What does it mean to consume the Body and Blood of Christ at Mass? Is the Eucharist just a symbol? Is Christ present in the same way he was to the disciples in the upper room?

If you are not sure how to answer these questions about this central mystery of our faith, you aren’t alone—most Catholics don’t. In Real Presence, University of Notre Dame theologian Timothy P. O’Malley clears up the confusion by explaining the biblical origins and long tradition of the Church’s doctrines of real presence and transubstantiation. He also explores the spiritual practices necessary to form us to recognize Christ in the Eucharist and to see the Lord in others.

You will learn

● how the doctrine of real presence is rooted in divine revelation and how the Church’s teaching regarding transubstantiation is spiritually fruitful for the believer today;

● how to worship Christ in the Eucharist and make a real assent to real presence;

● how the Eucharist is crucial in growing our capacity for recognizing Christ in the Word and in others; and

● the important relationship between Eucharistic communion and adoration.

Books in the Engaging Catholicism series from the McGrath Institute for Church Life at the University Notre Dame help readers discover the beauty and truth of the Catholic faith through a concise exploration of the Church’s most important but often difficult-to-grasp doctrines as well as crucial pastoral and spiritual practices. Perfect for seekers and new Catholics; clergy and catechetical leaders; and everyone in between the series, expands the McGrath Institute’s mission to connect the Catholic intellectual life at Notre Dame to the pastoral life of the Church and the spiritual needs of her people.

Timothy P. O’Malley is a Catholic theologian, author, speaker, and the director of McGrath Theology Online at the McGrath Institute for Church Life at the University of Notre Dame. He also teaches on marriage and family, sacramental theology, and catechesis in the Department of Theology at Notre Dame.

O’Malley earned his bachelor’s degree in theology and philosophy and his master’s degree in liturgical studies from Notre Dame. He earned a doctorate in theology and education at Boston College.

He is the author of several books, including the award-winning Off the Hook, Divine Blessing: Liturgical Formation in the RCIA, Bored Again Catholic, and Liturgy and the New Evangelization. His articles have appeared in publications such as America magazine, Religion News Service, Aleteia, Catechist, and Our Sunday Visitor Newsweekly.


The McGrath Institute for Church Life was founded as the Center for Pastoral and Social Ministry by the late Notre Dame President Fr. Theodore Hesburgh, C.S.C., in 1976. The McGrath Institute partners with Catholic dioceses, parishes, and schools to provide theological education and formation to address pressing pastoral problems. The Institute connects the Catholic intellectual life to the life of the Church to form faithful Catholic leaders for service to the Church and the world. The McGrath Institute strives to be the preeminent source of creative Catholic content and programming for the new evangelization.