The
Blessed Sacrament, or the
Body and Blood of Christ, is a
devotional name used in the
Roman Catholic Church,
Eastern Catholic Churches,
Old Catholic,
Anglican, and
Lutheran churches, to refer to the
host or
prosphora and
eucharistic wine after it has been consecrated at celebration of the
sacrament of the
Eucharist.
Christians in these traditions believe in the
Real Presence of
Jesus Christ in the eucharistic elements of the bread and wine and some of them, therefore, practice
eucharistic reservation and
eucharistic adoration. This belief is based on interpretations of biblical scripture and tradition. The Roman Catholic understanding is defined by numerous church councils, including the
Fourth Lateran Council and the
Council of Trent and is quoted in the
Catechism of the Catholic Church (which explains the meaning of
transubstantiation).