There has been a lot of talk the last few days about whether or not Catholics believe in the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist. The discussion stems from a Pew Research poll released last week which suggested that only one-third of Catholics believe in the Church's teaching on transubstantiation-- the doctrine that the bread and wine become the body and blood of Christ in the consecration. Of course, the results of a poll are only as good as the process used. If those who take a poll ask questions which are poorly phrased or ambiguous, then the results of the polling are questionable. That seems to be the case with the Pew Research poll, which asked people if they believed the bread and wine "actually become" the body and blood or Christ, or are merely a symbol. The Church uses terms like the "real presence" of Christ to talk about what happens at the consecration, so saying the elements "actually become" Jesus' body and blood is a bit odd. People could easily think they were being asked if they thought that what they are consuming was actually flesh and blood in the scientific sense, which is a very different question from asking whether Christ is truly present in the bread and wine. In addition, the questioning presented a disjunctive-- one had to choose whether the bread and wine actually became the body and blood of Christ or were symbols. The best answer, of course, was to say "both," but that wasn't a possibility. But the Eucharist isn't the only time we believe the Jesus is present with us. One of the additional times is something we read about in today's Gospel (Mt 18: 15- 20) in which Jesus says that where two or three are gathered in His name, He is "in the midst of them." Of course, not the Eucharist, but still Jesus is present. That presence is something we can share with our fellow Christians, regardless of their views on the Eucharist. When I go to Hennepin County Jail and have a "Bible study" with people there, I always start off with a prayer in which I remind everyone in attendance of what Jesus says today-- that when we gather in His name (as we are doing at the jail) He's with us. No one disagrees with that, and it is a good reminder of why we gather together in prayer. Solitary, private prayer is excellent as well, but there is something special-- some special support and strength-- when Christians gather in Jesus' name. That's why it is so necessary to go to Mass every week, rather than simply having individual prayer time with God. There is no substitute for truly being in Jesus' presence.