To Angel:
"Real Presence" is the Catholic teaching that the bread and the wine undergoes a miracle at Mass, during the Consecration. The fancy name for the miracle is "transubstantiation," but all you really need to know is that the bread and the wine become the actual and true Body and Blood of Jesus Christ.
Most Protestant faiths teach that Communion, the re-enactment of the Last Supper, is symbolic. The bread and the wine (or most likely, the crackers and grape juice) merely REPRESENT the Body and Blood of Jesus.
For me, this "explains" the pagentry and the ceremony behind the Mass, why services are so different between Catholic and Protestant. All the prayers, the special "dishes" and the altar cloths and the napkin, the washing of hands by the priest... this isn't just some "meaningless show and mindless ritual." All of that is preparation for the miracle! The consecrated Host and Wine are treated with reverence, and once Communion has been distributed, care must be taken with the proper storage of the "leftover" Hosts. The Eucharistic Ministers will drink the "leftover" wine. And the priest very carefully washes the the cup and the plate, and makes sure there are no overlooked crumbs. It's JESUS.
What do Protestant churches do with their leftovers after communion? Most likely, they are washed down the drain or thrown in the trash.
Thanks for asking, Angel!
Peace be with you,
~VOW
