Is the eucharist only a symbol?

Answer 1

Not for Catholics.

The Eucharist comes from the last supper. Because jesus said "...this is my body.." then "...this is my blood..." means that it is his body and blood. He did not say "..this is a symbol of me" he said quite literally this is me that I have left for you as a sign of my love.

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Catholic AnswerNo, as mentioned above, it is not a symbol. The Eucharist is the re-presentation of the actual Sacrifice of Our Blessed Lord of Himself on the Cross made present in the here and now. When you are at Mass you are not seeing a symbol and you are not witnessing something "done again" - you are witnessing the actual sacrifice on Calvary two thousand years ago presented in an unbloody manner under the forms of Bread and Wine. Remember that with God there is no time, no before or after, so at Mass you are seeing Our Blessed Lord's sacrifice from God's point of view, not ours. The first time this was done was before the actual event, at the Last Supper.

Answer 2

Roman Catholics believe that the Eucharist is not a symbol, but the real presence of Jesus Christ in the bread and wine. They believe that at the consecration of the bread and wine 'transubstantiation' occurs - that the bread and wine themselves become changed into Christ's body and blood. Therefore the whole nature of the mass is built round this belief.

However, almost all other denominations - most Anglicans included - see the Eucharist as symbolic because there is no real evidence, scriptural or otherwise, apart from the man-made doctrine of the Roman Catholic church to suggest that the bread and wine changes materially. They regard the receipt of the bread and wine, in faith, as the spiritual mystery and not anything inherent in the elements themselves, and also regard the belief that the bread and wine are Christ himself can easily lead to superstition and idolatry.