Why do Catholics eat blood?

Answer 1

Catholics do not "eat" blood--if anything, they would drink it; furthermore, they drink wine, representative of the blood of Jesus Christ.

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Catholic AnswerCatholics only "eat" (drink) the Blood of Christ, and that only for one reason: He commanded us to, and in no uncertain terms told us that unless we eat His Body and drink His Blood, we will have no life in us: (John 6:53) So Jesus said to them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of man and drink his blood, you have no life in you; (RSV CE)

Answer 2

Receiving communion under one species or two is entirely up to the local pastor. However, when you receive the Body of Christ (bread) you receive the entire Christ so you are not being shorted. Some parishes reserve the blood (wine) only for special occasions such as Holy Thursday. It can be a bit of a logistical problem when both species are offered and it takes a considerable amount of time. Twice as many Eucharistic Ministers are needed. Also, there is a greater chance of desecration occurring as wine often is spilled or splashed during communion and that requires a purification of the area affected. Many pastors feel it is not worth the risk or additional effort and provide communion only as bread.