Holy Eucharist

HOLY EUCHARIST

The Holy Eucharist is the sacrifice of the Body and the Blood of Jesus Christ instituted by Jesus himself. It is the central act of Catholic worship. It is a prayer of thanksgiving and a celebration of the memorial of Christ’s sacrifice.

At the Last Supper, “Jesus took bread in his hands. He broke it and gave it to them saying, “Take this and eat it, all of you, this is my Body which will be given up for you.”

Then, he took the cup of wine in his hands and said, “Take this is the cup of my Blood, the Blood of the new and everlasting covenant. It will be shed for you and for all so that sins may be forgiven. Do this in memory of me.”

He offered himself both as a Priest and the Victim

As Priest, he offered the sacrifice of himself on the Cross in expiation of our sins. As victim it is his own personal self-emptying totally surrendering to the will of the Father which makes him the most acceptable offering before God.

He gave of himself: He gifted himself to the Church and entrusted the Church to celebrate this in his memory for the forgiveness of our sins.

Jesus instituted the Holy Eucharist at the Last Supper, The Holy Thursday, in the context of his betrayal, in the midst of his humiliation, suffering, and anticipated ignominious death on the Cross. St. Paul says: “the night when he was betrayed” (1 Corinthians 11:23).

As the hymn says: It is a sign of unity, a bond of charity, a paschal banquet, in which Christ is consumed, the mind is filled with grace, and a pledge of future glory is given to us.

The Eucharist is the life of the Church

It is the source and summit of all Christian life. In the Eucharist, the sanctifying action of God in our regard and our worship of him reach their high point. It contains the whole spiritual good of the Church, Christ himself, our Pasch. Communion with divine life and the unity of the people of God are both expressed and effected by the Eucharist. Through the Eucharistic celebration we are united already with the liturgy of heaven and we have a foretaste of eternal life. (Compendium: Catechism of the Catholic Church No. 274)

Various other names for this sacrament

The unfathomable richness of this sacrament is expressed in different names which evoke its various aspects. The most common names are: the Eucharist, Holy Mass, the Lord’s Supper, the Breaking of the Bread, the Eucharistic Celebration, the Memorial of the Passion, death and Resurrection of the Lord, the Holy Sacrifice, the Holy and Divine Liturgy, the Sacred Mysteries, the Most Holy Sacrament of the Altar, and Holy Communion. (Compendium: Catechism of the Catholic Church No. 275)

The Eucharist and the divine plan of salvation

The Eucharist was foreshadowed in the Old Covenant above all in the annual Passover meal celebrated every year by the Jews with unleavened bread to commemorate their hasty, liberation departure from Egypt. Jesus foretold it in his teaching and he instituted it when he celebrated the Last Supper with his Apostles in a Passover meal. The Church, faithful to the command of her Lord, “ Do this in memory of me” (1 Corinthians 11:24), has always celebrated the Eucharist, especially on Sunday, the day of the Resurrection of Jesus. (Compendium: Catechism of the Catholic Church No. 276)

The Composite Structure of the Celebration of the Eucharist:

The Catholic Church in complete fidelity to the command of Jesus celebrates the Eucharist with two indispensable elements of sacrifice and sacrament. It is one single act of worship but has two parts instituted into one unit. We have Liturgy of the Word and the Liturgy of the Eucharist.

The Liturgy of the Word consists of proclaiming and listening to the Word of God. The liturgy of the Eucharist appends the presentation of the bread and wine, the prayer or the anaphora containing the words of consecration, and communion.

Minister for the celebration of the Eucharist?

The celebrant of the Eucharist is a validly ordained priest (bishop or priest) who acts in the Person of Christ, the Head and in the name of the Church. (Compendium: Catechism of the Catholic Church No. 278)

The Essential Elements for the Celebration of the Eucharist

In the language of sacramental theology it is necessary to have matter and form for every sacrament. With reference to the Holy Eucharist, the essential elements that serve as matter and form is bread and wine, a validly ordained priest and the words of institution or consecration.

A priest consecrates bread and wine. At the words of consecration, Jesus becomes present, whole and entire in these elements, turning this bread or hosts into His own body and the wine into his blood. Jesus now present nourishes His community.

The Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist

Jesus Christ is present in the Eucharist in a Unique and incomparable way. He is present in a true, real and substantial way, with his Body and his Blood, with his Soul and his Divinity. In the Eucharist, therefore, there (He) is present in a sacramental way, that is, under the Eucharistic species of bread and wine, Christ whole and entire, God and Man. (Compendium: Catechism of the Catholic Church No. 282)

What is the meaning of Transubstantiation?

Transubstantiation means the change of the whole substance of bread into the substance of the Body of Christ and of the whole substance of wine into the substance of his Blood. This change is brought about in the Eucharistic prayer through the efficacy of the words of Christ and by the action of the Holy Spirit. However, the outward characteristic of bread and wine, that is the “Eucharistic species,” remain unaltered.
(Compendium: Catechism of the Catholic Church No. 283)

St. Thomas Aquinas captures in his hymn ‘Tantum Ergo Sacramento” the helpless inability of our human senses to fathom such a great wonder of the mystery of His Presence which surpasses all former rites of worship. Let us grasp through our faith’s consent.

The Eucharist is a memorial of the sacrifice of Christ

The Eucharist is a memorial in the sense that It makes present and actual the sacrifice which Christ offered to the Father on the cross, once and for all on behalf of mankind. The sacrificial character of the Holy Eucharist is manifested in the very words of institution, “This is my body which is given to you” and “This cup is the New Covenant in my Blood that will be shed for you” (Lk 22:19-20).

The sacrifice on the cross and the sacrifice of the Eucharist are one and the same sacrifice. The priest and the victim are the same; only the manner of offering is different: in a bloody manner on the cross, in an unbloody manner in the Eucharist. (Compendium: Catechism of the Catholic Church No. 280)

The whole Church participates in the Eucharistic sacrifice

In the Eucharist the sacrifice of Christ becomes also the sacrifice of the members of his body. The lives of the faithful, their praise, their suffering, their prayers, their work, are united to those of Christ. In as much as it is a sacrifice, the Eucharist is likewise offered for all the faithful, living and dead, in reparation for the sins of all and to obtain spiritual and temporal benefits from God. The Church in heaven is also united to the offering of Christ. (Compendium: Catechism of the Catholic Church No. 281)

What kind of worship is due to the sacrament of the Eucharist?

The worship due to the sacrament of the Eucharist, whether during the celebration of the Mass or outside it, is the worship of latria, that is, the adoration given to God alone.

The Church guards with the greatest care Hosts that have been consecrated.

She brings them to the sick and to other persons who find it impossible to participate at Mass.

She also presents them for the solemn adoration of the faithful and she bears them in processions.

The Church encourages the faithful to make frequent visits to adore the Blessed Sacrament reserved in the tabernacle. (Compendium: Catechism of the Catholic Church No. 286)

Holy Eucharist is the paschal banquet

The Holy Eucharist is the paschal banquet in as much as Christ sacramentally makes present his Passover and gives us his Body and Blood, offered as food and drink, uniting us to himself and to one another in his sacrifice.

What is the meaning of the altar?

The altar is the symbol of Christ himself who is present both as sacrificial victim (the altar of the sacrifice) and as food from heaven which is given to us (the table of the Lord). (Compendium: Catechism of the Catholic Church No. 288)

When does the Church oblige her members to participate at Holy Mass?

The Church obliges the faithful to participate at Holy Mass every Sunday and on holy days of obligation. She recommends participation at Holy Mass on other days as well.

When must one receive Holy Communion?

The Church recommends that the faithful, if they have the required dispositions, receive Holy Communion whenever they participate at Holy Mass. However, the Church obliges them to receive Holy Communion at least once a year during the Easter season. (Compendium: Catechism of the Catholic Church No. 290)

What is required to receive Holy Communion?

fully incorporated into the Catholic Church and be
In the state of grace, that is, not conscious of being in mortal sin. Anyone who is conscious of having committed a grave sin must first receive the sacrament of Reconciliation before going to Communion. Also important for those receiving Holy Communion are that they be
In a spirit of recollection and prayer
In observance of the fast prescribed by the Church
In an appropriate disposition of the body (gestures and dress) as a sign of respect for Christ. (Compendium: Catechism of the Catholic Church No. 291)

Dedication to Jesus

Lord Jesus Christ, take all my freedom,
my memory, my understanding, and my will.
All that I have and cherish you have given me.
I surrender it all
to be guided by your will.
Your love and your grace are wealth enough for me.
Give me these, Lord Jesus,
and I ask for nothing more. Amen.

Receiving Holy Communion

Anima Christi

Soul of Christ, sanctify me;
Body of Christ, save me;
Blood of Christ, inebriate me;
Water from the side of Christ, Wash me;
passion of Christ, strengthen me;
O good Jesus, hear me;
Within your Wounds hide me;
Separated from you, let me never be;
From the evil one protect me;
at the hour of my death, call me;
And close to you bid me;
That with your Saints, I may be praising you forever and Ever. Amen.

Guidelines for the Reception of Holy Communion

For Catholics:

As Catholics, we fully participate in the celebration of the Eucharist when we receive Holy Communion. We are encouraged to receive Communion; participants should not be conscious of any grave sin and normally should have fasted for one hour. A person who is conscious of a grave sin should not receive the Body and Blood of the Lord without prior sacramental confession except for a grave reason where there is no opportunity for confession. In this case, the person is to be mindful of the obligation to make an act of perfect contrition, including the intention of confessing as soon as possible (Code of Canon Law, canon 916). A frequent reception of the sacrament of Penance is encouraged for all.

For our fellow Christians:

We welcome our fellow Christians to this celebration of the Eucharist as our brothers and sisters. We pray that our common baptism and the action of the Holy Spirit in this Eucharist will draw us closer to one another and begin to dispel the sad divisions which separate us. We pray that these will lessen and finally disappear, in keeping with Christ’s prayer for us “that they may all be one” (john 17:21).

Because Catholics believe that the celebration of the Eucharist is a sign of the reality of the oneness of faith, life, and worship, members of those churches with whom we are not yet fully united are ordinarily not admitted to Holy Communion. Eucharistic sharing in exceptional circumstances by other Christians requires permission according to the directives of the diocesan bishop and the provisions of canon law (canon 844 § 4). Members of the Orthodox Churches, the Assyrian Church of the East, and the Polish National Catholic Church are urged to respect the discipline of their own Churches. According to Roman Catholic discipline, the Code of Canon Law does not object to the reception of communion by Christians of these Churches (canon 844 § 3).

For those not receiving Holy Communion:

All who are not receiving Holy Communion are encouraged to express in their hearts a prayerful desire for unity with the Lord Jesus and with one another.

For non-Christians:

We also welcome to this celebration those who do not share our faith in Jesus Christ. While we cannot admit them to Holy Communion, we ask them to offer their prayers for the peace and the unity of the human family.

Normas para la Recepcion de la Eucaristia

Para Católicos:

Los católicos participamos plenamente en la celebración de la Eucaristía cuando recibimos la sagrada comunión. Se nos anima a recibirla frecuentemente y con devoción.

Para estar debidamente preparados para recibir la Eucaristía, los fieles

no deben haber cometido pecado grave y
deben haber ayunado por una hora antes de comulgar.
Quien no haya cometido pecado grave desde su última confesión. Los quien haya cometido pecado no debe recibir el Cuerpo y la Sangre del Señor sin antes haberse confesado con un sacerdote, excepto en situaciones extremas cuando no hay oportunidad de confesarse. En tal caso, los fieles
deben estar conscientes de la obligación de hacer un Acto de contrición perfecta con la intención de confesarse lo más pronto posible (Derecho Canónico, artículo 916.) Se anima a los fieles a recibir el sacramento de la Penitencia con frecuencia.

Para los Cristianos no Católicos:

Damos la bienvenida a todos los cristianos, como a nuestros hermanos y hermanas, a esta celebración de la Eucaristía. Rogamos para que nuestro bautismo común y el Espíritu Santo nos unan unos a otros en esta Eucaristía y que comiencen a disiparse las lamentables divisiones que nos separan. Siguiendo la oración del Señor “que todos sean uno” (Juan 17,21), rogamos para que estas divisiones sean aminoradas y finalmente desaparezcan. Los católicos creemos que la celebración Eucarística es una señal de unidad en la fe, la vida y el culto. A los miembros de iglesias con las cuales no estamos plenamente unidos, por lo general no se les invita a comulgar. Para compartir la Eucaristía en situaciones excepcionales, con cristianos no católicos, se necesita obtener el permiso del obispo diocesano según las provisiones del articulo 844 § 4 del Derecho Canónico. Les instamos a los miembros de las iglesias Ortodoxas, de la Iglesia Asiria de Oriente, y de la Iglesia Nacional Católica Polaca, a que respeten las normas de sus propias iglesias. Según la norma Cristianos de estas iglesias: (Codigo Canonico, articulo 844 No. 3)

Para las Personas que no Comulgan:

A todos los que no comulgan, les invitamos: a expresar en su corazón el deseo de unidad con Jesucristo y con los demás

Para los que no son Cristianos:

Damos la bienvenida a todos los que no comparten nuestra fe en Jesucristo. Aun cuando no podemos invitarles a la sagrada Comunión, pedimos sus oraciones por la paz y la unidad de la familia humana.