The Eucharist, which is also called the Holy Communion, the Lord 's Supper, Mass, or the Divine Liturgy, is a sacrament accepted and celebrated by most Christians. The Eucharist is a portrayal of the Last Supper; or the last meal that Jesus Christ had with his disciples before he was taken away, and later crucified. During the meal Jesus ate bread and wine and informed and taught his disciples to do the same in remembrance of him. While the Roman Catholic, Orthodox, and Protestant churches all accept and celebrate the Sacrament of the Eucharist, these three Christian groups have different understandings in the meaning, different ways of celebrating, and even what spiritual effects take place during this Holy Communion.
For example, the Roman Catholics believe the Eucharist, or Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, is both a sacrifice and a meal. They believe in the real presence of Jesus, who died for their sins. As they receive Christ 's Body and Blood, they are also nourished spiritually and brought closer to
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They then change into the actual body and blood of Christ. Roman Catholics and Orthodox churches share a common significance in the meaning and way of celebrating the Holy Eucharist. “The Orthodox Church uses leavened bread for, according to the Gospel of Saint John, Last Supper and Passion, took place during the evening, night and day time of Passover Day, therefore leavened bread was eaten in Last Supper”("Eucharist"). Before the reception of the Holy Communion and taking in the bread and wine, everyone participating recites a prayer to show a personal act of commitment to Christ. “The eucharistic liturgy is celebrated in the Church every Sunday, the Day of the Lord, as well as on feast days”(“The Orthodox Faith”). While the acceptance of bread and wine is celebrated once a
J.R.R. Tolkien's use of waybread takes on the properties of the Catholic Eucharist in The Lord of the Rings. He creates lembas, a special kind of dried bread and made it the primary food source for the main characters. This special food is, in certain ways, a type of Eucharist, as defined by the Catholic church. Specifically, the parralells can be found in the outward similarities and the surrounding effects.
Attending a non-denominational church we start out with worship and being free to sing and dance and let our spirits take over. This may come out as someone running around the pews, or on their knees, but while in the Catholic Church the environment was much different. It was a lot more structured and formal in a sense than that of the non-denominational church where I practice my faith. Another difference was the offering, or as the Catholic Church calls it, the Gift. I am use to this concept, but rather than taking Gifts at the beginning of the service they take it at the end; then came communion. This is where you take part in eating the bread and drinking the wine in symbolism of Jesus’ body and blood. This I was also familiar with, but was informed by the couple that I went with that they partake in com...
To fully evaluate the role of the sacraments in the journey of the Scripture way of salvation according to John Wesley’s sermons, we must achieve a few important understandings. We must examine and work to understand Wesley’s Scripture way of salvation. We must also work to understand Wesley’s views on the sacraments of baptism and communion. Finally, after completing both of these crucial steps, we can then move on to finally understanding the relationship that Wesley has established between these two through his preaching.
When we think of religion, we picture distinct overview of beliefs, cultural systems, and world views that relate humanity to certain spiritual manifests. Various religions developed certain stories, symbols, and sacred backgrounds that explain everything from the meaning of life to the overall power of the Universe. Catholics are Christians who believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. Catholicism shares few beliefs with other Christian practices but, essential Catholic beliefs are as followed: The Bible is the inspired word of God. Baptism, the rite of becoming a Christian, is necessary for salvation whether or not a baptism is done by water, blood, or choice. God’s Ten Commandments provides a certain direction — an ethical standard to
The bread represents Christ's body and the wine represents his blood. When they take this bread and wine, Catholics believe that they are becoming one with Christ and are renewing their faith. According to the Gospels, Christ shared bread and wine with his disciples to symbolise them becoming one body. The final section of the Mass, the Concluding Rite, consists of a final prayer ( postcommunion ), the blessing ( benediction ) and the dismissal. A hymn may be sung as the clergy leave the church.
The Eucharist is a Christian sacrament, additionally referred to as Mass, Holy Communion, or the Lord’s Supper. The Eucharist is a religious ceremony that takes place during every Catholic mass. First, the priest prepares the bread and wine in an act called “Preparation of the Altar.” Recalling the words of Jesus at The Last Supper, the priest then recites the Words of Institution:
One of the most controversial topics in Christianity is sacraments. Scholars define the word “sacrament” many ways. A common definition is that a sacrament is an outward, visible sign of an inward, spiritual reality. It would be inaccurate to say that a sacrament is just a sign. It should be viewed as an encounter or something that brings something else about. In other words, a sacrament is something that points beyond itself and has meaning in a spiritual sense. Sacraments compile a range of imagery which all have deeper meanings than meet the eye. It is not just a ritual enactment of something else going on; it has objective order.
...le, the scripture passage Luke 24:30-32 in the bible explores the resurrection of Jesus Christ, which is recognised after “he took bread, gave thanks, broke it and began to give it to them” This is important to Christian followers, as it is the foundation of Christian beliefs. This has also impacted the way Christians practise traditional rituals and ceremonies, such as the Eucharist and Baptism. Also the scripture reference provides adherents with the knowledge of Jesus’ resurrection and how he will be “with you always, to the very end of the age” (Matthew 28), even after his death and resurrection. Thus, the ritual of Eucharist and Baptism supports adherents in seeking where Christ is in their everyday lives. Hence, the rituals and ceremonies, such as the Eucharist and Baptism are significant to Christianity, through it shaping it as a living and dynamic tradition
The African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church recognizes two sacraments only. They are the Sacrament of Baptism and The Lord’s Supper. “Sacraments, ordained of Christ, are not only badges or tokens of Christian men’s profession, but rather they are certain signs of grace and God’s good will toward us, by . . . invisibly in us, and . . . quicken, but also . . . confirm, our faith in, Him.” Baptism is not only a flag of declaration and stamp of separation by which Christians
First off Catholics believe that they are receiving the very Body and Blood of Christ Himself. At the Last Supper Jesus said, "This is my body which is given for you" and offering His disciples the cup of wine said, "Drink from it, all of you, for this is my blood of the covenant, which will be shed on behalf of many for the forgiveness of sins." In the Gospel of John they read: "Jesus said to them, 'Amen, amen, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you do not have life within you. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him on the last day, for my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink (St. Louis Parish para 1).” When receiving communion and the person ahead of you is receiving Communion you offer a simple bow of reverence with your head and then step forward. You receive Holy Communion either in your hands or directly on the tongue. If you receive in the hands you should take care that they are clean (as a sign of reverence) and place one hand over the other and raise them up high, forming a throne with our hands to receive Jesus. As the priest places the host in our hands and says "The Body of Christ" you should respond loudly and clearly "Amen (St. Louis Parish para 5)." Also, one major point in Catholic Communion is with non-Catholics. Non-Catholics are not permitted to receive Holy Communion. The very action of receiving Communion says that the church believes it is the Body and Blood of Christ and that we share in the whole life of the Catholic Church. Inviting non-Catholics to Communion can be an obstacle to one day reaching full communion by blurring the differences in belief among Christian denominations.
The Jewish tradition of the Passover has been very important for the welfare and freedom of the Jews since the Old Testament. Each part of the Passover brings forth the knowledge of what God promises to his people. “The name “Passover” is derived from the Hebrew word Pesach which is based on the root “pass over” and refers to the fact that G-d “passed over” the houses of the Jews when he was slaying the firstborn of Egypt during the last of the ten plagues.” The Christian belief is that the Last Supper fulfills the promise made to the Jews through Jesus Christ. The Passover and the Last Supper are important in understanding the relationship between the Jewish belief and Christian belief. They are also important to help grasp what it means to be free with a God.
Roman Catholics believe that through the sacrament of confession the Lord will forgive the sins that they have committed. The Priest acts as an intercessor for Christ; he hears the sins that the Catholic has committed then with the power he receives from Jesus is able to forgive the sins (catholic.org). This works when the Priest gives absolution to the repenting soul, the Catholic must truly be sorry for the sins he has committed otherwise Christ will not forgive them (jesuschristsavior.net). The Priest then makes the sign of the cross with the candidate saying, “I absolve you from your sins, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit” (jesuschristsavior.net). The Priest will then give a penance to the candidate. The Penance is usually some type of prayer, fasting, or nice act to another person to truly show that you feel sorrow for the sins committed
meal. He knew that it was now time for him to return to his father.
Episcopalians go to church every Sunday, and it’s setting and how the service is carried out is as formal as the Catholic Church. Episcopalians go through their liturgies, readings, song and prayer just like Catholics and receive the Eucharist also. Unlike the Catholics they don’t believe in transubstantiation (wine and bread becoming the literal body and blood of Jesus Christ). Episcopalians respect the Eucharist for all it symbolizes (Jesus Christ dying for follower’s sins), but they do not believe it is the actual blood and body of Jesus. Episcopalians receive the Eucharist about every other week (Havens), and kneel down before the cross when they do so. Episcopalians celebrate Seven Sacraments (same as Catholics) which are: Baptism, Confirmation, Eucharist, Anointing of the Sick, Matrimony and Holy Orders (Beaven). The most holy time of the year for them is Lent which leads up to Easter. Another really important time for Epi...
Only through the words of consecration, “This is my Body… and this is my Blood”, can we truly experience the fruits of the Eucharist. This is only possible through God’s accordance with the Scriptures, Sacraments(the Eucharist in this case), minister(priest or bishop), and the people of the Church(The Body of Christ). Just like Jesus and his disciples during the Last Supper, all of the members of the Mass join in intercession in order to properly bestow power upon the Sacrament of the Eucharist. As the priest serves as a representation of Jesus, we serve as his disciples.