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Explain the Real Presence in the Eucharist

Reviewed by our team · October 4, 2026

The Real Presence is the Catholic dogma that in the Holy Eucharist, the Body and Blood of Our Lord Jesus Christ are truly, really, and substantially present under the appearances of bread and wine. This presence is not merely symbolic or figurative, but is the very Person of Christ — His flesh and blood, body and soul, Divinity and humanity — wholly present in each consecrated species.

This substantial presence is effected through transubstantiation, whereby the entire substance of bread is converted into the substance of Christ's Body, and the entire substance of wine into the substance of His Blood, while only the appearances (accidents) of bread and wine remain. The Council of Trent infallibly defined this teaching against the errors of those who denied the conversion of substances, such as the Lutherans who taught consubstantiation (the coexistence of bread with Christ's Body) and those who reduced the Eucharist to a mere sign or memorial.

Christ's Real Presence is not dependent upon the act of receiving Holy Communion. He remains truly present in the consecrated Host even after the distribution of Communion, so long as the Eucharistic species remain incorrupt. This permanence of presence makes the Blessed Sacrament worthy of our adoration and explains the Church's ancient practice of reserving the Eucharist in the tabernacle and exposing It for veneration.

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Sources

  • Catholic Encyclopedia (1907), Vol. 7, 'Impanation'
  • Catholic Encyclopedia (1907), Vol. 4, 'Consubstantiation'

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Ask Aquinas is an AI assistant named for St. Thomas Aquinas, the Angelic Doctor. It answers questions about the Catholic faith from traditional sources, including:

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  • The Catholic Encyclopedia (1907–1914)
  • The Douay-Rheims Bible, with Fr. Haydock's commentary
  • The Roman Catechism of the Council of Trent

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