Whether Protestant or Catholic, one who actively practices a belief in Jesus as God’s son universally recognizes the Eucharist. Despite the fact that it is one of the seven Catholic sacraments, other religions assign similar worth to the practice and perceive it as holy. The Eucharist, an act of eating bread and drinking wine in remembrance of the passion of Christ, goes by many names, depending on the religion that is commemorating it. It may be referred to as Holy Communion, the Lord’s Supper, or the Blessed Sacrament and is an essential component of Christian faith. “In his symbolic use of bread at the Last Supper, Jesus crystallized the link between Christian marriage and Christian eucharist1,” molding them into one and creating a …show more content…
As a result of Jesus’ apostles, the new religion spread over the lands. Paul preached Jesus’ gospel and converted Jews to Christianity. The new faith differed from that of Judaism but contained similar faith roots, as Jesus had been a Jew. The largest point of contention between the two discusses contrasting opinions of Jesus’ resurrection and second-coming. The cornerstone to Christian faith is a belief that Jesus, the Son of God, died on the cross and was resurrected three days later. Christianity also contains a strong belief that Christ will return to Earth in a second-coming but it is unclear when this will occur and Christians are waiting for this occurrence. While Judaism recognizes that Jesus died on the cross, the faith does not account for a resurrection or a second-coming. The Jewish faith does not believe that Jesus was the Son of God, as Christians do, but instead respect Christ as an intelligent rabbi and teacher. Christianity began as a radical movement and was persecuted for generations, but with Jesus as the founding father and believers that were willing to martyr their lives for the religion, it became a faith that would prove …show more content…
Christianity adopted the title of “The Last Supper” while Judaism continues to celebrate Passover. During the original Passover, the Israelites painted lamb’s blood above their door frames so the spirit of God would “pass over” their homes, sparing their oldest son. In Jesus’ selfless teaching, he, in a sense, became the “lamb of God,” by his blood becoming a saving grace to all God’s children. Matthew 26:28 accounts, “this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.” The Gospels account Jesus’ words, proclaiming that the bread of the Passover feast is Jesus’ body while the wine is his blood. 1 Corinthians 11:26 exhibits the Christian model that Jesus will come again, expressing, “for whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes.” The Last Supper is a promise from Jesus, as Luke 22:29-30 state, “and I confer on you a kingdom, just as my Father conferred one on me, so that you may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom and sit on thrones, judging the twelve tribes of
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.
I have always found communion to be an important sacrament to the Christian faith, but sometimes its meaning can be lost in repetitiveness. Sara Miles, in her book Take This Bread, has shed a new light on what it means to take communion as she writes about her transformation into being a Christian by receiving bread and wine. Hunger is the main theme of the book, whether it be spiritually or physically, all humans are linked by that common need. This transformation goes beyond her and pours into the souls and bodies of the San Francisco community, by sharing not only food but the body of Christ. This book has pushed me to get past my comfort zone and heavily consider the way in which food can be an important aspect of my faith and how I share
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.
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 ...
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.
...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
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.
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
... is to remember Christ, once again we are just confirming what has already bee said here. “The bread and the cup are not holy elements in and of themselves. But they do represent something that is very holy… recognizing it is a symbol of what Jesus Christ accomplished for us on the cross” (Laurie 2008:nn). Laurie above sums it up well, the wine and the bread are only symbols of what really happened on the cross 2000 years ago, we must not revere the symbols or the elements but Christ and His work on the cross
meal. He knew that it was now time for him to return to his father.
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.
“And while they were at supper, Jesus took bread and blessed and broke and gave it to His disciples and said, "Take you and eat, this is my Body." And taking the chalice He gave thanks and gave it to them saying, "Drink you all of this. For this is my Blood of the New Testament which shall be shed for many unto remission of
Father Redmon explained in our interview that each person is to join his or her voice in united faith. My observation was of people outwardly participating e.g., kneeling, crossing themselves but vocal participation was minimal or left to the choir. During my interview with Father Redmon, I mentioned my observation regarding the various responses and he emphasized the centrality of the Eucharist, saying “Worship of the Holy Trinity through the Eucharist is the purpose of the church” and it is through this that they grow both individually and as the Church.
...express their beliefs as well as listen to the words of the Lord. As Jesus said at his last meal with his disciples before his execution, “Do this in memory of me”. This quote is reflected in the mass in the stage of ‘being fed’ when an adherent receives both the body and blood of Christ, called Transubstantiation. In this way, Christian adherents are able to unit in a diverse environment following the ways that our Lord has taught us. Therefore through this, Christian adherents are able to express their faith.
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.