Real Presence: What Does It Mean and Why Does It Matter? - Paperback

by Timothy P. O'Malley (Author), McGrath Institute for Church Life (Author), John C. Cavadini (Foreword by)

Winner of a first-place award for popular presentation of the faith and second-place in pastoral ministry, catechetical resource from the Catholic Media Association.

Many Catholics don't believe that Jesus is really present in the Eucharist. Rather, they see the bread and wine of Holy Communion as mere symbols of Christ's body and blood. Is that disbelief just a misunderstanding or is it a blatant rejection of one of the central beliefs of the faith?

In Real Presence, University of Notre Dame theologian Timothy P. O'Malley clears up the confusion and shows you how to learn to love God and neighbor through a deeper understanding of the doctrine of real presence.

A 2019 study by the Pew Research Center found that almost seventy percent of Catholics don't believe that Jesus is really present in the Eucharist.

O'Malley offers a concise introduction to Catholic teaching on real presence and transubstantiation through a biblical, theological, and spiritual account of these doctrines from the early Church to today. He also explores how real presence enables us to see the vulnerability of human life and the dignity of all flesh and blood.

O'Malley leads you to a deeper understanding and renewed faith in Catholic teaching about transubstantiation and real presence by helping you learn

• how the doctrine of real presence is rooted in divine revelation and how the Church's teaching regarding transubstantiation is spiritually fruitful for the believer today;
• how to make your own the doctrine of real presence by worshipping Christ in the Eucharist and therefore making a real assent to real presence;
• how the Eucharist, although not the exclusive presence of Christ in the Church's liturgy and mission, is crucial in growing our capacity for recognizing those other presences; and
• the important relationship between Eucharistic communion and adoration.

Back Jacket

What does it mean to consume the Body and Blood of Christ at Mass? Is the Eucharist just a symbol? Is Christ present in the same way he was to the disciples in the upper room?

If you are not sure how to answer these questions about this central mystery of our faith, you aren't alone--most Catholics don't. In Real Presence, University of Notre Dame theologian Timothy P. O'Malley clears up the confusion by explaining the biblical origins and long tradition of the Church's doctrines of real presence and transubstantiation. He also explores the spiritual practices necessary to form us to recognize Christ in the Eucharist and to see the Lord in others.

Real Presence is part of the Engaging Catholicism series from the McGrath Institute for Church Life at the University of Notre Dame.

Author Biography

Timothy P. O'Malley is a Catholic theologian, author, speaker, and the director of McGrath Theology Online at the McGrath Institute for Church Life at the University of Notre Dame. He also teaches on marriage and family, sacramental theology, and catechesis in the Department of Theology at Notre Dame.

O'Malley earned his bachelor's degree in theology and philosophy and his master's degree in liturgical studies from Notre Dame. He earned a doctorate in theology and education at Boston College.

He is the author of several books, including the award-winning Off the Hook, Divine Blessing: Liturgical Formation in the RCIA, Bored Again Catholic, and Liturgy and the New Evangelization. His articles have appeared in publications such as America magazine, Religion News Service, Aleteia, Catechist, and Our Sunday Visitor Newsweekly.

He lives with his family in the South Bend, Indiana area.

The McGrath Institute for Church Life was founded as the Center for Pastoral and Social Ministry by the late Notre Dame President Fr. Theodore Hesburgh, C.S.C., in 1976. The McGrath Institute partners with Catholic dioceses, parishes, and schools to provide theological education and formation to address pressing pastoral problems. The Institute connects the Catholic intellectual life to the life of the Church to form faithful Catholic leaders for service to the Church and the world. The McGrath Institute strives to be the preeminent source of creative Catholic content and programming for the new evangelization.