Historical Background
❑ From earliest times, the Eucharist has been at the heart of the
Church worship. In it is celebrated the memory of the life, death
and Resurrection of Jesus Christ.
❑ And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age
(Matthew 28:20).
❑ At its celebrations of the Eucharist the Christian congregation
gathers together and knows Jesus Christ to be present in its
midst – according to the saying of Jesus that has been passed
down: For where two or three are gathered in my name, I am
there among them (Matthew 18:20). The congregation prays
and hears Gods word, as it is communicated in Scripture; here
also Christ, the Word of God, is present.
Biblical and Historical Background
Old Testament
Jewish Passover Meal (Exodus Great Events)
New Testament:
Last Supper ---It was celebrated in the context of the
Jewish Passover Meal.
TODAY:
Holy Eucharist ---it is modelled from the Last Supper
“ Then taking the bread and giving thanks , He broke
it and gave it to them, saying: This is my body to be
given for you. Do this as a remembrance of me”
He did the same with the cup after eating, saying
as he did so: “This cup is the new covenant in my
blood, which will be shed for you”
(Luke 22: 19-20)
How do we define this Sacrament?
The Holy Eucharist is the Sacrament of the New law, which
our Lord Jesus Christ Instituted permanently. His body and
blood, soul and divinity are contained, offered and received
under the appearance of bread and wine.
In the Catholic Church refers to both the celebration of
the Mass, that is, the Eucharist liturgy, and the bread and
wine which after the consecration are transubstantiated
(changed in substance) into the body and blood of Jesus
Christ, Lord and God, a declaration formulated by
the Council of Trent with an anathema against anyone who
denied this
❑ Holy Eucharist is a Sacrament and a sacrifice
“Eucharist” comes from the Greek word “Eucharistia”.
❑ Means “giving thanks”, “Thanksgiving” or communion
give us opportunity to continue the memory of Christ
passion and unite ourselves to him.
❑ The Eucharist is a fundamental act of thanksgiving
worship of God, constituting at once a Sacrifice-
Sacrament, a Communion-Sacrament, and a Presence-
Sacrament.
❑In the Holy Eucharist, under the appearances of bread
and wine, the Lord Christ is contained, offered and
received.
❑Christ instituted the Holy Eucharist at the Last Supper
(final meal), the night (he betrayed) before he died. When
our lord instituted it the apostles were present.
❑The Holy Eucharist is the very center of catholic worship,
the heart of catholic life. Because the (catholic) church
believes that the Son of God is truly present in the
Blessed Sacrament.
Other Names of the Holy Eucharist:
Blessed Sacrament because it is the most excellent
of all sacraments.
Sacrament of the Altar because it is consecrated
and received upon the altar
Holy Communion when it is received by the faithful
Bread of life because it is the nourishment of one’s
soul
Holy Viaticum when it is received during a serious
illness, or at the hour of death.
Other Names of the Holy Eucharist:
The Lord's Supper because of its connection with the
supper which the Lord took with his disciples on the eve
of his Passion and because it anticipates the wedding
feast of the Lamb in the heavenly Jerusalem.
The Breaking of Bread, because Jesus used this rite, part
of a Jewish meat when as master of the table he blessed
and distributed the bread, above all at the Last Supper. It
is by this action that his disciples will recognize him after
his Resurrection, and it is this expression that the first
Christians will use to designate their Eucharistic
assemblies; by doing so they signified that all who eat the
one broken bread, Christ, enter into communion with him
and form but one body in him.
Other Names of the Holy Eucharist:
The Eucharistic assembly (synaxis), because the Eucharist
is celebrated amid the assembly of the faithful, the visible
expression of the Church.
Holy Mass (Missa), because the liturgy in which the
mystery of salvation is accomplished concludes with the
sending forth (missio) of the faithful, so that they may
fulfill God's will in their daily lives.
Descriptions of the Holy Eucharist:
“The Holy Eucharist is the heart and the Summit of Church’s life
for in it, Christ associates His Church and all her members with
His sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving offered once for all on
the cross to his Father; by this sacrifice he pours out the graces
of salvation on his Body which is the Church” (CCC 1407).
“The Holy Eucharist is prayer because it offers a perfect worship
to the Father, making present the sacrifice of His incarnate Son,
on the Cross, Through the power of the Holy Spirit” (CFC 1742)
The Eucharist as Sacrifice ---Sacrament:
❑ it makes present Christ's sacrifice on the Cross
❑ it exerts Christ's saving power for the forgiveness of
sins
The Eucharist as Communion ---Sacrament:
❑ those who share in Christ's Body and Blood become one
body with Him
❑ a sign of unity and charity
The Eucharist as Presence---Sacrament:
❑ Christ is present in the assembly, the priest, the Holy
Scriptures and in the Eucharistic species of bread and
wine
