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The Eucharist Explained

What's in a name?

Of all the 'services' in Church, by far the most frequently celebrated is the Eucharist, also known as the Mass, Holy Communion, and the Lord's Supper, in different traditions.

The most ancient name, however, is Eucharist - which is Greek for 'Thanksgiving', whereas arguably the best is Mass since it includes all the other meanings.

Beginnings

The Eucharist, as a celebration, was commanded by Christ on the night He was betrayed. He took some unleavened bread and gave it to His disciples calling it His body. He also took some wine and gave that to His disciples calling it His blood. He then said: "Do this that I might be recalled", usually translated as "Do this in memory of me". He did this within the context of a Jewish Passover meal, which was His last meal with His disciples. The Passover is the celebration of God's mighty and miraculous acts in saving the Jewish people from slavery under the Egyptians.

The next day, Good Friday, He allowed Himself to be crucified, which linked His sacrifice of Himself with the Passover Lamb, and His broken body and blood in the Eucharist.

Sacrifice

St. Paul said, "As often as you eat this bread and drink the cup you proclaim the Lord's death until He comes".

This means that Christ's sacrifice, or offering of Himself, is brought into our midst and is pleaded before His Father each time the Eucharist is celebrated. Christ became the sacrificial lamb to save everybody from spiritual slavery when He allowed Himself to be crucified.

In the Eucharist Christ offers the sacrifice of Himself at the hands of the priest.

A Simple Shape

The Eucharist can be divided roughly into four parts:

Part 1: prepares us to meet God by confessing our sins in general, or saying how sorry we are for disobeying Him. It also sets the tone for the celebration in the prayer or ‘Collect’ for that day.

Part 2: is called the 'Liturgy of the Word'. In it we listen to readings from the Bible, and also listen to a sermon in which the Faith is explained and applied to current circumstances.

We say what we believe as Christians in the words of the Creed, and offer prayers for other people in the Intercessions. Sometimes the 'Peace' is shared here; sometimes it is shared just before Holy Communion.

Part 3: is called the 'Liturgy of the Eucharist'. It starts with the Offertory, which is when bread, usually in the form of unleavened wafers, and wine are brought to the altar.

At its heart is the great Prayer of Consecration, or Eucharistic Prayer, which begins when the priest says or sings: "The Lord be with you… "Lift up your hearts… "Let us give thanks to the Lord our God…”

In this prayer, which only a priest or Bishop can say, God performs the great miracle of changing the bread into the Body of Jesus, and the wine into the Blood of Jesus.

Part 4: is when Christians eat the bread, which has become the Body of Jesus, and drink the wine, which has become the Blood of Jesus. It is called Holy Communion.

When everybody has received Holy Communion, or received a blessing if they are not Confirmed, the final prayers are said and the priest gives a general blessing, and then dismisses the people.

A Miracle

Some people believe, wrongly, that miracles are a thing of the past, and do not happen today. The wonderful thing about the Eucharist is that a miracle happens every time it is celebrated by a Catholic priest (usually in Britain an Anglican, Roman Catholic or Eastern Orthodox). It is a miracle which cannot be seen with the eyes, which is why some people do not see it at all. It can only be seen with the heart!

In the Eucharistic Prayer the priest repeats the words of Christ over the bread and the wine. He then raises the bread- (now become the Body of the Lord), and the cup of wine- (now become the Precious Blood of the Lord), for the people to gaze upon with their eyes and adore with their hearts.

We worship the crucified and risen Lord really present in His flesh and blood.

Preparation And Thanksgiving

Before receiving Holy Communion it is important to be properly prepared. Since at The Eucharist we are to be guests of the God of the universe, Christ Himself, we ought to fast, or refrain from eating, for at least one hour before receiving Holy Communion.

It is also a good practice to make one's confession regularly, and so come to the Lord with a clear conscience and in humility.

Before the service begins we should pray quietly that we may not eat the Body and Blood of the Lord unworthily. We should humbly ask Christ to give us the benefits of His passion. After the service we ought to sit or kneel quietly offering Him thanks.

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