The Eucharist (Otherwise known as the Holy Communion or the Blessed Sacrament) is a Catholic sacrament considered to be the apex of Christianity. While some Catholics and different branches of the English Church believe that this bread and wine are transformed into the literal blood and body of Christ, others believe that it is a simple expression of faith. It is considered to be the very essence of love that binds us to the savior; and it is this teaching of love that inspires the Catholic view on social justice. Social justice spreads love to all humankind, via fighting for equality and respect for all man. The Eucharist is the symbolism of this love, and it is the concept that inspires the catholic doctrine of the social mission.
The Eucharist is the ‘fount and apex’ (Lumen Gentium, 11.5) of all Christian life. ‘By Sacraments and other appointed means this divine life of the God-made-flesh is actually imparted to us, and by our sharing in it we ourselves become divine’ (J.W.C Wand, 1937, pg. 65). As the above quote states, the Eucharist is considered to be the source of Catholic life, as it provides Christ’s blood and flesh for our own consumption. By consuming the God-made-flesh, His own blood and body redeems us, bestowing upon us incorruptibility of spirit in communion with God. (Rebirth into His family and a new opportunity of life). Without this rebirth and communion, Christians would have no connection with Christ, and therefore be cut off from the source of Catholic life. ‘It is impossible to think that a boy who is faithful to prayer, to attendance at the Mass and the Sacraments would take the wrong road through life.’ (Davy, 1960, pg. 180) As asserted by Davy, the Sacraments (Eucharist in particular) are the summi...
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It is interesting to note that both lembas and the Eucharist share the title of "Food for the Journey"(Nicolas 90). In the case of the Eucharist, this is derived from the Sacrament of Extreme Unction. When a person is on the verge of death, a priest is usually summoned to give the person communion to prepare him or her spiritually for death. Since, for the Christian, death is not final, but a door to heaven, it is considered more like a journey, and not an ending. The Eucharist is given to the dying person much as an athlete is given high energy food just before a race. Lembas are, from their very name, a kind of food for the journey. Both these light wafers have similar purposes, to feed the traveler during a physical or spiritual journey.
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.
The Pagan Servitude of the Church – Composed in 1520, this work by Luther is one of his most important contributions to Christian history and theology. In the Pagan Servitude of the Church, Luther addresses critical issues that surround the seven sacraments that the Roman Catholic Church practices, but for this session, only the sacrament of the Eucharist is covered. Luther does not start gently, as he immediately contradicts the norm by advocating for the administration of both elements of the Lord’s Supper to the laity. His argument brings to light opposing comments from other theologians and leadership of the Roman Catholic Church, but Luther overcomes them all with a simple redirection to Scripture. He uses a combination of his interpretation of Scripture from the Gospels and Paul’s epistles along with logic and common sense to declare that the laity should have the right and privilege to partake in both the bread and the wine elements.
Ellen Charry says that we as Christians are weak and forgetful when called to do other things, yet “The grace conveyed to the believer in sacraments is the presence of God symbolized by water, oil or food, from which the believer takes strength and comfort.” Sacraments are a way for us to refocus on our beliefs, understand the grace of God given to us, and a way for us to refocus our lives. The basis behind a sacrament is that Jesus is the One True Sacrament. For an action to be considered a sacrament, it must be a practice clearly instituted by Christ and the apostles, show the reality of the Word, the work of the Spirit, and has an element of faithful response. By understanding the basics of a sacrament, we can partake communion and baptism more fully. Partaking in a sacrament is a visible sign of our faith for God, and learning the truth in the church, bible, and the
Lutherans today belief in Consubstantiation as was taught by Martin Luther-in which the substances remain the same, and somehow the presence of Christ is included. Majority of Protestant sees the Eucharist only as a symbol or a remembrance and a pledge of salvation as was taught by Zwingli and Calvin respectively. Aquinas’ approach on the Doctrine of real presence is a sign-centred in which the whole Christ is present sacramentally in the species of bread and wine “in the manner of a substance,” both physically in Heaven, and substantially in the sacrament whenever Mass is celebrated. So, the risen Lord is truly present in ‘His body and blood, soul and divinity after the priest pronounced the consecration formula over the host, signifying that the gifts have become the gift of Christ’s body and blood, because the words have an instrumental power to change the gifts insofar as they
Furthermore, one of the main parts of the Mass is the liturgy of the Word, the Word of God that nourishes and help us to live a holy
The atonement of Christ on the cross for us is central, and one could even say pivotal to the Gospel as we know it, communion represents the atonement and is something we do to remember our saviour on the cross, there are many theories of the atonement, but we must not get side tracked by theories, but continue to read Scripture for the answers.
...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
highlights the importance of the sacraments and the clergy, can be seen as a response on
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
The second sacrament is the Holy Eucharist. Catholics also call this Communion. This Sacrament, just like baptism, was seen several times in the bible and was given to Catholics directly from Jesus. The ritual practice of the Eucharist comes from Christ at the last supper. According to the book of Matthew,
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.