Lesson 21 – Is the Eucharist Really Food?

Is the Eucharist food? Absolutely!

The Eucharist is food to be eaten, yet it is not ordinary food. This is Jesus Christ himself, who comes to us under the signs of bread and wine to unite us together with him in grace.

Let’s explore what that means with help from the Bible and St. Thomas Aquinas.

Course Reading

Summa Theologiae III, q. 79, a. 1 | St. Thomas Aquinas

Summa Theologiae III, q. 79, a. 4 | St. Thomas Aquinas

Excerpt from the Summa Theologiae III, q. 79, a. 1

The effect of this sacrament ought to be considered, first of all and principally, from what is contained in this sacrament, which is Christ; Who, just as by coming into the world, He visibly bestowed the life of grace upon the world, according to Jn. 1:17: "Grace and truth came by Jesus Christ," so also, by coming sacramentally into man causes the life of grace, according to Jn. 6:58: "He that eateth Me, the same also shall live by Me." Hence Cyril says on Lk. 22:19: "God's life-giving Word by uniting Himself with His own flesh, made it to be productive of life. For it was becoming that He should be united somehow with bodies through His sacred flesh and precious blood, which we receive in a life-giving blessing in the bread and wine."

Course Listening

What Happens When You Eat God? The Effects of the Eucharist | Fr. Jonah Teller, O.P.

Eating God: Can the Eucharist Really be Jesus? | Alexander Pruss