What is the Eucharist?
This term comes from the Greek word for thanksgiving. Eu = well or good Charis = gift When we celebrate the Eucharist we give praise and thanks for all God’s gifts of life and salvation. Most particularly we are grateful because God gives us Jesus Christ as our food for the journey of life.
The Holy Eucharist is a sacrament and a sacrifice commemorating the Last Supper. In the Holy Eucharist, under the appearance of bread and wine, the Lord Christ in contained, offered and received. The bread and wine being the body and blood of Jesus Christ
THE ORIGINS OF THE EUCHARIST
The Origins of the Eucharist is the Last Supper of Jesus with his Disciples. As they were eating, Jesus took some bread and blessed it. Then he broke it in pieces and gave it to the disciples, saying, "Take this and eat it, for this is my body. Then He took the cup, gave thanks and gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you. This is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins..."
The origins of the Eucharist are words and actions of Jesus at his Last Supper
TRANSUBSTANTIATION
Definition: Change the substance, a change that happens of an imperceptible level
"For what you see is simply bread and a cup this is the information your eyes report. But your faith demands far subtler insight: the bread is Christ's body, the cup is Christ's blood" -St. Augustine
Transubstantiation is the process of which the bread and whine of the Eucharist is spiritually changed into the body and blood of Christ. in catholic beliefs many believe that through the act of transubstantiation that Jesus becomes truly present in the Eucharist.
The change in the bread and wine to the body and blood of Christ is significant because of how we are accepting Jesus into our body's and by taking the Eucharist we become whole and be given faith in the Holy Communion
Luke 22: 17 - 20
“Then Jesus took a cup, gave thanks to God and said “ Take this and share it among yourselves. I tell you that from now on I will not drink this wine until the Kingdom of God comes. Then he took a piece of bread, gave thanks to God, broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in memory of me.” In the same way, he gave them the cup after supper, saying, “This cup is God’s new covenant sealed with my blood, which is poured out for you.”
The Eucharist as both mean and sacrifice
Catechism of the Catholic Church calls the Eucharist ‘the making present and sacramental offering of his (Christ’s) unique sacrifice'. It also calls the Eucharist ‘the sacred banquet of communion with the Lord’s body and blood’. In a lengthy treatment of the Eucharist, the Catechism weaves together its two basic values as sacrifice and meal
Example of Sacrifice and Meal
Sacrifice and meal are also linked in nature. We may not like to be reminded of it at the dinner table, but every delectable roast was once a live animal. Even vegetarian meals involve cutting down or pulling up some living thing so we can eat it. There is death-for-the-sake-of-life in the background of every meal, no matter how safe and serene the setting may be. Beyond this, the sacred history of the people in the Old Testament brings together sacrifice and meal in a crucial way.
God saved his people from the tenth plague in Egypt by having them sacrifice a lamb and paint its blood on the doorposts of their houses. The angel of death would “pass over” the houses marked by the blood of the lamb. No one within would be harmed. This same sacrificed animal then became the main dish of the meal they would eat as they prepared for the Exodus. The lives of the Chosen People were safeguarded by the blood of the lamb. Its flesh, shared as food, nourished them for the journey that lay ahead -the journey from slavery to freedom. Both meal and sacrifice are necessary parts of the story.
Gods work on earth today
For Christians, the sacrifice of Jesus and the sharing of bread and wine are also part of a great story- the story of our redemption. The sacrifice of Jesus Christ leads to resurrection and eternal life. We eat the bread of life and drink the cup of salvation to strengthen us for the journey of faith. Even death cannot harm us when we are signed with the cross of Jesus. But that’s not all. Living for others, as Christ taught us- outside of Mass- is both a sacrifice and a feast. We give ourselves in sacrifice when we love, labor, and suffer to do what is right and good every day. We prepare a meal of justice and peace when we feed the hungry, clothe the naked, and share the Good News of salvation in Jesus Christ in our world.
LIVING THE EUCHARIST
-REFLECT-
Are you willing to make sacrifices in your everyday life, for love of God and neighbor? Sometimes a sacrifice means going out of your way to help somebody, or taking a humble attitude, or doing something good when it’s inconvenient. Think about the week that just passed. What opportunities were presented to you? How did you respond?
-ACT-
Make time to share a meal with someone. Maybe invite a family member whom you don’t see often, or a friend or colleague you’ve put off because of your busy schedule. Make it delightful. Let “living the spirit of Eucharist” be the hidden agenda of the meal.
-PRAY-
Jesus, you are the true Lamb, whose blood consecrates the homes of all believers. Thank you for giving your life for me. You are the Good Shepherd, who spreads a banquet before us. Thank you for feeding me. How can I bring you to this hungry world? Show me the way!
CATECHISMS OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH
the Catechisms of the Catholic Church are a sat of rules that should be followed according to the church
(CCC 1333) At the heart of the Eucharistic celebration are the bread and wine that, by the words of Christ and the invocation of the Holy Spirit, become Christ's Body and Blood. Faithful to the Lord's command the Church continues to do, in his memory and until his glorious return, what he did on the eve of his Passion: "He took bread...." "He took the cup filled with wine...." the signs of bread and wine become, in a way surpassing understanding, the Body and Blood of Christ; they continue also to signify the goodness of creation. Thus in the Offertory we give thanks to the Creator for bread and wine,152 fruit of the "work of human hands," but above all as "fruit of the earth" and "of the vine" - gifts of the Creator. The Church sees in the gesture of the king-priest Melchizedek, who "brought out bread and wine," a prefiguring of her own offering.
Bibliography
Catechism of the Catholic Church 2003, accessed 2 May 2017 <http://www.vatican.va/archive/ccc_css/archive/catechism/p2s2c1a3.htm>.
Christian Bible Reference Site n.d., accessed 27 April 2017, <http://www.christianbiblereference.org/story_AdamAndEve.htm>.
Ferrone, R 2011, Eucharist: meal or sacrifice, Washington, DC, accessed 2 May 2017, <http://jp2-mqa.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/Living-the-Eucharist-Week-3.pdf>.
Origins of the Eucharist 2017, accessed 27 April 2017, <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Origin_of_the_Eucharist>.
Questions about The Holy Eucharist n.d., accessed 8 May 2017, <https://www.ewtn.com/faith/teachings/eucha1a.htm>
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