One of the least understood parts of Roman Catholic theology is the sacrament of Eucharist, or so I have found over the years. The doctrine of transubstantiation is a subtle idea, one that plays with concepts of what an object is, and what it appears to be. This relationship is often referred to in terms of ‘substance’ and ‘appearance’.
In this doctrine all matter has both substance and appearance, and one does not necessarily dictate the other. For instance, a pencil has certain attributes that make it a pencil, though there may be many colors, shapes and lengths of pencil. A core concept (‘substance’) of the pencil is unmistakable, inherently pencil-like, while all physical (‘appearance’) attributes of a pencil mirror this concept. In this way, the substance and appearance of a pencil are separate, albeit closely-tied ideas.
The sacraments begin as bread and wine. Through the act of consecration the ‘substance’ of the wine and bread are altered. They become the body and blood of Jesus Christ. The physical ‘appearance’ of the bread and wine remains the same. The Roman Catholic Catechism refers to this presence using similar terminology. It says the consecrated bread and wine have, “a substantial presence by which Christ, God and man, makes himself wholly and entirely present.”
This often misunderstood doctrine of the Roman Catholic faith has long been a point of contention between Catholics and other Christian churches. The state of the Eucharist has been a point of contention for centuries between different branches of the Christian faith. The Protestant Reformation found this area fertile ground for argument. Several other doctrines concerning the true state of the Eucharist grew out of the new Protestant faiths. Some of these are transubstantiation, Sacramental Union, Impanatation and Memorialism. While each one differs from transubstantiation in some way, it is worthwhile to note that the general concept remains pretty much the same across the board.
