Why does the Catholic Church say
that the Eucharist is the source and summit of ecclesial life?
The Eucharist “PIGNUS FUTURAE
GLORIAE” (In Latin) In an ancient prayer, the Church acclaims the mystery of
the Eucharist: “O sacrum convivium in quo Christus sumitur. Recolitur memoria
passionis eius; mens impletur gratia et futurae gloriae nobis pignus datur
"(" Oh sacred banquet, in which Christ is our food; the memorial of
his passion is celebrated; the soul is filled with grace, and we are given the
pledge of future glory! ”) Catechism of the Catholic Church number 1402.
From the old testament we can
find that with the people of Israel the sacrifice of communion, or giving thanks,
was celebrated. An offering was offered, and they had unleavened bread. This
ritual was offered by the priest.
This is the ritual for the communion sacrifice offered to Yahweh: 'If it is offered with a sacrifice with praise, there must be added to it an offering of unleavened cakes mixed with oil, unleavened wafers spread with oil, and wheaten flour in the form of cakes mixed with oil. This offering, then, must be added to the cakes of leavened bread and to the communion sacrifice with praise. One of the cakes of this offering is to be presented as an offering to Yahweh; it shall revert to the priest who pours out the blood of the communion sacrifice. - Leviticus. 7.11-14.
When Jesus was on earth preaching
and teaching his disciples, he celebrated Passover with them, but at the last
Passover or dinner he would have with them, the most beautiful thing would
happen. He was going to institute the sacrament of the Eucharist,
Then he took some bread and when he had given thanks, broke it and gave it to them, saying, "This is my body which will be given for you; do this as a memorial of me." He did the same with the cup after supper, and said, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood which will be poured out for you. - Luke. 22.19-20.
The Eucharist as an instrument of salvation.
Yes, the Eucharist or communion
is a means of salvation. Jesus said it when he was with his disciples, he
mentions how here on Earth we can eat from his body and drink from his blood
until He comes
Until the Lord comes, therefore, every time you eat 27 this bread and drink this cup, you are proclaiming his death. - 1st Corinthian. 11.26
Why is the Eucharist so
important? Because Jesus said, “Whoever does not eat my flesh and drink my
blood will not have eternal life”, we could say then that Jesus left us on Earth
a way by which we can go with him again and have eternal life,
Jesus replied: "I tell you most solemnly, if you do not eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you will not have life in you. Anyone who does eat my flesh and drink my blood has eternal life, and I shall raise him up on the last day. For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink. He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood lives in me and I live in him. - John 6.53-56.
Jesus promises us to be in
communion with Him. When we eat His flesh and drink His blood, we remain united
to Him. In the Bible He shows us that He is waiting for us to eat dinner with
Him again not in this world but in His Kingdom, because we know that the
Kingdom of God is not of this world.
When the hour came he took his place at table, and the apostles with him. And he said to them, "I have longed to eat this passover with you before I suffer; because, I tell you, I shall not eat it again until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God." - Luke 22,14-16.
Why is the sacrament of the Eucharist still being performed?
In the Catholic Church, the
Sacrament of the Eucharist or communion is still carried out in each mass
gathered by the faithful of the Church, because from the apostles it was
instituted and is a mandate of Jesus. We can see that with the Apostle Paul,
For this is what I received from the Lord, and in turn passed on to you: that 24 on the same night that he was betrayed, the Lord Jesus took some bread, ·and thanked God for it and broke it, and he said, "This is my body, which is for you; 25 do this as a memorial of me”. - 1st. Corinthian. 11,23-25.
Who can receive the Eucharist?
All the baptized, and as long as
they are and try to be in the grace of God. And what is being in God's grace?
It is doing the will of the Father and trying not to commit sin, but if we are
in sin we must first go to the Sacrament of Confession in order to later take
the Eucharist. Because when you are not in the grace of God we run the risk of
eating the body and the blood for our condemnation,
And so anyone who eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord unworthily will be behaving unworthily toward the body and blood of the Lord. Everyone is to recollect himself before eating this bread and drinking this cup; ·because a person who eats and drinks without recognizing the Body is eating and drinking his own condemnation. - 1st. Corinthian 11, 27-29.
Who performs the sacrament of the Eucharist?
The priests. From the apostles as
we know the Apostolic Institution, until our time, since Jesus instituted the
Eucharist as a memorial of his death and resurrection and ordered his Apostles
to celebrate it until his return, “thereby he constituted them priests of the New Testament”. (Catechism of the Catholic Church numeral 1337). The Priest is the
one who makes the consecration and turns the bread and wine into the Body and
Blood of Christ through the miracle of the Transubstantiation. Once the consecration
is done we can eat the Body and Blood of Christ. The Host as it is also known
is unleavened bread and has the letters in the center JHS in Latin Jesus
"Homos Salvatoris" which means Jesus, Human, Savior and the wine is a
grape wine that once consecrated is the Blood of Jesus Christ.
It is up to us to believe that Jesus is alive and present in the Eucharist, and He anticipates that we must believe.
“I tell you most solemnly, everybody who believes has eternal life” - John. 6.47.
We must believe that Jesus is present there every time we eat the Body and Blood of Christ, we must not be like St. Thomas. He did not believe until he saw in his hands the mark of the nails and put his finger in the hole in his side, but Jesus appears before him and shows him what he asks,
“Jesus said to him: "You believe because you can see me. Happy are those who have not seen and yet believe." John. 20.29.
Blessed are we when we believe that
Jesus stayed among us in the Eucharist to eat from Him and be in communion with
Him (common - union) united to Christ. Let us not lose the opportunity that
Jesus gives us to be united to Him. Catholic live your faith.
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