During The Year of the Eucharist just completed, I was involved in the building of our new Saint Joseph The Worker Monastery here in Englewood, Fla. This put me in close contact with quite a few construction workers. At one point, a supervisor asked what “that box” was for — the one embedded in our chapel's back wall.

He wasn't Catholic, but, he was quick to point out, his wife is — and she is very active in her parish.

Now I was happy to explain to him what “that box” is. I told him we call it a tabernacle. And within this tabernacle Jesus dwells. He is inside there — body and blood, soul and divinity — under the appearance of bread. He looked at me and said very sincerely, “You really believe that?” I answered, “I do.” Then the conversation moved on to more mundane construction talk.

Now this isn't the first time I have talked to a non-Catholic about the Holy Eucharist. On another occasion, Brother Craig here was interviewed by a television crew for a national show and, once again, I was asked about “that box.” The Jewish director was married to a Catholic. I explained the Real Presence to him, also.

In both these instances, I puzzled over how a Catholic could be married to a non-Catholic and not once explain to them what we believe about “that box” in all our churches. Should we not be answering the question before it's even asked?

The skepticism of non-Catholics should not deter us. Recall what happened to Our Lord when he declared himself the “Bread of Life” (John 6:48). Many of his disciples “no longer accompanied him.” “This saying is hard,” they said. “Who can accept it?” We, too, may be rejected — but at least we will have witnessed to the truth and not hidden our light under a basket.

The sixth chapter of St. John's Gospel, of course, is perfect for discussing the Real Presence with non-Catholic Christians. Everywhere else in the Gospels, Jesus always corrects or explains the parables and metaphors the apostles do not understand. Jesus does not do so here. Instead, he further challenges them: “Do you also want to leave?” He makes it evident he is not talking symbolically.

I recently heard a talk about something I hadn't noticed in the Bread of Life Discourse. John 6 begins with the multiplication of the loaves and fish for the multitude. Then we have the account of Jesus walking on the water. The first incident shows that Jesus has power over bread; the second, that he has power over the physical properties of nature. These two incidents lead us into the exposition on the Bread of Life.

Clearly, St. John wanted his readers to know that Jesus has the power to do what he said — transform bread and wine into himself. Jesus is truly “the living bread that came down from heaven” (John 6:51).

Recently I met a man who was wearing a monstrance pin on his lapel. He told me it opened up opportunities to tell the curious about the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist. In this simple way he witnessed to Jesus.

Perhaps we, too, can be ever on the lookout to lead others to our Eucharistic Lord? Like the man with the monstrance pin, we might even try thinking outside the box.

Brother John Raymond is co-founder of the Monks of Adoration (monksofadoration.org).