S&F-The Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ

Today we celebrate the presence of the body and blood in the Eucharist at every mass.  

I talk a lot about the reunification of the Christian churches under the Church that Jesus started.  I don't pretend to be an expert on the protestant schism, but I know that one of the things that separates us is the belief that the Eucharist is the actual body and blood of Jesus and not just a symbol.  More concerning, there was a survey several years ago that Catholics in levels up to 70% don't believe in the true presence of Jesus in the Eucharist.  Catholics thinking the Eucharist is a just symbol is misunderstanding one of the basic tenets of the Catholic faith.

Why do we believe in transubstantiation and the true presence of Jesus in the Eucharist?  I have heard of many proofs of this but the one I keep coming back to is part of the "Bread of Life" discourse in John 6.  Jesus said:

“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."

Jesus's followers questioned this.  They asked “How can this man give us [his] flesh to eat?”  Some left him, not being able to accept this teaching.

Seeing his followers leaving, if the Eucharist was just supposed to be a symbol and not the actual Body and Blood of Christ Jesus would have said so here.  But instead he doubled down, repeating that we need to truly consume the Body and Blood of Christ to get eternal life.

Jesus asked the followers who remained:

   “Do you also want to leave?”

If I was asked that I would hopefully reply as Peter did.  "“Master, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.  We have come to believe and are convinced that you are the Holy One of God.”

I love the fact that I get to become one with Jesus every week at the mass in the Eucharist, the true Body and Blood of Christ.