Within the Roman Catholic Church, we believe that Jesus Christ truly and personally comes into our world in the Eucharist. This presence is manifold: we encounter Him in the Word that is read, in the minister who speaks in His name, in the community of believers who gather together, and in a very special way in the gifts of bread and wine.
The climax of the Eucharist is the moment when bread and wine are no longer mere symbols, but are truly transformed into the Body and Blood of Christ. This is referred to as transubstantiation — a concept that goes back to the thinking of the Greek philosopher Aristotle. He distinguished between what something is (the substance) and how it appears (the accidents, such as taste, smell and appearance). In the Eucharist, bread and wine remain the same in appearance, but their essence changes internally: the substance becomes the true Body and Blood of Christ.
In the 16th century, this led to heated discussions during the Reformation. Most Protestant denominations recognise that bread and wine refer to Christ and that He is present where believers turn to Him in faith. But within the Catholic tradition, we go a step further: we believe that Christ is truly and permanently present in the consecrated gifts. Not symbolically, not temporarily, but substantially and really.
That is why the sacred remains — the remaining Body of Christ — are carefully preserved in the tabernacle after the celebration. It is not a storage place, but a sacred repository, a silent dwelling place of Christ Himself. His permanent presence there makes it possible for believers to visit Him throughout the day in worship, prayer and silence.
That is why we also have a chapel, a space dedicated to the sacrament of the Eucharist. Here a sanctuary lamp burns — a sign that Christ is truly present in the tabernacle. Here people kneel, often in silence, aware that they are in the presence of God.
And sometimes the Body of Christ is also visibly displayed in a monstrance — a precious vessel in which the Holy Sacrament is exposed for adoration. We call this adoration. In this adoration, we recognise that Christ himself gives himself to us, makes himself small in the form of bread, and invites us to a personal encounter with him.
The Eucharist is therefore not just a remembrance, but a real event in which heaven touches earth. Christ is truly in our midst, tangibly near, under the humble signs of bread and wine.
