The Novelty of Transubstantiation: The Presence of Christ in the Eucharist | Fr. James Brent, O.P. (duplicate?)
Jan 13, 2021
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Fr. James Brent, O.P., discusses the nuanced concept of transubstantiation, ancient anaphoras, St. Thomas' views on Eucharistic abuses, interpreting Jesus's words on transubstantiation vs. consubstantiation, and understanding the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist.
Transubstantiation is a unique change in the Eucharist where bread and wine become Christ's body and blood.
Christ's presence in the Eucharist lacks quantitative dimensions of His glorified body, coexisting with bread and wine appearances.
The belief in the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist is supported by biblical passages and affirmed by early Church Fathers.
Deep dives
The Unique Change in the Eucharistic Liturgy
In the Eucharistic liturgy, a unique change called transubstantiation occurs, where the substance of the bread and wine becomes the body and blood of Christ while the accidents of bread and wine remain. This change is distinct from natural occurrences and is a central aspect of the Eucharistic celebration.
The Mode of Christ's Presence in the Eucharist
The real presence of the body and blood of Christ in the Eucharist occurs without the quantitative dimensions proper to His glorified body, as explained by St. Thomas Aquinas. While Christ's substance is present in the Eucharist, the accidents of bread and wine continue to appear without a subject, indicating a unique mode of presence.
Scriptural Basis for the Real Presence
The belief in the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist is supported by biblical passages, such as John chapter 6, where Jesus emphasizes the necessity of eating His flesh and drinking His blood for eternal life. Early Church Fathers also affirmed the reality of Christ's presence in the Eucharist.
Interpreting the Words of Institution
The words 'This is my body' in the Eucharistic celebration, as interpreted by St. Thomas Aquinas, indicate transubstantiation rather than consubstantiation or metaphorical statements. Arguments from grammar, tradition, and philosophical considerations support the doctrine of transubstantiation.
Continuity of Faith in the Real Presence
The belief in the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist has been foundational to the Catholic faith since the early Church period. While St. Thomas Aquinas provided detailed theological explanations, the fathers of the Church emphasized the reality of Christ's presence in the Eucharist with profound clarity and realism.
This lecture was delivered to the William & Mary chapter on October 5, 2020. Fr. Brent's lecture concludes around 35:05. The rest of the recording is a Q&A session with students from the William & Mary Thomistic Institute chapter.
For more information on upcoming events, please visit our website: www.thomisticinstitute.org
About the speaker:
Fr. James Dominic Brent, O.P. was born and raised in Michigan. He pursued his undergraduate and graduate studies in Philosophy, and completed his doctorate in Philosophy at Saint Louis University on the epistemic status of Christian beliefs according to Saint Thomas Aquinas. He has articles in the Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy on Natural Theology, in the Oxford Handbook of Thomas Aquinas on “God’s Knowledge and Will,” and an article forthcoming on “Thomas Aquinas” in the Oxford Handbook of the Epistemology of Theology. He earned his STL from the Pontifical Faculty of the Immaculate Conception, and was ordained a priest in the same year. He taught in the School of Philosophy at The Catholic University of America from 2010- 2014, and spent the year of 2014-2015 doing full time itinerant preaching on college campuses across the United States.
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