A EUCHARIST A MEMORIAL

PRESENTED BY:

JAZZEL DE JESUS JOMAR CRUZ JANINE CELOZA

 The Eucharist is a memorial of Jesus Christ's
sacrifice on the cross. Christians believe that
during the Last Supper, Jesus instituted the
Eucharist, asking his followers to partake in the
bread and wine as a remembrance of his body
and blood given for the forgiveness of sins.
The act of participating in the Eucharist serves
as a way to recall and commemorate the
redemptive events of Christ's crucifixion.
During the Last Supper, Jesus Christ provided the apostles the
means by which He could be remembered by them even if He is
already gone. This means is narrated in the text from the Gospel of
St. Luke found below.
Do This in Memory of Me

"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 af- ter the supper,
saying, "This cup is God's new covenant
sealed with my blood, which is poured out
for you."
Pictures are very precious possessions. They
provide the link to our past and remind us of the
wonderful memories of days past. But not all events
in our lives can be captured in pictures. Good thing
we have our human mind. Our human mind is a very
powerful and absorbent human faculty. It has an
even bigger memory compared to our computers.
Our human memory recalls both positive and
negative events in our might be made present to us
today. The Eucharist therefore is a sacrifi because
Christ is present precisely as offering himself for us
as a sacrifice to the Father" (CFC 1690).
The sacrifice of Christ on the Cross is a very important event. In fact, it is the
central event in the history of our salvation. This being so, Christ made sure
that the benefits of His sacrifice is continually communicated to us - He
instituted the Holy Eucharist as the memorial of His sacrifice. The Eucharist is
a memorial of Christ's Death and Resurrection. This is clearly seen in the Last
Supper when Jesus commanded His apostles, "Do this in memory of Me." The
Eucharist as a memorial is not like the celebrations that we have of our
birthdays when we simply remember and give thanks to the day of our own
birth. It is also not like the pictures of important events in our lives. These
pictures simply remind us of these events, but they do not make them happen
again. When Christ told His apostles to "Do this in memory of Me," he was
telling them not simply to recall a past event but to make present the great act
of sacrifice He will offer. The Eucharist as a memorial therefore "is a sacrifice-
sacrament because the Father makes present to us through the Holy Spirit
Christ Himself, the Son, in His mighty act" (CFC 1701).
The Eucharist is also a sacrifice-sacrament because it is the sacrament of Christ's
Presence. The presence of Christ in the Eucharist can be described in several ways (CFC
1724):

1. Sacramental: Christ is present through the signs of bread and wine. By the words of
Consecration, the bread and wine are transformed into the Body and Blood of Christ. This
transformation, which is known in Catholic tradition as transubstantation, is effected by the
power of the Holy Spirit.
2. Personal: Christ is truly and substantially present in the Eucharist so that He can have
a personal communion with the Church and each member of His body.
3. In His glorified body: The risen glorified body of Christ, not His earthly condition.
4. Dynamic and lasting: The bread and the wine are effective and lasting signs of Christ's
love for us. This love also demands an active response from us.

At His Last Supper with His apostles, Christ instituted the Eucharist so that His bloody
sacrifice on the Cross could be perpetuated through the ages (CFC 1689) and that His
once-and-for-all saving Death on the Cros
Besides being a sacrifice-sacrament, the eucharist is also
our thanksgiving worship. It is essentially an act of
thanksgiving (the word Eucharist comes eucharistein
which means thanksgiving) to the Father through Jesus
Christ in the Holy Spirit (cf. CFC 1682). The center of the
thanksgiving worship in the Eucharist is Christ. We thank
Him for His total self-giving to the Father and to us. We
thank Him for revealing the Father's love to us and for
showing us how we should love. We thank Him for
teaching us how we can offer fitting worship to the Father.
The Eucharist is also a Paschal Banquet, a communion.
The invitation of the Eucharist at the Last Supper brings
out its meal dimension very strongly This meal dimension
of the Eucharist is carried over to the communities of the
early Christians where the breaking of the bread is a
cornerstone of their worship. This bread, which is broken
and shared, draws the members of the Christian
community into "communion with Christ and with one
another to form one single body with Him" (cf. CFC 1703).
Thus, the Eucharist as a paschal banquet or a meal also
becomes "a sacrament of love, a sign of unity and a bond
of place" (cf. CFC 1702).
The Eucharist, like the food we eat, effects changes in our life. Just as
material food and drink provide us with nourishment, the Eucharist
nourishes our spiritual life-preserving, increasing and renewing it (ef.
CFC 1717). This renewal and preservation of our spiritual life is due to
the fruits of receiving communion. One of the fruits of receiving Holy
Communion worthily is union with Christ. This union brings us true life. Its
reception also liberates us from sin. The Eucharist frees us from our daily
faults. preserves us from mortal sin and strengthens our life of loving
service (cf. CFC 1718). Receiving Holy Communion also "brings us
together around the table of the Lord, uniting us in sharing food and drink
in a sacred meal hosted by Christ Himself." Finally, the Eucharist builds
up the Church. By drawing us to Christ and reconciling us with one
another, the Eucharist in effect, builds up the Church (cf. CFC 1720).
The effects of the Eucharist should be seen not only during
the Mass but must be manifested in our day-to day lives.
This means that the Eucharistic celebration must affect our
daily activities in such a way that the love of Christ, which is
made present in the Eucharist, must inspire us "to an intense
persevering personal commitment to the goals of service,
evangelization, and Holy Consformation (ef. CFC 1675). In
other words, our reception of the Holy Communion must
move us to lovingly serve God and others, and work for the
reign of justice and place in society. This way, we help
spread God's message of the salvation.
Thank you for listening !