What is The Eucharist?

The Sacrament of the Eucharist is especially important to initiation in Catholicism as it allows a Catholic to grow a stronger connection with Jesus and God. By this Catholic having the Sacrament of the Eucharist they are connected and joined with Jesus as when they consume the bread and wine they contain Jesus’ presence being his body and blood. The Sacrament of the Eucharist is the way in which Jesus is remembered and remains in our souls. When bringing a person into the Catholic faith and initiating them it is important to make them part of the one Body of Christ, this is done by allowing them to have the Eucharist and consuming Jesus’ body and

The Eucharist is for people in modern times to commemorate Jesus' life. The earliest written gospel of the "Eucharista" meaning 'thanksgiving' in Greek is located in the First Epistle to the Corinthians around 55 AD in which Paul wrote to the apostles " eating the bread and drinking the cup of the lord by all and celebrating what is named the supper of the lord". This historical

The Eucharist or communion has been celebrated for over 2000 years in the church; however, the frequency of the practice varies greatly across churches. For example, the non-denominational church that I grew up in, celebrated communion every Sunday with consistency and the focal point of each service. (It was so routine I could quote what was going to be said.) Now, I am part of a church that celebrates communion once per month as a conclusion to the sermon. Another major difference between the two churches is who is welcome to participate in communion. For instance, my first church greatly expressed that only those who profess Christ could partake and must not receive communion in an unworthy. Evidently, the church’s view of Atonement (Penal Substitution) influenced a memorial view of communion. Also, the leader’s interpretation of 1 Corinthians 11:29 influenced this approach to communion. As our weekly reading pointed out, “Most who take the Memorial View do not have a place for grace in their theology beyond salvation” (Peterson 3). Therefore, during

Communion, or Eucharist, whereby Jesus is believed to award communion by way of himself *

Communion is the second sacraments of initiation. After receiving first communion the sacrament becomes open to do every time we go to church. St Paul’s, written between 40 and 64 AD, speak of the festivity of the Eucharist and its origins in Jesus’ words and action at the last supper. “Take now and eat for this is my body” “Take this and drink for this is my

One of the main themes of the service was based around the divine liturgy, which is the considered the primary worship of the church. The Devine Liturgy is read by a combination of the priest, bishop, choir, and the church community. It is from the liturgy that the offerings of the bread and wine come from along with other prayers. It teaches that the bread and the wine “truly become the body and blood if Jesus Christ” (Sorensen). The priest, or the deacon is the ones that prepare the Eucharist, also known as the “ritual meal of bread and wine” (“Orthodox Churches" 233) as “the body and blood of Christ” (“Orthodox Churches" 233). They combine both the bread and the wine and bless these gifts to become one. They are then put into a chalice, and fed to the community through a golden spoon. While observing the taking of communion I noticed that a red cloth was held under the gold cup by acolytes, which are “altar boys who assist the adult officiants” (“Orthodox Churches" 231). The community puts their hands behind their back while taking communion so that they do not touch the gift or the priest. It is also during the time of communion that the community honors the “painted or mosaic” (“On Common Ground: World Religions in America” ) saints that are used as icons throughout the church. It was during the honoring of

But here in the ordinance of the Lord’s house, first the washing of the feet, and then the partaking of the bread and wine, we have the greatest memorial in all history.” God has given such memorials as the rainbow and Passover to help His believers remember important events. The Passover as you may remember memorialized Israel’s deliverance from Egypt which was symbolized through the blood of the lambs on the door post. The rainbow symbolizes God promise that He will not destroy the Earth with floods again. It is a sign of a new beginning. The Lord’s Supper is a memorial of Jesus’ death which provided our deliverance from the bondage of sin. Jesus told His disciples “Do this in remembrance of me.” Observing this ordinance should make us more appreciative of the relationship we have with Christ because it will remind us about what Jesus has done and continues to do for us.

The bread and wine prepared for communion symbolically turn into the body and blood of Jesus Christ during the consecration rite of the Catholic mass. The consecration reminds believers of what Jesus Christ did to his disciples during 'The Last Supper.'

The article Johnathan Edwards and the Closing of the Table is based upon Edwards’ view of the practice of the Eucharist (Holy Communion). Crisp argues within hist article that Johnathan Edwards’ beliefs should be studied and “offer a challenge to contemporary theologians to think about these matters more organically (Crisp, 49).” Crisp gives an analysis of Johnathan Edwards’ beliefs on communion, the process, and the requirements to obtain communion. He states that Edwards’ believed that there had to be a confession of faith included with the communion service, and that only when they gave an outward piece of evidence that they were converted from their sins that they should and could obtain communion (Crisp, 55).

The Last Supper (found in gospels Matthew, Mark and Luke) is the final meal that jesus shared with his disciples before his crucifixion. The Last supper was presented like a passover meal, traditional hymns were sung, and traditional prayers were spoken as Jesus passed around the matzot (passover bread). Among these Jewish traditions Jesus added the words while breaking the bread “This is my Body, which will be given up for you” and while passing around the wine Jesus said “This is my blood, which will be poured out for you”. From these words and actions, stems the creation of the Eucharist that we know today. In the view of the passover, Jesus became the sacrificial lamb, his blood covered the wood of his crucifix just as the sacrificial

Receiving the Eucharist is one of the most important things we can do as a catholic. Holy Communion is the most important of all the sacraments. It completes the Sacraments of Initiation. The bread and wine we receive at communion is the body and blood of Jesus. It becomes the bread and body of Jesus through Transubstantiation. Transubstantiation is the conversion of the substance of the Eucharistic elements into the body and blood of Christ at consecration, only the appearances of bread and wine still remain. We participate in the sacrament of communion to commemorate all that Jesus did for us and getting nailed to a cross so we can be free from sin and have eternal life in heaven.

Two practices important to Christian worship usually take place in churches. These practices are (1) baptism and (2) the Eucharist, also called Holy Communion or the Lord's Supper. The ceremony of baptism celebrates an individual's entrance into Christianity. The Eucharist represents the Last Supper, the final meal that Jesus shared with His disciples. Worshipers share bread and wine in the Eucharist as a sign of their unity with each other and with Jesus.

When considering the topic of Mystagogy and the Church’s understanding of the subject it is important to recognize the complete picture, the scope of what is covered. Looking quite literally at Mystagogy, and perhaps a common view held by most, it is very simply the final of four stages in the RCIA process of bringing believers into the Church. However, the context of this paper will focus at a more in depth look at the nature of Mystagogy and its essential relationship to the liturgical life of the Church. In doing this I will also show the relationship between Mystagogy and exegesis, the sacraments as mysteries and the vital place of narrationes in Mystagogy. Before an attempt to delve

The Communion Christians have always regarded the Holy Communion as being one very important element towards achieving discipleship since the very beginning. However, the question in every Christian’s mind is “what are we doing?” it is, therefore, important to discuss what the holy communion means about theology. The Holy Communion has several names given to it. Among them are: the Eucharist, the Lord’s Supper, Divine Liturgy, and the Mass. Inside the New Testament, there are also varying details given there concerning what entails the Holy Communion on accounts given by Christ himself.[1] The Holy Communion does not compare to Baptism which is another sacrament that is non-repeatable. It is repeatable to some certain degrees as it can be done on a daily basis such as those performed by the Catholic Church. In other instances, it can be conducted on a much infrequent celebration such as the ones that happen in Reformed Churches. Referring to Baptism, there are differences in the practice and its significance, and sometimes the understanding of what it means to be baptized. This has gone ahead to become e a hindrance to churches having a common celebration, but at the same time, there is some spiritual benefit that accrues to the people that partake in it. In the same way, the Eucharist possess the same characteristics. Nature of the Union of Christ and Church The Holy Communion is not just a matter of people ingathering in unity. The purpose of having the communion is so

God sacrificed his son, Jesus, for the good of all people and so that they too would depart from the slavery and the submission to sins and wrongdoings, in order to enter into a pure state of forgiveness and freedom. This is the key reason why Christians, of all branches, hold a great importance to Holy Communion, which remembers Christ’s sacrifice to them, which frees them of their sins up till this day. Even though, most, if not all Christian denominations agree about the origins of such a ritual, they now have different opinions about how the service is conducted. The Roman Catholic Church believes in the idea of transubstantiation, which is the belief that the bread and wine that they consume at the Eucharist meal, has over the years, mystically transformed into Jesus’ real body and blood.