How does the Council of Trent define 'Transubstantiation'?
At the words of consecration spoken by a validly ordained priest during the Holy Mass, a miraculous change occurs: the entire substance of bread is changed into the Body of Christ, and the entire substance of wine is changed into His Blood. The Council of Trent fittingly named this change 'Transubstantiation'. While the outward appearances ('accidents' or species) such as taste, texture, smell, and chemical properties remain bread and wine, the underlying reality is truly, really, and substantially the living Jesus Christ—Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity.
Sources
- Catechism of the Catholic Church, paragraphs 1373-1377
- John 6:51-56
Awaiting review by the chaplaincy. Written in our own words; the Church's own texts are the authority.