WORD OF THE DAY From The Pastor's Study

Transubstantiation

(tranz-sub-stan-see-aye-shun)


Latin, transsubstantiati, meaning “change of substance”
The Roman Catholic doctrine that refers to the change by which the substance (not the appearance) of the bread and wine in the Eucharist becomes the actual body and blood of Christ. That is, Jesus is not merely symbolically or figuratively present, but is really (or actually) present in what was previously just bread and wine. In 1551 the Council of Trent defined this, “by the consecration of the bread and wine there takes place a change of the whole substance of the bread into the substance of the body of Christ our Lord and of the whole substance of the wine into the substance of his blood. This change the holy Catholic Church has fittingly and properly called transubstantiation.” (Session XIII, chapter IV). Eastern Rite Catholic, Oriental Orthodox and Eastern Orthodox Churches, all agree with this doctrine, though vary slightly on their definitions.