26:26 this is my body. In Roman Catholicism these words are quoted in support of the doctrine of transubstantiation, which teaches that the outward, physical attributes of the bread and wine remain unchanged, while the invisible essence is transformed into the body and blood of Christ. Calvin and the other Reformers recognized that the elements represent Christ’s body and blood. Jesus uttered these words while physically present with His disciples, so a literal identification of the elements with His physical substance would not have occurred to them. The bread and wine are more than conventional symbols, however, for through the Holy Spirit they communicate visibly what is read and heard in the gospel (1 Cor. 10:16). See “The Lord’s Supper” at 1 Cor. 11:23.