ect for the Blessed Sacrament by refusing it. Then there was
great danger of spilling the precious blood, passing it from one to
another; and finally, some said that Christ's blood was not in His body
under the appearance of bread. This was false; and to show that it was
false, and for the other reasons, the Church after that gave Holy
Communion to the people under the appearance of bread alone. The Church
always believes and teaches the same truths. It always believed that the
Holy Eucharist under the appearance of bread contained also Our Lord's
blood; but it taught it more clearly when it was denied.

*243 Q. Is Jesus Christ whole and entire both under the form of bread
and under the form of wine?
A. Jesus Christ is whole and entire both under the form of bread and
under the form of wine.

*244 Q. Did anything remain of the bread and wine after their substance
had been changed into the substance of the body and blood of Our Lord?
A. After the substance of the bread and wine had been changed into the
substance of the body and blood of Our Lord there remained only the
appearances of bread and wine.

245 Q. What do you mean by the appearances of bread and wine?
A. By the appearances of bread and wine I mean the figure, the color,
the taste, and whatever appears to the senses.

"Senses"--that is, eyes, ears, etc. Thus we have the sense of seeing,
the sense of hearing, the sense of tasting, the sense of smelling, the
sense of feeling.

The Holy Eucharist is the body of Our Lord just as long as the
appearances of bread and wine remain, and when they go away Our Lord's
body goes also. For example, if a church, tabernacle and all, was buried
by a great earthquake, and after many years the people succeeded in
getting at the tabernacle and opening it, and then found in the
ciborium--that is, the vessel in which the Blessed Sacrament is kept in
the tabernacle--only black dust, Our Lord would not be there, although
He was there when the church was buried. He would not be there, because
there was no longer the appearance of bread there: it had all been
changed into ashes by time, and Our Lord left it when the change took
place. But if the appearance of bread had remained unchanged, He would
be there even after so many years.

When we receive Holy Communion, the appearance of bread remains for
about fifteen or twenty minutes after we receive, and then it changes or
disappears. Therefore during these fifteen or twenty minute