modeled upon the life of Jesus, frequent communion gives the believer the insight and courage to take up his cross and follow Christ. The Eucharist also provides an occasion for growth in holiness; a believer cannot be in serious (mortal) sin and receive the Eucharist, but minor (venal) sins are forgiven when the host is received. Catholics are strongly encouraged to go to daily mass in order to overcome temptations to sin.