What do Catholics mean by "Real Presence"?
Catholics believe that Christ is really, truly and substantially present, body and blood, soul and divinity, in the Eucharist. This is what is called “Real Presence” or “True Presence.”
According to the United States Catholic Catechism for Adults, this presence is mediated in the proclamation of God’s Word, in the Eucharistic assembly, and in the person of the priest, “but above all and in a wholly unique manner” in the bread and wine which become the body and blood of Christ. This presence is the effect of the Eucharistic Prayer, during which the priest invokes Jesus' words at the Last Supper — “This is my body…. This is my blood….”
Christ’s presence in the Eucharist is called "real", the Catechism explains, "because it is presence in the fullest sense: that is to say, it is a substantial presence by which Christ, God and man, makes himself wholly and entirely present." (p. 223. cf. Catechism of the Catholic Church #1374) This presence is not a physical presence in the literal sense of the word, and the early Christians often defended themselves against charges that they engaged in cannibalism. The Church teaches that Christ’s body and blood are made sacramentally present under the species of bread and wine. (cf. United States Catholic Catechism for Adults, pp.219-20; Catechism of the Catholic Church #1353; The Mystery of the Eucharist in the Life of the Church #21). "Sacramentally" denotes a reality seen through the eyes of faith not science, which is to say you cannot know that Christ is really present in the Eucharist, you can only believe it.
Since the Middle Ages, the Catholic Church has described the change which takes place in the bread and wine by the term transubstantiation. The U.S. Catechism explains that "this means that the substance of the bread and wine is changed into the substance of the Body and Blood of Christ. The appearance of bread and wine remain, but the underlying reality--that is, the substance--is now the Body and Blood of Christ." (p. 223)* In other words, what is made present in the Eucharist is the real, true and substantial person of the Risen Christ, which is the biblical meaning of “body”. Although this may seem incomprehensible, we know from human experience that it is possible to experience the presence of a person who is no longer physically present to us.
We know that the first disciples struggled to explain exactly how the risen Lord was present among them, but they had no doubt that he was, which was exactly what he had promised: “I am with you always, until the end of the age.” (cf. Matthew 18:19-20 and 28.20)
The Catechism reminds us that the true mysteries of the faith cannot be fully expressed in words alone; they are realities better experienced than explained (cf. #170). When in fact we have actually experienced the real presence of the Lord among us we can proclaim as the first disciples did, “The Lord has truly been raised -- and now is made known to us in the breaking of the bread.” (cf. Luke 24:30-35)
*(Catholics are not required to accept the doctrine of transubstantiation itself as irreformable.)
Learn More
> The Mystery of the Eucharist in the Life of the Church (#18-23)
> The Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist
> Understanding Real Presence
> What Do Catholics Mean When We Say the Eucharist Is the True Body and Blood
> The Real Presence
> The Trouble with Transubstantiation
> Eucharist is the Body of Christ, Not the Body of Jesus
> Language Makes a Difference When You Ask Catholics About the Real Presence
[Posted 09.01.22]