Why We're Not Roman Catholic #6 - Counterfeit Thanksgiving: The Error and Idolatry of the Romanist Eucharist

For many people, when we talk about the Eucharist, they immediately think of the Roman Catholic Church. But Eucharist is one of the historic names Christians have used for the Lord’s Table. The word comes from the Greek for “thanksgiving.” And as the name implies, one of the central aims of this Christian rite is to offer God “sacrifices” of thanksgiving for what He has done for us through Christ and His once-for-all sacrifice. That is why the Romanist rite becomes a counterfeit thanksgiving—a distortion of what Christians have historically believed.

For many centuries, Christians had a less developed theology of the Lord’s Supper—just as with many other areas of doctrine. But the problem with Rome’s theology is not that it’s too developed, but that it crosses into idolatry.

The foundational question many Christians were trying to answer was: What exactly happens during the Lord’s Supper? Is Christ truly present in a special way? Or is it purely a memorial? Most early Christian traditions, including the Reformers (and Reformed Baptists), affirmed the real presence of Christ in communion. But for those who believe that, a further question arises: How is Christ present?

While Eastern traditions often appeal to mystery, the Western Church tried to define it with specific theological models:

• Transubstantiation (Roman Catholic): The substance of the bread and wine becomes the actual body and blood of Christ.

• Consubstantiation (Lutheran): Christ is physically present "with and under" the elements.

• Spiritual Presence (Reformed): Christ is truly present by the Spirit, received through faith.

This article is not meant to dissect all those views. But it’s important to note that transubstantiation and consubstantiation go beyond “real presence” and assert a physical presence. While that may not necessarily be idolatrous in itself, Rome’s conclusions are.

The Roman Church teaches that the consecrated bread is Christ—therefore, it must be adored. Rome teaches that the Eucharist infuses grace into the recipient, even apart from faith, because the elements are not symbols but the thing itself. They also treat the Mass as a true sacrifice, where Christ is presented again on the altar:

• “The sacrifice of Christ and the sacrifice of the Eucharist are one single sacrifice… the sacrifice is truly propitiatory.” – Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC), 1367

  
  

• “In this divine sacrifice which is celebrated in the Mass, that same Christ is contained and immolated in an unbloody manner...” – Council of Trent, Session 22, Chapter 2

  
  

• “If anyone says that the sacrifice of the Mass is only a sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving… and not a propitiatory sacrifice... let him be anathema.” – Council of Trent, Session 22, Canon 3

The problem here is massive. Rome asks us to suspend reason and believe that a miracle has occurred, though there is no evidence of it. The bread still looks, smells, tastes, and breaks like bread. The wine is chemically still wine. They claim that the “substance” has changed, even if the “accidents” (appearance, properties) remain the same. But where in Scripture does God perform such a hidden, unverifiable miracle? Even drawing analogies with the incarnation leads to theological danger.

Christ’s physical body is at the right hand of the Father in heaven. To claim that His body is physically present in thousands of altars around the world is to violate that biblical teaching. Christ promised to be spiritually present with His people—not bodily—and He is especially present in the Supper, but by the Holy Spirit and received by faith.

To worship a piece of bread—no matter how earnestly—is to worship a created thing. This is explicitly forbidden in Scripture. It dishonours the true body of Jesus and turns a holy moment into disobedience. It is no longer a thanksgiving meal but a gross moment of idolatry.

As I’ve said in previous posts, it’s true that many evangelical churches have emptied the Lord’s Supper of its weight and meaning. But Rome’s solution is not better—it is worse. True worship cannot be grounded in superstition or priestly power, but in Christ’s finished work. Jesus is truly present with us in the Supper—by faith, by the Spirit—nourishing, assuring, strengthening, and receiving our thanksgiving. The focus is not on the bread itself, but on the person and work of Christ.

Let us, then, recover a biblical reverence for the Lord’s Table—not through superstition, but through true, Spirit-filled thanksgiving. The answer to shallow worship is not idolatry, but reformation.

Nino Marques