-
-
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.”
(Luke 22:19-20)
The Eucharist is the source and summit of the Christian life. The term “Eucharist” originates from the Greek word eucharistia, ευχαριστία, meaning thanksgiving.In the celebration of the Eucharist, bread and wine become the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit and the instrumentality of the priest. The whole Christ is truly present — body, blood, soul, and divinity — under the appearances of bread and wine, the glorified Christ who rose from the dead. This is what the Church means when she speaks of the “Real Presence” of Christ in the Eucharist.
The Lord Jesus, on the night before He suffered on the cross, shared one last meal with His disciples. During this meal, our Savior instituted the sacrament of his Body and Blood. He shared this meal in order to perpetuate the sacrifice of the Cross throughout the ages, and to entrust to the Church, His Spouse, a memorial of His death and resurrection. As the Gospel of Matthew tells us:While they were eating, Jesus took bread, said the blessing, broke it, and giving it to his disciples said, “Take and eat; this is my body.” Then he took a cup, gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you, for this is my blood of the covenant, which will be shed on behalf of many for the forgiveness of sins.” (Matthew 26:26-28; cf. Mark 14:22-24, Luke 22:17-20, 1 Corinthians 11:23-25)
Recalling these words of Jesus, the Catholic Church professes that, in the celebration of the Eucharist, bread and wine become the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ, through the power of the Holy Spirit and the instrumentality of the priest. Jesus said: “I am the living bread that came down from heaven; whoever eats this bread will live forever, and the bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world.... For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink” (John 6:51-55). The whole Christ is truly present, body, blood, soul, and divinity, under the appearances of bread and wine—the glorified Christ who rose from the dead after dying for our sins. This is what the Church means when she speaks of the “Real Presence” of Christ in the Eucharist. This presence of Christ in the Eucharist is called “real” not to exclude other types of his presence as if they could not be understood as real (cf. Catechism of the Catholic Church, §1374). The risen Christ is present to his Church in many ways, but most especially through the sacrament of his Body and Blood.
*Taken from the USCCB Website*
-
-
-
Preparation
If you feel called to enter into Full Communion with the Catholic Church and receive Jesus in Holy Communion, please contact our Pastoral Associate, Amy LaMartina at the office (412)-755-2046 or by email at [email protected]
If you are Catholic and want to better understand how to properly dispose yourself to receive Holy Communion, please click on the link to the right.
-