The Sacrament of

Eucharist
Eucharist
The Eucharist is the center of all celebrations in the
church. It is the highest form of prayer which makes use
united with God and to the members of the community.
It is a sacrament in which every member of the
community receives the body and blood of Christ in
appearance of bread and wine as nourishment of their
souls.
Christ instituted this sacrament in the last supper when
he said, “ This is my body which will given up for you.
This is my blood, the blood of the new
Eucharist
everlasting covenant..” through these words, Jesus is
offering himself as sacrifice in an unbloody manner to
the Father every time we celebrate the Eucharist.
Lastly, Christ commanded the church to do offering of
the Eucharist when He said, “ Do this in remembrance
of me” until his second coming.
The minister of the Eucharist
The only minister allowed to dispense this a validly
ordained priest. He is entitled to offer Mass both for
living and the dead.
The effects of the Eucharist
1. UNITY WITH CHRIST

the primary effect of Eucharist is the unity of the

recipient with Jesus in the communion. The model of
this union is the unity of the Son with the Father,
which we can find in John 6:57, “He who eats my flesh
and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him.”
The effects of the Eucharist
2.THE INCREASE AND PRESERVATION OF
SANTIFYING GRACE

the body and blood of Christ in the form of bread and

wine as food for our souls, increase the soul’s
supernatural life. St. Thomas Summa Theological
teaches that, “The Holy Eucharist is the richest source
of grace, for it is the sacrament which Christ Himself,
by whom alone grace comes to man.” (Sum. Th. III, 79)
The effects of the Eucharist
3.THE PROMISE OF PERFECT HAPPINESS AND
FUTURE RESURRECTION

the words of Christ in the gospel prove that we will

experience heavenly bliss and resurrection when he
said, “He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood will
have everlasting life; I will raise him in the last day.”
The Sublimity of the Eucharist over all other
Sacrament
St. Thomas Aquinas provided an explanation of the
sublimity of the Eucharist over all other sacraments:

1. In the Holy Eucharist, Christ is not merely a sign

of grace but contains within it the real source of grace
Himself in the form of bread and wine.
2. It is the Eucharist, which is the final object of all
other sacraments.
3.The rites of other sacraments are mostly
followed by the celebration of the Eucharist.
 Transubstantiation
Transubstantiation is the process of the
transformation of bread and wine into the body and
blood of Christ in the Eucharist. The words of
consecration uttered by the priest effect this change.
Thus, Christ in the form of bread and wine is not a
sign or symbol of his body and blood; it is the real and
actual body and blood of Christ.
 Four modes of God’s Presence in the
Eucharist
Community
- Jesus told his disciples, “When there are two or three
gathered together in my name, I am there in their
midst (Matthew 18:20).” Sunday is the day when
people converge to worship and praise God in the
sacrament of Eucharist.
 Four modes of God’s Presence in the
Eucharist
Minister
- The priest acts as “another Christ”, doing all the
actions of Christ in the sacrament of the Eucharist, as
the offerer and the one being offered as pleasing
sacrifice to God for the salvation of many.
Four modes of God’s Presence in the Eucharist
Bread and Wine
- We receive Jesus, Himself, in the form of bread and
wine in the Eucharist through Communion.

Word
- The readings in the celebration of the mass are the
words of God announcing the Gospel of Hope, Love,
and Salvation to all men.
 The Part of the Eucharist
 THE INTRODUCTORY RITES

- The rites preceding the Liturgy of the Word, namely the Entrance,
Greeting, Act of Penitence, Kyrie, Gloria, and Collect, have the
character of a beginning, introduction, and preparation. Their purpose
is to ensure that the faithful who come together as one establish
communion and dispose themselves to listen properly to God's word
and to celebrate the Eucharist worthily.
 The Act of Penitence
- Then the priest invites those present to take part in the Act of
Penitence, which, after a brief pause for silence, the entire community
carries out through a formula of general confession. The rite concludes
with the priest's absolution, which, however, lacks the efficacy of the
Sacrament of Penance.
 The Part of the Eucharist
 THE LITURGY OF THE WORD

- The main part of the Liturgy of the Word is made up of the readings
from Sacred Scripture together with the chants occurring between
them. The Homily, Profession of Faith, and Prayer of the Faithful,
however, develop and conclude this part of the Mass.
 The Scripture Readings
- The first reading is generally from the Old Testament. After the Old
Testament reading there is a "Responsorial Psalm." This is part of an
Old Testament Psalm, chosen because it voices the sentiments of
prayer we should express to God after hearing this first reading. There
is a striking similarity in mood and sentiment between the Old
Testament reading and the psalm which responds to it. The second
reading each Sunday is from the New Testament writings.
 The Part of the Eucharist
 The Homily

- The homily is part of the Liturgy and is strongly recommended, for it

is necessary for the nurturing of the Christian life.
 The Profession of Faith
- The purpose of the Symbolum or Profession of Faith, or Creed, is
that the whole gathered people may respond to the word of God
proclaimed in the readings taken from Sacred Scripture and explained
in the homily and that they may also call to mind and confess the great
mysteries of the faith by reciting the rule of faith in a formula approved
for liturgical use, before these mysteries are celebrated in the
Eucharist.
 The Part of the Eucharist
 The Prayer of the Faithful
In the Prayer of the Faithful, the people respond in a certain way to the
-
word of God which they have welcomed in faith and, exercising the office of
their baptismal priesthood, offer prayers to God for the salvation of all.
THE LITURGY OF THE EUCHARIST
- At the Last Supper Christ instituted the Paschal Sacrifice and banquet by
which the Sacrifice of the Cross is continuously made present in the Church
whenever the priest, representing Christ the Lord, carries out what the Lord
himself did and handed over to his disciples to be done in his memory. For
Christ took the bread and the chalice and gave thanks; he broke the bread
and gave it to his disciples, saying, "Take, eat, and drink: this is my Body;
this is the cup of my Blood. Do this in memory of me." Accordingly, the
Church has arranged the entire celebration of the Liturgy of the Eucharist
in parts corresponding to precisely these words and actions of Christ:
 The Part of the Eucharist
1. At the Preparation of the Gifts, the bread and the wine with water are
brought to the altar, the same elements that Christ took into his hands.
2. In the Eucharistic Prayer, thanks is given to God for the whole work of
salvation, and the offerings become the Body and Blood of Christ.
3. Through the Fraction and through Communion, the faithful, though
they are many, receive from the one bread the Lord's Body and from
the one chalice the Lord's Blood in the same way the Apostles received
them from Christ's own hands.
 The Eucharistic Prayer
- Now the center and summit of the entire celebration begins: namely,
the Eucharistic Prayer, that is, the prayer of thanksgiving and
sanctification. The Eucharistic Prayer demands that all listen to it with
reverence and in silence.
 The Part of the Eucharist
 The Communion Rite
- Since the Eucharistic Celebration is the Paschal Banquet, it is
desirable that in keeping with the Lord's command, his Body
and Blood should be received by the faithful who are properly
disposed as spiritual food. This is the sense of the fraction and
the other preparatory rites by which the faithful are led directly
to Communion.
 The Lord's Prayer
- In the Lord's Prayer a petition is made for daily food, which for
Christians means preeminently the eucharistic bread, and also
for purification from sin, so that what is holy may, in fact, be
given to those who are holy.
 The Part of the Eucharist
The Rite of Peace
- The Rite of Peace follows, by which the Church asks for peace and
unity for herself and for the whole human family, and the faithful
express to each other their ecclesial communion and mutual charity
before communicating in the Sacrament.
The Fraction
- The priest breaks the Eucharistic Bread, assisted, if the case calls
for it, by the deacon or a concelebrant. Christ's gesture of breaking
bread at the Last Supper, which gave the entire Eucharistic Action its
name in apostolic times, signifies that the many faithful are made
one body (1 Cor 10:17) by receiving Communion from the one Bread
of Life which is Christ, who died and rose for the salvation of the
world.
 The Part of the Eucharist
 Communion
- The priest prepares himself by a prayer, said quietly, that he may
fruitfully receive Christ's Body and Blood.
 THE CONCLUDING RITES
a. Brief announcements, if they are necessary;
b. The priest's greeting and blessing, which on certain days and
occasions is enriched and expressed in the prayer over the People or
another more solemn formula;
c. The dismissal of the people by the deacon or the priest, so that
each may go out to do good works, praising and blessing God;
d. The kissing of the altar by the priest and the deacon, followed by a
profound bow to the altar by the priest, the deacon, and the other
ministers.