The Hidden Jesus: The Truth About the Eucharist

by Kenneth J. Howell

If you've ever been asked about your belief in the Eucharist, you know how hard it can be to clearly explain the Real Presence. You'll get questions "Why would Jesus have instructed his apostles to eat his real body and drink his real blood at the Last Supper? Isn't that cannibalism?" "How could Jesus be actually present in the Eucharist? That seems impossible." The fact is, though all Christians profess a belief in Jesus Christ, only Catholics believe in the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist. It's a fact that's quite disturbing to many Protestants — even to some Catholics. What can the Real Presence mean? How is it possible? In "The Hidden Jesus," you'll find the answer to these and other questions such • Is Christ necessary for attaining heaven?
• How is Christ present both spiritually and bodily on earth today?
• What did Jesus mean by the word remembrance?
• How do we know Christ is really present in the Eucharist?
• How do we know Christ spoke literally about his body and blood?
• Why did Jesus wait until the Last Supper to consecrate bread and wine?
• What did the Church Fathers say about the Eucharist? Learn how to explain and defend the truth of the Eucharist with "The Hidden Jesus."

Booklet

Published February 1, 2006

About the author

Kenneth J. Howell, Senior Fellow of the St. Paul Center for Biblical Theology, is Director of the John Henry Cardinal Newman Institute of Catholic Thought and Adjunct Associate Professor of Religious Studies at the University of Illinois.

Dr. Howell holds a Ph.D. in Linguistics from Indiana University and a Ph.D. in the History of Christianity and Science from the University of Lancaster (U.K.).

A Presbyterian minister for eighteen years and a theological professor for seven years in a Protestant seminary, Dr. Howell was confirmed and received into the Catholic Church in 1996.

Dr. Howell is the author of several books, including: God’s Two Books: Copernican Cosmology and Biblical Interpretation in Early Modern Science (University of Notre Dame, 2002); Mary of Nazareth: Sign and Instrument of Christian Unity (Queenship Press,1998); and, Meeting Mary Learning Guide: Our Mother in Faith (Catholic Century), Ignatius of Antioch Polycarp of Smyrna Early Christian Fathers.

He and his wife, Sharon, have three children. They live in Champaign, Illinois.