During Mass, how does the bread and wine
become the body and blood of Christ? Good, good question. In order to answer, we're going to have to pull out
one of those big theological words that might seem kind of intimidating
at first: transubstantiation. First, the word literally means "change the
substance," so it's not transformation, meaning "changing the outward appearance," but rather transubstantiation, a change
that happens on an imperceptible level. Now, what does that have
to do with bread and wine? We believe that in God's response to our prayers during Mass, the substance of the bread and wine changes. So while they might still look and
taste like, well, bread and wine, at the most fundamental level, at their essence, they have become the body, blood,
soul, and divinity of Jesus Christ. Think of it like this: take an ordinary man, just a regular guy, but when his first child is born, he becomes
a father, not just in name, but in essence. He still looks like and even has the
same chemical composition he did before, but he is substantially different from who he
was, and different from a man who is not a father. And now that he is a father, he will always be a father. In the same way, even though the appearance and the chemical composition of the bread and wine remain the same, a substantial and lasting change has taken place. "For what you see is simply bread and a cup
- this is the information your eyes report, but your faith demands far subtler insight. The bread is Christ's body; the cup is Christ's blood." During Communion, are we reenacting the Last
Supper like I've seen done at other churches? It might be easy to think of communion
as a reenactment of the Last Supper, but it's actually much, much more. "In the Eucharist, Christ gives us the very
body which he gave up for us on the cross, the very blood which he poured out
for many for the forgiveness of sins." Yes, the Eucharistic prayers at Mass do
include Jesus's words from the Last Supper, and we are all gathered around a table like at a meal, but the reason we come together is
to give thanks for the ultimate gift of Christ sacrificing his life for us on the Cross
so that we might have eternal life. So we're not just remembering or reenacting the Last Supper. We are reencountering Christ on the Cross. "The Mass is not merely the recollection of past events, but the proclamation of the mighty works wrought by God for us. In the liturgical celebration of these events,
they become in a certain way present and real." It's like whenever I see this one baby picture of my niece,
I'm taken right back to the moment that I held her in my arms for the very first time,
looking right at her, smiling big and wide, tears in my eyes. Every time I look at that picture, I'm right there. In the same way, every time Catholics celebrate
what we call the Sacrifice of the Mass, what Christ did for us long ago becomes more real for us today. Hold up, sacrifice? Doesn't the Bible say that Christ's death on the Cross
was supposed to be the final religious sacrifice of all time? Yes, that's true, it is that once-for-all sacrifice of Christ on the cross that we re-experience in the sacrament of the Eucharist. So by our sharing in the real presence of Christ, we become
more aware of what the sacrifice of Christ means for us and more aware of the sacrifices we are
called to make in loving one another. Can we use something other than bread and wine?
What if I'm gluten intolerant or I can't drink alcohol? The Church teaches that in order for the Eucharist to be valid,
the priest must use unleavened bread made of wheat and wine made from grapes.
No substitutions are permitted. But if you're gluten intolerant, your parish may offer options like low-gluten hosts or receiving from the cup only. Just speak with your priest before Mass.
And it's also important to remember that Catholics believe that Christ is fully present in the consecrated bread,
as well as in the consecrated wine. So if both are not offered in your church, or if
you can't have one or the other, by receiving only one, you are still receiving Christ's body, blood, soul, and divinity. Some Catholics say you shouldn't go up to receive communion if you've committed a sin. Is that true? If that were the case, no one could ever receive.
But seriously, not all sins are the same. You can't compare a white lie with a murder, and that's why the Church distinguishes between venial sins and mortal sins. Now, mortal sins are really serious sins, the kind
of sins that separate us from God and one another. "Mortal sin is sin whose object is grave matter and which is also committed with full knowledge and deliberate consent." If you've committed a mortal sin, you have separated yourself from God and the community by your own choosing, so you'll need to reconcile with God and with us, your brothers and sisters, through the sacrament of reconciliation before receiving Communion. But what about those venial sins which all of us
commit all the time? That's why the Mass begins with our saying "Lord, have mercy." The Church has always taught that lesser sins are absolved
merely by our asking God for forgiveness, so unless it's a mortal sin, you're okay to receive Communion. Why can't my non-Catholic friends
receive Communion when I bring them to Mass? Okay, this question gets asked a lot, and I know people feel put off because not everyone can receive Communion at Mass. So what's the deal?
Do Catholics think they're superior to others? No. Are we being rude or unwelcoming? No. Let's first be clear: Everyone is welcome to join us in our celebration of the Eucharist, but not everyone may partake of the sacrament. Why not? The Church believes that we have to be in communion in order to receive communion. In communion with God, with the Church, and with one another. "Because Catholics believe that the celebration of the Eucharist is a sign of the reality of our oneness of faith, life, and worship, members of those churches with whom we are not yet fully united are ordinarily not admitted to Holy Communion." So while it's true that Catholics worship the same
God and have the same Savior as other Christians, we must deal with the sobering fact that
there are real divisions among us. We do not as of yet have a common union in our church structures,
in our doctrines, in our theology, so we cannot rightly share communion together.
But this isn't just about who's Catholic and who's not. It's about who is in communion and who is not. Remember, even we Catholics who have committed a grave sin and have taken ourselves out of communion with God and the Church also should not receive communion at Mass. Don't forget, the doors of our parishes are truly open to all
who wish to come on in and pray with us. And some of our most fervent prayers are for greater unity so that one day we might all share communion together. When we receive the body and blood of Christ,
we reaffirm that we are the body of Christ. We share in Christ's divinity, and we are empowered by His grace
to live and to love as he did. Now, that's a pretty big deal. As the church says,
the Eucharist is the source and summit of the Christian life. The other sacraments, and indeed all ministry and outreach,
are bound up with the Eucharist and are oriented toward it. For in the Blessed Eucharist is contained
the whole spiritual good of the Church, namely, Christ himself.