God. Literally! Catholics believe that during the Liturgy of the Eucharist (the Mass), Jesus is true to His word when, while celebrating the Passover and holding the bread, He said: “Take and eat; this is my body” (Matt 26:26). We believe that the bread becomes the real and true presence of Christ—His body and blood. This process is known as “transubstantiation,” meaning that although the bread retains the appearance of bread (which actually looks and tastes more like a cracker), its substance or essence becomes the real presence of Christ. It is not the physical body of Jesus that walked on the earth (we are not cannibals) but a real and true presence of Christ, not just symbolic.

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As such, this presence of Christ is permanent in the “consecrated bread.” While the primary purpose of the Eucharist is to be spiritual food to be eaten, we also draw close to the Lord present in the Eucharist by placing a piece of the consecrated bread in a display case known as a “monstrance” (which means “to show”). This allows us to see and pray in the presence of Jesus Christ in the Eucharist.