Catholic Sacraments: Eucharist

The Eucharist is a rite that Catholics perform in fulfillment of Jesus' instructions in memory of the Last Supper. The event happens at masses when the blood of Christ as wine and the body of Christ as bread is presented. When presented at church, it is believed in the Catholic faith to be the actual blood and body of Christ. It is one of the seven sacraments in the Catholic faith. It is also know as the commemoration of the paschal mystery.

The Eucharist is understood to be not simply a representation of Christ's presence, or a remembrance of his passion and death, but an actual participation in the sacrifice of Christ, the manifestation, in the present, of an event that occurred once for all in time. The priest is acting in the person of Christ. When the bread and wine are consecrated in the Eucharist, they seize to be just bread and wine. They become the body and blood of Christ. The bread here is also called the host.

The Eucharist is given to Catholics during Mass. This giving of the Eucharist is called Holy Communion. It can be held on occasion on a monstrance. This is a decorative holding piece for the host. After the celebration of Mass they are put into a tabernacle. This is so they could be given to the sick and dying and so that the Eucharistic presence may be worshipped.

This sacrament is known as the Blessed Sacrament. The sacrament of Eucharist is one that is considered among many Catholics to be the most important. It brings the church together. It also represents the table fellowship of the Christ at the Last Supper and the early table fellowship of Christians. Early Christians gathered together at a person's house to celebrate and worship Christ. At these services everyone brought a contribution to a meal. The people gathered and had a full meal like in the Last Supper. It ended up breaking down a lot of the time into just eating and drinking and no praising of the Lord. This led to the regulation of the Eucharist. People did not like this and it was dropped by the Church between the 6th and 8th centuries. This was all known as the Agape feast. It was the Eucharistic celebration of early Christians.

The Holy Eucharist is taught to be a number of things. It is meant to be the Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Jesus Christ. This is referred to as transubstantiation. The transformation of the bread and wine into the Blood, Body, Divinity, and Soul of Jesus is when the priest says "This is My Body" and "This is My Blood". When the blood and body of Christ are accepted, the person is supposed to receive grace and all venial sin. It gives eternal life to those who receive it. The Eucharistic Minister distributes the bread and wine. The people attending Mass line up to receive Communion. They receive the bread and bow. They then proceed to the wine which is usually held in a chalice. They take a drink, the cup is wiped, and they are supposed to say amen. Sometimes people take liberty with this and say something else or make another gesture.

The Eucharist is basically the celebration of Christ, table fellowship, community, and the grace of God. The Holy Communion is delivered and the blood and body of Christ is consumed. Christ is present during this rite. Everyone has a strong sense of community and how it felt to be at an event like the Last Supper, which is represented in Communion.