D.
THE
SACRAMENT
OF HOLY
EUCHARIST
In order recognize God’s saving Grace in the Sacrament of the
Eucharist when He speaks to us in His words and nourishes us
in His Body and Blood, the students may be able to;
1. Discuss the significance of the sacrifice and fellowship of
Jesus in the sacrament of Eucharist.
2. Formulate ways in order to attend Holy Mass meaningfully.
3. Share what they have to lessen hunger in the world.
1. Etymological meaning of the word ‘EUCHARIST’.
Eucharistia means thanksgiving, and the Eucharist is the "source
and summit of the Christian life." St. Justin Martyr described the
Eucharistic Liturgy in 155 AD in his First Apology. The Paschal
mystery of Christ is celebrated in the liturgy of the Mass. The Mass
is the Eucharist or principal sacramental celebration of the Church,
established by Jesus at the Last Supper, in which the mystery of
our salvation through participation in the sacrificial death and
glorious resurrection of Christ is renewed and accomplished. The
word "Mass" comes from the Latin missa, as it refers to the
mission or sending forth of the faithful following the celebration,
so that they may fulfill God's will in their daily lives.
2. The Biblical Basis of the Sacrament of the Eucharist
Old Testament
Exodus 16:4 Then the Lord said to Moses, I will now rain down
bread from heaven for you. Each day the people are to go out and
gather their daily portion; thus will I test them, to see whether
they follow my instructions or not.
Psalm 78:24 He rained manna upon them for food and gave them
heavenly bread.
New Testament
Christ promised after the multiplication of bread to give
His body to eat and his blood to drink when he said: “He who eats
my flesh and drinks my blood has life everlasting and I will raise
him up on the day. For my flesh is food indeed, and my blood is
drink indeed. He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood abides in
Me and in Him.” ( Jn 6:55-57).
Jesus said to them: “I solemnly assure you, it was not Moses who
gave you bread from the heavens; it is my Father who gives you
the real heavenly bread. God’s bread comes down from heaven
and gives life to the world.” “Sir, give us this bread always,” they
besought him. Jesus explained to them: “I myself am the bread of
life. No one who comes to me shall ever be hungry, no one who
believes in me shall ever thirst.” (John 6:32-35)
With the same love and concern, he gave his only Son, Jesus to be
the bread of life – the real shepherd who laid down his life for the
sheep, “that all men might have life and have it to the full.” (John
10:10)
Christ fulfilled his promise at the Last Supper, on HOLY Thursday
by: instituting the Holy Eucharist. “And having taken bread, He
gave thanks and broke the bread, gave it to them, saying: “ This is
my body, which is given up for you: Do this in remembrance of
me. In like manner He took also the cup after the last supper
saying: “This is the cup of the new covenant in My Blood which
shall be shed for you.” (Lk. 22:19).
Luke 22:14-10 Then, taking the bread and given thanks, He
broke the bread and gave it to them, saying: “This is my body to
be given up 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.”
1Cor. 11:26 Every time. Then, you eat this bread and drink this
cup, you proclaim the death of the Lord until he comes.
John 6:25-35, 51-58 Jesus spoke of Himself as “God’s bread that
comes from heaven and gives life to the world”(cf v. 33) He
pointed to Himself as bread in two ways:
1. bread of life (v. 35)
2. Living bread (v. 51)
These two phrases emphasize two aspects of who He is and of His
mission.
Bread of life is often understood in relation to Deuteronomy 8:2-
3: “And you shall remember all the way which the Lord your God
has led you these forty years in the wilderness. He let you hunger
and fed you with manna which you did not know… that he might
make you know that man does not live on bread alone but by
everything that proceeds out of the mouth of the Lord.”
In the light of this, bread refers to the “word of God” as source of
life. Jesus is the “the bread of Life” because He is the Word of
God spoke to man to fully make himself and his offer of life
known.
Living Bread (v. 51) speaks more directly of the Eucharist. Jesus
makes clear that the living or life life-giving bread is his own flesh,
his own body. In Hebrew, body (and blood) refers to the whole
PERSON (cf. CFC 1353).
Luke 22:7-8, 19-20 (and
parallels)
In Luke and the other
two synoptic gospels
(Mark and Matthew), the
meal aspect of the
Eucharist is clearly
brought out. In their
account of the Last
Supper, Jesus instituted
the Eucharist in a
Passover celebration where food and drink were taken, and words
of extraordinary significance were uttered (C. Lk 22:7, also Mt.
26:17, Mk, 14:12)
Luke 22:19-20 Then he took the bread, said the blessing, broke it,
and gave it to them, saying, This is my body, which will be given
for you; do this in memory of me." And likewise the cup after they
had eaten, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood,
which will be shed for you."
John 6:51 "I am the living bread which came down from heaven; if
anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread which
I shall give for the life of the world is my flesh."
I Corinthians 11:23-26 For I received from the Lord that which I
also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus in the night in which He
was betrayed took bread; and when He had given thanks, He
broke it and said, "This is My body, which is for you; do this in
remembrance of Me." In the same way He took the cup also after
supper, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in My blood; do this,
as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me." For as often as
you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's
death until He comes.
Jesus died once on the cross in sacrifice for our sins (Hebrews
9:25-28). But Jesus is present for all time, as he is the eternal Son
of God. What he did once in history also then exists for all
eternity. What happened in time goes beyond time. In the heart
of Jesus he is always giving himself to the Father for us, as he did
on the Cross. When we celebrate the Mass, the sacrifice of the
cross, that happened once in history but is present for all eternity,
that same reality is made present in mystery. 3
The bread and wine through Transubstantiation become the
Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus Christ, and we receive
the Real Presence of Jesus when we receive Holy Communion. Our
soul is nourished, helping us to become like Christ. The Eucharist
is the heart and source of community within the Church. Receiving
Holy Communion with others during the Mass brings unity of the
Church, the Body of Christ (I Corinthians 10:16-17).
The Holy Eucharist is;
The sacrament in which, under the appearances of bread and
wine, Christ offers Himself for us as our food, and stays with us.
A sacrament, that is, a sign and instrument of Christ’s
PRESENCE, of his SACRIFICE, and of our COMMUNION with God
and with one another.
In being such that Christ, in the Eucharist, is the source of life
for humanity, the BREAD OF LIFE.
Church Teachings on the Sacrament of the Eucharist
The most essential teachings of the Catholic Church on the
Eucharist based on Scripture are contained in Vatican II’s
Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy (Sacrosanctum, Concilium), 47
1. The Church teaching declares that the Eucharist has its
origin in Jesus. He establish the Last Supper, the night
before He died on the cross.
2. The Eucharist was entrusted by Christ to the Church.
3. The Eucharist is the memorial of Jesus’ sacrifice on the
cross. Memorial means recalling a past event (in the
Jewish and Christian sense); making present that past
event through a ritual celebration in order to continually
receive the benefits of that event.
4. As the sacrament of love, the Eucharist express the
fullness of love shown in Jesus’ total and unconditional
gift of Himself. It also calls and empowers those who
partake in it sot “love one another as he has loved
them.”
5. The Eucharist does not only commemorate and relive
the past but it also gives us a glimpse of the covenant
meal of God with his people at the end of time.
Vat. II Constitution of the Sacred Liturgy, Art. 2
For it is the Liturgy, especially the divine Eucharist Sacrifice that
the work of our redemption is exercised. (See Vat. II. Art. 47;48)
The central place of the Eucharist in Christian life has been
expressed in various ways:
The Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist is the summit and source of
the whole Christian life,” the climax of the process of Christian
initiation and the centerpiece of the seven ritual sacrament (LG,
11, CCC, 1324, CFC, 1302).
Indeed, for most Catholics “going to mass” is the most basic action
of Catholic worship, but few understands the richness and depth
of this sacrament. The Eucharist can be a very powerful force for
proclaiming the Good news of salvation, for building up
communities and transforming society if understood in its deepest
nature as the “Sacrament of love and bond of fraternal unity.”
3. THE EFFECTS OF THE HOLY EUCHARIST IN THE HUMAN SOUL
a. It preserves and increases sanctifying grace.
b. It deepens charity in the soul, thus uniting it more closely
to Christ and to the members of the mystical body.
c. It heals the soul of venial sins, remits temporal
punishment, and curbs evil tendencies.
d. It strengthens the soul to live virtuously.
e. It is a pledge of future glory.
4. REQUIREMENTS IN RECEIVING THE SACRAMENT OF HOLY
EUCHARIST
a. a person must be baptized.
b. He must be of the proper age to know the chief
truth of faith and who it is he receives.
c. He must be in the state of grace.
d. The CHURCH recommends at least one hour of
fasting. Another sign of reverence is to wear one’s
finest clothing—after all, we have a rendezvous
with the Lord of the world.
It would be a sacrilege to receive Holy
Communion, the all-Holy God into a
soul darkened with mortal sin. Venial
sins do not constitute an obstacle to
Communion, but attachment to them
does make one receive less grace.
Communion can be taken only once a
day; however, the Instruction of
worship of the Eucharist Mystery
decrees:
“We can receive Communion during
the Mass of the Easter Vigil, Lord’s
nativity, may receive Communion again at the second Paschal
Mass and at one of the Masses on Christmas Day. We must make
a good preparation and a good thanksgiving for it.”
How often must a Catholic Christian participate in the celebration
of the Eucharist?
A Catholic Christian is obliged to attend Holy Mass on all Sundays
and holy days of obligation. Anyone who is really seeking Jesus’
friendship responds as often as possible to Jesus’ personal
invitation to the feast.
HONORING CHRIST IN THE BLESSED SACRAMENT
A. Visiting Him often
B. Being respectful in Church
C. Greeting Him when passing by a church
D. Taking part in the Eucharistic devotions.