We have already reached the last article in my series on sacraments. Today, I will rise matters related to the most sacred and glorious sacrament we have received from Christ the Lord. Namely, in this article I will approximate the Catholic doctrine on the sacrament of the Eucharist, the sacrament in which God himself is. Welcome to the reading! Note: At the end of the article, there is simply a list of abbreviations utilized in this text!
The following parts of the series are available after this LINK
What is the Eucharist?
According to the teaching of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, the Eucharist "completes Christian introduction" (KKK 1322). The Second Vatican Council, in the Constitution “Lumen Gentium”, speaks of the Sacrament of the Body and Blood of Christ as “the origin and at the same time the summit of all Christian life” (BF, p. 473). The Trinity Concilium teaches and confesses, in a decree on the Sacrament of the Eucharist, that in “the life-giving Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist after the consecration of bread and wine, our Lord Jesus Christ, the actual God and the actual man, is truly, indeed and materially” (BF, p. 204).
What are the names of this sacrament?
This Sacrament is sometimes called the Eucharist, from the Greek word "eucharistein", which refers to blessing and thanksgiving. This mystery “is thanksgiving to God” (KKK 1328). We say to this sacrament that it is “the Memorial of the Passion and Resurrection of the Lord” and “the Most Holy Sacrifice” due to the fact that “it is present the only sacrifice of Christ the Savior and due to the fact that it contains the sacrifice of the Church” (CCC 1330). The Eucharist is besides called the "Lord's Evening Meal," for it is simply a meal which "Christ ate with his disciples on the eve of his torment, and a foreshadowing of the feast of the mating of the Lamb in heavenly Jerusalem" (KKK 1329). We besides call this sacrament “The Breaking of Bread” or “The Eucharistic Assembly” (cf. CCC 1329). This mystery is besides “Communicated” due to the fact that “through this sacrament we unite with Christ, who makes us partakers of his Body and his Blood, that we may form 1 body” (KKK 1331). We besides call this sacrament “Holy Mass” and “Holy and Divine Liturgy”.
Is the Eucharist a sacrament?
Augustine of Hippony calls the Eucharist a sacrament of religion erstwhile he states that "as the sacrament of the body of Christ is in any way the body of Christ, and the sacrament of Christ's blood is the blood of Christ, so the sacrament of religion is faith" (Letters 98:9 – EN 33, 364). The Catholic Church, following the teaching of the Holy Father of the Church, counts the Eucharist as a group of 7 sacraments. The Holy Council of Trent, in its decrees, mentioned the mystery of the Body and Blood of Christ among the sacraments, and recognized as heretics those who consider those established by Jesus Christ. visible signs of invisible grace are “more or little than seven” (DSP4, p. 357). besides earlier, the Concilium gathered in Florence announced that the next 1 after baptism and confirmation of "the sacrament is the Eucharist" (BF, p. 164).
Is the Eucharist the top sacrament?
All sacraments give any grace and deserve our respect. Accepting any of them (e.g. baptism) is essential for salvation. Nevertheless, despite large respect for another mysteries, the sacrament of the Eucharist is the most sacred and most crucial sacrament. The Council of Trent, in a decree on the Sacrament of the Eucharist, taught dogmatically that the sacrament of the Body and the Blood of the Lord is the greatest, for "other sacraments only then display the sanctifying power erstwhile individual uses them," and in the Eucharist already "before its adoption is the Protector himself" (BF, p. 205).
When was the Eucharist established?
The Catholic Church clearly teaches that Christ "at the supper" which he had with his disciples "established the Eucharist as a memorial of his Passion and Resurrection" (KKK 1337).
Is the Eucharist truly Jesus ’ body and blood?
According to John, the boy of God said to the Jews: “I am the surviving bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats this bread, he will live forever; and the bread I will give is my body for the life of the world" (Jn 6:48-52). Jesus went on to say: “He that eats my body and drinks my blood has everlasting life, and I will resurrect him in the last day. For my flesh is indeed food, and my blood is indeed drink" (Jn 6:55-56). Christ uses simple words here, so the literal interpretation, or acceptance of Jesus' actual presence in the Sacrament of the Eucharist, is completely natural. Jesus makes it clear that the body that he will spend on the cross is besides the 1 that is intended to eat. He calls His Body with actual food and Blood with drink. Moreover, the words about flesh and blood consumption never happen in Aramaic or another east languages as a word describing learning or spiritual relation with someone.
This word functions in the Bible only as synonymous with slander or hatred (cf. Ps 26: 2; Jb 19, 22). His interlocutors besides understood what he meant due to the fact that they wondered how it was possible for Jesus to give them his The body to consume, however, had no thought how it would be accomplished. On another occasion, during the supper, Christ took bread and said, "This is my body," and then took the cup and said, "This is my blood of the fresh Testament, which shall be poured out for many for the remission of sins" (Mt 26, 26, 28). These words besides cannot be understood figuratively due to respective serious arguments. First, as I mentioned earlier, the Jews did not usage the words “eat the flesh” or “drink the blood” to describe a spiritual connection. Further, bread and wine themselves have no symbolic connection to flesh and blood. Also, if Christ wanted to usage a metaphor, he should explain his words to the apostles, or he would mislead them. The literal explanation of these paragraphs is already found in the writings of the Fathers of the Church.
The early Christian writer, St. Ignatius of Antioch, bears witness to Christ's actual presence in the Sacrament of the Eucharist erstwhile he calls, "Use 1 Eucharist, then; 1 is the Body of our Lord Jesus Christ, 1 cup in the unity of His blood." On another occasion, the same author fights the views of those who "resisted from the Eucharist claiming that in the Eucharist there is no Body of our Savior Jesus Christ, who died for us." Justin the Martyr besides testifies to the religion of the early Church erstwhile he says that “we do not accept this food as a specified bread, nor as a specified drink, but we have been instructed that, as Jesus Christ incarnates through the Word of God, our Savior, and has taken the Body and Blood for our salvation, so the Body and Blood of the Incarnate Jesus is the food upon which his prayer has been continued, through which we have made our blood and bodies by change.”
In the 4th century Cyril of Jerusalem urges Christians: “Let us usage this (the Eucharist) with all conviction as the Body and Blood of Christ, for in the form of bread you receive the Body, and in the form of blood wine” (Mystagogica, 4, 3 – PG 33, 1099). He besides instructs his audience: "Therefore look not upon bread and wine as specified elements, for they are the Body and Blood of Christ according to the words of the Lord" (Mystagogica, 4, 6 – PG 33, 1102). The bishop of Milan, Saint Ambrose, besides makes it clear: “Why don’t you tell me something else that I see, why are you telling me that I accept the Body of Christ? It is not what nature has shaped, but what the blessing has sacrificed. So the power of blessing is greater than the power of nature, due to the fact that by blessing nature itself has changed" ("De mysteriis" — PL 16, 405). Such, according to ancient testimonies, dogmas of religion the Church defined on the Council of Trent.
The Holy Concilium recognized as heretics, those who deny that "in the Sacred Sacrament of the Eucharist there are truly, indeed, and materially flesh and blood together with the soul and Deity of our Lord Jesus Christ, all Christ" (DSP4, p. 457). besides excluded from the Church were those who deny that "in the venerable Sacrament of the Eucharist in all form and in all separate part all Christ is present" (DSP4, p. 457). Christ, according to the teaching of the Eclesias, is present in the Eucharist until the sacramental sign is not dissolved or destroyed, therefore, as apostates, according to the decrees of the Council of Trent, we have those who believe that “after consecration in the unusual sacrament of the Eucharist there is no body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, but only in [his] usage erstwhile it is accepted, not before or after, and that the actual body of the Lord does not stay in the hosts, or consecrated particles which are stored or left after communion” (DSP4, p. 457). This teaching is justified in Tradition due to the fact that we know that the Eucharist was frequently kept in private homes (cf. Cyprian of Carthage, “De lapsis” — PL 16, 486) or carried on ships (cf. PL 16, 1304).
What is the substance of the Eucharist?
The substance of the sacrament of the Eucharist is bread and wine. The Scriptures clearly attest that Jesus “takes bread and blesses and breaks and gives it to them, and says, Take, this is my body. And he took the cup, and made thanks, and gave them, and all drank of it. And he said unto them, This is my blood of the fresh Testament, which shall be poured out besides many. Verily I say unto you that I will no longer drink of this fruit of the vine, until that day, erstwhile I shall drink it fresh in the kingdom of God" (Mk 14:22-25). The ecclesia in its doctrinal teaching, expressed by the Florentine Concil, clearly states that "[m]the sacrament's atheria of wheat bread and grape wine, with which a small water must be mixed before consecration" (BF, p. 164). And while the Last Supper was held on the first day of unleavened bread, most likely Christ the Lord utilized unleavened bread to establish the Eucharist, the Church stated on the Florentine Council that "in the wheat bread unleavened or acidified is truly the present body of Christ" (BF, p. 161), and priests should adhere to the customs of their Church. As for the water added to the wine, it is not essential for the importance of the sacrament, but it is crucial for fairness, as explained by the Roman Catechism, which states about the water that "if it were not, the Sacrament may be without it" (KR2, p. 108).
What is the form of the Eucharist? erstwhile does transfiguration take place?
According to the teaching of the Catholic Church, these are the words of the Lord Jesus ("this is my body" and "this is my cup of blood") are the essential form of this sacrament. St. John Chrysostom wrote that “man does not make gifts become the Body and Blood of Christ, but Christ himself, who was crucified for us, stands the priest, fulfilling the announcement and proclaiming these words—and the power of God is. This is my body," he says. These words transform complex gifts" (Homilia De conditione Judae — PG 49, 380). Ambrose of Milan besides said that “bread is bread before the words of the sacrament, but erstwhile the words of consecration are spoken, then bread becomes the Body of Christ. What power does bread become the Body of Christ? The power of consecration. Which words are made by the consecration? By the words of the Lord Jesus" (De sacramentis, 4, 4, 14 – EN 16, 439-440). Following the teaching of the Fathers, the bishops gathered in Florence, in the bull about the union with the Armenians, stated clearly that "[f]orma of this sacrament are the words of the Savior, whom He did this sacrament" (BF, p. 165).
What is transfiguration?
Transformation, as the Florentine Council provides, is an act whereby "the substance of bread is transformed into the body of Christ, and the substance of wine into blood" so that "the full Christ is present in the form of bread and all in the form of wine" (BF, p. 165). The Trinity Concilium has as its heretics those that "in the Sacred Sacrament of the Eucharist remains the substance of bread and wine together with the flesh and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ," as well as anyone who "contrary to this unusual and unique transformation of all the substance of bread into flesh and all the substance of wine into blood, with the preservation only of the form of bread and wine, a change which the Catholic Church very aptly calls transmutation" (DSP4, p. 457). The religion in the complete conversion of bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Christ is confirmed by the quote from St. John Chrysostom, as well as by the words of St. Cyril of Jerusalem, who wrote that Christ “changed in Cana of Galilee water into wine which is related to blood, or would we respect Him as little worthy of religion erstwhile wine was turned into Blood?” (PG 33: 1097).
What is Mass?
Mass is simply a rite of passage. Mass is primarily a bloodless sacrifice. The deviations from faith, according to the decrees of the Trinity Concilium, are those who, according to the words, "does not make a actual and appropriate sacrifice to God in Mass" (DSP4, p. 645). This sacrifice has a thank - you, commendable, and propitiatory dimension. The Council of Trent excludes, as heretics, those persons according to which “the Mass is simply a sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving, or simply a memorial of a sacrifice laid down on the cross, alternatively than propitiatory; or that it assists only the receiving [Communication], and should not be offered for the surviving and the dead, for sins, punishment, reparation, or another needs” (DSP4, p. 647).
Who holds the Eucharist?
Christ instructed to celebrate the Eucharist only to the apostles gathered at the supper erstwhile he said, "Do this in remembrance of me." Their successors are clergymen, or bishops and presbyters. specified an knowing of this substance can be seen in the writings of the early Fathers of the Church, specified as the Antioch Ignacy, who claimed that the “Eucharistics, which is held under the leadership of the bishop or of the 1 to whom the bishop gave authority” (Letter to the Smyrnen, 8, 1). And the Church besides dogmatically defined, on the Council of Trent, that the heresy is the claim that "the words, "Do this in remembrance of me," Christ did not appoint the apostles priests or urge that they and the another priests sacrifice his flesh and blood" (DSP4, p. 647).
Who can accept the Eucharist? How many times should I take it within a year?
This Sacrament can be accepted by a individual who is in a state of sanctifying grace, or individual on whose conscience there is no mortal sin. The apostle Paul spoke clearly of those who accept the communion unworthyly: "He that eateth and drinketh improperly, judgement eateth and drinketh himself" (1 Cor 11:29). The Catechism of the Catholic Church reminds us that he who "is aware of grave sin should enter the sacrament of reconciliation before receiving communion" (CC 1385). The children of the sacrament may be given a “sufficient knowledge” to “understand the mystery of Christ according to their own capabilities, and to receive with religion and piety the Body of Christ” (KPK, can. 913 – § 1). The Church, on the Lateran Council IV, laid down the work of yearly Holy Communion as a minimum condition erstwhile it ruled that "[k]all believers of both sexes erstwhile he reached the age of age" should accept "at least during the Easter period the sacrament of the Eucharist" (BF, p. 148). And according to the canons of the Tridentian Concilia, anyone who denies that “all believers of both sexes, after reaching maturity, are obliged to receive Communion at least erstwhile a year during the Easter period, according to the commandment of the Holy parent of the Church” (DSP4, p. 459), is outside the Church.
What are the forms of acceptance of the Eucharist?
According to the teaching of the Council of Trent, "it was always in the Church of God that the laymen received communion from the priests, and the celebratory priests granted it themselves," and as "from the Apostle's Tradition as rightly as possible" (BF, p. 208). In the case of what attitude should the faithful receiving the Holy Communion take, the Church allows for a variety of forms. The Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, in the instruction “Redemptionis Sacramentum”, recalled that “no Holy Communion must be refused to any of the faithful simply because, for example, he wishes to receive it on his knees or standing. Although all believer always has the right at his discretion to accept the Holy Communion into his mouth, if individual wants to take it into his hand, in regions where the Conference of Bishops, with the approval of the Holy See, should be given the consecrated Host" (paragraphs 91-92).
Why is Communion accepted in 1 form?
Jesus, in the alleged Eucharistic speech, promises 1 time: “He that eats my body, and drinks my blood, has everlasting life” (John 6:55). Another time, the same promise is given He besides said to those who will eat nothing but Eucharistic bread, "If anyone eats this bread, he will live forever; and the bread which I will give is my body for the life of the world" (Jn 6:52). From the words of the Savior, we can see that the same promises are made to those who accept the Eucharist both in 1 form of bread and in 2 forms. That is why the Council of Constance, in the decree "Cum in nonnullis", firmly stated that although "in the first Church this sacrament was received by the faithful in 2 forms" it was later, in order to avoid many of the dangers associated with it, that the Church "introduces this customized wisely" according to which "those who execute this sacrament receive it under both forms, and the laymen simply in the form of bread" (BF, p. 159). This customized and law “must not be rejected or freely changed without the seriousness of the Church” (BF, p. 160).
What Is spiritual Communion?
Spiritual communion is simply a kind of “consumption” of the Eucharist in the soul erstwhile it is not physical participation in the Sacrament. It is the reception of Communion through a desire which, although it does not give all graces available in Eucharistic secrecy, so are those who so accept the Eucharist "the best benefits they gain" (KR2, p. 132).
All Bible quotes for: “The Old and fresh Testament Scriptures in the Polish Translation
W. O. Jakub Wujek S. J., 3rd Edition revised, Kraków 1962"
List of abbreviations:
BF — Breviarium Fidei, Ignacy Bokwa (ed.), Poznań 2007
PL — Patrology of Latina
PG — Graeca Patrology
DSP4 – papers of the General Councils, Vol. 4, Kraków 2004
KKK – Catechism of the Catholic Church
KR2 – Roman Catechism, Vol. 2, Comoros 2022
KPK – Code of Canon Law (1983)
Dominic Bartsch
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