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I was raised a Protestant and was taught that communion was symbolic only. Then eventhough I stopped going to church I continued to read the Bible and read about many other religions.

Then I heard about the Real Presence of Jesus in the Eucharist and everything suddenly made sense. I've been a convert since 1982.

I was raised a Protestant and was taught that communion was symbolic only.

Jesus said very clearly, "These words are spirit and they are life."

Jesus truly is present, however, the notion that the bread is flesh is belied by the fact that our pre-crucifixion Jesus was holding the bread that He had broken when He said, "This is my body broken for you."

The "presence" must be interpreted as spiritual and not as transsubstantial.

"But spiritual is not 'real'." some will say. However, "God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in Spirit and in Truth."

For those who believe "spiritual" is not real, I suppose they're saying that God, who is Spirit, is not real.

It’s amazing, isn’t it, how when one becomes Catholic all those “troublesome” Scripture verses which never made sense, or contradicted each other, all fall into place. John 6 is one example. The whole chapter never made sense, and no one in the Presbyterian church, where I was raised, ever explained it, taught about it, or preached on it. It was very carefully avoided.

I was taught that Communion was symbolic only. Some people think that when Jesus said in vs. 63, “It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life,” it negates everything He said earlier in the chapter about His flesh being the Bread that comes down from Heaven (8 times: verses 30-31, 35, 48, 53,54,55,56, 57-58). If Jesus had been speaking only spiritually, then why did the Jews get offended at Him (vs. 41), and why did some of the disciples turn back and follow Him no more (vs. 66)? Verses 41 and 66 make no sense unless one understands that Jesus really was talking about His flesh being the living bread (vs. 51: “I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.” vs. 53-54: “Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood ye have no life in you. Whoso eatheth my flesh and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day.”) Jesus also said, “But there are some of you that believe not” (vs. 64).