1323
"At the Last Supper, on the night he was betrayed, our Savior instituted
the Eucharistic sacrifice of his Body and Blood. This he did in order to
perpetuate the sacrifice of the cross throughout the ages until he should come
again, and so to entrust to his beloved Spouse, the Church, a memorial of his
death and resurrection: a sacrament of love, a sign of unity, a bond of
charity, a Paschal banquet 'in which Christ is consumed, the mind is filled
with grace, and a pledge of future glory is given to us.'"133
I.
The Eucharist - Source and Summit of Ecclesial Life
1324
The Eucharist is "the source and summit of the Christian life."134 (LG 11. ) "The other sacraments, and indeed all ecclesiastical ministries and works
of the apostolate, are bound up with the Eucharist and are oriented toward it.
For in the blessed Eucharist is contained the whole spiritual good of the
Church, namely Christ himself, our Pasch."135 (PO 5. )
1325
"The Eucharist is the efficacious sign and sublime cause of that communion
in the divine life and that unity of the People of God by which the Church is
kept in being. It is the culmination both of God's action sanctifying the world
in Christ and of the worship men offer to Christ and through him to the Father
in the Holy Spirit."136
1326
Finally, by the Eucharistic celebration we already unite ourselves with the
heavenly liturgy and anticipate eternal life, when God will be all in all.137
1327
In brief, the Eucharist is the sum and summary of our faith: "Our way of
thinking is attuned to the Eucharist, and the Eucharist in turn confirms our
way of thinking."138
II.
What is This Sacrament Called?
1328
The inexhaustible richness of this sacrament is expressed in the different
names we give it. Each name evokes certain aspects of it. It is called:
Eucharist, because it is an action of thanksgiving to God. the Greek words
eucharistein139 (Cf. ⇒ Lk 22:19; ⇒ 1 Cor 11:24.) and eulogein140 (Cf. ⇒ Mt 26:26; ⇒ Mk 14:22.) recall the Jewish blessings that proclaim -
especially during a meal - God's works: creation, redemption, and
sanctification.
1329
The Lord's Supper, because of its connection with the supper which the Lord
took with his disciples on the eve of his Passion and because it anticipates
the wedding feast of the Lamb in the heavenly Jerusalem.141
The
Breaking of Bread, because Jesus used this rite, part of a Jewish meat when as
master of the table he blessed and distributed the bread,142 (Cf. ⇒ Mt 14:19; ⇒ 15:36; ⇒ Mk 8:6, ⇒ 19. ) above all at the
Last Supper.143 (Cf. ⇒ Mt 26:26; ⇒ 1 Cor 11:24. ) It is by this action that his disciples will recognize him
after his Resurrection,144 (Cf. ⇒ Lk 24:13-35. ) and it is this expression that the first Christians
will use to designate their Eucharistic assemblies;145 (Cf. ⇒ Acts 2:42, ⇒ 46; ⇒ 20:7, ⇒ 11.1 ) by doing so they
signified that all who eat the one broken bread, Christ, enter into communion
with him and form but one body in him.146(Cf. ⇒ 1 Cor 10:16-17. )
The
Eucharistic assembly (synaxis), because the Eucharist is celebrated amid the
assembly of the faithful, the visible expression of the Church.147
1330
The memorial of the Lord's Passion and Resurrection.
The
Holy Sacrifice, because it makes present the one sacrifice of Christ the Savior
and includes the Church's offering. the terms holy sacrifice of the Mass,
"sacrifice of praise," spiritual sacrifice, pure and holy sacrifice
are also used,148 ( ⇒ Heb 13:15; cf. 1 Pet 25; ⇒ Ps 116:13, ⇒ 17; ⇒ Mal 1:11. ) since it completes and surpasses all the sacrifices of the
Old Covenant.
The
Holy and Divine Liturgy, because the Church's whole liturgy finds its center
and most intense expression in the celebration of this sacrament; in the same
sense we also call its celebration the Sacred Mysteries. We speak of the Most
Blessed Sacrament because it is the Sacrament of sacraments. the Eucharistic
species reserved in the tabernacle are designated by this same name.
1331
Holy Communion, because by this sacrament we unite ourselves to Christ, who
makes us sharers in his Body and Blood to form a single body.149 (Cf. ⇒ 1 Cor 10: 16-17. ) We also call
it: the holy things (ta hagia; sancta)150 (Apostolic Constitutions 8, 13,12 PG 1,1108; Didache 9, 5; 10:6: SCh: 248,176- 178. ) - the first meaning of the phrase
"communion of saints" in the Apostles' Creed - the bread of angels,
bread from heaven, medicine of immortality,151(St. Ignatius of Antioch, Ad Eph. 20, 2 SCh 10, 76. ) viaticum....
1332
Holy Mass (Missa), because the liturgy in which the mystery of salvation is
accomplished concludes with the sending forth (missio) of the faithful, so that
they may fulfill God's will in their daily lives.
III.
The Eucharist in the Economy of Salvation
The
signs of bread and wine
1333
At the heart of the Eucharistic celebration are the bread and wine that, by the
words of Christ and the invocation of the Holy Spirit, become Christ's Body and
Blood. Faithful to the Lord's command the Church continues to do, in his memory
and until his glorious return, what he did on the eve of his Passion: "He
took bread...." "He took the cup filled with wine...." the signs
of bread and wine become, in a way surpassing understanding, the Body and Blood
of Christ; they continue also to signify the goodness of creation. Thus in the
Offertory we give thanks to the Creator for bread and wine,152 (Cf. ⇒ Ps 104:13-15. ) fruit of the "work
of human hands," but above all as "fruit of the earth" and
"of the vine" - gifts of the Creator. the Church sees in the gesture
of the king-priest Melchizedek, who "brought out bread and wine," a
prefiguring of her own offering.153
1334
In the Old Covenant bread and wine were offered in sacrifice among the first
fruits of the earth as a sign of grateful acknowledgment to the Creator. But
they also received a new significance in the context of the Exodus: the
unleavened bread that Israel eats every year at Passover commemorates the haste
of the departure that liberated them from Egypt; the remembrance of the manna
in the desert will always recall to Israel that it lives by the bread of the
Word of God;154 (Cf. ⇒ Deut 8:3. ) their daily bread is the fruit of the promised land, the pledge
of God's faithfulness to his promises.
The
"cup of blessing"155 ( ⇒ 1 Cor 10:16. ) at the end of the Jewish Passover meal adds to
the festive joy of wine an eschatological dimension: the messianic expectation
of the rebuilding of Jerusalem. When Jesus instituted the Eucharist, he gave a
new and definitive meaning to the blessing of the bread and the cup.
1335
The miracles of the multiplication of the loaves, when the Lord says the
blessing, breaks and distributes the loaves through his disciples to feed the
multitude, prefigure the superabundance of this unique bread of his
Eucharist.156 (Cf. ⇒ Mt 14:13-21; ⇒ 15:32-39. ) The sign of water turned into wine at Cana already announces the
Hour of Jesus' glorification. It makes manifest the fulfillment of the wedding
feast in the Father's kingdom, where the faithful will drink the new wine that
has become the Blood of Christ.157
1336
The first announcement of the Eucharist divided the disciples, just as the
announcement of the Passion scandalized them: "This is a hard saying; who
can listen to it?"158 (⇒ Jn 6:60. ) The Eucharist and the Cross are stumbling blocks. It
is the same mystery and it never ceases to be an occasion of division.
"Will you also go away?":159 (⇒ Jn 6:67.) The Lord's question echoes through the
ages, as a loving invitation to discover that only he has "the words of
eternal life"160 (In 6:68.) and that to receive in faith the gift of his Eucharist is
to receive the Lord himself.
The
institution of the Eucharist
1337
The Lord, having loved those who were his own, loved them to the end. Knowing
that the hour had come to leave this world and return to the Father, in the
course of a meal he washed their feet and gave them the commandment of love.161 (Cf. ⇒ Jn 13:1-17; ⇒ 34-35.) In order to leave them a pledge of this love, in order never to depart from his
own and to make them sharers in his Passover, he instituted the Eucharist as
the memorial of his death and Resurrection, and commanded his apostles to
celebrate it until his return; "thereby he constituted them, priests of the New Testament."162
1338
The three synoptic Gospels and St. Paul have handed on to us the account of the
institution of the Eucharist; St. John, for his part, reports the words of
Jesus in the synagogue of Capernaum that prepare for the institution of the
Eucharist: Christ calls himself the bread of life, come down from heaven.163
1339
Jesus chose the time of Passover to fulfill what he had announced at Capernaum:
giving his disciples his Body and his Blood:
Then
came the day of Unleavened Bread, on which the Passover lamb had to be
sacrificed. So Jesus sent Peter and John, saying, "Go and prepare the
Passover meal for us, that we may eat it...." They went ... and prepared
the Passover. and when the hour came, he sat at the table, and the apostles with
him. and he said to them, "I have earnestly desired to eat this Passover
with you before I suffer; for I tell you I shall not eat it again until it is
fulfilled in the kingdom of God.".... and he took bread, and when he had
given thanks he broke it and gave it to them, saying, "This is my body
which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me." and likewise the
cup after supper, saying, "This cup which is poured out for you is the New
Covenant in my blood."164
1340
By celebrating the Last Supper with his apostles in the course of the Passover
meal, Jesus gave the Jewish Passover its definitive meaning. Jesus' passing
over to his father by his death and Resurrection, the new Passover is
anticipated in the Supper and celebrated in the Eucharist, which fulfills the
Jewish Passover and anticipates the final Passover of the Church in the glory
of the kingdom.
"Do
this in memory of me"
1341
The command of Jesus to repeat his actions and words "until he comes"
does not only ask us to remember Jesus and what he did. It is directed at the
liturgical celebration, by the apostles and their successors, of the memorial
of Christ, of his life, of his death, of his Resurrection, and of his
intercession in the presence of the Father.165
1342
From the beginning, the Church has been faithful to the Lord's command. of the
Church of Jerusalem it is written:
They
devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of
bread and the prayers.... Day by day, attending the temple together and
breaking bread in their homes, they partook of food with glad and generous
hearts.166
1343
It was above all on "the first day of the week," Sunday, the day of
Jesus' resurrection, that the Christians met "to break bread."167 ( ⇒ Acts 20:7. ) From that time on down to our own day the celebration of the Eucharist has been
continued so that today we encounter it everywhere in the Church with the same
fundamental structure. It remains the center of the Church's life.
1344
Thus from celebration to celebration, as they proclaim the Paschal mystery of
Jesus "until he comes," the pilgrim People of God advances,
"following the narrow way of the cross,"168 (AG 1; cf. ⇒ 1 Cor 11:26.) toward the heavenly
banquet, when all the elect will be seated at the table of the kingdom.
IV.
The Liturgical Celebration of the Eucharist
The
Mass of all ages
1345
As early as the second century we have the witness of St. Justin Martyr for the
basic lines of the order of the Eucharistic celebration. They have stayed the
same until our own day for all the great liturgical families. St. Justin wrote
to the pagan emperor Antoninus Pius (138-161) around the year 155, explaining
what Christians did:
On
the day we call the day of the sun, all who dwell in the city or country gather
in the same place.
The
memoirs of the apostles and the writings of the prophets are read, as much as
time permits.
When
the reader has finished, he who presides over those gathered admonishes and
challenges them to imitate these beautiful things.
Then
we all rise together and offer prayers* for ourselves . . .and for all others,
wherever they may be, so that we may be found righteous by our life and
actions, and faithful to the commandments, so as to obtain eternal salvation.
When
the prayers are concluded we exchange the kiss.
Then
someone brings bread and a cup of water and wine mixed together to him who
presides over the brethren.
He
takes them and offers praise and glory to the Father of the universe, through
the name of the Son and of the Holy Spirit
and for a considerable time, he gives thanks (in Greek: eucharistian) that we
have been judged worthy of these gifts.
When
he has concluded the prayers and thanksgivings, all present give voice to an
acclamation by saying: 'Amen.'
When
he who presides has given thanks and the people have responded, those whom we
call deacons give to those present the "eucharisted" bread, wine and
water and take them to those who are absent.169
1346
The liturgy of the Eucharist unfolds according to a fundamental structure which
has been preserved throughout the centuries down to our own day. It displays
two great parts that form a fundamental unity:
-
the gathering, the liturgy of the Word, with readings, homily and general
intercessions;
-
the liturgy of the Eucharist, with the presentation of the bread and wine, the
consecratory thanksgiving, and communion.
The
liturgy of the Word and liturgy of the Eucharist together form "one single
act of worship";170 (SC 56.) The Eucharistic table set for us is the table both of
the Word of God and of the Body of the Lord.171 (Cf. DV 21. )
1347
Is this not the same movement as the Paschal meal of the risen Jesus with his
disciples? Walking with them he explained the Scriptures to them; sitting with
them at table "he took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to
them."172
The
movement of the celebration
1348
All gather together. Christians come together in one place for the Eucharistic
assembly. At its head is Christ himself, the principal agent of the Eucharist.
He is high priest of the New Covenant; it is he himself who presides invisibly
over every Eucharistic celebration. It is in representing him that the bishop
or priest acting in the person of Christ the head (in persona Christi capitis)
presides over the assembly, speaks after the readings, receives the offerings,
and says the Eucharistic Prayer. All have their own active parts to play in the
celebration, each in his own way: readers, those who bring up the offerings, those
who give communion, and the whole people whose "Amen" manifests their
participation.
1349
The Liturgy of the Word includes "the writings of the prophets," that
is, the Old Testament, and "the memoirs of the apostles" (their
letters and the Gospels). After the homily, which is an exhortation to accept
this Word as what it truly is, the Word of God,173 (Cf. ⇒ 1 Thess 2:13.) and to put it into practice,
come the intercessions for all men, according to the Apostle's words: "I
urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for
all men, for kings, and all who are in high positions."174 (⇒ 1 Tim 2:1-2.)
1350
The presentation of the offerings (the Offertory). Then, sometimes in
procession, the bread and wine are brought to the altar; they will be offered
by the priest in the name of Christ in the Eucharistic sacrifice in which they
will become his body and blood. It is the very action of Christ at the Last
Supper - "taking the bread and a cup." "The Church alone offers
this pure oblation to the Creator when she offers what comes forth from his
creation with thanksgiving."175 (St. Irenaeus, Adv. haeres. 4, 18, 4: PG 7/1, 1027; cf. ⇒ Mal 1:11.) The presentation of the offerings at the
altar takes up the gesture of Melchizedek and commits the Creator's gifts into
the hands of Christ who, in his sacrifice, brings to perfection all human attempts
to offer sacrifices.
1351
From the very beginning Christians have brought, along with the bread and wine
for the Eucharist, gifts to share with those in need. This custom of the
collection, ever appropriate, is inspired by the example of Christ who became
poor to make us rich:176
Those
who are well off, and who are also willing, give as each chooses. What is
gathered is given to him who presides to assist orphans and widows, those whom
illness or any other cause has deprived of resources, prisoners, immigrants
and, in a word, all who are in need.177
1352
The anaphora: with the Eucharistic Prayer - the prayer of thanksgiving and
consecration - we come to the heart and summit of the celebration:
In
the preface, the Church gives thanks to the Father, through Christ, in the Holy
Spirit, for all his works: creation, redemption, and sanctification. the whole
community thus joins in the unending praise that the Church in heaven, the
angels and all the saints, sing to the thrice-holy God.
1353
In the epiclesis, the Church asks the Father to send his Holy Spirit (or the
power of his blessing178 (Cf. Roman Missal, EP I (Roman Canon) 90. ) on the bread and wine, so that by his power they may
become the body and blood of Jesus Christ and so that those who take part in
the Eucharist may be one body and one spirit (some liturgical traditions put
the epiclesis after the anamnesis).
In
the institution narrative, the power of the words and the action of Christ, and
the power of the Holy Spirit, make sacramentally present under the species of
bread and wine Christ's body and blood, his sacrifice offered on the cross once
for all.
1354
In the anamnesis that follows, the Church calls to mind the Passion,
resurrection, and glorious return of Christ Jesus; she presents to the Father
the offering of his Son which reconciles us with him.
In
the intercessions, the Church indicates that the Eucharist is celebrated in
communion with the whole Church in heaven and on earth, the living and the
dead, and in communion with the pastors of the Church, the Pope, the diocesan
bishop, his presbyterium and his deacons, and all the bishops of the whole
world together with their Churches.
1355
In the communion, preceded by the Lord's prayer and the breaking of the bread,
the faithful receive "the bread of heaven" and "the cup of
salvation," the body and blood of Christ who offered himself "for the
life of the world":179
Because
this bread and wine have been made Eucharist ("eucharisted,"
according to an ancient expression), "we call this food Eucharist, and no
one may take part in it unless he believes that what we teach is true, has
received baptism for the forgiveness of sins and new birth, and lives in
keeping with what Christ taught."180
V.
The Sacramental Sacrifice Thanksgiving, Memorial, Presence
1356
If from the beginning Christians have celebrated the Eucharist and in a form
whose substance has not changed despite the great diversity of times and
liturgies, it is because we know ourselves to be bound by the command the Lord
gave on the eve of his Passion: "Do this in remembrance of me."181
1357
We carry out this command of the Lord by celebrating the memorial of his
sacrifice. In so doing, we offer to the Father what he has himself given us:
the gifts of his creation, bread, and wine which, by the power of the Holy
Spirit and by the words of Christ have become the body and blood of Christ.
Christ is thus really and mysteriously made present.
1358
We must therefore consider the Eucharist as: - thanksgiving and praise to the
Father;
-
the sacrificial memorial of Christ and his Body;
-
the presence of Christ by the power of his word and of his Spirit.
Thanksgiving
and praise to the Father
1359
The Eucharist, the sacrament of our salvation accomplished by Christ on the
cross is also a sacrifice of praise in thanksgiving for the work of creation.
In the Eucharistic sacrifice, the whole of creation loved by God is presented to
the Father through the death and the Resurrection of Christ. Through Christ, the
Church can offer the sacrifice of praise in thanksgiving for all that God has
made good, beautiful, and just in creation and in humanity.
1360
The Eucharist is a sacrifice of thanksgiving to the Father, a blessing by which
the Church expresses her gratitude to God for all his benefits, for all that he
has accomplished through creation, redemption, and sanctification. Eucharist
means first of all "thanksgiving."
1361
The Eucharist is also the sacrifice of praise by which the Church sings the
glory of God in the name of all creation. This sacrifice of praise is possible
only through Christ: he unites the faithful to his person, to his praise, and
to his intercession, so that the sacrifice of praise to the Father is offered
through Christ and with him, to be accepted in him.
The
sacrificial memorial of Christ and of his Body, the Church
1362
The Eucharist is the memorial of Christ's Passover, the making present and the
sacramental offering of his unique sacrifice, in the liturgy of the Church
which is his Body. In all the Eucharistic Prayers we find after the words of
institution a prayer called the anamnesis or memorial.
1363
In the sense of Sacred Scripture, the memorial is not merely the recollection of
past events but the proclamation of the mighty works wrought by God for men.182 (Cf. ⇒ Ex 13:3. )In the liturgical celebration of these events, they become in a certain way
present and real. This is how Israel understands its liberation from Egypt:
every time Passover is celebrated, the Exodus events are made present to the
memory of believers so that they may conform their lives to them.
1364
In the New Testament, the memorial takes on new meaning. When the Church
celebrates the Eucharist, she commemorates Christ's Passover, and it is made
present the sacrifice Christ offered once for all on the cross remains ever-present.183 (Cf. ⇒ Heb 7:25-27. ) "As often as the sacrifice of the Cross by which 'Christ our
Pasch has been sacrificed' is celebrated on the altar, the work of our
redemption is carried out."184
1365
Because it is the memorial of Christ's Passover, the Eucharist is also a
sacrifice. the sacrificial character of the Eucharist is manifested in the very
words of institution: "This is my body which is given for you" and
"This cup which is poured out for you is the New Covenant in my
blood."185 (⇒ Lk 22:19-20.) In the Eucharist Christ gives us the very body which he gave up
for us on the cross, the very blood which he "poured out for many for the
forgiveness of sins."186
1366
The Eucharist is thus a sacrifice because it re-presents (makes present) the
sacrifice of the cross, because it is its memorial and because it applies its
fruit:
[Christ],
our Lord and God, was once and for all to offer himself to God the Father by
his death on the altar of the cross, to accomplish there an everlasting
redemption. But because his priesthood was not to end with his death, at the
Last Supper "on the night when he was betrayed," [he wanted] to leave
to his beloved spouse the Church a visible sacrifice (as the nature of man
demands) by which the bloody sacrifice which he was to accomplish once for all
on the cross would be re-presented, its memory perpetuated until the end of the
world and its salutary power be applied to the forgiveness of the sins we
daily commit.187
1367
The sacrifice of Christ and the sacrifice of the Eucharist are one single
sacrifice: "The victim is one and the same: the same now offers through
the ministry of priests, who then offered himself on the cross; only the manner
of offering is different." "In this divine sacrifice which is
celebrated in the Mass, the same Christ who offered himself once in a bloody
manner on the altar of the cross is contained and is offered in an unbloody
manner."188
1368
The Eucharist is also the sacrifice of the Church. the Church which is the Body
of Christ participates in the offering of her Head. With him, she herself is
offered whole and entire. She unites herself to his intercession with the
Father for all men. In the Eucharist, the sacrifice of Christ becomes also the
sacrifice of the members of his Body. the lives of the faithful, their praise,
sufferings, prayer, and work, are united with those of Christ and with his
total offering, and so acquire a new value. Christ's sacrifice present on the
altar makes it possible for all generations of Christians to be united with his
offering.
In
the catacombs the Church is often represented as a woman in prayer, arms
outstretched in the praying position. Like Christ who stretched out his arms on
the cross, through him, with him, and in him, she offers herself and intercedes
for all men.
1369
The whole Church is united with the offering and intercession of Christ. Since
he has the ministry of Peter in the Church, the Pope is associated with every
celebration of the Eucharist, wherein he is named as the sign and servant of
the unity of the universal Church. the bishop of the place is always
responsible for the Eucharist, even when a priest presides; the bishop's name
is mentioned to signify his presidency over the particular Church, in the midst
of his presbyterium and with the assistance of deacons. the community
intercedes also for all ministers who, for it and with it, offer the Eucharistic
sacrifice:
Let
only that Eucharist be regarded as legitimate, which is celebrated under [the
presidency of] the bishop or him to whom he has entrusted it.189
Through
the ministry of priests the spiritual sacrifice of the faithful is completed in
union with the sacrifice of Christ the only Mediator, which in the Eucharist is
offered through the priests' hands in the name of the whole Church in an
unbloody and sacramental manner until the Lord himself comes.190
1370
To the offering of Christ are united not only the members still here on earth,
but also those already in the glory of heaven. In communion with and
commemorating the Blessed Virgin Mary and all the saints, the Church offers the
Eucharistic sacrifice. In the Eucharist, the Church is as it were at the foot of
the cross with Mary, united with the offering and intercession of Christ.
1371
The Eucharistic sacrifice is also offered for the faithful departed who
"have died in Christ but are not yet wholly purified,"191 (Council of Trent (1562) DS 1743. ) so that
they may be able to enter into the light and peace of Christ:
Put
this body anywhere! Don't trouble yourselves about it! I simply ask you to
remember me at the Lord's altar wherever you are.192 (St. Monica, before her death, to her sons, St. Augustine and his brother; Conf. 9, 11, 27: PL 32, 775. )
Then,
we pray [in the anaphora] for the holy fathers and bishops who have fallen
asleep, and in general for all who have fallen asleep before us, in the belief
that it is a great benefit to the souls on whose behalf the supplication is
offered, while the holy and tremendous Victim is present.... By offering to God
our supplications for those who have fallen asleep, if they have sinned, we . .
. offer Christ sacrificed for the sins of all, and so render favorable, for
them and for us, the God who loves man.193 (St. Cyril of Jerusalem, Catech. myst. 5, 9. 10 PG 33, 1116-1117. )
1372
St. Augustine admirably summed up this doctrine that moves us to an evermore
complete participation in our Redeemer's sacrifice which we celebrate in the
Eucharist:
This
wholly redeemed city, the assembly, and society of the saints is offered to God
as a universal sacrifice by the high priest who in the form of a slave went so
far as to offer himself for us in his Passion, to make us the Body of so great
ahead.... Such is the sacrifice of Christians: "we who are many are one
Body in Christ" the Church continues to reproduce this sacrifice in the
sacrament of the altar so well-known to believers wherein it is evident to them
that in what she offers she herself is offered.194
The
presence of Christ by the power of his word and the Holy Spirit
1373
"Christ Jesus, who died, yes, who was raised from the dead, who is at the
right hand of God, who indeed intercedes for us," is present in many ways
to his Church:195 (⇒ Rom 8:34; cf. LG 48.) in his word, in his Church's prayer, "where two or three
are gathered in my name,"196 (⇒ Mt 18:20. ) in the poor, the sick, and the imprisoned,197 (Cf. ⇒ Mt 25:31-46.)in the sacraments of which he is the author, in the sacrifice of the Mass, and
in the person of the minister. But "he is present . . . most especially in
the Eucharistic species."198 (SC 7. )
1374
The mode of Christ's presence under the Eucharistic species is unique. It
raises the Eucharist above all the sacraments as "the perfection of the
spiritual life and the end to which all the sacraments tend."199 (St. Thomas Aquinas, STh III, 73, 3c. ) In the
most blessed sacrament of the Eucharist "the body and blood, together with
the soul and divinity, of our Lord Jesus Christ and, therefore, the whole
Christ is truly, really, and substantially contained."200 (Council of Trent (1551): DS 1651.) "This
presence is called 'real' - by which is not intended to exclude the other types
of presence as if they could not be 'real' too, but because it is present in
the fullest sense: that is to say, it is a substantial presence by which
Christ, God and man, makes himself wholly and entirely present."201 (Paul VI, MF 39.)
1375
It is by the conversion of the bread and wine into Christ's body and blood that
Christ becomes present in this sacrament. the Church Fathers strongly affirmed
the faith of the Church in the efficacy of the Word of Christ and of the action
of the Holy Spirit to bring about this conversion. Thus St. John Chrysostom declares:
It
is not a man that causes the things offered to become the Body and Blood of
Christ, but he who was crucified for us, Christ himself. the priest, in the
role of Christ, pronounces these words, but their power and grace are God's.
This is my body, he says. This word transforms the things offered.202 (
and
St. Ambrose says about this conversion:
Be
convinced that this is not what nature has formed, but what the blessing has
consecrated. the power of the blessing prevails over that of nature because by
the blessing nature itself is changed.... Could not Christ's word, which can
make from nothing that did not exist, change existing things into what they
were not before? It is no less a feat to give things their original nature than
to change their nature.203 (St. Ambrose, De myst. 9, 50; 52: PL 16, 405-407. )
1376
The Council of Trent summarizes the Catholic faith by declaring: "Because
Christ our Redeemer said that it was truly his body that he was offering under
the species of bread, it has always been the conviction of the Church of God,
and this holy Council now declares again, that by the consecration of the bread
and wine there takes place a change of the whole substance of the bread into
the substance of the body of Christ our Lord and of the whole substance of the
wine into the substance of his blood. This change the holy Catholic Church has
fittingly and properly called transubstantiation."204
1377
The Eucharistic presence of Christ begins at the moment of the consecration and
endures as long as the Eucharistic species subsist. Christ is present whole and
entire in each of the species and whole and entire in each of their parts, in
such a way that the breaking of the bread does not divide Christ.205
1378
Worship of the Eucharist. In the liturgy of the Mass we express our faith in
the real presence of Christ under the species of bread and wine by, among other
ways, genuflecting or bowing deeply as a sign of adoration of the Lord.
"The Catholic Church has always offered and still offers to the sacrament
of the Eucharist the cult of adoration, not only during Mass, but also outside
of it, reserving the consecrated hosts with the utmost care, exposing them to
the solemn veneration of the faithful, and carrying them in
procession."206
1379
The tabernacle was first intended for the reservation of the Eucharist in a
worthy place so that it could be brought to the sick and those absent outside
of Mass. As faith in the real presence of Christ in his Eucharist deepened, the
Church became conscious of the meaning of silent adoration of the Lord present
under the Eucharistic species. It is for this reason that the tabernacle should
be located in an especially worthy place in the church and should be
constructed in such a way that it emphasizes and manifests the truth of the
real presence of Christ in the Blessed Sacrament.
1380
It is highly fitting that Christ should have wanted to remain present to his
Church in this unique way. Since Christ was about to take his departure from
his own in his visible form, he wanted to give us his sacramental presence;
since he was about to offer himself on the cross to save us, he wanted us to
have the memorial of the love with which he loved us "to the end,"207 (⇒ Jn 13:1.) even to the giving of his life. In his Eucharistic presence he remains
mysteriously in our midst as the one who loved us and gave himself up for
us,208 (Cf. ⇒ Gal 2:20.) and he remains under signs that express and communicate this love:
The
Church and the world have a great need for Eucharistic worship. Jesus awaits us
in this sacrament of love. Let us not refuse the time to go to meet him in
adoration, in contemplation full of faith, and open to making amends for the
serious offenses and crimes of the world. Let our adoration never cease.209
1381
"That in this sacrament are the true Body of Christ and his true Blood is
something that 'cannot be apprehended by the senses,' says St. Thomas, 'but
only by faith, which relies on divine authority.' For this reason, in a
commentary on Luke 22:19 ('This is my body which is given for you.'), St. Cyril
says: 'Do not doubt whether this is true, but rather receive the words of the
Savior in faith, for since he is the truth, he cannot lie.'"210
Alexandria, In Luc. 22, 19: PG 72, 912; cf. Paul VI, MF 18.)
Alexandria, In Luc. 22, 19: PG 72, 912; cf. Paul VI, MF 18.)
Godhead
here in hiding, whom I do adore
Masked
by these bare shadows, shape and nothing more,
See,
Lord, at thy service low lies here a heart
Lost,
all lost in wonder at the God thou art.
Seeing,
touching, tasting are in thee deceived;
How
says trusty hearing? that shall be believed;
What
God's Son has told me, take for truth I do;
Truth
himself speaks truly or there's nothing true.211
VI.
The Paschal Banquet
1382
The Mass is at the same time, and inseparably, the sacrificial memorial in
which the sacrifice of the cross is perpetuated and the sacred banquet of
communion with the Lord's body and blood. But the celebration of the
Eucharistic sacrifice is wholly directed toward the intimate union of the
faithful with Christ through communion. To receive communion is to receive
Christ himself who has offered himself for us.
1383
The altar, around which the Church is gathered in the celebration of the
Eucharist, represents the two aspects of the same mystery: the altar of the
sacrifice and the table of the Lord. This is all the more so since the
Christian altar is the symbol of Christ himself, present in the midst of the
assembly of his faithful, both as the victim offered for our reconciliation and
as food from heaven who is giving himself to us. "For what is the altar of
Christ if not the image of the Body of Christ?"212 (St. Ambrose, De Sacr. 5, 2, 7: PL 16, 447C.) asks St. Ambrose. He
says elsewhere, "The altar represents the body [of Christ] and the Body of
Christ is on the altar."213 (St. Ambrose, De Sacr. 4, 2, 7: PL 16, 437D.) The liturgy expresses this unity of sacrifice
and communion in many prayers. Thus the Roman Church prays in its anaphora:
We
entreat you, almighty God,
that
by the hands of your holy Angel
this
offering may be borne to your altar in heaven
in
the sight of your divine majesty,
so
that as we receive in communion at this altar
the
most holy Body and Blood of your Son,
we
may be filled with every heavenly blessing and grace.214 (Roman Missal, EP I (Roman Canon) 96: Supplices te rogamus, omnipotens Deus: iube haec perferri per manus sancti Angeli tui in sublime altare tuum, in conspectu divinae maiestatis tuae: ut, quotquot ex hac altaris participatione sacrosanctum Filii Corpus et Sanguinem sumpserimus, omni benedictione caelesti et gratia repleamur. )
"Take
this and eat it, all of you": communion
1384
The Lord addresses an invitation to us, urging us to receive him in the
sacrament of the Eucharist: "Truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh
of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you."215 ( ⇒ Jn 6:53.)
1385
To respond to this invitation we must prepare ourselves for so great and so
holy a moment. St. Paul urges us to examine our conscience: "Whoever,
therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner
will be guilty of profaning the body and blood of the Lord. Let a man examine
himself, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For anyone who eats and
drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment upon
himself."216 ( ⇒ 1 Cor 11:27-29.) Anyone conscious of a grave sin must receive the sacrament of
Reconciliation before coming to communion.
1386
Before so great a sacrament, the faithful can only echo humbly and with ardent
faith the words of the Centurion: "Domine, non sum dignus ut intres sub
tectum meum, sed tantum dic verbo, et sanabitur anima mea" ("Lord, I
am not worthy that you should enter under my roof, but only say the word and my
soul will be healed.").217 (Roman Missal, response to the invitation to communion; cf. ⇒ Mt 8:8[ETML:C/]. ) and in the Divine Liturgy of St. John
Chrysostom the faithful pray in the same spirit:
O
Son of God, bring me into communion today with your mystical supper. I shall
not tell your enemies the secret, nor kiss you with Judas' kiss. But like the
good thief I cry, "Jesus, remember me when you come into your
kingdom."
1387
To prepare for worthy reception of this sacrament, the faithful should observe
the fast required in their Church.218 (Cf. ⇒ CIC, can. 919.) Bodily demeanor (gestures, clothing)
ought to convey the respect, solemnity, and joy of this moment when Christ
becomes our guest.
1388
It is in keeping with the very meaning of the Eucharist that the faithful, if
they have the required dispositions, receive communion each time they
participate in the Mass.219 (Cf. ⇒ CIC, can. 917; AAS 76 (1984) 746-747.) As the Second Vatican Council says: "That more
perfect form of participation in the Mass whereby the faithful, after the
priest's communion, receive the Lord's Body from the same sacrifice, is warmly
recommended."220 (SC 55. )
1389
The Church obliges the faithful "to take part in the Divine Liturgy on
Sundays and feast days" and, prepared by the sacrament of Reconciliation,
to receive the Eucharist at least once a year, if possible during the Easter
season.221 (OE 15; ⇒ CIC, can. 920.) But the Church strongly encourages the faithful to receive the holy
Eucharist on Sundays and feast days, or more often still, even daily.
1390
Since Christ is sacramentally present under each of the species, communion
under the species of bread alone makes it possible to receive all the fruit of
Eucharistic grace. For pastoral reasons this manner of receiving communion has
been legitimately established as the most common form in the Latin rite. But
"the sign of communion is more complete when given under both kinds, since
in that form the sign of the Eucharistic meal appears more clearly."222 (GIRM 240. ) This is the usual form of receiving communion in the Eastern rites.
The
fruits of Holy Communion
1391
Holy Communion augments our union with Christ. the principal fruit of receiving
the Eucharist in Holy Communion is an intimate union with Christ Jesus. Indeed,
the Lord said: "He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and
I in him."223 ( ⇒ Jn 6:56. ) Life in Christ has its foundation in the Eucharistic
banquet: "As the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father,
so he who eats me will live because of me."224 ( ⇒ Jn 6:57. )
On
the feasts of the Lord, when the faithful receive the Body of the Son, they
proclaim to one another the Good News that the first fruits of life have been
given, as when the angel said to Mary Magdalene, "Christ is risen!"
Now too are life and resurrection conferred on whoever receives Christ.225
1392
What material food produces in our bodily life, Holy Communion wonderfully
achieves in our spiritual life. Communion with the flesh of the risen Christ, a
flesh "given life and giving life through the Holy Spirit,"226 (PO 5.) preserves, increases, and renews the life of grace received at Baptism. This
growth in Christian life needs the nourishment of Eucharistic Communion, the
bread for our pilgrimage until the moment of death, when it will be given to us
as viaticum.
1393
Holy Communion separates us from sin. the body of Christ we receive in Holy
Communion is "given up for us," and the blood we drink "shed for
the many for the forgiveness of sins." For this reason the Eucharist
cannot unite us to Christ without at the same time cleansing us from past sins
and preserving us from future sins:
For
as often as we eat this bread and drink the cup, we proclaim the death of the
Lord. If we proclaim the Lord's death, we proclaim the forgiveness of sins. If,
as often as his blood is poured out, it is poured for the forgiveness of sins,
I should always receive it, so that it may always forgive my sins. Because I
always sin, I should always have a remedy.227
1394
As bodily nourishment restores lost strength, so the Eucharist strengthens our
charity, which tends to be weakened in daily life; and this living charity
wipes away venial sins.228 (Cf. Council of Trent (1551): DS 1638.) By giving himself to us Christ revives our love and
enables us to break our disordered attachments to creatures and root ourselves
in him:
Since
Christ died for us out of love, when we celebrate the memorial of his death at
the moment of sacrifice we ask that love may be granted to us by the coming of
the Holy Spirit. We humbly pray that in the strength of this love by which
Christ willed to die for us, we, by receiving the gift of the Holy Spirit, may
be able to consider the world as crucified for us, and to be ourselves as
crucified to the world.... Having received the gift of love, let us die to sin
and live for God.229
1395
By the same charity that it enkindles in us, the Eucharist preserves us from
future mortal sins. the more we share the life of Christ and progress in his
friendship, the more difficult it is to break away from him by mortal sin. the
Eucharist is not ordered to the forgiveness of mortal sins - that is proper to
the sacrament of Reconciliation. the Eucharist is properly the sacrament of
those who are in full communion with the Church.
1396
The unity of the Mystical Body: the Eucharist makes the Church. Those who
receive the Eucharist are united more closely to Christ. Through it Christ
unites them to all the faithful in one body - the Church. Communion renews,
strengthens, and deepens this incorporation into the Church, already achieved
by Baptism. In Baptism we have been called to form but one body.230 (Cf. ⇒ 1 Cor 12:13. ) The
Eucharist fulfills this call: "The cup of blessing which we bless, is it
not a participation in the blood of Christ? the bread which we break, is it not
a participation in the body of Christ? Because there is one bread, we who are
many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread:"231 (⇒ 1 Cor 10:16-17.)
If
you are the body and members of Christ, then it is your sacrament that is
placed on the table of the Lord; it is your sacrament that you receive. To that
which you are you respond "Amen" ("yes, it is true!") and
by responding to it you assent to it. For you hear the words, "the Body of
Christ" and respond "Amen." Be then a member of the Body of
Christ that your Amen may be true.232
1397
The Eucharist commits us to the poor. To receive in truth the Body and Blood of
Christ given up for us, we must recognize Christ in the poorest, his brethren:
You
have tasted the Blood of the Lord, yet you do not recognize your brother,....
You dishonor this table when you do not judge worthy of sharing your food
someone judged worthy to take part in this meal.... God freed you from all your
sins and invited you here, but you have not become more merciful.233
1398
The Eucharist and the unity of Christians. Before the greatness of this mystery
St. Augustine exclaims, "O sacrament of devotion! O sign of unity! O bond
of charity!"234 ( St. Augustine, In Jo. ev. 26, 13: PL 35, 1613; cf. SC 47. ) The more painful the experience of the divisions in the
Church which break the common participation in the table of the Lord, the more
urgent are our prayers to the Lord that the time of complete unity among all
who believe in him may return.
1399
The Eastern churches that are not in full communion with the Catholic Church
celebrate the Eucharist with great love. "These Churches, although
separated from us, yet possess true sacraments, above all - by apostolic
succession - the priesthood and the Eucharist, whereby they are still joined to
us in closest intimacy." A certain communion in sacris, and so in the
Eucharist, "given suitable circumstances and the approval of Church
authority, is not merely possible but is encouraged."235
1400
Ecclesial communities derived from the Reformation and separated from the
Catholic Church, "have not preserved the proper reality of the Eucharistic
mystery in its fullness, especially because of the absence of the sacrament of
Holy Orders."236 (UR 22 # 3.) It is for this reason that Eucharistic intercommunion
with these communities is not possible for the Catholic Church. However these
ecclesial communities, "when they commemorate the Lord's death and resurrection
in the Holy Supper . . . profess that it signifies life in communion with
Christ and await his coming in glory."237
1401
When, in the Ordinary's judgment, a grave necessity arises, Catholic ministers
may give the sacraments of Eucharist, Penance, and Anointing of the Sick to
other Christians not in full communion with the Catholic Church, who ask for
them of their own will, provided they give evidence of holding the Catholic
faith regarding these sacraments and possess the required dispositions.238
VII.
The Eucharist - "Pledge of the Glory To Come"
1402
In an ancient prayer, the Church acclaims the mystery of the Eucharist: "O
sacred banquet in which Christ is received as food, the memory of his Passion
is renewed, the soul is filled with grace and a pledge of the life to come is
given to us." If the Eucharist is the memorial of the Passover of the Lord
Jesus, if by our communion at the altar we are filled "with every heavenly
blessing and grace,"239 (Roman Missal, EP I (Roman Canon) 96: Supplices te rogamus. ) then the Eucharist is also an anticipation of the
heavenly glory.
1403
At the Last Supper, the Lord himself directed his disciples' attention toward
the fulfillment of the Passover in the kingdom of God: "I tell you I shall
not drink again of this fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new
with you in my Father's kingdom."240 ( ⇒ Mt 26:29; cf. ⇒ Lk 22:18; ⇒ Mk 14 25.)Whenever the Church celebrates the
Eucharist she remembers this promise and turns her gaze "to him who is to
come." In her prayer, she calls for his coming: "Maranatha!"
"Come, Lord Jesus!"241 ( ⇒ Rev 1:4; ⇒ 22 20; ⇒ 1 Cor 16 22.)"May your grace come and this world pass
away!"242
1404
The Church knows that the Lord comes even now in his Eucharist and that he is
there in our midst. However, his presence is veiled. Therefore we celebrate the
Eucharist "awaiting the blessed hope and the coming of our Savior, Jesus
Christ,"243 (Roman Missal 126, embolism after the Our Father: expectantes beatam spem et adventum Salvatoris nostri Jesu Christi; cf. ⇒ Titus 2:13. ) asking "to share in your glory when every tear will be
wiped away. On that day we shall see you, our God, as you are. We shall become
like you and praise you forever through Christ our Lord."244
1405
There is no surer pledge or dearer sign of this great hope in the new heavens
and new earth "in which righteousness dwells,"245 (⇒ 2 Pet 3:13.) than the Eucharist.
Every time this mystery is celebrated, "the work of our redemption is
carried on" and we "break the one bread that provides the medicine of
immortality, the antidote for death, and the food that makes us live forever
in Jesus Christ."246 (LG 3; St. Ignatius of Antioch, Ad Eph. 20, 2: SCh 10, 76.)
IN
BRIEF
1406
Jesus said: "I am the living bread that came down from heaven; if anyone
eats of this bread, he will live forever; . . . he who eats my flesh and
drinks my blood has eternal life and . . . abides in me, and I in him" (⇒ Jn 6:51, ⇒ 54, ⇒ 56).
1407
The Eucharist is the heart and the summit of the Church's life, for in it
Christ associates his Church and all her members with his sacrifice of praise
and thanksgiving offered once for all on the cross to his Father; by this
sacrifice he pours out the graces of salvation on his Body which is the Church.
1408
The Eucharistic celebration always includes: the proclamation of the Word of
God; thanksgiving to God the Father for all his benefits, above all the gift of
his Son; the consecration of bread and wine; and participation in the
liturgical banquet by receiving the Lord's body and blood. These elements
constitute one single act of worship.
1409
The Eucharist is the memorial of Christ's Passover, that is, of the work of
salvation accomplished by the life, death, and resurrection of Christ, a work
made present by the liturgical action.
1410
It is Christ himself, the eternal high priest of the New Covenant who, acting
through the ministry of the priests, offers the Eucharistic sacrifice. and it
is the same Christ, really present under the species of bread and wine, who is
the offering of the Eucharistic sacrifice.
1411
Only validly ordained priests can preside at the Eucharist and consecrate the
bread and the wine so that they become the Body and Blood of the Lord.
1412
The essential signs of the Eucharistic sacrament are wheat bread and grape
wine, on which the blessing of the Holy Spirit is invoked and the priest
pronounces the words of consecration spoken by Jesus during the Last Supper:
"This is my body which will be given up for you.... This is the cup of my
blood...."
1413
By the consecration the transubstantiation of the bread and wine into the Body
and Blood of Christ is brought about. Under the consecrated species of bread
and wine Christ himself, living and glorious, is present in a true, real, and
substantial manner: his Body and his Blood, with his soul and his divinity (cf.
Council of Trent: DS 1640; 1651).
1414
As sacrifice, the Eucharist is also offered in reparation for the sins of the
living and the dead and to obtain spiritual or temporal benefits from God.
1415
Anyone who desires to receive Christ in Eucharistic communion must be in the
state of grace. Anyone aware of having sinned mortally must not receive
communion without having received absolution in the sacrament of penance.
1416
Communion with the Body and Blood of Christ increases the communicant's union
with the Lord, forgives his venial sins, and preserves him from grave sins.
Since receiving this sacrament strengthens the bonds of charity between the
communicant and Christ, it also reinforces the unity of the Church as the
Mystical Body of Christ.
1417
The Church warmly recommends that the faithful receive Holy Communion each time
they participate in the celebration of the Eucharist; she obliges them to do so
at least once a year.
1418
Because Christ himself is present in the sacrament of the altar, he is to be
honored with the worship of adoration. "To visit the Blessed Sacrament is
. . . a proof of gratitude, an expression of love, and a duty of adoration
toward Christ our Lord" (Paul VI, MF 66).
1419
Having passed from this world to the Father, Christ gives us in the Eucharist
the pledge of glory with him. Participation in the Holy Sacrifice identifies us
with his Heart, sustains our strength along the pilgrimage of this life, makes
us long for eternal life, and unites us even now to the Church in heaven, the
Blessed Virgin Mary, and all the saints.
GO TO:
GO TO:
CHAPTER ONE THE SACRAMENTS OF CHRISTIAN INITIATION
ARTICLE 1 THE SACRAMENT OF BAPTISM
PART TWO: THE CELEBRATION OF THE CHRISTIAN MYSTERY
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