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The Eucharist Is Really Jesus: How Christ’s Body and Blood Are the Key to Everything We Believe
When the resurrected Jesus appeared to two disciples on the road to Emmaus, they didn’t know him. He was there in the flesh, talking, teaching, but they didn’t recognize him.Until the breaking of the bread. Then their eyes were open, and everything fell into place.The same is true today. When we recognize Jesus in the bread of the Holy Eucharist—when we understand that it’s really Jesus—our eyes of faith are opened, and the mysteries of the Christian life are unlocked.In The Eucharist Is Really Jesus, author Joe Heschmeyer first explains how Catholic belief in the Eucharist is biblical and reasonable. If you’re used to thinking of Communion as a purely symbolic ritual, you’ll find here a compelling defense of the ancient doctrine of the Real Presence.But even if you already believe it, Heschmeyer shows how that’s not an end, but just the beginning. Knowing that the Eucharist is really Jesus becomes a master key to -The cross of Good Friday and the empty tomb of Easter Sunday -How to worship God in spirit and truth, according to the Bible -The meaning of our own bodies and their immortal destiny -How to love God and each other every day, like the saints…and more essential aspects of our lifelong walk with Jesus.Like those disciples on their way to Emmaus, we don’t truly know Jesus apart from the broken bread, because the fullness of his truth remains locked away. The Eucharist Is Really Jesus will give you the key.
160 pages, Kindle Edition
Published June 7, 2023
90 people are currently reading
228 people want to read
About the author
Joe Heschmeyer
8 books80 followersKansas City native Joe Heschmeyer is a staff apologist for Catholic Answers. A popular author, speaker, blogger, and podcaster, he joined the apostolate in March 2021 after three years as an instructor at Holy Family School of Faith in Overland Park, Kan.
While at School of Faith, Joe focused primarily on formation for the Kansas City Archdiocese’s elementary and high school teachers. He also spent a year helping to manage the Catholic Spiritual Mentorship program.
Prior to his work at School of Faith, he discerned the priesthood from 2012-17 for the Archdiocese of Kansas City. During that time, he earned both a bachelor’s degree in philosophy from Kenrick-Glennon Seminary in St. Louis and a baccalaureate degree in sacred theology (S.T.B.) from Rome’s Pontifical University of Saint Thomas Aquinas (Angelicum).
A regular contributor to Catholic Answers Live, Catholic Answers Focus, and Catholic Answers Magazine (print and online) even before joining the apostolate, Joe has blogged at his own “Shameless Popery” website and co-hosted a weekly show called “The Catholic Podcast.”
To date, he has authored three books, including Pope Peter for Catholic Answers Press.
A former practicing attorney in Washington, D.C., Joe received his Juris Doctor degree from Georgetown University in 2010 after earning a bachelor’s degree in history from Topeka’s Washburn University.
Joe and his wife, Anna, along with their daughter Stella (and a yet-unnamed unborn baby on the way!) reside in the Kansas City area. In his free time, Joe enjoys reading, listening to podcasts, and tormenting his loved ones with terrible puns.
If you are interested in booking Joe Heschmeyer for an upcoming event, please contact Catholic Answers at (619) 387-7200 x323 or click here for more information.
While at School of Faith, Joe focused primarily on formation for the Kansas City Archdiocese’s elementary and high school teachers. He also spent a year helping to manage the Catholic Spiritual Mentorship program.
Prior to his work at School of Faith, he discerned the priesthood from 2012-17 for the Archdiocese of Kansas City. During that time, he earned both a bachelor’s degree in philosophy from Kenrick-Glennon Seminary in St. Louis and a baccalaureate degree in sacred theology (S.T.B.) from Rome’s Pontifical University of Saint Thomas Aquinas (Angelicum).
A regular contributor to Catholic Answers Live, Catholic Answers Focus, and Catholic Answers Magazine (print and online) even before joining the apostolate, Joe has blogged at his own “Shameless Popery” website and co-hosted a weekly show called “The Catholic Podcast.”
To date, he has authored three books, including Pope Peter for Catholic Answers Press.
A former practicing attorney in Washington, D.C., Joe received his Juris Doctor degree from Georgetown University in 2010 after earning a bachelor’s degree in history from Topeka’s Washburn University.
Joe and his wife, Anna, along with their daughter Stella (and a yet-unnamed unborn baby on the way!) reside in the Kansas City area. In his free time, Joe enjoys reading, listening to podcasts, and tormenting his loved ones with terrible puns.
If you are interested in booking Joe Heschmeyer for an upcoming event, please contact Catholic Answers at (619) 387-7200 x323 or click here for more information.
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
June 30, 2025
The Eucharist is such a mystery that no amount of books could ever describe its fullness. Written in a simple yet beautiful way - anyone could read this regardless of their theology background in my opinion. I just gave it 4 stars because I wish he would’ve gone more in depth in explaining certain points, but still incredible!!
November 1, 2024
Probably the best book on the topic I've read so far (this year) (I've read like four this year). Between this book and Brant Pitre's book I think anyone could find answers to most questions about the Eucharist.
December 15, 2023
This book was SO GOOD. If you've ever wondered why Catholics believe in the Real Presence of Jesus Christ in the Eucharist, this book is a wonderful primer into the most precious and ancient of Catholic beliefs. Heschmeyer takes us through the Bible and breaks down the theology of the Eucharist in a simple, easy-to-understand way. I highly recommend this book for all Catholics who want to understand their faith better, and any non-Catholics who've ever wondered.
August 10, 2025
SO good. SO helpful. I have always been a believer that the Eucharist IS Jesus' Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity, but even I learned some things in this book. Joe Heschmeyer did a great job compiling all the arguments for the Eucharist REALLY BEING Jesus.
Jesus is fully present in the Eucharist. Full Stop.
Jesus is fully present in the Eucharist. Full Stop.
March 18, 2024
Received as a complimentary gift from the Catholic radio station we've supported for years. I was going to add this to my stack of books to get to eventually, but am really glad I decided to read it right away.
March 24, 2025
This book is incredible. My four big takeaways are:
1) The theology of a covenant and how a covenant is established. (Understanding the cross in light of this.) The core of Christianity is a covenantal relationship.
2) What is worship? Specifically in context of how the people of Israel would have answered this question in the first century and how the Bible speaks about it. If Jesus is our Passover lamb, how was the sacrifice of the Passover understood? (The killing of the lamb AND the eating of it.)
3) How Heschmeyer breaks down St. Gregory of Nyssa’s argument for the connection between the Eucharist and our bodily resurrection. Particularly the connection between how Jesus’s miracles never go against nature and the miracle of the Eucharist can be seen in nature through the fact that in the incarnation, Jesus’s body turns bread and wine into his body by metabolism. Heschmeyer’s elaboration through each step in how this connects to the bodily resurrection was mind blowing. I had never heard this argument before and it makes so much sense.
4) The example of the saints. Particularly Mother Teresa.
“If we really believe Jesus is present in the Blessed Sacrament, do our actions reflect that?”
1) The theology of a covenant and how a covenant is established. (Understanding the cross in light of this.) The core of Christianity is a covenantal relationship.
2) What is worship? Specifically in context of how the people of Israel would have answered this question in the first century and how the Bible speaks about it. If Jesus is our Passover lamb, how was the sacrifice of the Passover understood? (The killing of the lamb AND the eating of it.)
3) How Heschmeyer breaks down St. Gregory of Nyssa’s argument for the connection between the Eucharist and our bodily resurrection. Particularly the connection between how Jesus’s miracles never go against nature and the miracle of the Eucharist can be seen in nature through the fact that in the incarnation, Jesus’s body turns bread and wine into his body by metabolism. Heschmeyer’s elaboration through each step in how this connects to the bodily resurrection was mind blowing. I had never heard this argument before and it makes so much sense.
4) The example of the saints. Particularly Mother Teresa.
“If we really believe Jesus is present in the Blessed Sacrament, do our actions reflect that?”
August 7, 2025
This book gave a powerful logical argument for the Eucharist. What stood out most to me was chapter 3 “The Key to the Bloody Cross,” which explains the sacrificial nature of the Old Testament covenant and how it is translated into the New Testament in the form of the Eucharist. However, for me the most powerful section of this book is the appeal to pathos, which takes place in the final chapter. Which goes beyond the logical argument and confronted a deep intuition I feel which can only be attributed to divine revelation. The final words are a perfect climax: “it is time to act.”
January 21, 2026
Great entry into conversation about the Eucharist
I am currently coming from a southern baptist evangelical background so the concept of the Eucharist being beyond a symbol was foreign to me. This book helped shift my understanding through Scripture and the lens of early church saints. Thanks Joe, you have helped my faith journey through your Youtube and books.
I am currently coming from a southern baptist evangelical background so the concept of the Eucharist being beyond a symbol was foreign to me. This book helped shift my understanding through Scripture and the lens of early church saints. Thanks Joe, you have helped my faith journey through your Youtube and books.
June 4, 2024
The best book I have read that explains the Eucharist. I have been aware of and partake of the Eucharist for a number of years now; but this book really explains the Eucharist in a down to earth manner than anyone can understand.
August 31, 2025
Profound and enlightening
This wonderful book shines light on what, to many, is a great mystery. Well worth reading, for any seeking to understand the miracle of the Eucharist and to more fully comprehend its importance in our lives
This wonderful book shines light on what, to many, is a great mystery. Well worth reading, for any seeking to understand the miracle of the Eucharist and to more fully comprehend its importance in our lives
October 3, 2023
Denser than I thought it would be, but packed with a lot of insights. Read for my book club.
November 8, 2023
Some really good insights here, especially how worship is connected to the Eucharist. Could have used a bit more editing though as I found a few spelling mistakes but still good stuff.
November 28, 2023
Challenging but good. Need to reread
June 21, 2024
Great book - just very weighty! I was thinking nice summer read but it was much more in depth. I learned a ton and if I were to read it again, I’d take my time and go slow.
October 31, 2024
So, so good. It’s dense in the sense of so much great theological background, but also very readable. Highly recommend!
December 5, 2025
Very good book on the Eucharist. Easy to for anyone understand.
January 13, 2026
Fantastic book on the Catholic faith and the teaching on the Eucharist. Highly recommend!
February 26, 2025
Well written and easy to follow with lots of scriptural support
July 28, 2025
WHAT I APPRECIATED
First and foremost, Heschmeyer’s central conviction-that the Eucharist is not merely symbolic, but a real, lived encounter with the living Christ-is something I deeply resonate with. Too often in Protestant churches today, the Lord’s Supper has been reduced to a mental exercise, a memorial stripped of mystery, reverence, and sacramental depth. Heschmeyer rightly pushes back against this. His argument that the Eucharist is at the very heart of Christian worship and belief challenges the modern tendency to separate spirituality from physicality, faith from embodiment.
I was also encouraged by the historical sweep of the book. His citations from the Church Fathers, early liturgies, and patristic sermons make a compelling case that early Christians understood the Eucharist as more than a symbol. For Protestants like me who affirm the Real Presence in spiritual terms, these references can be powerful in affirming that we’re not outliers-we’re recovering something ancient.
WHERE WE PART WAYS
However, while I share Heschmeyer’s high view of the sacrament, I part ways with his Roman Catholic framework, especially his insistence on transubstantiation as the only coherent or faithful way to understand Christ’s presence.
I believe Christ is truly and mysteriously present in the elements of bread and wine-not in a symbolic or psychological sense, but in a real, spiritual, and covenantal way, through the Holy Spirit. But I don’t believe the bread ceases to be bread, or the wine ceases to be wine. I don’t believe the elements are re-sacrificed, re-offered, or transformed in a metaphysical way that can or must be defined in Aristotelian terms (i.e., substance and accidents). Transubstantiation, to my mind, tries to solve a mystery that was meant to be embraced in faith.
Moreover, I found Heschmeyer’s exclusive tone regarding the Catholic Eucharist troubling. The implication that true Eucharistic communion only exists in union with the Roman Magisterium is not only historically debatable-it risks dismissing the real faith and devotion of millions of Christians who encounter Christ in the Lord’s Supper outside the Roman system. Christ is not bound to one institution, and the Holy Spirit is not confined by Rome’s definitions.
A WORD ON THE “KEY TO EVERYTHING”
Heschmeyer’s subtitle-How Christ’s Body and Blood Are the Key to Everything We Believe-is provocative, and in some ways inspiring. I do believe the Eucharist is a theological key. It touches Christology, ecclesiology, soteriology, and eschatology. The Eucharist, rightly understood, anchors us in the incarnation, in the gospel, in the Church, and in the coming kingdom. But making it the absolute center risks shifting the center away from Christ’s once-for-all sacrifice on the cross (Hebrews 10:12) and the primacy of faith in Him.
CONCLUSION
As a Protestant who treasures the mystery and power of the Lord’s Supper, I found The Eucharist Is Really Jesus to be both inspiring and frustrating. It’s a strong reminder of what many Protestants have forgotten: that the Table is not optional, not peripheral, not merely symbolic. Christ meets us there. But the book also reinforces why I remain Protestant: I believe in a Real Presence that is truly Christ, truly grace-but not bound by transubstantiation, nor mediated only through Rome.
First and foremost, Heschmeyer’s central conviction-that the Eucharist is not merely symbolic, but a real, lived encounter with the living Christ-is something I deeply resonate with. Too often in Protestant churches today, the Lord’s Supper has been reduced to a mental exercise, a memorial stripped of mystery, reverence, and sacramental depth. Heschmeyer rightly pushes back against this. His argument that the Eucharist is at the very heart of Christian worship and belief challenges the modern tendency to separate spirituality from physicality, faith from embodiment.
I was also encouraged by the historical sweep of the book. His citations from the Church Fathers, early liturgies, and patristic sermons make a compelling case that early Christians understood the Eucharist as more than a symbol. For Protestants like me who affirm the Real Presence in spiritual terms, these references can be powerful in affirming that we’re not outliers-we’re recovering something ancient.
WHERE WE PART WAYS
However, while I share Heschmeyer’s high view of the sacrament, I part ways with his Roman Catholic framework, especially his insistence on transubstantiation as the only coherent or faithful way to understand Christ’s presence.
I believe Christ is truly and mysteriously present in the elements of bread and wine-not in a symbolic or psychological sense, but in a real, spiritual, and covenantal way, through the Holy Spirit. But I don’t believe the bread ceases to be bread, or the wine ceases to be wine. I don’t believe the elements are re-sacrificed, re-offered, or transformed in a metaphysical way that can or must be defined in Aristotelian terms (i.e., substance and accidents). Transubstantiation, to my mind, tries to solve a mystery that was meant to be embraced in faith.
Moreover, I found Heschmeyer’s exclusive tone regarding the Catholic Eucharist troubling. The implication that true Eucharistic communion only exists in union with the Roman Magisterium is not only historically debatable-it risks dismissing the real faith and devotion of millions of Christians who encounter Christ in the Lord’s Supper outside the Roman system. Christ is not bound to one institution, and the Holy Spirit is not confined by Rome’s definitions.
A WORD ON THE “KEY TO EVERYTHING”
Heschmeyer’s subtitle-How Christ’s Body and Blood Are the Key to Everything We Believe-is provocative, and in some ways inspiring. I do believe the Eucharist is a theological key. It touches Christology, ecclesiology, soteriology, and eschatology. The Eucharist, rightly understood, anchors us in the incarnation, in the gospel, in the Church, and in the coming kingdom. But making it the absolute center risks shifting the center away from Christ’s once-for-all sacrifice on the cross (Hebrews 10:12) and the primacy of faith in Him.
CONCLUSION
As a Protestant who treasures the mystery and power of the Lord’s Supper, I found The Eucharist Is Really Jesus to be both inspiring and frustrating. It’s a strong reminder of what many Protestants have forgotten: that the Table is not optional, not peripheral, not merely symbolic. Christ meets us there. But the book also reinforces why I remain Protestant: I believe in a Real Presence that is truly Christ, truly grace-but not bound by transubstantiation, nor mediated only through Rome.
November 6, 2025
This book (among other things) has made me realize that holding to a symbolic view of the eucharist is an entirely indefensible position that is totally foreign to scripture and church history. Great defense of Christ's real presence in the Eucharist! :)
January 14, 2026
My Lenten promise was to read one Catholic book each week until the end of lent. This was book 1 and I could not have started off with a better book.
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews