So when the Church tells you that the Sacraments are necessary for salvation, and Jesus taught that only belief was necessary, in whom do you put your trust? Part 2 Eucharist

Faith and the Sacraments: Trusting What Jesus Actually Taught

by Keith Abell MI

Part 2: The Eucharist – The Body and Blood of Christ

Before We Begin Part 2: A Deeper Hunger

When I first began exploring my Catholic faith more seriously — prompted by a series of challenging emails from a fundamentalist Christian back in 1998 — I realized how much I had taken for granted. As a cradle Catholic, I had received the Eucharist countless times, but I hadn’t truly understood what I was receiving.

I believed in the Real Presence, because that’s what I was taught. But I hadn’t asked why it mattered. I hadn’t asked where it came from in Scripture. I hadn’t asked how the early Church understood it. I hadn’t asked why Jesus would say something so radical in John 6 that many of His followers walked away.

That months-long email exchange in 1998 — sparked by my fundamentalist friend’s first pointed challenge — became the catalyst that transformed my spiritual life from autopilot to intentional discipleship.

The question he kept returning to was this:

“So when the Church tells you that the Sacraments are necessary for salvation, and Jesus taught that only belief was necessary, in whom do you put your trust?”

As we continue answering this single, profound question across seven posts—one Sacrament at a time—this second installment turns to the Eucharist, which the Church calls “the source and summit of the Christian life” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1324). Here we discover that Jesus didn’t merely call for intellectual belief; He instituted a profound, ongoing communion with Himself through His Real Body and Blood—a gift of sacrifice, presence, and grace that nourishes eternal life.

In this post, I share what I uncovered about the Eucharist: its deep roots in Scripture (especially John 6 and the Last Supper), its fulfillment of Jewish Passover hopes, the unwavering witness of the early Church Fathers, and why it stands as the heart of Catholic worship and salvation. Far from being an optional “extra,” the Eucharist is how Christ remains truly with us, feeding our faith so we can persevere.

This is Part 2 of our 7-part exploration of the first question in the larger 18-question series—designed not just to defend the faith, but to help cradle Catholics like us rediscover its breathtaking beauty and necessity.

Let’s dive in: The Eucharist – The Body and Blood of Christ.

If Jesus taught that belief alone is necessary for salvation, why does the Catholic Church teach that the Sacraments are necessary?

For many cradle Catholics, the Eucharist is something we’ve received countless times — often without fully grasping its significance. We may know it’s “important,” but do we truly understand why the Church calls it the source and summit of the Christian life?

In this post, we’ll explore the biblical foundations of the Eucharist, its roots in Jewish tradition, and how the early Church Fathers and saints understood it — not as a symbol, but as the real presence of Jesus Christ, given to us as the Bread of Life.

Faith Alone? Why the Eucharist Matters

As we saw in Part 1, the idea of “faith alone” is not biblical. The only time the phrase appears in Scripture is in James 2:24:

“You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone.”

“Unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood…” – A Radical Teaching

In John 6, Jesus delivers what is known as the Bread of Life discourse. After miraculously feeding the 5,000, He begins teaching that He is the true bread come down from heaven — and then He says:

John 6:53 – “Unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you.”

After Jesus said this his listeners were deeply disturbed. Many of them were devout Jews who knew the Law of Moses forbade the consumption of blood (Leviticus 17:10–12). To them, this teaching sounded repulsive, even blasphemous.

John 6:60 – “When many of His disciples heard it, they said, ‘This is a hard saying; who can listen to it?’”

Instead of clarifying or softening His words, Jesus reaffirmed them. He didn’t say, “Wait, I meant that symbolically.” He didn’t explain it away. In fact, He let them walk away.

John 6:66 – “After this, many of His disciples turned back and no longer walked with Him.”

This is one of the only times in the Gospels where disciples leave Jesus — and He does not chase after them. Why? Because He was speaking literally, and He knew that this teaching would divide those who truly believed from those who could not accept it.

Then Jesus turns to the Twelve Apostles and asks:

John 6:67 – “Do you also want to leave?”

This moment is crucial. If Jesus were speaking metaphorically, this would have been the perfect time to clarify. But He doesn’t. Instead, He gives them the freedom to walk away — because He knows that true discipleship requires faith in His words, even when they are hard to understand.

Peter’s Response:

John 6:68–69 – “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe and to know that You are the Holy One of God.”

Peter doesn’t say, “We understand.” He says, “We believe.” That’s the essence of Eucharistic faith — trusting Jesus even when His words challenge us.

The Turning Point Toward the Passion

This moment in John 6 marks a turning point in Jesus’ public ministry. After this, the opposition intensifies. The Jewish leaders begin plotting against Him more seriously.

Why?

Because Jesus wasn’t just claiming to be a teacher or prophet — He was claiming to be the living bread, the source of eternal life, and He was demanding that His followers consume His flesh and blood.

This moment was a turning point. Jesus had made a promise — that He would give His flesh and blood for the life of the world. But how would He do it?

The answer comes at the Last Supper.

The Last Supper: Promise Fulfilled, Sacrament Instituted

On the night before His Passion, Jesus gathered with His apostles in the Upper Room. There, He fulfilled the promise He made in John 6 — not by offering symbolic bread, but by transforming bread and wine into His very Body and Blood.

“This is my body, which is given for you… This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you.” (Luke 22:19–20)

This wasn’t metaphorical language. Jesus was instituting the Eucharist, the New Passover, where He would be the Lamb whose Body and Blood would save His people.

Just as the Jews ate the Passover lamb to participate in God’s deliverance from Egypt, Jesus now gives Himself as the Lamb of God — and commands His followers to eat and drink to receive eternal life.

The Eucharist and the Cross: One Sacrifice, One Gift

The Last Supper and the Crucifixion are one unified act. At the Last Supper, Jesus offers Himself sacramentally; on the Cross, He offers Himself physically. The Eucharist is not a separate sacrifice — it is the same sacrifice, made present to us in every Mass.

“Do this in memory of me.” (Luke 22:19)

This command wasn’t just to remember — it was to make present. The Greek word used for “memory” (anamnesis) means a living participation in a past event. In the Eucharist, we don’t just recall the Cross — we enter into it.

What Did the Early Church Believe About the Eucharist?

The radical teaching of Jesus in John 6 — that we must eat His flesh and drink His blood to have eternal life — was not abandoned or reinterpreted by the early Christians. In fact, it became central to their worship and identity.

The apostles, who heard Jesus speak these words and witnessed the Last Supper, passed on this teaching without dilution. And the generations that followed — the Church Fathers and early saints — affirmed the Eucharist as the true Body and Blood of Christ, not a symbol, not a metaphor, but a real and living sacrament.

What the Early Church Believed About the Eucharist

From the very beginning, Christians believed that the Eucharist was not a symbol, but the true Body and Blood of Jesus Christ. This belief wasn’t invented centuries later — it was taught and defended by the earliest saints and Church Fathers.

St. Ignatius of Antioch (c. 110 A.D.)
“Take note of those who hold heterodox opinions… they abstain from the Eucharist and from prayer, because they do not confess that the Eucharist is the flesh of our Savior Jesus Christ.”
(Letter to the Smyrneans, Ch. 7)

St. Justin Martyr (c. 155 A.D.)
“This food we call the Eucharist… is not as common bread and common drink; but… the flesh and blood of that Jesus who was made flesh.”
(First Apology, Ch. 66)

St. Irenaeus of Lyons (c. 180 A.D.)
“The bread, which is from the earth, receiving the invocation of God, is no longer common bread but the Eucharist — consisting of two realities, earthly and heavenly.”
(Against Heresies, Book IV, Ch. 18)

St. Cyril of Jerusalem (c. 350 A.D.)
“Do not regard the bread and wine as simply that… they are, according to the Lord’s declaration, the Body and Blood of Christ.”
(Catechetical Lectures, 22:6)

St. Augustine of Hippo (354–430 A.D.)
“That which you see is bread and a chalice… but what your faith demands is that you believe that the bread is the Body of Christ and the chalice is His Blood.”
(Sermon 272)

These testimonies show that the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist was universally believed and taught from the earliest days of Christianity. The Eucharist was not a mere memorial — it was a living encounter with the crucified and risen Lord.

The Eucharist reveals the depth of Jesus’ love — a love so real that He gives us His very Body and Blood. But what happens when we fall short of that love? What happens when sin separates us from the grace we receive in the Eucharist?

Stay Tuned for Part 3: Confession – The Sacrament of Mercy

In Part 3, we’ll explore the Sacrament of Confession, where Jesus continues His ministry of healing and forgiveness through the Church. We’ll look at how He gave His apostles the authority to forgive sins, and how this sacrament remains a powerful encounter with divine mercy today.

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