Eucharist (Real Presence) | What You Need to Know

Too often the Catholic Faith is watered down, reduced to symbolism, robbed of its original force. A case in point is the Eucharist. Here we'll focus mainly on the central point of a very rich and extensive mystery: the Real Presence of Christ.

We'll start with a concise tract from Catholic Answers which defends and explains Christ's presence in the Eucharist against those who offer alternative interpretations.

Next, it pays dividends to look back at the Second Vatican Council to recover its focus on the Eucharist. An article summarizing the Council's teaching, with plenty of quotes, shows us the Eucharistic awareness the Church wants us to have today.

Finally, there is a web site you can use to increase both your understanding of and devotion to the Real Presence of Christ. This site offers everything from basic materials to excerpts from the Fathers, including accounts of documented, approved Eucharistic miracles.

Essential Perspective

1. Christ in the Eucharist
2. The Eucharist at Vatican II
3. Real Presence Web Site

Extra Reading

A more extensive treatment of the entire Eucharistic mystery is available elsewhere in this series. See the Eucharist (Communion).

For a consideration of the Mass, at which the sacrament of the Eucharist is confected, see the item in this series on the Mass (Sacred Liturgy).