These few weeks at Mass we’re going through the famous sixth chapter of John’s gospel–the Bread of Life passage. An increasing number of Catholics have been taught that the Eucharist is only symbolic. Many people refer to the term ‘the Real Presence’ to refer to the presence of Christ in the Eucharist. The problem is, this term is used by many non-Catholic Christians too. So what is the history of the term ‘Real Presence’ and what do non Catholics mean by it and what should Catholics mean by it?

I wrote this longer article some time ago explaining what we mean by the term ‘Real Presence.’ Why not take time to read it as a meditation for this Sunday? Go here.