The Eucharist is an important sacrament found among many denominations of Christianity. A sacrament is a religious rite; sacramental practices vary throughout Christianity. Catholicism recognizes the seven sacraments of baptism, confirmation, the Eucharist, penance, anointing of the sick, ordination, and matrimony. The Eucharist is a source of endless debate for the Christian faith; its history is complex and has evolved over the centuries. The Roman Catholic Church’s perspective on this religious ritual differs significantly from other offshoots of Christianity. 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: …show more content…
Take this, all of you, and drink from it, for this is the chalice of my Blood, the Blood of the new and eternal covenant, which will be poured out for you and for many for the forgiveness of sins. Do this in memory of me. Catholics believe that at the exact moment when the Body and Blood are referenced is when the miracle of transubstantiation is performed. Members of the church form a line and receive an individual wafer/host from their priest. They are then handed a chalice and take a drink of wine. This chalice is shared with the entire congregation. A major event in a young Catholic’s life is when they are able to attend their First Holy Communion. It is the second among three initiation rites of the Catholic
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.
The power of water, a meek and gracious force, as illustrated in the Bible is the source of life and fruitfulness. The prayer has different sections to articulate the overall purpose of baptism, beginning with gratitude and recognition of God’s omnipresence, the prayer then references from the Old Testament, as the church has seen in Noah’s ark a prefiguring of salvation by Baptism. As the water of baptism gives new life, the crossing of the Red Sea, the liberation of Israel from the slavery of Egypt, proclaims the liberation wrought by baptism. The final reference to the Old Testament is prefigured in the crossing of the Jordan River by which the people of God received the gift of the land promised to Abraham’s descendants, an image of eternal life. All the Old Covenants prefiguration’s find their fulfilment in Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ begins his public life after being baptised by St. John the Baptist in the river of Jordan. After his resurrection Christ gives this mission to his apostles: "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you." To fulfil all righteousness, Jesus’ submissive baptism by John the Baptist, is a gesture of
Every year, on the day before Easter, one of the biggest and most important masses of the year happens on that night. The mass is called the Easter Vigil. The Vigil brings out the true and full nature of the Catholic Church and all of its people. It celebrates Jesus Christ, as he rises from the dead and ascends into heaven. Since this mass is so large, it is split into four parts. The first, the Service of Light, and is the most solemn part of the mass the Church celebrates. The second part is the Liturgy of the Word, in which you listen to a reader who reads from the books of the Bible such as Genesis and Exodus. The third part of the celebration is known as the Celebration of the Rites of Initiation. At this point people become part of the Church and receive such sacraments as Baptism, Communion, and Confirmation. The fourth part of the vigil is the Liturgy of the Eucharist. The Liturgy of the Eucharist is the climax of the Easter Vigil. The Easter Vigil is the biggest mass in the Church and it requires four parts in the Service of Light, The Liturgy of the Word, the Celebration of the Rights of Initiation, and the Liturgy of the Eucharist, but also requires much more faith and concentration to fully appreciate it.
St Paul of Tarsus is a model for all Christians as he made Christianity accessible to the whole world, and set it on its path to becoming a global religion by writing much of the Christian Theology that still forms the foundations of Christian beliefs, teachings and community that exists today. Paul established the Eucharist as the principle ritual for Christians, and discussed the appropriate manner by which this ritual is to be celebrated. “For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes. So then, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord.” (1 Corinthians 11:26-27) The belief and teachings of the Eucharist allowed and continues to allow adherents to be brought closer to God by enabling them to give thanks, and be brought closer to ...
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...
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.
Many Church Fathers in their teachings and writings against heresies have upheld Eucharist as the only Sacrifice in a sacramental mode. For example, St. Ignatius of Antioch, in his letter to the Smyrnaeans said “...the bread is the flesh of Jesus, the Cup, His blood” (Letter to the Smyrnaeans 7: 1). St. Justin Martyr in his Apology said; “not as common bread and common drink do we receive them….; but in like manner as Jesus Christ, our Saviour, having been made flesh by the Word of God, had both flesh and blood... so likewise ... the food which is blessed by the prayer of His word ...and from which our flesh and blood...are nourished, is the flesh and blood of that Jesus who was made flesh.” (First Apology, 66). In his teaching against the Marcion, Tertullian teaches that Christ’s death on the Cross is made sacramentally present on the altar in unbloody manner (Tertullian, Against Marcion,
is a Baptism, that is, a gracious water of life and a bath of new birth in the Holy Spirit”
There are seven sacraments but the Mass is the most important one of them all. The sacrament of Mass gives priest strength to spiritual growth in their vocation, not only for priest but for all people. The Mass was instituted at the last super by Jesus; He looked at the cross and tells what was going to happen to Him the following day, in the Mass we look back to it too. The Eucharist in
As a key feature of his ordinances and regulations, Calvin affirms the way in which the sacraments are to be specifically performed. The sacraments are an integral part of Christian practice and declaration. Calvin regards participating in the sacraments as being a fundamental part of one’s spiritual expression. The sacraments act as a way for Christians to transition and transform throughout their life in union with God; each sacrament celebrates a new chapter in an individual’s life. Particularly, Calvin regards The Supper with utmost importance. To illustrate, Calvin articulates that the “Supper was Instituted for us by our Lord to be frequently used, and was so observed in the ancient church until the devil turned everything upside down,
It is believed that Easter is the greatest celebration in the Christian calendar, and the foundation on which Christianity is built on (John 2005, 2579). Easter celebrates the resurrection of Christ three days after his death by crucifixion (John 2005, 2579). The significance of Easter Sunday goes back to Christ’s claims of being God, because claiming to be God was a direct violation of Jewish Law (John 2005, 2580). It was only after the death and through the resurrection of Christ that people began to have an understanding of his claims at being God (John 2005, 2579). The resurrection led people to put faith in Christ and, in turn, Christianity. To commemorate Easter Sunday, Roman Catholics partake in services such as the Easter Vigil to honor the sacrifices that were made for humanity by Jesus Christ. The Easter Vigil is a service held in Catholic churches that commemorates the celebration of the resurrection of Christ. It consists of four segments being the service of the light, liturgy of the word, liturgy of the baptism, and liturgy of the Eucharist.
Christ, as the ultimate sacrifice in Christianity, gave his own life for the benefit of others. His self-sacrifice continues to this day to be celebrated in the Catholic Mass. Through communion, or receiving the Eucharist, one is able to actively partake of the fruits of that sacrifice. But how does one follow Jesus’ example? One surely cannot strive for the same kind of physical death that Jesus experienced. Thus, practice of another form of self-sacrifice becomes necessary.
The infrastructure of the Catholic faith consist of seven Sacraments which are as follows: Baptism, Confirmation, Eucharist, Penance, Anointing of the sick, Holy Orders, and Matrimony.The sacrament of confirmation is the second of the three initiation sacraments, following Baptism, and preceding the Eucharist. As Stated in the code of canon law, "The sacrament of confirmation strengthens the baptized and obliges them more firmly to be witnesses of Christ." (CCL) In addition, this sacrament bounds one more perfectly to the church and strengthens one's union with it (CCC). This informative piece will focus solely on the sacrament of Confirmation through the following lenses: biblical origin, history, Matter and effects of the sacrament, Rite, and Minister and recipient of the sacrament.
Another interesting sacrament of the Catholic Church is the confessionals. After being baptized, one is required to regularly attend a confessional to admit to everything that he has done that violates the Catholic rules. According to this religion, after admitting your faults, you are forgiven until the next time that you disobey the regulations of the Catholic faith. This act reconciles you with God and allows you to gain entry into heaven. Your faults are confessed to a priest, and it usually takes place in a small
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.