Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

“I am the bread of life ;

whoever comes to me will never hunger,

and whoever believes in me will never thirst.”

It was depressing to recently learn that according to a new Pew Research Center survey, most self-described Catholics don’t believe in transubstantiation, a core teaching of our faith. In fact, nearly seven-in-ten Catholics (69%) say they personally believe that during Mass, the bread and wine used in Communion “are symbols of the body and blood of Jesus Christ.” Only one-third of U.S. Catholics (31%) say they believe that “during Mass, the bread and wine actually become the body and blood of Jesus.”

I will admit that it is easier to believe that the Eucharist is NOT the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ since to believe that it IS His Body and Blood depends on faith and faith is in short supply these days. Not to mention that we Americans prefer to believe in “easy” things rather than difficult things. But this is not the first tie this has happened, even in the gospels, there were some people who found Jesus’ teaching on this too difficult and walked away.

Let’s be honest. We have a problem. When only a third of Catholics believe in a core teaching of the Church and one that is explicitly stated in various places in the scriptures, especially in the sixth chapter of John’s gospel by Jesus himself (which we hear proclaimed today), and is a teaching that has existed since the beginning of the Church and is a teaching that sets us apart from every other Christian churches then I would say we have more than a problem, we have crisis!

Honestly, it makes me wonder why Catholics even come to Mass if they don’t believe in the Eucharist. The Church, the liturgy, and indeed our whole life is centered on the belief that Jesus gave us his Body and Blood at the Last Supper as a memorable of his suffering and death and every time we celebrate the Mass, we are participating in His one perfect sacrifice. We are privileged to be given a share in his divine life in a real way by our reception of Him in the Eucharist because we believe that the Eucharist is Jesus—Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity. And yet, more than half of us believe that it is just a symbol.

If the Eucharist is just a symbol, then why not go to Crossings or LifeChurch.TV or any Protestant church? They have better technology and better coffee bars!

If the Eucharist is just a symbol, then why do we put hosts in a ciborium in a Tabernacle? And place a sanctuary lamp beside it? We could save a lot of money on candles if we just put the leftovers in the bag where the others came from in the sacristy?

If the Eucharist is just a symbol, then why do we genuflect upon entering a Catholic Church? Or kneel during the Eucharistic Prayer? Or receive communion reverently? Or say “Amen” (which means “I believe”) when the host is help up to us and we hear the words, “The Body of Christ”? The way we pray reveals what we believe.

If the Eucharist is just a symbol, then why go to confession before receiving communion? Why repent of our sins to be as pure as we can possibly be before we receive the Lord into our own bodies? Why even follow the teachings of the Church to assure that we are “in communion” before we receive communion? And why build beautiful churches and preserve them for succeeding generations if what they contain is only a symbol rather than the everlasting proof of His love for us and to be worshipped by us?

And if the Eucharist is just a symbol, then why did I go to the seminary and discern a vocation to the priesthood for 8 years to be ordained by a successor to the apostles according to the Rites of the Roman Catholic Church so I could stand at an altar and pray ancient words of consecration over bread and wine and by the power of the Holy Spirit they become the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ? If it’s just a symbol, then an online theology course would have been sufficient.

Hopefully, you get my point. None of this makes any sense if we don’t believe in Transubstantiation and that the Eucharist is NOT a symbol of the body and blood of Jesus Christ but IS the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ. It is more than just a core teaching ; it is the only teaching that matters because it is the source and the summit of the Christian life.

But here’s the deal, if you are a Catholic and you are struggling to understand the meaning of the Eucharist and you are seriously grappling with this foundational teaching of the Church and yet you remain open to it and you desire to believe in it then there is room for you in the Church.

And if you are non-Catholic and you are searching for a deeper meaning and union with Jesus Christ in your life and a way of life that reflects this union in a real way then this is the place for you.

None of us completely understand the mystery of the Eucharist. The crowds in the gospels did not comprehend what Jesus was telling them (neither did the apostles) but their faith told them that he was the long-awaited Messiah, and by their faith they were willing to put aside their doubts and fears and trust him.

If it is true that 69% of Catholics go to Mass, genuflect, receive communion reverently (probably not go to confession), want to worship in beautiful churches and don’t believe in the Real Presence then these are Catholics who are just going through the motions. They are operating out of some obligation or cultural faith that is not rooted in a real relationship with the living Christ. Such a “faith” (if we can even call it that) will never provide the strength, the wisdom, and the hope that we so desperately need in living as Christians in the world today. And such a faith will never convince anyone (including your own children) to follow Christ.

My brothers and sisters, it is time for all of us to believe that the bread and wine at Mass becomes the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ and that our life is not built around a symbol but on Jesus Christ— “really, truly and substantially” present in the Eucharist.

But be prepared and forewarned, if we believe this, then it will change everything about who we are, how we think and what we do and we will never hunger or thirst again.

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