The Catholic doctrine of the Real Presence is the belief that Jesus Christ is literally, not

symbolically, present in the Holy Eucharistbody, blood, soul and divinity. Catholics believe in
the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist because Jesus tells us this is true in the Bible: I
am the bread of life.
The Eucharist has always been one of the most important aspects of Christianity. The
Catechism of the Catholic Church strongly asserts the "Real Presence" of Jesus' body in
the Eucharist; this is to say that thesacrament is not symbolic of the body and blood of Jesus
but rather that it is his body and blood.
SACRAMENT OF THE EUCHARIST. The Sacrament of Communionis a Holy Sacrament by
which the believer eats the Holy Body and Precious Blood of Jesus Christ, presented by the
Bread and Wine. ThisSacrament has the greatest importance among the Seven
ChurchSacraments.
At the heart of the Eucharistic celebration are the bread and wine that, by the words of Christ and the
invocation of the Holy Spirit, become Christ's Body and Blood. Faithful to the Lord's command the Church
continues to do, in his memory and until his glorious return, what he did on the eve of his Passion