The Belief In The Eucharist As The

Real Prescence Of Christ Essay, Research Paper

.My flesh is true food, my blood is true drink. (John 6:55) These were the words

spoken by Christ himself, during the initial institution of the Eucharistic sacrament. Such

phraseology, a primary article of Catholic belief was intended to be perceived in its

literal sense, as opposed to metaphorical interpretation. The Eucharist is a sacrament of

the Lord.s supper, consisting of consecrated elements which have undergone

transubstantiation – a change in essence. Such transformation results in what is referred to

as .Real Presence. – the complete .body and blood, together with the soul and divinity of

our lord Jesus Christ. (Catechism,1374). Despite variations throughout history in

understanding of Eucharistic presence, the actual dogma of transubstantiation has

remained unchanged since the Catholic Church.s first recorded teachings of such a

notion in 33A.D. The concept of .Real Presence. was undoubtedly accepted in its literal

sense throughout the first millennium AD, questions remaining unposed until the

reformation of the 1500s, when the church was exposed to much disunity. The division

within the church preceded the formation of an Ecumenical council in Trent, where

Episcopal powers aimed to re-enforce belief in Real Presence – to restore, through the

Eucharist, a unity of the .one, holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church.. Despite periodical

variation, the second Vatican council of 1962, boasting a multiple presence of Christ in

Eucharistic worship, was built upon similar motives to that of Trent. This essay will

focus on displaying the unrelenting belief in the Eucharist as the Real Presence of Christ

through summations of Eucharistic dogma provided by both the Council of Trent and

Vatican II. There will also be an inclusion of excerpts from scripture written by Early

Church Fathers surrounding belief in Real presence, and a primary focus on

Transubstantiation as proof of the consistency of the belief in the Eucharist as the

complete .Body and Blood, together with the Soul and divinity, of our lord Jesus

Christ..(Catechism,1374)

Eucharistic dogma involves the complex concept of Transubstantiation – literally a

change in essence. Such a notion involves the presence of the Holy Eucharist, as the real

body and blood of Jesus, initiated at the moment of consecration. Despite arguments

opposing literal interpretation of Real Presence, there is no evidence implicating an

existent element of doubt within Catholic documentation in relation to the historical

belief in Transubstantiation. There are however, many evident writings by Early Church

Fathers to support literal interpretation of the belief in the Eucharist as the Real Presence

of Christ, as opposed to symbolical perception theorised by fundamentalists. A clearly

outlined belief in Real Presence is offered in Ignatius of Antioch.s words of wisdom -

.Strive then to make use of one form of thanksgiving, for the flesh of Our Lord Jesus

Christ is one and one is the Chalice in the union of His Blood, one alter, one bishop.. In

relation to the concept of transubstantiation, Saint Ambrose (340-397) the Bishop of

Milan, wrote: .Let us be assured that this is not what nature formed, but what the

blessing consecrated, and the greater efficacy resides in the blessing than in nature, for by

the blessing nature is changed.. Saint Augustine, an influential figure in the history of

Christianity, professed his belief in Real Presence through this literary contribution – .It

was in His flesh that Christ walked among us and it is his flesh that he has given us to eat

for our salvation.. It is such excerpts from scripture as these that convey a historically

profound belief in the Eucharist as the Real Presence of Christ, and evident

comprehension by the Early Church of whom attested to the belief in Transubstantiation.

Despite historical variations in interpretation regarding the substance of the Eucharist,

Christian beliefs have remained consistent. The 1500s witnessed the initiation of the

Protestant reformation where .consubstantiation. took precedence over transubstantiation

in many reformed believers perception of the Eucharist. Consubstantiation refers to an

understanding of Jesus as .in. the Eucharist, as opposed to Christ as the entire flesh,

blood and divinity of the Eucharist, – in its literal sense it is a .sharing of substances..

Under the initiative of primarily Martin Luther, the Catholic Church formed a basis for

three offspring divisions – Lutheran, Calvinist and Anglican, the first two of whom

expressed a dissatisfaction with Catholic doctrine. Thus, new forms of worship were

devised which resulted in a separation in the Catholic Liturgy. This Protestant

Reformation preceded the formation of an Ecumenical council in Trent whose primary

intention was to define Catholic doctrine, reinforcing beliefs and teachings in an attempt

to re

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