Eucharist: A Union with Christ
As the third Sacrament of Initiation, the Eucharist is absolutely central to the Church's liturgy, for it is concerned with the Body of Christ, the source of the Church's entire spiritual good.
The Church teaches that the Eucharist is both the outward sign of and the cause of all Catholics' communion in the divine life and with each other. It is the central means by which Christ sanctifies the world, and by which men worship Christ, God the Father, and God the Holy Spirit.
The word
Bread and wine are the outward signs of the sacrament of the Eucharist; at the Last Supper, these are what Jesus blessed and gave to his disciples in memory of him. As Jesus proclaimed, the wine he offered was his blood; the bread, his body. The Catholic Church teaches that in a mystical way, the sacramental bread and wine become the Body and Blood of Christ during the ceremony of the Eucharist.
The Church believes that the bread and wine are actually converted into the Body and Blood of Christ, in a process called transubstantiation. Because of the real presence of Christ, the Eucharist is venerated, not only during Mass, but also outside of it. The consecrated hosts are treated with the utmost care. They are stored in a tabernacle, which is kept in a prominent place, usually near the altar.
Bread and wine are symbols that hearken back to the Old Testament. Bread and wine represented the first fruits of the earth and were used as sacrificial offerings in the Temple. Unleavened bread commemorates the bread that the Israelites ate on the eve of their flight from Egypt and the manna that fell for them in the desert. The wine is reminiscent of the Cup of Blessing at the end of a Passover meal.
By leaving this sacrament of his own Body and Blood, Jesus was able to forever remain with his disciples. The continual practice of this tradition is a memorial to Jesus and his life, death, and resurrection; it will be performed until his final coming. The Book of Acts of the Apostles recounts how the apostles preached and taught their followers and then broke bread with them at their homes. Christians usually met to break bread on Sunday, the first day of the week, the day of Jesus' Resurrection. That tradition came down as Sunday Mass, which is the center of the Church's liturgical and community life.
Mass and CommunionThe entire liturgy of the Mass, which consists of two parts, is structured around the Eucharist. The first part consists of the gathering or coming together of the faithful; the Liturgy of the Word, with readings from the Old and New Testament (commonly, a passage from the Gospels); the exhortation of the priest to the people, which is known as the homily; and general prayers of intercession for the needs of the faithful.
The second part, the Liturgy of the Eucharist, includes the presentation of the bread and wine, or the Offertory, in which the bread and wine are brought to the altar; the consecration, which includes the Eucharistic prayer of thanksgiving and consecration, in which the priest asks the Father for the power of the Holy Spirit to turn the bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Christ; and finally, the communion. The Our Father and the Breaking of Bread precede the communion proper, whereby all the faithful partake of the Body and Blood of Christ.
Because they are about to receive the sacred body of Christ, Catholics are expected to prepare themselves before communion, to examine their consciences, to confess their unworthiness, and to pray for the healing of their souls. The Church recommends that anyone who may do so should receive communion at Mass, because of the powers of Holy Communion, which include the following:
It increases the Catholic's connection with Christ.
It separates the faithful from sin by wiping away venial sins and protecting the Christian from future mortal sins.
It draws the faithful closer to the Church, the mystical body of Christ.
It commits the faithful to the poor.
It promotes unity with all Christians.
It is a celebration of the glory that is to come.
What is the difference between venial and mortal sins?
Mortal sins (including murder, adultery, theft, false witness, fraud, and disrespect of parents) are grave and must be committed with full knowledge and deliberate consent. Mortal sins are sins against God, and they result in the loss of charity and the deprivation of sanctifying grace. Venial sins are less serious; they are committed unwittingly or without full consent.
