Why do Catholics believe that the bread and wine become the Body and Blood of Jesus?
Catholics believe that in the mass, the bread and wine really and truly become the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ. We believe this because it is what Jesus taught. There are two different expressions of this. The first is in the Synoptic Gospels Matthew, Mark, and Luke, and in St. Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians, chapter 11. In the Synoptics and in 1 Corinthians, we hear recounted the story of the Last Supper (Matthew 26: 26-29; Mark 14:22-25; Luke 22:17-19; 1 Corinthians 11:23-26). In these passages, we hear the words of Jesus, “This is my body,” “This is my blood.” First, Jesus says, “This is my body/blood.” He does not say, “this symbolizes,” or, “this represents.” His language is very clear that he means that it is he. Secondly, when speaking of his body in these passages, the Greek text uses the word soma, which means basically everything he is. “This is my soma,” Jesus says, “This is everything I am.” This is why the Church expresses that the Eucharistic bread and wine are
