For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, “This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me.” In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.” For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes (1 Corinthians 11:23–29, NIV).

I am embarrassed to report that although I grew up in the Catholic faith, I did not know or understand all of the core teachings. It wasn’t until adulthood when talking to a co-worker about her conversion to Catholicism did I learn about transubstantiation.

I didn’t even know what the word meant.

Transubstantiation is the Catholic belief that during the Eucharist, the bread becomes Jesus’ actual body, and the wine Jesus’ actual blood.

The Council of Trent declared: “Because Christ our Redeemer said that it was truly his body that he was offering under the species of bread, it has always been the conviction of the Church of God, and this holy Council now declares again, that 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.” (CCC 1376)

I always thought the bread and wine were just symbols. According to the Pew Research Center survey I am not alone. Nearly 69% of Catholics say they believe the bread and wine used in Communion “are symbols of the body and blood of Jesus Christ.”

This thought is more in line with Protestant beliefs. Many evangelicals believe that the Lord’s Supper is symbolic and used to remember Christ’s work on the cross.

This may be the reason why, when at a funeral mass I attended, the priest stated that only Catholics were allowed to come forward to partake in the Eucharist. I did not go forward, not only because I converted to Protestantism but because I found this statement narrow-minded and hurtful.

I believe that the Lord’s Supper is open to all His children, not one church or denomination only. My church teaches communion should be available to those who are believers and who are not living in unconfessed sin. It keeps alive the memory of Christ’s death on the cross for our sins. It is a time to reflect on — and look forward to — the coming of His Kingdom in glory.

Although we may disagree in our understanding of communion, all Christians can agree that the Lord’s Supper strengthens our faith.