The Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist

 

            One of the most polarizing topics in Christianity is the Real Presence of Jesus within the Eucharist. Our protestant brothers and sisters deny the real presence, merely taking it as a symbol of faith, and Roman Catholic brothers and sisters try to be so academic in their theological approach that most people don’t fully understand the teachings and their minds melt. The Orthodox Church however simply believes that because Christ said it, that it is true. But, because there must be a deeper understanding I will try and lay the entire teaching out in a simple format for everyone to understand.

            First, let us take the words of institution, more specifically the portion of the Anaphora that is recorded in the Bible. For us Orthodox Christians, this is not merely some symbolic representation of Jesus’s sacrifice at Golgotha, rather this is the very sacrifice of Jesus on Golgotha. The Divine Liturgy transcends time and space, from the moment the priest begins with “Blessed is the Kingdom of the Father and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit” to the dismissal, we are no longer on earth time but heavenly time. God is in all places at once, so we too enter this and are drawn back to Golgotha and Jesus’ sacrifice.  Matthew 26:26-28 is where we receive the words of Christ and the very moment that the Priest will echo. It says, “ While they were eating, Jesus took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to his disciples, saying, “Take and eat; this is my body.” Then he took a cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you.  This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.”  Notice that there was not a long dissertation about how that it was merely a symbol, and there is certainly no academical treatise to explain how Christ enters the bread and wine and it becomes his body and blood in full. Not just a portion of his body, or a portion of his blood, rather it is his entire body and entire blood. Again, some would argue that the disciples understood the nature of this and it did not need to be explained. I would agree. Let’s again look at another piece of scripture that fully explains this. John 6:51-58 says, “I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats this bread will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.” Then the Jews began to argue sharply among themselves, “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?” Jesus said to them, “Very truly I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day. For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in them. Just as the living Father sent me and I live because of the Father, so the one who feeds on me will live because of me. This is the bread that came down from heaven. Your ancestors ate manna and died, but whoever feeds on this bread will live forever.” Jesus was not speaking metaphorically, rather he was speaking literally. The Jews of his time understood this. That is why they rejected him. They could not fully comprehend this teaching of eating his flesh. Many today also reject this teaching and try to rationalize it in their minds. They try everything in their power to try to reason with God and to make God in their image instead of accepting Christ at his word. For us as Orthodox Christians, we profess and proclaim that the very bread and wine that is used by the church therefore becomes the body and blood of Jesus Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit. The last scripture I will leave you with is a writing from St. Paul himself, In 1 Corinthians 11:23-26 he writes, For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread,  and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, “This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me.”  In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.” For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes. St. Paul reiterates the words of Christ and also does not give a description, rather he takes Jesus at his word. Denying any of this is to deny Christ himself.

                If that is not enough for you, there are many saints who speak about the real presence of the Lord within the Eucharist. St. Ignatius of Antioch, one of the earliest Christian leaders is quoted as saying, "I have no taste for corruptible food nor for the pleasures of this life.  I desire the bread of God, which is the flesh of Jesus Christ, who was of the seed of David; and for drink I desire His blood, which is love incorruptible."  Another quote of his is also potent, "Heretics abstain from the Eucharist and from prayer, because they do not confess that the Eucharist is the Flesh of our Savior Jesus Christ." St Justin Martyr says, "Not as common bread nor common drink do we receive these; but as we have been taught, the food which has been made into the Eucharist by the Eucharistic prayer set down by Him, and by the change of which our blood and flesh is nourished, is both the Flesh and Blood of that incarnated Jesus."  All these quotes were set within the first 100 years of the Church. If it was merely a symbol or a sort of intellectual exercise, then these Christians who had been taught by the apostles and their immediate successors should have known better. But they clearly professed the very presence and the very nature of the Eucharist in their writings and their beliefs.

            I have presented a few quotes and a lot of scripture that verify the teachings of the church in this issue. While there are many more quotes, and dissertations that could be discussed within this blog, my goal is only to present a beginning stage and allow you to do your own research into this topic. I pray for all of you and ask you for your prayers.

 

Amen.