The Eucharist is the source and summit of the Catholic Faith. In every Mass, Catholics believe that the bread and wine truly become the Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Jesus Christ—this is called transubstantiation. But what does that really mean, and where does this belief come from?

In this ultimate guide, you'll explore:

• The biblical basis of the Eucharist.
• Why Jesus gave us his real presence in the form of bread and wine.
• The meaning of transubstantiation.
• The role of the Blessed Sacrament in Catholic churches.
• How to receive Holy Communion with reverence and grace.

Whether you’re new to the Faith or deepening your understanding, this resource will help you discover the mystery and meaning of the Holy Eucharist.

What Is the Holy Eucharist?

What Is Holy Communion? 

The Holy Eucharist is Jesus’s true presence, Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity, in our midst under the species of bread and wine. 

Through the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist, we truly experience Jesus as “Emmanuel,” which means “God is with us” (Matthew 1:23). The Eucharist is the Incarnation of Jesus! Just as the Holy Spirit came upon Our Lady at the Annunciation so that his body became flesh in her womb (see Luke 1:35), the Holy Spirit comes down upon the gifts of bread and wine that are on the altar at Mass so that they become the Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Jesus Christ. 

Through his real presence in the Eucharist, Jesus dwells in the tabernacles of Catholic Churches around the world and comes into our hearts when we receive Holy Communion. This sacrament is the most intimate encounter we could have with Christ and allows him to remain always in our midst.

The Holy Eucharist is also one of the three sacraments of initiation that fully bring a believer into the Catholic Faith. However, unlike the other sacraments of initiation which can only be received once, we can and should receive the Holy Eucharist often and repeatedly.

Where Does the Eucharist Come From? Is It In the Bible?

Yes, the Eucharist is Actually Biblical!

Catholic theology about the Holy Eucharist is about as biblical as it can get. Christ instituted the Holy Eucharist directly in Scripture, at the Last Supper, instructing his disciples to continue celebrating this meal in “remembrance” of him: 

“And he took bread, and when he had given thanks he broke it and gave it to them, saying, ‘This is my body which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.’ And likewise the chalice after supper, saying, ‘This chalice which is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood’” (Luke 22:19-20).

Scriptural Moments that Relate to the Eucharist: 

• Bethlehem, where Jesus was born, means “house of bread.” Furthermore, at his nativity, Jesus was placed in a manger, a feeding trough for animals. This prefigures how Jesus would later offer us his body to eat through the Eucharist.
• At the wedding feast at Cana in Galilee (John 2), Jesus changed water into wine as the first sign in his public ministry. This prefigures how he would later change wine into his blood. 
• In John 6, after Jesus multiplies the loaves and fish to feed the five thousand, some of the people return to him in quest of more miraculous bread. He then gives the Bread of Life discourse, where he tells his followers: 
• “I am the bread of life; he who comes to me shall not hunger, and he who believes in me shall never thirst” (John 6:35). 
• “I am the living bread which came down from heaven; if any one eats of this bread, he will live for ever; and the bread which I shall give for the life of the world is my flesh” (John 6:51).

Many people walked away because they found his teaching too hard to accept. However, Jesus did not alter his statement, but continued to affirm that he meant this literally, saying: “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you; he who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. For my flesh is food indeed, and my blood is drink indeed” (John 6:53-55). 

If you struggle with the teaching of the Eucharist, check out this video from Fr. Mike!

The Old Testament also Points to the Holy Eucharist:

• In the book of Exodus, God provided manna, bread from heaven, for the Israelites as they wandered in the desert. This was to be their daily bread, and they were only supposed to collect enough for one day at a time. 
• A jar of manna was kept in the Ark of the Covenant to remind the Israelite people of God’s provision. In the sanctuary of the tabernacle, outside of the Holy of Holies, a gold table held the twelve loaves of flatbread, one for each tribe of Israel, known as the bread of the presence. The priests could consume the bread every Sabbath before replacing it each week. 
• Most importantly, while sin entered the world when the first man and woman ate a forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eden, we can receive salvation and grace by eating Christ’s Body and Blood in the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist

Learn about the Scriptural basis of the Eucharist and Holy Mass in greater depth with Ascension through A Biblical Walk Through the Mass!

 

Form and Matter of the Sacrament

Each of the Seven Sacraments has two essential components, form and matter: “Form is what is said and done and matter is whatever is required to be present” for each sacrament.  

The “matter” of the Sacrament of the Eucharist is the unleavened wheat bread and grape wine that become the Body and Blood of Christ. The “form” of the Sacrament of the Eucharist is the biblical words of consecration that, with the grace of the Holy Spirit, change the bread and wine into Christ’s Body and Blood:

"At the time he was betrayed and entered willingly into his Passion, he took bread and, giving thanks, broke it, and gave it to his disciples, saying:

Take this, all of you, and eat of it: for this is my body which will be given up for you. 

In a similar way, when supper was ended, he took the chalice and, once more giving thanks, he gave it to his disciples, saying: 

Take this, all of you, and drink from it, for this is the chalice of my Blood, the Blood of the new and eternal covenant, which will be poured out for you and for many for the forgiveness of sins." 

Eucharistic Prayer II of the Holy Mass

Eucharist means “thanksgiving”

Where did we get the term “Eucharist?” It comes from a Greek word, “eucharistia,” which means thanksgiving. At Mass, we participate in “an action of thanksgiving to God” and glorify him in the most supreme way possible.  

By receiving the Eucharist with faith and devotion, we thank Jesus for his gifts to us and his presence in our midst. All that we have received comes from God, and above all, Jesus poured out his very life for us on the Cross and continues to manifest his great love through his continual presence in our midst in the Blessed Sacrament. This is cause for our joy and gratitude, because it means that we are never alone. God is good, all the time!

Why Bread and Wine for the Holy Eucharist?

“In the Old Covenant bread and wine were offered in sacrifice among the first fruits of the earth as a sign of grateful acknowledgement to the Creator” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1334).

In the sacraments, God chooses to imbue ordinary things with extraordinary significance. Before they are consecrated, the bread and wine are just signs. But after consecration, they become more than signs: they truly become Christ himself. Still, there are particular meanings behind why the Lord offers us his presence through bread and wine specifically, when he could have chosen to give us any type of food as the Eucharist. Primarily, the Eucharistic species relate to the Passover meal, which includes unleavened bread and drinking wine as a “cup of blessing.” 

Rules for the Bread and Wine in Communion 

Bread is a basic staple food across most cultures: we can universally understand its importance. While bread represents the ordinariness of life, wine is a celebratory drink and represents joy. This significance shows us that the Holy Eucharist relates to both the simple and the glorious in our human lives! 

The Church’s guidelines in the Code of Canon Law specify exactly what sort of bread and wine must be used to celebrate the Holy Eucharist licitly: 

“The most holy eucharistic sacrifice must be offered with bread and with wine in which a little water must be mixed. The bread must be only wheat and recently made so that there is no danger of spoiling. The wine must be natural from the fruit of the vine and not spoiled" (Canon 924).

Unleavened Bread for the Eucharist

Furthermore, the communion wafers used in the Western Catholic Church are made of unleavened bread “according to the ancient tradition of the Latin Church" (Canon 924). Jesus used unleavened bread to institute the Eucharist during the Passover meal. To further relate the Eucharist to the Passover meal, Christ is the new Paschal Lamb whose flesh we are called to consume because it was offered for our salvation, just as the blood of the passover lamb saved the Israelite people from death, and they ate its flesh as part of the passover meal. 

Unleavened bread also lasts longer, so that the Sacred Host can be kept in reserve in the tabernacle and so that Holy Communion can more easily be brought to those who are ill. (By contrast, some Eastern Rites of the Catholic Church have a different set of rubrics and require leavened bread to be used for the Holy Eucharist.) 

Old Testament Reasons for Using Bread and Wine for Communion 

There is another Old Testament reason for bread and wine. In the book of Genesis, Abraham meets the high priest Melchizedek to offer a sacrifice to the Lord: 

“And Melchizedek, king of Salem, brought out bread and wine; he was priest of God Most High. And he blessed [Abram] and said: ‘Blessed be Abram by God Most High, maker of heaven and earth; and blessed be God Most High, who has delivered your enemies into your hand!’” (Genesis 14:18-19).

This is the only time that Melchizedek, high priest of Salem (later, Jerusalem), appears directly in Scripture. Yet his name appears throughout Scripture in reference to an eternal priesthood given from above, and also in Catholic doctrine and the liturgy in reference to the Eucharist and Holy Orders. Just as Melchizedek offered bread and wine in sacrifice to God, only Catholic priests can consecrate the Holy Eucharist. 

Wondering why priests are the only ones who can consecrate the bread and wine?

What is Transubstantiation, and How Does It Happen?

We have a fancy theological word for the way that Christ becomes present in the Holy Eucharist: transubstantiation. It is not a transformation, which is a change in form, but rather a change in substance: the substance of bread and wine changes into the substance of Jesus’s body and blood. His true presence––body, blood, soul, and divinity––comes to us in the form of bread and wine. 

This is a mystery of faith: here on earth, we will never fully be able to understand how the Holy Eucharist happens. But through the mystery of transubstantiation, Jesus fulfills the parting promise he made to his disciples before ascending into heaven: “Behold, I am with you always, to the close of the age” (Matthew 28:20). Jesus' Eucharistic presence remains with us always. 

But Communion Still Looks Like Bread And Wine!

Yes, the Holy Eucharist will still appear to be bread and wine after it is consecrated into Christ’s body and blood. Two philosophical terms help clarify what is happening here: substance and accident. Substance is what something is in its essential nature, but accidents are the properties and qualities that it possesses. The Eucharist still has all the accidents that pertain to bread and wine: the gentle taste of bread, the strong scent of wine––everything that our senses perceive about how they look and feel is still exactly the same! However, the substance of the bread and wine have changed into the Body and Blood of Christ.

Who Can Receive the Eucharist, and How Often? 

Rules for How Often You Can Receive Communion 

A Catholic who has already received his or her first Holy Communion previously and is in the state of grace (having confessed mortal sins and not being attached to sin in any way) can receive Holy Communion.

Catholics can receive Communion once a day, when attending daily Mass. Many saints placed daily Mass at the center of their spiritual lives, and they show us that if we want to grow in holiness, daily Holy Communion will strengthen our relationship with Jesus. 

There are many spiritual fruits that flow from frequently receiving Holy Communion with devotion, according to the Catechism of the Catholic Church (#1391-1398):

• Holy Communion strengthens our union with Christ.
• It nourishes our souls the way that bodily food nourishes our physical life. 
• It detaches us from sin, preserving us from mortal sins and cleansing us of venial sins.  
• It strengthens our charity and our life of grace overall.
• It brings about the unity of Christians in the Mystical Body of Christ.

Can I Ever Receive Holy Communion More Than Once a Day?

According to the Church’s guidelines in Code of Canon Law #917: “A person who has already received the Most Holy Eucharist can receive it a second time on the same day only within the Eucharistic Celebration in which the person participates.” If someone is in danger of death, he or she can most certainly receive the Eucharist more than once that day! 

Can Someone Ever Be Denied Holy Communion?

Can a Priest Ever Refuse to Give Communion to Someone? Fr. Mike Answers!

Who May Celebrate the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist?

Only ordained Catholic priests and bishops are permitted to celebrate Mass and consecrate the Holy Eucharist. Deacons cannot consecrate the Holy Eucharist, but they can help distribute it during Mass. We call bishops, priests, and deacons the “ordinary ministers” of Holy Communion.

Extraordinary Ministers of the Holy Eucharist, or Eucharistic Ministers

Additionally, the Church permits lay people who are trained as “extraordinary ministers” of Holy Communion to assist the priest in distributing the Eucharist, especially at Masses where there is a larger congregation. This is so that Holy Communion can be distributed in an orderly, reverent, and timely manner. We sometimes just refer to these laypeople who are extraordinary ministers as “eucharistic ministers” for short.

What Are Some Other Names for the Holy Eucharist?

All the Different Terms for Communion 

A few terms can refer to the Holy Eucharist:

• “Holy Communion” or “Communion” –– because receiving the Blessed Sacrament unites us in Christ and establishes union among the members of the Church both on earth and in eternity (the Church militant on earth, the Church suffering in Purgatory, and the Church Triumphant in heaven).  
• “Holy Mass” –– the liturgy during which the Holy Eucharist is consecrated, and the summit of Catholic worship. 
• “The Holy Sacrifice of the Mass” ––– because, according to the Catechism, “it makes present the one sacrifice of Christ the Savior and includes the Church’s offering” (CCC #1330).
• “The Sacrament” –– the Eucharist is the source and summit of the Christian life, the foremost sacrifice of the Catholic Faith and the one that we are called to participate in most often. 
• “The Lord’s Supper” or “The Breaking of the Bread” –– these names refer back to the very moment when Christ gave us His body and blood in the Eucharist, at the last supper that he shared with his disciples before his passion. Protestants might use these terms for their communion services, but they have been used universally (and most certainly in a Catholic sense) from the time of the Early Church, specifically in the Acts of the Apostles. Additionally, when two disciples met the Lord on the road to Emmaus, they said that he “was known to them in the breaking of the bread” (Luke 24:30). 

Where Can the Holy Eucharist Be Celebrated? 

Rules for Where Mass Can Happen

The Holy Eucharist can only be celebrated in the context of the Catholic Mass, as an act of public worship. Here’s what the Code of Canon Law teaches: 

The Eucharistic celebration is to be carried out in a sacred place unless in a particular case necessity requires otherwise; in such a case the celebration must be done in a decent place.

The Eucharistic sacrifice must be carried out on a dedicated or blessed altar; outside a sacred place a suitable table can be used, always with a cloth and a corporal (Canon 932).

Sacred Articles for the Celebration of the Eucharist

Names of All the Objects, Vessels, and Linens Needed for Mass and the Eucharist

Several holy objects pertain to the Holy Eucharist during Mass: 

Tabernacle:

The vessel that holds the Blessed Sacrament, from a word that means “tent.” The General Instruction of the Roman Missal specifies that “the Most Blessed Sacrament should be reserved in a tabernacle in a part of the church that is truly noble, prominent, readily visible, beautifully decorated, and suitable for prayer.” It is typically located in the sanctuary of the church (in a place apart from the main altar) or in a special Blessed Sacrament chapel still connected to the main church (this set-up facilitates private adoration and prayer).

Sanctuary Lamp:

The red candle near the tabernacle that, when lit, signifies that Jesus is present in the tabernacle. Oil lamps were used similarly in the tabernacle in the Old Testament, as Catholic Encyclopedia notes: “In the Old Testament God commanded that a lamp filled with the purest oil of olives should always burn in the Tabernacle of the Testimony without the veil.”

Altar: the table on which the Holy Eucharistic Sacrifice is offered. A church’s altars are specially consecrated and traditionally contain the relics of saints to remind us that we are in communion with the Church Triumphant. 

Paten: 

The small saucer-like plate of precious metal on which the priest places the large primary host that will become the Sacred Body of Christ. 

Ciborium:

The ornate container that holds the hosts that will be distributed to the congregation. It may look like a large chalice or like a shallow bowl. 

Chalice: 

The sacred cup that holds the wine that will become the Precious Blood of Christ. Chalices should be made in some way with precious metals and beautifully designed out of reverence for Christ. 

Corporal:

A square white linen that is placed under the chalice and paten on the altar.

Purificator: 

The white cloth used to cleanse the chalice after Communion. 

Pall: 

A stiff linen square placed atop the chalice or paten for a very practical purpose — it keeps foreign objects (i.e. dust, insects) from falling into it. 

Candles + A Crucifix: 

These are probably the most notable items on the altar and complete the sacred display for offering Holy Mass. “On or next to the altar are to be placed candlesticks with lighted candles: at least two in any celebration, or even four or six, especially for a Sunday Mass or a holy day of obligation. If the diocesan Bishop celebrates, then seven candles should be used. Also on or close to the altar, there is to be a cross with a figure of Christ crucified" (The General Instruction of the Roman Missal).

Why Do We Call the Eucharist a "Sacrifice"?

We call the Eucharist a sacrifice because it is the same sacrifice as Christ made on the cross––the offering of his very life.  Several paragraphs in the Catechism of the Catholic Church discuss what this means:

• CCC #1364: “In the New Testament, the memorial takes on new meaning. When the Church celebrates the Eucharist, she commemorates Christ's Passover, and it is made present: the sacrifice Christ offered once for all on the cross remains ever present.”
• CCC #1365: “Because it is the memorial of Christ's Passover, the Eucharist is also a sacrifice. The sacrificial character of the Eucharist is manifested in the very words of institution: ‘This is my body which is given for you’ and ‘This cup which is poured out for you is the New Covenant in my blood.’ In the Eucharist Christ gives us the very body which he gave up for us on the cross, the very blood which he ‘poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.’”
• CCC #1366: The Eucharist is thus a sacrifice because it re-presents (makes present) the sacrifice of the cross, because it is its memorial and because it applies its fruit.
• CCC #1367: In this divine sacrifice which is celebrated in the Mass, the same Christ who offered himself once in a bloody manner on the altar of the cross is contained and offered in an unbloody manner…

How To Receive Holy Communion: Things to Know

When we receive Jesus in Holy Communion, this is the high point of the Mass. There are two requirements that Catholics must meet in order to receive Holy Communion:

#1: You Must Be A Catholic in the State of Grace

You must be a Catholic in the state of grace to receive Holy Communion. As the Code of Canon Law explains, “A person who is conscious of grave sin is not to … receive the body of the Lord without previous sacramental confession unless there is a grave reason and there is no opportunity to confess; in this case the person is to remember the obligation to make an act of perfect contrition which includes the resolution of confessing as soon as possible" (916).

In this video, Fr. Mike discusses why receiving Holy Communion in a state of grace allows us to receive Jesus worthily and lovingly.

#2: Observe the 1 Hour Fast

Because Holy Communion is a moment of great importance, the Church requires an hour fast before Holy Communion. You cannot take any food or drink during that time, although water or medicine is allowed. However, Canon Law notes an exception for “the elderly, the infirm, and those who care for them” (Canon 919.3). 

How to Receive Holy Communion: Step-By-Step to Your Encounter With Christ

Steps On How to Receive the Eucharist

• Approach Holy Communion with your hands folded prayerfully in front of you. If you are unable to receive Holy Communion but wish to receive a blessing from the priest instead, signal this by crossing your arms over your chest, with the palms of your hands on your shoulders. 
• Genuflect or bow in reverence before your turn to receive Holy Communion, but make sure you do not hold up the Communion line.
• Some parishes have an altar rail where people can kneel to receive the Eucharist. You can also receive communion standing.
• After receiving the host, consume it right away; if you are receiving communion in the hand, you must place it in your mouth immediately. The host is light and usually dissolves easily once in your mouth, but you may chew it gently. 

How to Receive Holy Communion: In the Hand? On the Tongue? 

The standard (and traditional) way to receive the Sacred Host is on the tongue, yet the Church permits us to receive the Body of Christ on the hand if we wish. If you choose to receive Holy Communion in your hand, be careful that no particles of Christ’s Sacred Body are lost in handling as you bring the Host to your mouth. Keep in mind the following instructions from St. Cyril of Jerusalem, a Church Father from the 4th century, whom the Bishops of the United States quote:

When receiving in the hand, the communicant should be guided by the words of St. Cyril of Jerusalem: "When you approach, take care not to do so with your hand stretched out and your fingers open or apart, but rather place your left hand as a throne beneath your right, as befits one who is about to receive the King. Then receive him, taking care that nothing is lost." 

How to Receive Holy Communion on the Tongue

Many Catholics have expressed a greater desire to receive Holy Communion on the tongue. In this video, Father Mark-Mary dives into all the practicals of receiving Holy Communion on the tongue. Father says it is important for us to be “trained” in the human element so that we can properly enter into the spiritual experience, and so he instructs us on the Do’s and Don’ts –– including how to open your mouth, how far to stick out your tongue, and how to position your head so that you can receive the Holy Eucharist on your tongue reverently and properly. 

Here is a video on how to receive Holy Communion from Fr. Mark-Mary!

What to Do After Receiving the Eucharist

After you receive Holy Communion, Jesus is truly present with you in the closest way possible! Many people make the Sign of the Cross over themselves just after receiving Communion. Walk reverently back to your pew, and once you have returned, spend the next few minutes in prayer. This is your quality time with Jesus, who is now incredibly near you in a real and physical way. Close your eyes if possible, and speak to him from your heart or utilize one of the following traditional prayers for after Holy Communion.

Beautiful / Best Prayers For After Receiving Holy Communion

Here are some meaningful prayers for after Holy Communion and why you should learn and pray them! 

• The Anima Christi: This is the most popular prayer for after Holy Communion. Dating back to medieval times, its poetic verses ask for the graces of Jesus’s passion and Eucharistic sacrifice. 
• The Suscipe (“Prayer of Self-Offering”) by St. Ignatius of Loyola: Jesus offers himself to us in the Holy Eucharist, and we should offer ourselves to him in return, especially since everything that we have comes from him. 
• The Te Deum: This traditional hymn of joy and thanksgiving traces back to the early centuries of the Church. We pray part of the Te Deum at Mass when we say the “Sanctus,” or “Holy, Holy, Holy.”
• The Magnificat: Mary sang these words of gratitude and praise to God when she carried Christ inside of her, in her womb. Jesus’s Eucharistic presence is a fitting reason for us to sing praise to God like Our Lady! 
• Traditional Prayer to the Sacred Heart of Jesus: It is fitting to think about Christ’s Sacred Heart when we receive Holy Communion, because Jesus reveals how much he loves us and brings his heart very close to ours when we receive him. 

How Long is Jesus Present in the Eucharist After I’ve Received Him?

The Eucharistic species subsists in our bodies for about fifteen minutes after we receive Communion, before being assimilated into our bodies. This is why many saints recommend that we spend fifteen minutes of prayer in thanksgiving after Holy Communion. Although Jesus is no longer physically present inside of us after those fifteen minutes, his presence in our hearts lasts much longer. 

First Holy Communion for Young Children

Children typically receive the Eucharist for the first time around age seven or eight, which is considered the “age of reason,” the time when children can differentiate between right and wrong. At this age, they are old enough to understand the Eucharist, Holy Mass, and other basic teachings of the Catholic Church, and can take some ownership of their prayer life. 

First Holy Communion is a significant milestone for Catholic children, and they receive catechetical instruction to prepare for it. Most parishes have First Holy Communion during the springtime, specifically during the Easter season.

Important Eucharistic Feast Days

Holy Thursday:

Commemorates the day when Christ celebrated the Last Supper with his apostles. That night, he instituted two sacraments: the Holy Eucharist and the Priesthood. It is the first day of the Sacred Triduum, the three holiest days of the year leading up to the great feast of Easter.

Corpus Christi Sunday:

Two Sundays after Pentecost (and usually in June), the Catholic Church celebrates the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ, a feast day that was instituted in the thirteenth century. Some parishes continue the tradition of celebrating this Solemnity with a designated time of extended Eucharistic Adoration or a special Eucharistic procession.

What Is Eucharistic Adoration? 

Eucharistic Adoration is an opportunity for us to spend time worshipping and praying before the Blessed Sacrament outside of Mass. Here are some different opportunities for Eucharistic Adoration: 

During Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament, a consecrated host is placed in the monstrance so that we can see and adore Jesus’s Eucharistic Presence. Some parishes have Perpetual Adoration chapels, where Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament continues all the time, 24 hours a day and 7 days a week.

What Is a Holy Hour?

A Holy Hour is spending one hour in prayer before Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament. You can make a Holy Hour by praying in front of the tabernacle in your parish Church or during Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament. The official practice of Holy Hours goes back to the 17th century, when Jesus asked Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque to spend an hour in prayer every Thursday evening in honor of his agony in the Garden. He speaks the same invitation to us that he made to his apostles in the Garden of Gethsemane, “Could you not watch with me one hour?” (Matthew 26:40) A Holy Hour permits us to remain awake with Jesus, keeping him company in prayer and in gratitude for all that He has done for us. If your parish has regularly scheduled times of Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament or a Perpetual Adoration chapel, you can sign up for a weekly Holy Hour!

What Is Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament

Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament can be led by a priest or deacon at the end of a period of Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, before the Sacred Host is reposed in the tabernacle again. During Benediction, the Tantum Ergo Sacramentum is sung or prayed, the monstrance is incensed, and the priest or deacon leads the Divine Praises before blessing the congregation with the monstrance. The priest or deacon wears a special cape called a humeral veil, around his shoulders and extending down his arms and covering his hands, to handle the monstrance during Benediction.

What Is the Forty Hours Devotion?

The Forty Hours Devotion is a centuries-long practice of exposing the Blessed Sacrament in the monstrance on the altar for a 40-hour period of time, to offer prayers in reparation for sin. Although the number “40” is very symbolic and pops up very often in Scripture, the Forty Hours Devotion specifically honors the amount of time that Christ’s body is believed to have rested in the tomb before he rose from the dead. The practice of the Forty Hours Devotion probably began around the 1500s. St. Philip Neri and St. Ignatius of Loyola promoted the devotion in Rome, and St. John Neumann brought the Forty Hours Devotion to the United States of America in the 1800s.

Frequently Asked Questions about the Holy Eucharist

How Often Must Catholics Receive the Eucharist? 

Catholics are obligated to receive Holy Communion at least once a year, during the Easter season. Yet a healthy spiritual life requires more than the bare minimum! The Eucharist is meant to nourish us spiritually –– imagine how your physical health would suffer if you did not nourish your body with food regularly. Receiving Holy Communion every Sunday, or even better every day, will assist and strengthen the wellbeing of your soul. 

Must I Receive Both Eucharistic Species for Jesus’ Full Presence?

No, you do not need to receive both––you receive all of Jesus in just the Sacred Host or in the Precious Blood, so receiving one does not make you miss out on the other. In fact, even if you were to receive just a crumb of the Sacred Host or one drop of the Precious Blood, you still get to receive all of Jesus. He is fully present, Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity, in both species. 

Still, as Fr. Mike explains in this video, both the bread and wine together make the fullness of the sign that Christ gave us when he commanded us to eat and drink the Eucharist.

Do Catholics Believe that the Eucharist is a Symbol?

No, Catholic teaching proclaims that the Eucharist is not a mere symbol of Christ’s presence: it is really Christ himself. Once the bread and wine are consecrated and take on Christ’s true presence, they are no longer symbols of Christ’s body and blood, but truly his body and blood.

Still, we can properly refer to the Holy Eucharist as a sign because there is a difference between a sign and a symbol. A symbol represents something, standing in place of it, while a sign points to something else. The Eucharist is a visible sign of an invisible reality, namely, Christ himself. The Eucharist is a sign of Christ’s presence with us, that he is fulfilling his promise of  “Behold, I am with you always, to the close of the age” (Matthew 28:20). 

Can Catholics Receive Communion in Non-Catholic Churches?

No. Some non-Catholic churches have a tradition of communion services as part of their tradition of worship, but this is not the same thing as the Holy Eucharist, so Catholics should not participate. The bread and wine that Protestants use in their services are unconsecrated and only symbolize Jesus’s presence. Only Catholic and Orthodox Churches have the same priesthood and therefore have the Real Presence of Jesus in the Holy Eucharist. Because of these theological differences, Catholics should not receive communion in other churches.

Can the Eucharist be Gluten-free? 

The hosts used for Holy Communion can never be completely gluten-free: the bread used for the Sacred Hosts “must be only wheat,” according to Church teaching. However, low-gluten hosts can be used for those who are sensitive to wheat or have celiac disease. Many parishes allow those who are unable to consume any gluten at all to receive the Precious Blood from the chalice instead of the host.

Can Non-Catholics Receive Holy Communion?

Generally, non-Catholics are not supposed to receive Holy Communion, although fellow Christians and non-Catholics are certainly welcome to attend Holy Mass. Protestants and those from other religious backgrounds do not share the same beliefs about the Eucharist as Catholics, and faith is an important presupposition for receiving the sacraments (CCC #1123).

Is There a Difference Between the Eucharist and Communion? 

The two words relate to the same thing, but Eucharist refers to the sacrament, while Communion more specifically denotes the act of partaking in it. Protestants are likely to use the term “communion” over “Eucharist” when they speak about their symbolic rite that commemorates Jesus’s Last Supper.