The Sacrament of the HOLY EUCHARIST

208 What is the Holy Eucharist?

Holy Eucharist is the →SACRAMENT in which Jesus Christ gives his Body and Blood—himself—for us, so that we too might give ourselves to him in love and be united with him in Holy→COMMUNION. In this way we are joined with the one Body of Christ, the →CHURCH. [cf CCC 1322, 1324, 1409, 1413]

After Baptism and →CONFIRMATION, the Eucharist is the third sacrament of initiation of the Catholic Church. The Eucharist is the mysterious center of all these sacraments, because the historic sacrifice of Jesus on the Cross is made present during the words of consecration in a hidden, unbloody manner.

Thus the celebration of the Eucharist is “the source and summit of the Christian life” (Second Vatican Council, Lumen gentium [LG], 11). Everything aims at this; besides this there is nothing greater that one could attain. When we eat the broken Bread, we unite ourselves with the love of Jesus, who gave his body for us on the wood of the Cross; when we drink from the chalice, we unite ourselves with him who even poured out his blood out of love for us. We did not invent this ritual. Jesus himself celebrated the Last Supper with his disciples and therein anticipated his death; he gave himself to his disciples under the signs of bread and wine and commanded them from then on, even after his death, to celebrate the →EUCHARIST. “Do this in remembrance of me” (1 Cor 11:24).

209 When did Christ institute the Eucharist?

Christ instituted the Holy →EUCHARIST on the evening before his death, “on the night when he was betrayed” (1 Cor 11:23), when he gathered the →APOSTLES around him in the Upper Room in Jerusalem and celebrated the Last Supper with them. [cf CCC 1323, 1337-1340]

210 How did Christ institute the Eucharist?

“For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, ‘This is my body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.’ In the same way also the chalice, after supper, saying, ‘This chalice is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me’ ” (1 Cor 11:23-25).

This, the oldest account of the events in the Upper Room at the Last Supper, is by the →APOSTLE Paul, who was not an eyewitness himself, but rather wrote down what was being preserved as a holy mystery by the young Christian community and was being celebrated in the liturgy.

211 How important is the Eucharist for the Church?

The celebration of the →EUCHARIST is the heart of the Christian communion. In it the →CHURCH becomes Church. [cf CCC 1325]

We are not Church because we get along well, or because we happen to end up in the same parish community, but rather because in the Eucharist we receive the Body of Christ and are increasingly being transformed into the Body of Christ.

212 What names are there for Jesus’ meal with us?

The different names indicate the unfathomable richness of this mystery: the Holy Sacrifice, Holy Mass, the Sacrifice of the Mass—the Lord’s Supper—the Breaking of Bread—the Eucharistic assembly—the memorial of the Lord’s Passion, death, and Resurrection—the Holy and Divine Liturgy, the Sacred Mysteries—Holy →COMMUNION. [cf CCC 1328-1332]

213 What elements are essential to a Holy Mass?

Every Holy Mass (celebration of the Eucharist) unfolds in two main parts, the Liturgy of the Word and the Liturgy of the Eucharist. [cf CCC 1346-1347]

In the Liturgy of the Word, we hear readings from the Old and →NEW TESTAMENT and also the Gospel. Besides that there is an opportunity for preaching and general intercessory prayers. In the subsequent Liturgy of the Eucharist, bread and wine are offered, consecrated, and distributed to the faithful at →COMMUNION.

214 How is the Mass structured?

Holy Mass begins with the gathering of the faithful and the entrance of the priest and the others who serve in the sanctuary (altar servers, lectors, cantors, and so on). After the greeting comes the Penitential Rite, which concludes with the →KYRIE. On Sundays (outside of Advent and Lent) and feast days, the →GLORIA is then sung or recited. The prayer of the day introduces one or two readings from the →OLD and →NEW TESTAMENT, followed by the responsorial psalm. Before the Gospel is read, there is an →ALLELUIA, or acclamation. After the proclamation of the Gospel on Sundays and feast days, the →PRIEST or →DEACON gives a→HOMILY at least on Sundays and feast days. Then, again only on Sundays and feast days, the congregation professes its common faith in the →CREED, followed by the intercessions. The second part of Holy Mass begins with the preparation of the gifts, which concludes with the Offertory prayer. The high point of the Eucharistic celebration is the Eucharistic Prayer, which is introduced by the Preface and the →SANCTUS. Now the gifts of bread and wine are transformed into the Body and Blood of Christ. The Eucharistic Prayer concludes, finally, in the →DOXOLOGY, which makes the transition to the Lord’s Prayer. Then comes the prayer for peace, the →AGNUS DEI, the breaking of the bread, and the distribution of the holy Gifts to the faithful, which often is done only under the form of the Body of Christ. Holy Mass ends with meditation, thanksgiving, a concluding prayer, and a blessing by the priest. [cf CCC 1348-1355]

215 Who leads the celebration of the Eucharist?

Actually Christ himself acts in every celebration of the Eucharist. The→BISHOP or the →PRIEST represents him. [cf CCC 1348]

It is the →CHURCH’S belief that the celebrant stands at the altar in persona Christi capitis (Latin = in the person of Christ, the Head). This means that priests do not merely act in Christ’s place or at his command; rather, on the basis of their ordination, Christ himself, as Head of the Church, acts through them.

216 In what way is Christ there when the Eucharist is celebrated?

Christ is mysteriously but really present in the →SACRAMENT of the →EUCHARIST. As often as the →CHURCH fulfills Jesus’ command, “Do this in remembrance of me” (1 Cor 11:24), breaks the bread and offers the chalice, the same thing takes place today that happened then: Christ truly gives himself for us, and we truly gain a share in him. The unique and unrepeatable sacrifice of Christ on the Cross is made present on the altar; the work of our redemption is accomplished. [cf CCC 1362-1367]

217 What happens in the Church when she celebrates the Eucharist?

Every time the Church celebrates the →EUCHARIST, she stands before the source from which she herself constantly springs anew. By “eating” the Body of Christ, the Church becomes the Body of Christ, which is just another name for the Church. In the sacrifice of Christ, who gives himself to us, body and soul, there is room for our whole life. We can unite everything—our work and our sufferings, our joys—with Christ’s sacrifice. If we offer ourselves in this way, we are transformed: We become pleasing to God and like good, nourishing bread for our fellowmen. [cf CCC 1368-1372, 1414]

Again and again we grumble about the →CHURCH, as though she were just an association of more or less good people. In reality the Church is what happens daily in a mysterious way at the altar. God gives himself to each one of us individually, and he wants to transform us through →COMMUNION with him. Once we are transformed, we are supposed to transform the world. Everything else that the Church is besides that is secondary.

218 What is the right way to honor the Lord present in the bread and wine?

Because God is truly present in the consecrated species of bread and wine, we must preserve the sacred gifts with the greatest reverence and worship our Lord and Redeemer in the Most Blessed Sacrament. [cf CCC 1378-1381, 1418]

If there are consecrated hosts left over after the celebration of Holy →EUCHARIST, they are kept in sacred vessels in the tabernacle. Since the Most Blessed Sacrament is present in them, the→TABERNACLE is one of the most venerable places in every church. We genuflect before any tabernacle. Certainly, anyone who is really following Christ will recognize him in the poorest of the poor and serve him in them. But he will also find time to spend in adoration before the tabernacle and offer his love to our Eucharistic Lord.

219 How often must a Catholic Christian participate in the celebration of the Eucharist?

A Catholic Christian is obliged to attend Holy Mass on all Sundays and holy days of obligation. Anyone who is really seeking Jesus’ friendship responds as often as possible to Jesus’ personal invitation to the feast. [cf CCC 1389, 1417]

Actually, for a genuine Christian, “Sunday duty” is just as inappropriate an expression as “kiss duty” would be for someone who was truly in love. No one can have a living relationship with Christ without going to the place where he is waiting for us. Therefore, from ancient times the celebration of Mass has been the “heart of Sunday” and the most important appointment in the week.

220 What sort of preparation do I need in order to receive Holy Eucharist?

Someone who would like to receive Holy →EUCHARIST must be Catholic. If he has a serious sin on his conscience, he must first make a confession. Before approaching the altar, one should be reconciled with his neighbors. [cf CCC 1389, 1417]

Until a few years ago, the practice was to eat nothing for at least three hours before Mass; that was how people prepared to encounter Christ in Holy →COMMUNION. Today the →CHURCH recommends at least one hour of fasting. Another sign of reverence is to wear one’s finest clothing—after all, we have a rendezvous with the Lord of the world.

221 How does Holy Communion change me?

Every Holy →COMMUNION unites me more deeply with Christ, makes me a living member of the Body of Christ, renews the graces that I received in Baptism and →CONFIRMATION, and fortifies me for the battle against sin. [cf CCC 1391-1397, 1416]

222 May the Eucharist be administered to non-Catholic Christians also?

Holy →COMMUNION is the expression of the unity of the Body of Christ. To belong to the Catholic →CHURCH, one must be baptized in her, share her faith, and live in union with her. It would be a contradiction if the Church were to invite to Communion people who do not (yet) share the faith and life of the Church. It would damage the credibility of the sign of the→EUCHARIST. [cf CCC 1398-1401]

Individual Orthodox Christians may ask to receive Holy Communion at a Catholic liturgy, because they share the Eucharistic faith of the Catholic Church, although their Church is not yet in full communion with the Catholic Church. In the case of members of other Christian “ecclesial communities” or denominations, Holy Communion may be administered to an individual if there is a grave necessity and evidence of faith in the Real Presence in the Eucharist. Joint celebrations of the Eucharist / Lord’s Supper by Catholics and Protestants are the goal and the wish of all ecumenical efforts; to anticipate them, however, without having established the reality of the Body of Christ in one faith and in the one Church is dishonest and therefore not allowed. Other ecumenical liturgies, in which Christians of various denominations pray together, are good and are also desired by the Catholic Church.

223 In what way is the Holy Eucharist an anticipation of eternal life?

Jesus promised his disciples, and us with them, that we will one day sit at table with him. Therefore every Holy Mass is a “memorial of the blessed Passion” (Eucharistic Prayer I, called the Roman Canon), the fullness of grace, and a pledge of future glory.[cf CCC 1402-1405]