Real Presence/Body of Christ

Q What does the phrase “The Real Presence” mean?

A The glossary of The Catechism of the Catholic Church states that the real presence is “the unique, true presence of Christ in the Eucharist under the species or appearances of bread and wine.”  It is the true presence of Christ, not just a symbol.
At the Last Supper, Jesus took bread, said a blessing, broke it, gave it to his disciples and said, “This is my body, which will be given for you; do this in memory of me.”  Then he took a cup of wine and said, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which will be shed for you” (Lk 22:19-20).  Jesus did not say this “represents” his body and his blood.  He said it WAS his body and blood.  It is “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’ ”  (CCC 1365).  
Jesus also said “Do this in memory of me.”  Physically, Jesus knew he had to depart from this earth.  But spiritually, he did not want to leave us, so he instituted the sacrament of the Eucharist, whereby the bread and wine at Mass becomes his body and blood through the power of the Holy Spirit, by his words spoken by the priest on the altar.  This is one of the great gifts that Jesus left us.
Q How can regular bread and wine be transformed into the body and blood of Christ?
A The presence of the risen Christ in the Eucharist is an inexhaustible mystery that the church can never fully explain in words.  St. Thomas Aquinas states, “That in this sacrament are the true body of Christ and his true blood is something that ‘cannot be apprehended (understood) by the senses, but only by faith, which relies on divine authority.’ For this reason St. Cyril says: ‘Do not doubt whether this is true, but rather receive the words of the savior in faith, for since he is the truth, he cannot lie’ ” (CCC 1381).
Just think about it.  If God could create everything from nothing, could he not change the substance of something into something else?  St. Ambrose states this as fact: “Could not Christ’s word, which can make from nothing what did not exist, change existing things into what they were not before? It is no less a feat to give things their original nature than to change their nature.”
Paragraph 1377 of the catechism states, “The eucharistic presence of Christ begins at the moment of the consecration and endures as long as the eucharistic species subsist. Christ is present whole and entire in each of the species and whole and entire in each of their parts, in such a way that the breaking of the bread does not divide Christ.”
That being said, is there any hard evidence showing that the consecrated bread and wine are truly the body and blood of Christ?  Actually, there is.  There have been numerous eucharistic miracles that reveal Christ’s real presence.  Here are two.
In Lanciano, Italy, in the year 750, a Basilian monk was celebrating Mass.  He had persistent doubts of  the real presence of Jesus.  As he consecrated the bread and wine, the host turned into flesh and the wine turned into blood.  Belief quickly replaced his doubts and he invited those attending Mass to come see the living God before their eyes.  The preserved flesh and blood still remain on display in Lanciano.  In 1970, these relics were examined.  The tests showed that the flesh was human flesh, the blood was human blood, type AB, the same blood type found on the shroud of Turin.
In Buenos Aires, Argentina, in 1996, during Mass a consecrated host fell on the floor.  As was customary, the host was put in a container of water to dissolve.  The container was put in the tabernacle.  Several days later, the Eucharist had grown in size and was covered with red splotches.  A sample was sent to be examined, with no explanation as to where the sample came from.  The results of the examination revealed that the sample had been taken from a live heart that had been under severe stress, as if the owner had been beaten severely accross the chest (just like Jesus, who was severely beaten during his Passion).  
Our Catholic faith has always believed that the consecrated bread and wine become the true body and blood of our Lord, Jesus Christ.  It is my belief that our faith in that doctrine, is backed up by scientific evidence.
Deacon Hooper is a deacon assistant at Immaculate Conception Church in Denham Springs. He can be reached at [email protected].