First Written Account
The Catholic Church teaches that God’s Revelation is transmitted to us not only through Scripture but also by Tradition and that these are interpreted by the authoritative and authentic teaching of the Church (the Magisterium). In another column we will examine the testimony regarding the Real Presence of Jesus in the Holy Eucharist found in Scripture (see John 6 for starters). But in this column we want to ask what it is that we learn from Tradition regarding the Church’s teaching on the Eucharist.
When we speak of Tradition with a capital “T” we are referring to what has been handed down to us by the Apostles, both in oral and written form. The earliest written account of belief by the early Church in the presence of Jesus in the Holy Eucharist comes from the First Letter of Paul to the Corinthians, chapter 11. He says, “For I received from the Lord what I also handed on to you, that the Lord Jesus, on the night He was handed over, took bread, and after he had given thanks, broke it and said, ‘This is my body that is for you. Do this in remembrance of me’…. For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the death of the Lord until he comes.”
Universally Accepted by All
St. Ignatius of Antioch, writing in the year 110 AD, bears a strong witness when he expresses the following: “I have no taste for corruptible food nor for the pleasures of this life. I desire the Bread of God, which is the Flesh of Jesus Christ, who was of the seed of David; and for drink I desire his blood, which is love incorruptible” (Letter to the Romans 7,3). These are powerful words! And it is only one example of the numerous early writings regarding the Holy Eucharist. This is Tradition.
The Catholic Church has consistently taught belief in the Real Presence from the very beginning to the present day. In the first thousand years no Christian ever denied it; it was universally accepted by all. It wasn't until the Protestant Reformation, fifteen centuries after Christ's death, that rejection of the Real Presence gained a following of any significance. It is important to add that not all Protestants deny this teaching that was given to us by the Lord. Jesus knew that our souls would hunger for this “food” which is Him and He provided ways for us to know that it is available to us. He revealed it through Scripture and Tradition and these are interpreted and taught by the Church.
(Grace MacKinnon is a syndicated columnist and public speaker on Catholic doctrine. Readers are welcome to submit questions about the Catholic faith to: Grace MacKinnon, 1234 Russell Drive #103, Brownsville, Texas 78520. Questions also may be sent by e-mail to: grace@deargrace.com. You may visit Grace online at www.DearGrace.com.)
The Early Church Fathers
This account of the celebration of the Lord’s Last Supper was written only 57 years after Christ. In another verse from that same chapter, Paul states, “Therefore whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord unworthily will have to answer for the body and blood of the Lord” (I Corinthians 11: 27). This clearly indicates that the early Christians truly believed that the Eucharist was indeed the Body and Blood of the Lord. In 350 AD, St. Cyril of Jerusalem wrote about this passage and stated, “Since Christ himself has declared the bread to be his body, who can have any further doubt? Since he himself has said quite categorically, This is my blood, who would dare to question and say that it is not his blood? Therefore, it is with complete assurance that we receive the bread and wine as the body and blood of Christ” (Catecheses).
There is an enormous amount of historical evidence in the writings of the Early Church Fathers that testifies to belief in the Real Presence. These men were select prominent writers of the early Church whose works manifested a pronounced theological maturity and an exemplary purity of doctrine. Why should this be important for us today? It matters because many of them received what they taught first hand from the Apostles. And the Apostles learned it directly from Jesus Himself. He gave to them the authority to teach in His name. He even said, “Whoever hears you, hears me.”
