What is transubstantiation?
Transubstantiation is the Roman Catholic understanding of the real presence of Christ at the Lord's Supper.
What is the real presence of Christ at the Lord's Supper?
This is how different Christians understand the presence of Jesus at our celebration of the sacrament of the Lord's Supper.
Roman Catholics teach the literal, actual, physical presence of Christ at the Supper. The elements are not bread and wine any longer but are actually the physical body and blood of Jesus.
The Lutherans teach that in some mysterious way, both are present. The physical body and blood of Christ and the actual bread and wine.
The Reformed teach that Christ is really present at the Supper but entirely in a spiritual way.
Other Protestants teach that Christ is not present at the Supper in any kind of special or unique way. The Supper is just a representation of the atoning death of Jesus.
What is meant by the term transubstantiation?
The Roman Catholic doctrine is that the substance of the bread and wine is trans- or changed into something different; and hence, they call it transubstantation or trans-substanced. One catechism teaches this doctrine in exhaustive detail:
1 Q. What is the sacrament of the Eucharist?
A. The Eucharist is a sacrament in which, by the marvelous conversion of the whole substance of bread into the Body of Jesus Christ, and that of wine into His precious Blood, is contained truly, really, and substantially, the Body, the Blood, the Soul and Divinity of the same Lord Jesus Christ, under the appearance of bread and wine as our spiritual food.
2 Q. In the Eucharist is there the same Jesus Christ who is in heaven, and who was born on earth of the Blessed Virgin?
A. Yes, in the Eucharist there is truly the same Jesus Christ who is in heaven, and who was born on earth of the Blessed Virgin.
3 Q. Why do you believe that in the Eucharist Jesus Christ is really present?
A. I believe that in the Eucharist Jesus Christ is truly present, because He Himself has said it, and holy Church teaches it.
4 Q. What is the matter of the sacrament of the Eucharist?
A. The matter of the sacrament of the Eucharist is that which was used by Jesus Christ Himself, that is, wheaten bread and wine of the vine.
5 Q. What is the form of the sacrament of the Eucharist?
A. The form of the sacrament of the Eucharist consists of the words used by Jesus Christ Himself: "This is My Body: This is My Blood."
6 Q. What is the host before consecration?
A. The host before consecration is bread.
7 Q. After consecration what is the host?
A. After consecration the host is the true Body of our Lord Jesus Christ under the species of bread
8 Q. What is in the chalice before consecration?
A. In the chalice before consecration there is wine with a few drops of water.
9 Q. After consecration what is in the chalice?
A. After consecration there is in the chalice the true Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, under the species of wine.
10 Q. When does the change of the bread into the Body and of the wine into the Blood of Jesus Christ take place?
A. The change of the bread into the Body and of the wine into the Blood of Jesus Christ is made in the very moment in which the priest pronounces the words of consecration during holy Mass.
11 Q. What is the consecration?
A. The consecration is the renewal, by means of the priest, of the miracle wrought by Jesus Christ at the Last Supper, of changing bread and wine into His adorable Body and Blood by saying: "This is My Body: This is My Blood."
12 Q. What does the Church call the miraculous change of bread and of wine into the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ?
A. The Church calls the miraculous change which is daily wrought upon our altars transubstantiation.
13 Q. Who gave this great power to the words of consecration?
A. Our Lord Jesus Christ Himself, who is Almighty God, gave this great power to the words of consecration.
14 Q. Is there nothing left of the bread and of the wine after consecration?
A. After consecration the species of the bread and of the wine alone are left.
15 Q. What are the species of the bread and of the wine?
A. The species of the bread and of the wine are the quantity and sensible qualities of the bread and of the wine, such as the form, the colour, and the taste.
16 Q. How can the species of the bread and of the wine remain without their substance?
A. The species of the bread and of the wine remain without their substance in a wonderful way by the power of God Almighty.
17 Q. Under the species of the bread is there only the Body of Jesus Christ and under the species of the wine only His Blood?
A. Both under the species of the bread and under the species of the wine the living Jesus Christ is all present, with His Body, His Blood, His Soul and His Divinity.
18 Q. Can you tell me why Jesus Christ is whole and entire both in the host and in the chalice?
A. Both in the host and in the chalice Jesus Christ is whole and entire, because He is living and immortal in the Eucharist as He is in heaven; hence where His Body is, there also are His Blood, His Soul, and His Divinity; and where His Blood is, there also are His Body, His Soul and His Divinity, all these being inseparable in Jesus Christ.
19 Q. When Jesus Christ is in the host does He cease to be in heaven?
A. When Jesus Christ is in the host He does not cease to be in heaven, but is at one and the same time in heaven and in the Blessed Sacrament.
20 Q. Is Jesus Christ present in all the consecrated hosts in the world?
A. Yes, Jesus Christ is present in all consecrated hosts in the world.
21 Q. How can Jesus Christ be present in all the consecrated hosts in the world?
A. Jesus Christ is present in all the consecrated hosts in the world by the Omnipotence of God, to whom nothing is impossible.
22 Q. When the host is broken is the Body of Jesus Christ broken also?
A. When the host is broken, the Body of Jesus Christ is not broken, but only the species of the bread are broken.
23 Q. In which part of the host is the Body of Jesus Christ?
A. The Body of Jesus Christ is entire in all the parts into which the host is broken.
24 Q. Is Jesus Christ just as much in a particle of a host as in a whole host?
A. Yes, the same Jesus Christ is just as much in a particle of a host as in a whole host.
Is there any teaching in Scripture that Roman Catholics would reference in defense of this view?
Yes, Roman Catholics lean hard on Jesus teaching in John 6:
Jesus answered them and said, "Truly, truly, I say to you, you seek Me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate of the loaves and were filled. (27) "Do not work for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you, for on Him the Father, God, has set His seal." (John 6:26-27)
Here Jesus rebukes those who were following Him simply to secure physical bread for their bodies. Jesus counsels them to seek something higher; i.e. food which endures to eternal life. This food, Jesus promises to give them. Later in this discourse, Jesus identifies this "food" as His own flesh:
Truly, truly, I tell you, he who believes has eternal life. 48I am the bread of life. 49Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, yet they died. 50This is the bread that comes down from heaven, so that anyone may eat of it and not die. 51 I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. And this bread, which I will give for the life of the world, is My flesh.” (John 6:47-51)
The Jews who hear this remark are taken aback by this and clearly understand Jesus to be speaking about His physical flesh.
At this, the Jews began to argue among themselves, “How can this man give us His flesh to eat?" (John 6:52)
When Jesus responds to this, He does not appear to be interested in correcting their misunderstanding. He says:
So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I tell you, unless you eat the flesh and drink the blood of the Son of Man, you have no life in you. 54 Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. 55 For My flesh is real food, and My blood is real drink. 56 Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood remains in Me, and I in him. 57 Just as the living Father sent Me and I live because of the Father, so also the one who feeds on Me will live because of Me. 58 This is the bread that came down from heaven. Unlike your fathers, who ate the manna and died, the one who eats this bread will live forever." (John 6:53-58)
At this teaching, even the disciples seem disturbed. They say:
"This is very hard to understand. How can anyone accept it?" (John 6:60)
On these words, Hunter writes:
If the discourse recorded in the sixth chapter of the Gospel of St. John be read (vs26–72), it will be seen that Christ promised His hearers that He would give them His Flesh to eat, and that they who eat should have everlasting life. Some of His disciples refused to believe this declaration, and left Him: St. Peter and others were faithful and believed the words of the Son of God. This passage clearly admits of being understood as conveying a promise that the Blessed Eucharist, such as Catholics understand It to be, should in due time be given to the Church. We maintain that no other interpretation is possible. source
Clearly the Jews understood Jesus to be referring to His physical flesh and blood, and Jesus does not correct them. Does this not indicate that Jesus really was referring to His actual flesh and blood?
The meaning of Jesus' words here must be understood in their connection to John's understanding of Jesus fulfilling the Passover. The Jewish people were about to celebrate the Passover meal which involved eating the Passover lamb. Jesus' words here assume that He is the Passover lamb, and His hearers are to eat His body and drink His blood. To understand these words with Roman Catholic literalism would involve cannibalism. Can anyone really think that this was Jesus' meaning, especially in light of the fact that Jesus "never taught without using parables"? (Mark 4:34) Furthermore, Jesus was not the only one who used this figure; Lightfoot gives an example from the Talmud of the Messiah being eaten. source
Why does Jesus here mention the drinking of His blood? Would this not have been abhorrent to the Jewish people?
This is simply Jesus' way of teaching that anyone who will be saved must put their full trust in his atoning sacrifice. The drinking of blood would have been utterly impossible for a Jewish person to even contemplate. Furthermore, blood played such a critical role in the Passover celebration. Godet writes:
It was the blood of this victim which, sprinkled on the lintels of the doors, had in Egypt secured the people from the stroke of the angel of death and which, in the ceremony of the sacrifice of the lamb in the temple, was poured out on the horns of the altar, taking the place in this case of the doors of the Israelite houses; its flesh it was which formed the principal food of the Paschal supper. The shed blood represents expiation; and to drink this blood is to appropriate to oneself by faith the expiation and find in it reconciliation with God, the basis of salvation. source
If we follow the metaphor here, the blood "is drunk" when the death of Jesus is received in faith. This is Jesus' meaning.
Is Jesus directly referring to the Lord's Supper here?
This is difficult to say. Certainly, the truth here taught is also taught us in the Lord's Supper.
If the Roman Catholic understanding were true and we really did eat the physical body of Jesus, how would that profit us?
A very good question indeed. The same catechism quoted above goes on to teach:
29 Q. Why did Jesus Christ institute this sacrament under the appearances of bread and wine?
A. Jesus Christ instituted this sacrament under the appearances of bread and wine, because, the Eucharist being intended to be our spiritual nourishment, it was therefore fitting that it should be given to us under the form of food and drink.
30 Q. What are the effects which the Most Holy Eucharist produces in us?
A. The principal effects which the Most Holy Eucharist produces in those who worthily receive it are these: (1) It preserves and increases the life of the soul, which is grace, just as natural food sustains and increases the life of the body; (2) It remits venial sins and preserves us from mortal sin; (3) It produces spiritual consolation.
31 Q. Does not the Most Holy Eucharist produce other effects in us?
A. Yes; the Most Holy Eucharist produces three other effects in (1) It weakens our passions, and in particular it allays in us the fires of concupiscence; (2) It increases in us the fervor of charity towards God and our neighbor, and aids us to act in conformity with the will of Jesus Christ; (3) It gives us a pledge of future glory and of the resurrection of our body.
If this is all true and the Eucharist is meant to produce in us these spiritual benefits, then the question remains, how can our immaterial soul receive any benefit from material food in our stomachs? Bavinck asks the same question. (Dogmatics 4:570)
If the bread and wine are really changed into the very person of Jesus, then should not these be worshipped just as we would worship Jesus if we met Him in person?
Yes, the same catechism teaches:
26 Q. Ought the Eucharist to be adored?
A. The Eucharist ought to be adored by all, because it contains really, truly, and substantially, our Lord Jesus Christ Himself.
Recall the Roman Catholic distinction between the worship given to God (adoration) and the veneration of saints and others.
22 Q. What is the difference between the honor we give to God and the honor we give to the Saints?
A. Between the honor we give to God and the honor we give to the Saints there is this difference, that we adore God because of his infinite excellence, whereas we do not adore the Saints, but honor and venerate them as God's friends and our intercessors with Him. The honor we give to God is called Latria, that is, the worship of adoration; the honor we give to the Saints is called Dulia, that is, the veneration of the servants of God; while the special honor we give to the Blessed Virgin is called Hyperdulia, that is, a special veneration of the Mother of God.
In the Roman Catholic understanding, what happens to the body of Jesus after it leaves our mouth and enters our stomachs and intestines?
They believe that once the bread and wine cease to be bread and wine, then they also cease to be the body of Jesus.
46 Q. How long does Jesus Christ abide within us after Holy Communion?
A. After Holy Communion Jesus Christ abides within us by His grace as long as we commit no mortal sin; and He abides within us by His Real Presence until the sacramental species are consumed.
In light of their view of the bread and wine, do Roman Catholics take any kind precaution to prevent the bread from falling or the wine from spilling?
Yes, the same catechism gives the following instructions in terms of the bread:
47 Q. How should we act while receiving Holy Communion?
A. In the act of receiving Holy Communion we should be kneeling, hold our head slightly raised, our eyes modest and fixed on the sacred Host, our mouth sufficiently open, and the tongue slightly out over the lips.
48 Q. How should the Communion cloth be held?
A. The Communion cloth should be held in such a way as to receive the sacred Host in case it should fall.
49 Q. When should the sacred Host be swallowed?
A. We should try to swallow the sacred Host as soon as possible, and we should avoid spitting for some time.
50 Q. If the sacred Host should cling to the palate what should be done?
A. If the sacred Host should cling to the palate it should be removed with the tongue, but never with the finger.
In terms of the wine, it is not given to the laity. Only the priest drinks the wine.
If the bread is Jesus and the wine is His blood, then it would seem that the mass is a repetition of what took place on the cross.
Yes, this is why Roman Catholics call the Eucharist a sacrifice.
What do they mean by this?
They teach:
1 Q. Should the Holy Eucharist be considered only as a sacrament?
A. The Holy Eucharist, besides being a sacrament, is also the permanent Sacrifice of the New Law, which Jesus Christ left to His Church to be offered to God by the hands of His priests.
2 Q. In what in general does a sacrifice consist?
A. In general a sacrifice consists in the offering of some sensible thing to God and in some way destroying it as an acknowledgment of His Supreme Dominion over us and over all things.
3 Q. What is this Sacrifice of the New Law called?
A. This Sacrifice of the New Law is called the Holy Mass.
4 Q. What, then, is the Holy Mass?
A. The Holy Mass is the Sacrifice of the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ offered on our altars under the appearances of bread and wine, in commemoration of the Sacrifice of the Cross.
5 Q. Is the Sacrifice of the Mass the same as that of the Cross?
A. The Sacrifice of the Mass is substantially the same as that of the Cross, for the same Jesus Christ, Who offered Himself on the Cross, it is Who offers Himself by the hands of the priests, His ministers, on our altars; but as regards the way in which He is offered, the Sacrifice of the Mass differs from the Sacrifice of the Cross, though retaining the most intimate and essential relation to it.
6 Q. What difference and relation then is there between the Sacrifice of the Mass and that of the Cross?
A. Between the Sacrifice of the Mass and that of the Cross there is this difference and relation, that on the Cross Jesus Christ offered Himself by shedding His Blood and meriting for us; whereas on our altars He sacrifices Himself without the shedding of His Blood, and applies to us the fruits of His passion And death.
7 Q. What other relation has the Sacrifice of the Mass to that of the Cross?
A. Another relation of the Sacrifice of the Mass to that of the Cross is, that the Sacrifice of the Mass represents in a sensible way the shedding of the Blood of Jesus Christ on the Cross, because, in virtue of the words of consecration, only the Body of our Savior is made present under the species of the bread and only His Blood under the species of the wine; although by natural concomitance and by the hypostatic union, the living And real Jesus Christ is present under each of the species.
How did the Reformers respond to this teaching?
They abhorred this teaching with all their hearts. The Heidelberg Catechism includes an article specifically condemning this teaching:
Q80 How does the Lord’s Supper differ from the Roman Catholic Mass?
The Lord’s Supper declares to us that all our sins are completely forgiven through the one sacrifice of Jesus Christ, which he himself accomplished on the cross once for all. It also declares to us that the Holy Spirit grafts us into Christ, who with his true body is now in heaven at the right hand of the Father where he wants us to worship him. But the Mass teaches that the living and the dead do not have their sins forgiven through the suffering of Christ unless Christ is still offered for them daily by the priests. It also teaches that Christ is bodily present under the form of bread and wine where Christ is therefore to be worshiped. Thus the Mass is basically nothing but a denial of the one sacrifice and suffering of Jesus Christ and a condemnable idolatry.
Schaff has more on this article.