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Eucharist As Presence
Eucharist As Presence
“A giving of thanks”
The sacrament of Christ’s Body and Blood has had many names in the course
of Christian history.
Such names as Bread of Angels, Lord’s Supper, and Sacrament of the Altar
are familiar to us. (The Catechism’s section on the Eucharist explains several
of these common names.)
But the name which has endured from the very beginning, the name which
the Church officially gives to this sacrament, is that of Holy Eucharist.
This name is taken from the Bible’s accounts of the institution of the Holy
Eucharist. They tell us that at the Last Supper, Jesus “gave thanks” as He
took the bread and wine into His hands. And so from the Greek word
eucharistia which means “a giving of thanks” we have the name of our
sacrament: the Holy Eucharist.
ACTIVITY: