It’s not what you said, it's how you said it.

Being married only 11 months, I already know that how I say something is equally important as the actual words I am speaking. When my wife asks, “How do I look?” and I respond with an unenthusiastic “Fine,” there is a miscommunication. For me, the word “fine” means that there is nothing wrong with the way she looks. Fine, however, can mean a great number of things. She wants to look better than fine—she wants to look beautiful, and even deeper than that, she wants to be appreciated. While I am thinking she looks beautiful and I am certainly thankful for God blessing me with such an amazing wife, what I says and how I say it can portray something less glamorous. Such a simple exchange of words, which on the surface seems so “everyday” can actually carry a deeper, more intimate expression.

For a long time in the Church, many of the faithful have been left confused with what was said and how it was said. When we say things like, “The bread will be distributed in the center aisle…” we can easily lead others to believe that the Holy Eucharist is simply bread—something much less glamorous than the “Most Holy Body and Blood of Jesus Christ.” There is no wonder why so many Catholics do not believe in the true presence of Christ in the Eucharist. I will be the first to admit that Transubstantiation (the complete transformation of substance from bread and wine to Christ’s body and blood) is difficult to wrap our minds around. This has been the case since the beginning—look up John 6:60.

Just because something is difficult to understand or perceive does not make it false, instead it calls us to open our minds and challenges us to deepen our faith in what Christ teaches. It’s not necessarily what you say, ie. making a reference to Christ as the Bread of Life is perfectly fine, in fact it is taken directly from Scripture (it is also mentioned in the 2nd Eucharistic Prayer). It is, however HOW you say it—referring to the Eucharist as simply bread, is not accurate. On the same token, saying “wine” instead of Precious Blood is also false. Moreover, when the Church proclaims the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ, she is truly annunciating what we believe and profess. It is our duty as believers to profess what we believe, to not shy away from teachings that are hard to understand. We are called to enter into a deeper understanding of what we believe. One of the best ways to do so is to bear witness to the truth—to say what we mean and mean what we say. After all, it’s what we say AND how we say it.