The Real Presence is somewhat of a difficult thing to explain; at least in my opinion. There are numerous Scriptural references, Church documents, quotes from the Fathers and articles to look at. In my experience, I have found that many people, Christians or not, are quite skeptical of the Real Presence. However it is the beauty of our Faith, that our Lord Jesus Christ is present in such a special way to us here on earth.
Scriptural References:
John 6:51-58
51
I am the living bread that came down from heaven; whoever eats this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world."
52
The Jews quarreled among themselves, saying, “How can this man give us (his) flesh to eat?”
53
Jesus said to them, “Amen, amen, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you do not have life within you.
54
Whoever eats 19 my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him on the last day.
55
For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink.
56
Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me and I in him.
57
Just as the living Father sent me and I have life because of the Father, so also the one who feeds on me will have life because of me.
58
This is the bread that came down from heaven. Unlike your ancestors who ate and still died, whoever eats this bread will live forever.”
Some people in the crowd even argue with Him, and we know that He meant this literally, because in other places in the New Testament when someone argued or did not believe, He corrected them and explained it further. However here, many argue and don’t believe, and Jesus makes no attempt to clarify. He only elaborates, saying:
60
Then many of his disciples who were listening said, “This saying is hard; who can accept it?”
61
Since Jesus knew that his disciples were murmuring about this, he said to them, “Does this shock you?”
John 6: 60-61
Christ is quite clear on what He means, so we know that He did not intend for this to be a symbol.
That is just one example, there are many others; such as:
Mt 26:26-28; Mk 14:22-24; Lk 22:19-20; Jn 6:47-66; 1 Cor 10:16. (Taken from
osv.com/OSV4MeNav/Sacraments/TheEucharist/CatholicAnswerBibleRealPresence/tabid/501/Default.aspx)
Also, Saint Thomas Aquinas put it beautifully "O most loving Father, grant me Your Beloved Son. While on this earthly pilgrimage, I receive Him under the veil of this Sacrament; so may I come to at last to see Him face to face for all eternity. For He lives and reigns with you for ever and ever. Amen (Part of the Prayer of St. Thomas Aquinas)
St. John Chrysostom: “Think of the human experience of two people who love each other and yet are forced to part. They would like to stay together for ever, but duty- in one form or another-forces them to separate. They are unable to fulfill their desire of remaining close to each other, so human love- which, great as it may be, is limited- seeks a symbolic gesture. People who make their farewells exchange gifts or perhaps a photograph with a dedication so ardent that it seems almost enough to burn that piece of paper. They can do no more, because a creatures power is not as great as its desire.What we cannot do, our Lord is able to do. Jesus Christ, perfect God and perfect man, leaves us not a symbol, but a reality. He Himself stays with us. He will go to the Father, but He will also remain among men. He will leave us not simply a gift that will make us remember him, not an image that becomes blurred with time, like a photograph that soon fades and yellows, and has no meaning expect for those who were contemporaries. Under the appearances of bread and wine, He is really present, with His Body and Blood, His Soul and Divinity.” (Taken from Preparation for Mass- Daily Roman Missal. [Our Sunday Visitor.])
I will try to find some more quotes and documents, but I have to get ready to leave at the moment. I will post again later this afternoon/evening. God Bless.
Sorry for the long post