Eucharist
Eucharist is the central rite of the Catholic religion, in which bread and wine are consecrated by an ordained minister. The Eucharist is then consumed by members of the congregation, in obedience to Jesus' command at the Last Supper, "Do this in remembrance of me."(Luke 22:20) In the Orthodox and Roman Catholic, Anglican, Lutheran, and many other churches, the Eucharist is regarded as a sacrament and a sacrifice, which both symbolizes and strengthens the union of Christ with His faithful followers. Despite changes in the church and rites, the Eucharist has also always the source and summit of all Christian life.
The church acknowledges that "the Eucharist is a sacrifice because it re-presents (makes present) the Sacrifice of the Cross" (CCC, no. 1366). His Holiness Pope John Paul II wrote in his Dominicae Cenae letter that “The Eucharist is above all else a sacrifice.” Since the first century, the Eucharist has been celebrated at mass, namely as a sacrifice. The Eucharist is a true sacrifice “because in the Mass the same Jesus Christ who offered Himself on Calvary now offers Himself on the altar.” However, this newfound method of sacrifice, at the altar, is a lot more civilized than the original crucifixion. His followers instead consume Jesus, allowing Gods love and power to be conveyed to us though Jesus sacrifices, so that it can nurture and nourish our souls. This weekly consumption of the Eucharist also reinvigorates our souls, strengthens and stimulates our minds to be more like Christ in our day-to-day life. More importantly, the consumption of Eucharist opens a door in our hearts so that Christ can become one with us, allowing for us to one day achieve salvation.
A sacrament is “a Rite in which God is uniquely active.” St. Augustine of Hippo defined a Christian sacrament as “a visible sign of an invisible reality.” The first three sacraments, Baptism, Confirmation and the Eucharist, are referred to as the sacraments of...
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