By: Alex J. Nagem © June 12, 2025

The real presence of Jesus Christ in the Eucharist through transubstantiation is something I don’t understand. Still, I believe in the feeling of peace that comes over me after receiving the Eucharist in the Sacrament of Communion. The Eucharist is the overwhelming love, peace of mind, joy, and hope found nowhere else in this world. But what if my thoughts and actions are not prepared to receive Jesus in the Eucharist?

If a person receives the Eucharist without reverence, either in action or thought, and lacks proper disposition, faith, and awareness, they do not fully receive the fruits of the sacrament. Scripture warns that such a reception can be spiritually dangerous.

The priest acts in persona Christi, meaning “in the person of Christ,” during the Mass. This means that when he consecrates the bread and wine, it is Christ Himself acting through the priest. At that moment, the priest does not speak on his behalf but in the name and person of Jesus, who instituted the Eucharist at the Last Supper. Through this sacred role, Christ makes His sacrifice present again for the faithful. Jesus Christ on the altar through the priest? Do you realize this? Do you accept this?

Scripture tells us:
“Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of profaning the body and blood of the Lord.”
—1 Corinthians 11:27

“For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment upon himself.”
—1 Corinthians 11:29

In every consecrated Host, Christ is wholly present in Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity, independent of the holiness of the recipient. Our disposition does not lessen the Real Presence of Jesus Christ. However, the grace received by the communicant depends on their interior disposition of faith, humility, repentance, and love. But its fruits (such as growth in holiness, union with Christ, forgiveness of venial sin) depend on the worthiness and openness of the person receiving.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC) confirms this:
“To respond to this invitation, we must prepare ourselves for so great and so holy a moment. Saint Paul urges us to examine our conscience: ‘Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of profaning the body and blood of the Lord.’ Let a man examine himself, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment upon himself. Anyone conscious of a grave sin must receive the sacrament of Reconciliation before coming to communion.” CCC 1385


Conclusion:
Christ is fully present in the Eucharist, but we do not receive Him fruitfully unless we approach with reverence, faith, and a heart prepared. The more we “discern the body,” the more fully we receive His glory, not just physically, but spiritually, transforming us from within.

“The Eucharist is the Sacrament of Love; It signifies Love, it produces Love. The Eucharist is the consummation of the whole spiritual life.” St. Thomas Aquinas

Vocatus Atque Non Vocatus Deus Aderit

Alex J. Nagem