A poll was released recently stating that only 1/3 of the Catholics in this country believe the Church’s teaching on the Eucharist. This means that 2/3 of the Catholics in the U.S. believe that the Eucharist is only a symbol, and not really and truly Jesus’ Body and Blood. This failure begins with the clergy. Yes, catechesis is part of it too, but it is the shepherds who are at the root of the cause.
   I am not writing this to throw blame at those who have been ordained longer than me (I’ve been a priest 6 years for those keeping score at home.). Besides just restating the Church’s teaching, are there other arguments, or other ways, that we can come to know and believe that the Eucharist is Jesus’ Body and Blood? I think so. Here are a few in no particular order.
   The first is Eucharistic miracles. There are a whole host of documented Eucharistic miracles. Orvieto and Lanciano are two of the most well known. There is one that happened in Germany in the 1970’s in the town of Stich. During Mass a priest noticed that the host produced droplets of blood that appeared on the corporal (The corporal is the small cloth that is unfolded and on which the vessels are placed upon.). This was sent to a lab for analysis without informing the scientists where it came from. Part of the results that were sent back was that it was certainly human blood, and it came from a person in agony. You can read more about this and other miracles in a book by Joan Carroll Cruz entitled Eucharistic Miracles.
   Another argument is the celibate priesthood. Priests give up their lives for the Church, and part of this sacrifice is choosing celibacy. Priests do this because it is worth doing for Jesus Christ and leading others to Him. If there is anything that the Church teaches that isn’t true, then celibacy becomes pointless, and no one would do it. For instance, if the Eucharist is not Jesus’ Body and Blood, if it is really just a symbol, then what did I give up marriage for? This goes for religious too. No one would give up their lives for Jesus if the Eucharist is just a symbol.
   This leads me right into my last argument that was given to us by the Catholic author Flannery O’Connor. As she relates it, she was at a dinner party and they happened to be talking about the Eucharist. Being from Georgia she wasn’t surrounded by many like-minded individuals on the subject. She simply responded, “If it’s just a symbol then to hell with it!” If it is a symbol then why do we go through all the effort that we do for Mass? If it is just a symbol, then why am I wearing 5 layers of clothing for Mass in August?
   May what we say and do always point to the truth of the Eucharist. May how we behave during Mass, and approach the Eucharist in the communion line, help ourselves and others realize that this is no ordinary bread and wine. At every Mass we get to eat the Bread of Angels, so let us treat the Eucharist with the reverence that Jesus’ true presence deserves.