Long ago in the desert, God fed His hungry people with manna, bread from heaven, every morning.
Jesus fed more than five thousand people with five loaves and two fish. Then He said something amazing: “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never hunger.”
On the night before He died, Jesus shared a special meal with His apostles, the Last Supper. He took bread, gave thanks, broke it and said: “This is my body, which will be given for you.” Then He took the cup of wine: “This cup is the new covenant in my blood.” And He told them: “Do this in memory of me.”
At every Mass, the priest does what Jesus did. Through the words of Jesus and the power of the Holy Spirit, the bread and wine become the Body and Blood of Jesus.
It still looks and tastes like bread and wine, but it is truly Jesus. We call this the Real Presence. The word Eucharist means “thanksgiving.”