Catholic ApologeticsThe Eucharist
Get them thinking
1) What are some beliefs that we have about the Eucharist?
2) What are some questions that we have about the Eucharist?
The Eucharist
The Catechism states: The Eucharist is "the source and summit of the Christian life. The other sacraments, and indeed all ecclesiastical ministries and works of the apostolate, are bound up with the Eucharist and are oriented toward it. For in the blessed Eucharist is contained the whole spiritual good of the Church, namely Christ himself, our Pasch." (CCC 1324)
"At the Last Supper, on the night he was betrayed, our Savior instituted the Eucharistic sacrifice of his Body and Blood. This he did in order to perpetuate the sacrifice of the cross throughout the ages until he should come again, and so to entrust to his beloved Spouse, the Church, a memorial of his death and resurrection: a sacrament of love, a sign of unity, a bond of charity, a Paschal banquet ‘in which Christ is consumed, the mind is filled with grace, and a pledge of future glory is given to us.” (CCC 1323)
So what is the Eucharist?
God miraculously changes ordinary bread and wine into the body and blood of Christ. It is a transformation of substance. The substance of bread and wine is changed into the substance of Christ’s living body and blood, while only the appearance of bread and wine remain…THIS TAKES FAITH!
Christ is both of the species or elements and is whole in both. This last until digestion or dissolve…so for a short while we are living tabernacles..do we act like it?
You must be in a state of grace to receive (no mortal sin) and this is why we have a penitential rite at the beginning of Mass (for venial sin, not mortal).
The Eucharist is a Sacrament in that it is an outward sign that reveals a divine reality. The Eucharist connects us to the life and death of Jesus Christ. During the celebration of the Eucharist, the community is brought into the presence of the divine and connects in a very physical way to the divine in their bodies, but also in their hearts and minds.
The Eucharist is a reflection of Sacrifice in that the bread is broken and the wine spilled in just the same way that Jesus’ body was broken and blood spilled on the cross for the sins of the world. During the celebration of the Eucharist, we come to the cross on Good Friday and remember (anamnesis) the sacrifice of Christ. In is through this participation in the sacrifice of Christ, that we are redeemed through him.
The Eucharist is a reflection of Meal in that the bread and wine are shared with all in just the same way that Christ sat with his disciples on Holy Thursday and shared in a holy meal. During the celebration of Eucharist, we come to the table and celebrate in a meal with Christ. We are nourished as a community with Christ and grow together in faith.
The Eucharist is a reflection of Presence by reminding us that Christ is ever with us. The story did not end at Jesus’ death, but rather he is alive and resurrected and ever present in this world. At the celebration of the Eucharist, as we receive Christ, we are sent forth into the world to be the hands and feet of Christ.
Real Presence
SCRIPTURE:
Read John 6: 35-69
This was a complicated and difficult teaching according to the text, but Jesus doesn’t try to change it or make it easier.
The Last Supper Discourse (Matt. 26: 26-30, Mark 14: 22-26, Luke 22: 14-20, and 1 Cor. 11: 23-26) “This is my body, this is my blood.”
HISTORY:
The Church has always taught for the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist.
Final Questions
1) How do you respond to the Eucharist?
2) Why did Jesus institute the Eucharist?
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