D

.
T
H
E

SACRAMENT OF HOLY EUCHARIST

In order recognize God’s saving Grace in the Sacrament of the Eucharist when He speaks to
us in His words and nourishes us in His Body and Blood, the students may be able to;
1. Discuss the significance of the sacrifice and fellowship of Jesus in the sacrament of Eucharist.

2. Formulate ways in order to attend Holy Mass meaningfully.

3. Share what they have to lessen hunger in the world.

1. Etymological meaning of the word ‘EUCHARIST’.

Eucharistia means thanksgiving, and the Eucharist is the "source and summit of the Christian
life." St. Justin Martyr described the Eucharistic Liturgy in 155 AD in his First Apology. The
Paschal mystery of Christ is celebrated in the liturgy of the Mass. The Mass is the Eucharist or
principal sacramental celebration of the Church, established by Jesus at the Last Supper, in
which the mystery of our salvation through participation in the sacrificial death and glorious
resurrection of Christ is renewed and accomplished. The word "Mass" comes from the Latin
missa, as it refers to the mission or sending forth of the faithful following the celebration, so
that they may fulfill God's will in their daily lives.

2. The Biblical Basis of the Sacrament of the Eucharist

Old Testament
Exodus 16:4 Then the Lord said to Moses, I will now rain down bread from heaven for you. Each
day the people are to go out and gather their daily portion; thus will I test them, to see whether
they follow my instructions or not.
Psalm 78:24 He rained manna upon them for food and gave them heavenly bread.
New Testament
Christ promised after the multiplication of bread to give His body to eat and his blood to
drink when he said: “He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has life everlasting and I will
raise him up on the day. For my flesh is food indeed, and my blood is drink indeed. He who eats
my flesh and drinks my blood abides in Me and in Him.”
( Jn 6:55-57).
 Jesus said to them: “I solemnly assure you, it was not Moses who gave you bread from
the heavens; it is my Father who gives you the real heavenly bread. God’s bread comes down
from heaven and gives life to the world.” “Sir, give us this bread always,” they besought him.
Jesus explained to them: “I myself am the bread of life. No one who comes to me shall ever be
hungry, no one who believes in me shall ever thirst.” (John 6:32-35)

With the same love and concern, he gave his only Son, Jesus to be the bread of life – the real
shepherd who laid down his life for the sheep, “that all men might have life and have it to the
full.” (John 10:10)

Christ fulfilled his promise at the Last Supper, on HOLY Thursday by: instituting the Holy
Eucharist. “And having taken bread, He gave thanks and broke the bread, gave it to them,
saying: “ This is my body, which is given up for you: Do this in remembrance of me. In like
manner He took also the cup after the last supper saying: “This is the cup of the new covenant
in My Blood which shall be shed for you.” (Lk. 22:19).
Luke 22:14-10 Then, taking the bread and given thanks, He broke the bread and gave it to
them, saying: “This is my body to be given up for you. Do this as a remembrance of me.” He
did the same with the cup after eating, saying as he did so: “This cup is the new covenant in my
blood, which will be shed for you.”
1Cor. 11:26 Every time. Then, you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the death of
the Lord until he comes.
John 6:25-35, 51-58 Jesus spoke of Himself as “God’s bread that comes from heaven and gives
life to the world”(cf v. 33) He pointed to Himself as bread in two ways:
1. bread of life (v. 35)
2. Living bread (v. 51)

These two phrases emphasize two aspects of who He is and of His mission.
Bread of life is often understood in relation to Deuteronomy 8:2-3: “And you shall
remember all the way which the Lord your God has led you these forty years in the wilderness.
He let you hunger and fed you with manna which you did not know… that he might make you
know that man does not live on bread alone but by everything that proceeds out of the mouth
of the Lord.”
In the light of this, bread refers to the “word of God” as source of life. Jesus is the “the
bread of Life” because He is the Word of God spoke to man to fully make himself and his offer
of life known.

Living Bread (v. 51) speaks more directly of the Eucharist. Jesus makes clear that the living
or life life-giving bread is his own flesh, his own body. In Hebrew, body (and blood) refers to
the whole PERSON (cf. CFC 1353).
Luke 22:7-8, 19-20 (and parallels)
In Luke and the other two synoptic gospels
(Mark and Matthew), the meal aspect of the
Eucharist is clearly brought out. In their account of
the Last Supper, Jesus instituted the Eucharist in a
Passover celebration where food and drink were taken, and words of extraordinary significance
were uttered (C. Lk 22:7, also Mt. 26:17, Mk, 14:12)

Luke 22:19-20 Then he took the bread, said the blessing, broke it, and gave it to them, saying,
This is my body, which will be given for you; do this in memory of me." And likewise the cup
after they had eaten, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which will be shed for
you."

John 6:51 "I am the living bread which came down from heaven; if anyone eats of this bread, he
will live forever; and the bread which I shall give for the life of the world is my flesh."

I Corinthians 11:23-26 For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you, that the
Lord Jesus in the night in which 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 He took the cup also after supper, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in My blood; do
this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me." For as often as you eat this bread and
drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until He comes.

Jesus died once on the cross in sacrifice for our sins (Hebrews 9:25-28). But Jesus is
present for all time, as he is the eternal Son of God. What he did once in history also then exists
for all eternity. What happened in time goes beyond time. In the heart of Jesus he is always
giving himself to the Father for us, as he did on the Cross. When we celebrate the Mass, the
sacrifice of the cross, that happened once in history but is present for all eternity, that same
reality is made present in mystery.3

The bread and wine through Transubstantiation become the Body and Blood, Soul and
Divinity of Jesus Christ, and we receive the Real Presence of Jesus when we receive Holy
Communion. Our soul is nourished, helping us to become like Christ. The Eucharist is the heart
and source of community within the Church. Receiving Holy Communion with others during the
Mass brings unity of the Church, the Body of Christ (I Corinthians 10:16-17).

The Holy Eucharist is;

- The sacrament in which, under the appearances of bread and
wine, Christ offers Himself for us as our food, and stays with us.
- A sacrament, that is, a sign and instrument of Christ’s
PRESENCE, of his SACRIFICE, and of our COMMUNION with God
and with one another.
- In being such that Christ, in the Eucharist, is the source of life
for humanity, the BREAD OF LIFE.

Church Teachings on the Sacrament of the Eucharist

 The most essential teachings of the Catholic Church on the Eucharist based on Scripture are
contained in Vatican II’s Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy (Sacrosanctum, Concilium), 47
1. The Church teaching declares that the Eucharist has its origin in Jesus. He establish the
Last Supper, the night before He died on the cross.
2. The Eucharist was entrusted by Christ to the Church.
3. The Eucharist is the memorial of Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross. Memorial means recalling
a past event (in the Jewish and Christian sense); making present that past event through
a ritual celebration in order to continually receive the benefits of that event.
4. As the sacrament of love, the Eucharist express the fullness of love shown in Jesus’ total
and unconditional gift of Himself. It also calls and empowers those who partake in it sot
“love one another as he has loved them.”
5. The Eucharist does not only commemorate and relive the past but it also gives us a
glimpse of the covenant meal of God with his people at the end of time.

Vat. II Constitution of the Sacred Liturgy, Art. 2

For it is the Liturgy, especially the divine Eucharist Sacrifice that the work of our redemption
is exercised. (See Vat. II. Art. 47;48)

The central place of the Eucharist in Christian life has been expressed in various ways:
The Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist is the summit and source of the whole Christian
life,” the climax of the process of Christian initiation and the centerpiece of the seven ritual
sacrament (LG, 11, CCC, 1324, CFC, 1302).

Indeed, for most Catholics “going to mass” is the most basic action of Catholic worship,
but few understands the richness and depth of this sacrament. The Eucharist can be a very
powerful force for proclaiming the Good news of salvation, for building up communities and
transforming society if understood in its deepest nature as the “Sacrament of love and bond of
fraternal unity.”

3. THE EFFECTS OF THE HOLY EUCHARIST IN THE HUMAN SOUL

a. It preserves and increases sanctifying grace.
b. It deepens charity in the soul, thus uniting it more closely to Christ and to the members
of the mystical body.
c. It heals the soul of venial sins, remits temporal punishment, and curbs evil tendencies.
d. It strengthens the soul to live virtuously.
e. It is a pledge of future glory.

4. REQUIREMENTS IN RECEIVING THE SACRAMENT OF HOLY EUCHARIST

a. a person must be baptized.
b. He must be of the proper age to know the chief truth of faith and who it is he
receives.
c. He must be in the state of grace.
 d. 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.

It would be a sacrilege to receive Holy Communion, the all-Holy God into a soul
darkened with mortal sin. Venial sins do not constitute an obstacle to Communion, but
attachment to them does make one receive less grace.
Communion can be taken only once a day; however, the Instruction of worship of the
Eucharist Mystery decrees:
“We can receive Communion during the Mass of the Easter Vigil, Lord’s nativity, may
receive Communion again at the second Paschal Mass and at one of the Masses on
Christmas Day. We must make a good preparation and a good thanksgiving for it.”

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.

HONORING CHRIST IN THE BLESSED SACRAMENT

A. Visiting Him often
B. Being respectful in Church
C. Greeting Him when passing by a church
D. Taking part in the Eucharistic devotions.