Eucharist

The Sacrament of the Eucharist • Completes Christian initiation (CCC1322)

• Sacrament of love

- a sign of unity

- a bond of charity

- a Paschal Banquet in which Christ is

consumed.

- which perpetuates the sacrifice of the Cross.

Sacrament continued • Minimum Age: Age of reason (7yrs.- person

able to distinguish the body of Christ from

ordinary food & can receive Holy Communion

reverently.)

Can be repeated? Yes (each time the faithful

participate in the Mass with required dispositions)

(read CCC1388) Obligation once a year.

• Matter: wheat bread (leavened or unleavened)

and natural grape wine

• Form: Bread- “Take this, all of you, and eat it:

this is my body which will be given up for you…”

Sacrament continued

• Wine- “Take this, all of you. and drink…this is the

cup of my blood, the blood of the new and

everlasting covenant. It will be shed for all so that

sins may be forgiven. Do this in memory of me…” (Mk 14:22-26, Mt26;26-30, Lk 22:14-23)

• Ordinary Minister: Validly ordained priest /Bishop

• Extraordinary Minister: None

(Laity can distribute Holy Communion but not

consecrate – called extraordinary minister of Holy

Communion)

Eucharist-Sacrament

What is the Eucharist? • Sacrifice

- covenant – blood – life – Passover

• Memorial

– Lamb of God – Christ, High Priest

• Real Presence – Transubstantiation

• Meal

What is the Eucharist? • Primary meaning of Eucharist-

“thanksgiving” – given to the Father

through, with and in Christ [through the

sacramental priest]. (CCC1359-1361)

• Eucharist is the sacrificial memorial of

Christ and of His Body, the Church - a

real, living, visible re-presentation of

the sacrifice of the Cross. (CCC1362-71)

What is the Eucharist? (continued)

• Eucharist is the presence of Christ,

body, blood, soul, divinity, by the

power of His word and the Holy Spirit.

(Transubstantiation) (CCC1374)

• Eucharist is source and summit of the

Christian life. In it is contained the

whole spiritual good of the Church –

namely Christ Himself. (CCC1324)

)

Sacrifice

• Sacrifice is the act of offering to

God fruits, vegetables, animals,

food, incense or some precious

object (and possibly the burning

and ritual eating of the offering

– a special thanksgiving meal, a

sign of communion with God,

who was considered to be

present at the meal). (Ex 18:12)

• First O.T. sacrifice recorded is

in Genesis 4:3-5. (Cain & Abel)

• The substitution of a goat for

the sacrifice of Isaac shows that

the Israelites were aware of

human sacrifice and its

repudiation in the biblical faith.

(Genesis 22)

Sacrifice Sacrifice of Abraham

• only beloved son, Isaac

• carried on his back wood for

sacrifice.

• on Mount Moriah-future site

of Temple in Jerusalem.

• Abraham says, “God

Himself will provide a lamb

for burnt offering.

• Because of Abraham’s faith

God made the covenant, “I

will make your descendants

as numerous as the stars…”

come true.

Jesus

• only beloved Son of God

• Carried wood cross for his

crucifixion-ultimate sacrifice

• died on Calvary, one of the

hills of Moriah’s range.

• God did provide the Lamb,

Himself, for ‘burnt’ offering

(Sacrifice of the Mass)

• God, in Christ Jesus, made

the blessing for all peoples

(Gal3:14) and swore an oath

to save all nations (Gn22:16-

18)

Covenant

• Moses asked Pharaoh to let his people go to offer a sacrifice in the desert. (Ex 5:1-3).

• God liberated Israel from slavery to Pharaoh so that they could be free to enter into an exclusive, intimate relationship with himself, a covenant. Ratification of covenants by sacrifice is an important biblical theme. Gen8:20

• God gave them the law that would be the condition of this covenant and they sealed the deal through a rather strange ritual. (Exodus 24:3-8)

Blood - Life - Passover • In the sacrifice to seal the

covenant with Moses and the Israelites half the blood of the sacrificed animals was poured out to God at the base of the altar. The other half was sprinkled upon the people. This blood ceremony bound Israel and God making them intimate kin, a family, a community. Blood equaled life in the mind of the ancient Israelites. (It was forbidden to consume blood, since all life belonged to God.(Lv7:26-27 )

• Moses and the elders further celebrated their new blood relationship with God by eating the sacrificed animals in God’s presence, on the Holy Mountain. (Ex 24:11) (Ex12:7, 12-13)

Old Covenant Passover

• Lamb without blemish

• Sacrificial lamb died as ransom.

Passover was act of ransom in

place of firstborn.

• Blood on lintels meant life for

Jewish people.

• For sprinkling blood on lintels

hyssop branch used.

• Unleavened bread used.

• Necessary for redemption from

slavery of Egypt.

Jesus’ Passover

• Jesus is the Lamb Rev-28 times

• Jesus, the sinless, died for all &

did what millions of sacrificed

lambs could never do.

• Blood of the New Covenant

shed for all to give life.

• Hyssop branch used to give Jesus

on the Cross sour wine

• Unleavened bread at Mass. (R)

• Central to Jesus’ mission to

redeem man from slavery of sin.

Passover

New Covenant - Sacrifice - Eucharist

• Jesus identified His own death as a

sacrifice, a shedding of blood for a new

covenant. (Mk 14:22-24)

• The setting of the Last Supper clearly

recalled the Passover sacrifice. (Mt

26:17-19, 26-29; Mk 14:12-21; Lk

22:7-9, 15- 20) Eucharist is a sacrifice

because it is a memorial of Christ’s

Passover. It re-presents(makes present)

the sacrifice of the Cross and applies its

fruit: liberation from sin, Satan and

even death. (Rv1:5 & CCC1366)

• The designation of Christ as “Lamb of

God” implies that He is a sacrificial

victim. (Jn1:29; Rv 5:6, 14,17; 22:1)

• Paul’s letter to the Hebrews (10:12) is

an important portrayal of Christ, the

High Priest’s sacrificial role, his

perfect obedience in self-offering – the

“single sacrifice for sins”.

The Ultimate Sacrifice

What is this Sacrament called?

1) Eucharist – thanksgiving

2) Lord’s Supper (Cf I Cor 11:20; Rev19:9)

3) Breaking of Bread (Cf Mt 26:26; 1 Cor 11:24; Acts2:42, 46; 20:7, 11)

4) Eucharistic Assembly (Cf 1 Cor 11:17-34)

5) Memorial of our Lord’s Passion &

Resurrection

- Holy Mass or Holy Sacrifice of the Mass

- Holy and Divine Liturgy (Heb13:15; 1 Pet 2:5; Ps 116:13; Mal 1:11)

What is this sacrament called? continued

6) Most Blessed Sacrament (see source and summit of life)

7) Holy Communion (Cf 1 Cor 10-16)

8) Viaticum – food for final journey (anointing )

9) Bread of angels, bread from Heaven,

bread of life (see next slide)

10)Real Presence - Eucharistic Adoration

-body (real person)

-blood (centre of life)

-soul (home of Spirit)

-Divinity –Trinitarian Love

Eucharist – Bread of Life

In the Old Covenant

bread and wine were

offered in sacrifice

among the first fruits of

the earth as a sign of

grateful acknowledgment

to the Creator (Gen 4:3-4).

Melchizedek, king-priest

brought out bread &

wine (Gen 14:18-20), a

prefiguring of the

Church’s offering.

Comparison Old Covenant

• Melchizedek

king - priest

• Offered bread &

wine

• King of Salem,

land that became

“Jerusalem”– city

of peace

New Covenant

• Jesus Christ

king – priest

• Changed bread &

wine

• Rose as king of the

Heavenly

Jerusalem – will

come again.

•

Eucharist - Bread of Life-continued

• Bread and wine received new

significance in context of

Exodus.

• Unleavened bread eaten by

Israel every year at Passover

commemorates the haste of the

departure from a life of slavery. (Ex 12:14-17)

• Manna, the miraculous (in

manner & quantity)

nourishment (bread) provided

by God for the Israelites in the

desert, has, by a natural

symbolism, come to be

regarded as a type of the

Eucharist. (Ex16:4-6; 21-25)

Bread of Life

• In the New Covenant many examples from the Gospels clearly illustrate

Jesus’ concern that the people who accompanied him were nourished

and taken care of: e.g. Feeding of the 4000 (Mk 8:1-6).

• Wedding feast of Cana (Jn 2:1-10) and the multiplication of the loaves

and fishes (Mt 14:15-21) prefigure the fulfillment of the wedding feast

of Heaven and the superabundance of the unique bread of the Eucharist.

Last Supper • Jesus shared the unique and special meal, the Last Supper, with His

apostles – the first Eucharist. The apostles understood that Jesus’

words “This is my Body…This is my Blood…Do this in remembrance

of Me…” meant that this action was to be repeated again and again

until the Lord returned as he had promised. (1 Cor 11:23-25; Mark

14:25)

Effects of Eucharist 1) A more intimate union with Jesus (CCC1391)

2) Separates Christian from a life of sin

3) formative of not only the individual

person but also of the entire community of

believers. (helps in practice of good works)

4) “pledge of the glory to come”

“He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood

has eternal life and abides in me and I in

him”. (Jn 6:51, 54, 56)