Having Trouble with the Real Presence

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I converted to the CC in 1989 but didn’t stay with the faith very long. Now, after having been involved for a brief time with both JWs and Mormons, I am trying to find way back to what I feel deep down inside is really the true church but I’ve been struggling even with that.
I still have a lot of confusing stuff to overcome. What is bothering me now is that even though I know what Jesus said in John 6 I still have a great deal of difficulty with the Real Presence of Jesus in the Holy Eucharist. I can openly admit that I believe this, but in reality I know I don’t really. It all really looks like the worship of a piece of bread to me. Can someone please explain the Eucharist to me? How did this belief in the Real Presence become a reality in your heart?
Johannah
 
For me it was a process… each step fortifying the belief.

I remember thinking of how He came to us as a fragile baby… His choice.

Now He is even more fragile in the Eucharist… again His choice.

As I read the 4 times He takes an oath (Truly, Truly, I say…, or Amen, Amen I say…) I figured He must be saying something of real importance. In each of His parables, he gives an explanation of what He means. Not so in John 6. His words are clear. His words are understood. Many thought it was a hard saying, and walked away.

There is also the admonition of Paul concerning proper reception of the Eucharist… hardly necessary or appropriate if the bread was consecrated only into bread.

The Lamb’s Supper by Dr Scott Hahn and
Not By Bread Alone by Dr Robert Sungenis are both excellant works on the topic.

.
 
As a convert myself, I’ve had to deal with this issue. The Eucharist is really the heart of our faith. You’re familiar with John 6, where Jesus gives Himself to us in an unbloody manner, that we may inherit eternal life and be strengthened as members of His Mystical Body in the world. God created us as physical beings in a world of time and space, so our seven sacraments all have a physical quality to them; “an outward and visible sign of an inward and spiritual grace.” In this case, the outward sign of bread conceals the reality that Christ is really present in His Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity. The appearance and atomic structure of bread and wine are preserved, but after the consecration, their “being,” their “is-ness” is changed (pardon my attempt to sound like a philosopher). It looks, tastes, and smells like bread, but it isn’t. There is no bread left, despite appearances.

The concept of the Eucharist has many foreshadows in the Old Testament. The first Adam ate from the Tree of Life and brought sin and death. The Second Adam (Christ) gave us the Bread of Life and was nailed to the Tree, restoring eternal life. During the Exodus, the people were sustained by bread from heaven (manna), while Christ gave us a Bread that will give us eternal life. He was even born in the town of Bethlehem (meaning “house of bread”) and placed in a feed trough. There are many other Old Testament events which foretell not just the coming of Christ, but of His Eucharist, the Passion, Death, and Resurrection.

All these things you are probably familiar with, but what is needed is faith. You already have it, because you are feeling the Lord’s pulling you toward the Eucharist. He gave you an intellect, and you are using it to discern truth. It is much better to come to faith as you are doing than to simply ignore the questions you have. Faith is like a muscle in that you already have it, but it needs exercise to get stronger. Pray to Him, in front of the Blessed Sacrament if you are able, for your faith to be deepened and increased, and HE WILL DO IT!
 
Interesting. It was the Eucharist that led me into the Catholic Church to begin with.

My husband, who was raised Catholic, was very sick and in ICU in the hospital. It was very iffy whether he would make it. We had just put our oldest child in a Catholic school (she had attended only her first day at this point). The second day (which fell on a Mon.) I sent a note to her teacher explaining the situation at home, because I was worried about how well she’d adjust to a new school in the midst of such a family crisis. Her religion teacher sent her home with a cloth that had been touched to numerous relics. I had no idea what to do with it, but my husband did. After blessing himself with it, he asked for a priest, who came and performed anointing of the sick. This was the first time my husband had expressed any desire to continue practicing Catholicism since I’d known him. He later asked me to go and light a votive for him. The church was locked for the night, but a neighbor and friend let me in through the adoration chapel door. She insisted we sit in the chapel and pray for my husband for a few minutes.

I wasn’t much for praying, as I didn’t really even believe in God at the time. But after just a short while, I knew there was something special present in that place. The longer I sat, the stronger this presence became. Then all at once I knew that it was Jesus–and that I was living in total darkness. At first I ran ( I hate to think what a commotion it must have been for the others praying there) for the vestivule door so I could light the candle and get away from the whole thing. But somehow He met me there in my moment of panic and gave me peace.

Over the next several weeks I was so drawn to that chapel I couldn’t stay away from it for even so much as a whole day. I had to drive past every time I dropped off my daughter for school or went to the hospital to visit. Soon I figured out how long the candles lasted, and I was visiting four times a day to make sure one was always burning for my husband. Each time I staid to pray a little bit longer.

Eventually my husband was sent home from the hospital. By then I had started attending Mass once a week. By the time I found my way to RCIA, I was ready to accept everything the Church taught and set to reordering my life around Church teachings. It has not always been easy, but He keeps helping me along, one step at a time.

My suggestion if you are having doubts about His real presence in the Blessed Sacrament is to spend time with Him at an adoration chapel. Also, there are some really good books out there on Eucharistic Miracles as well. One is Eucharistic Miracles by Joan Carroll Cruz.
 
As someone who has been in the faith my whole life it is difficult for me to understand exactly why there are so many converts, and there are quite a few of them, who have difficulty with this concept.

I look at it this way. From the days of the Apostles, all orthodox believing groups believed fully and totally in the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist. A few groups, mainly Gnostics and a few other Docetist groups didn’t, ,mainly because they maintained that Christ had never had a physical body and therefore there could be no such thing as a real presence. It wasn’t until the the days of the Reformation, in particular Ulrich Zwingli in Switzerland, that any great number of people actually questioned the belief.

I would say read scripture and see exactly what Christ said. He didn’t say this appears to be my body or this is a metaphor for my blood or anything like that. He spoke very simply on the issue and I think the fact that ALL of his Disciples and ALL of the Apostles believed in the reality of His presence in the Eucharist, is more than enough proof for me.
 
The Real Presence is bedrock to me. I may struggle with other aspects of the faith but never the Real Presence. It’s been believed from the very beginning of the Church as shown by Paul’s letters. It’s the one thing I have never doubted.
 
Debra_C said:
Interesting. It was the Eucharist that led me into the Catholic Church to begin with.

My husband, who was raised Catholic, was very sick and in ICU in the hospital. It was very iffy whether he would make it. We had just put our oldest child in a Catholic school (she had attended only her first day at this point). The second day (which fell on a Mon.) I sent a note to her teacher explaining the situation at home, because I was worried about how well she’d adjust to a new school in the midst of such a family crisis. Her religion teacher sent her home with a cloth that had been touched to numerous relics. I had no idea what to do with it, but my husband did. After blessing himself with it, he asked for a priest, who came and performed anointing of the sick. This was the first time my husband had expressed any desire to continue practicing Catholicism since I’d known him. He later asked me to go and light a votive for him. The church was locked for the night, but a neighbor and friend let me in through the adoration chapel door. She insisted we sit in the chapel and pray for my husband for a few minutes.

I wasn’t much for praying, as I didn’t really even believe in God at the time. But after just a short while, I knew there was something special present in that place. The longer I sat, the stronger this presence became. Then all at once I knew that it was Jesus–and that I was living in total darkness. At first I ran ( I hate to think what a commotion it must have been for the others praying there) for the vestivule door so I could light the candle and get away from the whole thing. But somehow He met me there in my moment of panic and gave me peace.

Over the next several weeks I was so drawn to that chapel I couldn’t stay away from it for even so much as a whole day. I had to drive past every time I dropped off my daughter for school or went to the hospital to visit. Soon I figured out how long the candles lasted, and I was visiting four times a day to make sure one was always burning for my husband. Each time I staid to pray a little bit longer.

Eventually my husband was sent home from the hospital. By then I had started attending Mass once a week. By the time I found my way to RCIA, I was ready to accept everything the Church taught and set to reordering my life around Church teachings. It has not always been easy, but He keeps helping me along, one step at a time.

My suggestion if you are having doubts about His real presence in the Blessed Sacrament is to spend time with Him at an adoration chapel. Also, there are some really good books out there on Eucharistic Miracles as well. One is Eucharistic Miracles by Joan Carroll Cruz.
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DebraC, your story brought tears to my eyes! The Eucharist is the center of our faith & it should be the center of our lives! Miracles of The Eucharist by Bob & Penny Lord is a powerful
book to read as well. They also were 30 minute shows on EWTN.🙂
 
johannahw said:
I converted to the CC in 1989 but didn’t stay with the faith very long. Now, after having been involved for a brief time with both JWs and Mormons, I am trying to find way back to what I feel deep down inside is really the true church but I’ve been struggling even with that.
I still have a lot of confusing stuff to overcome. What is bothering me now is that even though I know what Jesus said in John 6 I still have a great deal of difficulty with the Real Presence of Jesus in the Holy Eucharist. I can openly admit that I believe this, but in reality I know I don’t really. It all really looks like the worship of a piece of bread to me. Can someone please explain the Eucharist to me? How did this belief in the Real Presence become a reality in your heart?
Johannah
Click to expand...
Pray: “Lord, I believe; help my unbelief.”
 
All the previous posters have said something so good and helpful.
I always believe the Real Presence with no question or analysis.
We simply cannot use logic or reasoning to analyze or prove God.

Here is what I told my 7th grade CCD students:
Do you believe God created the universe and everything in it?
“Yes”

Do you know how God did it?
“No” or “God speak everything into reality.”

How could God speak everything into reality?
“Don’t know”, or “Because He is God.”

If God can create everything in the universe, could not God turn the bread and wine into his body, blood, soul and divinity if He wish?
"Yes”

During the Last Supper, Jesus took the bread, blessed it, gave to his disciples said
“This is my body.” He took the cup, gave thanks and said “This is my blood.”
Did Jesus say ‘this is” or did Jesus say “this is the symbol’?
“He said this is…”

What does “is” mean?
“Is means Is.”
 
When you receive Him at Holy Communion with an open heart and pure you have no doubt at all He is present in you.

If you receive casually then it may not be so obvious.
 
The Real Presence in the Eucharist is fundamentally about the Incarnation. Christ has truly united God with man, and through man, with all of creation. That unification did not end with his Assumption. He is forever united with man and with creation.

The Eucharist is a consequence of this unification. The Person of Christ includes his body and blood and soul, along with his divinity. And our persons include both body and soul. The fullness of Christ includes his human body, and the fullness of each human person includes his/her human body. Thus for Christ to unite fully with us requires that Christ, body blood soul and divinity, unite with us, body and soul. This is accomplished in the Eucharist. No other unity is complete. No spiritual-only unity of Christ and a human person is complete, for it leaves out both His body and ours. That is why the Real Presence in the Eucharist is the fullest and most complete union what we can have with God in this world.
 
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