The Eucharist Essay examples - 1165 Words

Eucharist is the central rite of the Christian religion, in which bread and wine are consecrated by an ordained minister and consumed by the minister and members of the congregation in obedience to Jesus command at the Last Supper, â€Å"Do this in remembrance of me.† In the Orthodox and Roman Catholic churches, and in the Anglican, Lutheran, and many other Protestant churches, it is regarded as a sacrament, which both symbolizes and effects the union of Christ with the faithful. Baptists and others refer to Holy Communion as an â€Å"institution,† rather than a sacrament, emphasizing obedience to a commandment. Traditionally, Jesus command to his disciples at the Last Supper to eat the bread and drink the wine â€Å"in remembrance of me† constitutes†¦show more content†¦During the Middle Ages Scholastic philosophers under the influence of Aristotle developed a more elaborate doctrine of the Eucharist. Aristotle taught that earthly things possessed accidents perceptible to the senses, and substance, their essential reality, known by the mind. According to Scholastic speculation, the substance of the Eucharistic bread is, by the power of God, wholly transformed into the body of Christ. This view of the presence of Christ, called transubstantiation, was most elaborately formulated by the 13th-century Italian theologian St. Thomas Aquinas. It has been the official teaching of the Roman Catholic church since the Middle Ages, although the Council of Trent, which reasserted the doctrine against the Protestant reformers in the 16th century, did not include any philosophical speculat ion in its statement, asserting simply that an actual change occurred in the bread and wine. In the 16th century Protestant reformers offered several alternative interpretations of the Eucharist. Martin Luther taught that Christ is present â€Å"in, with, and under† the elements. The Swiss reformer Huldreich Zwingli denied any real connection between the bread and wine and the body and blood of Christ. He believed that at the celebration of the Supper, which recalls to worshipers the words andShow MoreRelatedThe Eucharist839 Words   |  4 PagesThe Eucharist (Otherwise known as the Holy Communion or the Blessed Sacrament) is a Catholic sacrament considered to be the apex of Christianity. While some Catholics and different branches of the English Church believe that this bread and wine are transformed into the literal blood and body of Christ, others believe that it is a simple expression of faith. It is considered to be the very essence of love that binds us to the savior; and it is this teaching of love that inspires the Catholic viewRead MoreHistory of the Euchari st713 Words   |  3 PagesHistory of the Eucharist The Sacrament of Eucharist is the most frequently received Sacraments in the Catholic Church. The matter in the Sacrament of Eucharist is the bread and wine, which changes into the body and blood of Jesus Christ. The Sacrament of Eucharist is dated in the Bible as far back to the Old Testament, indirectly as the Israelites flee from Egypt in the desert, and God gives them manna to eat. This happens multiple times while the Israelites are searching forRead MoreThe Practice Of The Eucharist1140 Words   |  5 PagesPart A 1. The practice of the Eucharist in the Catholic Church is usually called the Liturgy of the Eucharist, Holy Communion or the Lords supper. The Eucharist usually occurs near the end of the mass, firstly it begins with the preparation of the gifts and the altar, and once this has been done volunteers of the community bring forward the bread and the wine to the Priest at the Altar. Then the priest blesses the bread and wine. After that the priest breaks the bread and says â€Å"Take this all ofRead MoreWhat is The Eucharist?1467 Words   |  6 PagesThe Eucharist is a sacrament that gives expression to our faith. Sacraments are a sign of our intimate unity with God. There is a rich, deep connection between what the Church is and what sacraments are that is profoundly evident in the celebration of the Eucharist. God’s presence is mediated by the Church and its’ sacraments â€Å"to an unseen reality and †¦ [makes] that reality â€Å"present† to us.† â€Å"The church is impossible without the Eucharist† , the centre of our Christian lives. Memorial is an integralRead MoreImportance of Eucharist620 Words   |  3 PagesImportance of the Eucharist Receiving the Eucharist is one of the most important things we can do as a catholic. Holy Communion is the most important of all the sacraments. It completes the Sacraments of Initiation. The bread and wine we receive at communion is the body and blood of Jesus. It becomes the bread and body of Jesus through Transubstantiation. Transubstantiation is the conversion of the substance of the Eucharistic elements into the body and blood of Christ at consecration, only theRead MoreThe Eucharist Of The Catholic Church883 Words   |  4 PagesThe Eucharist according to Catechism of the Catholic Church The Eucharist is one of the Seven Sacraments of the Catholic faith. For some it is the most important sacrament of the faith. What is the Catechism of the Catholic Church? What does it say about the Eucharist? This is what will be discussed during this paper. To start off the answering the first question, the Catechism is a according to the website uscatholic.org it is a â€Å"compendium of all Catholic doctrine regarding both faith and moralsRead MoreThe Eucharist Sacrament, Signs Symbols1632 Words   |  7 PagesThe Eucharist Sacrament, Signs Symbols The seven sacraments are ceremonies that point to what is sacred, significant and important for Christians. They are special occasions for experiencing God’s saving presence. The seven formal sacraments are identified as; baptism, confirmation, Eucharist, reconciliation, anointing, holy orders and marriage. Sacraments entail symbols and signs. Symbols are objects or patterns that are used to represent an invisible reality. Each symbol and sign work togetherRead MoreThe Eucharist Is The Source And Summit Of The Christian Life2076 Words   |  9 Pages â€Å"The Eucharist is the source and summit of the Christian life.† All Catholics respect and signify the importance and the epic role of the Holy Eucharist in creating and building a strong relationship between God and humankind. The process of growth and development occurs for every human being, but this process is not just about the growth of the mundane body, but the spiritual body as well. A person cannot live more than one week without any food, and so for the spirit, it necessitates the HeavenlyRead More Fasting and The Eucharist: Catholic Participation in the Sacrifice of Christ3264 Words   |  14 PagesFasting and The Eucharist: Catholic Participation in the Sacrifice of Christ Christ, as the ultimate sacrifice in Christianity, gave his own life for the benefit of others. His self-sacrifice continues to this day to be celebrated in the Catholic Mass. Through communion, or receiving the Eucharist, one is able to actively partake of the fruits of that sacrifice. But how does one follow Jesus’ example? One surely cannot strive for the same kind of physical death that Jesus experienced. ThusRead MoreOrigins Of The Eucharist With A Focus On The New Testament And The Jewish Background1382 Words   |  6 Pagesof the Eucharist with a focus on the New Testament and the Jewish background, it briefly summaries Bradshaw’s critic of Dom Gregory Dix’s theory of early Eucharistic practices. It then examines Dom Gregory Dix’s theory of the fourfold shape of the Eucharist. It uses Justin Martyr’s writings to provide evidence to support Dom Gregory Dix’s fourfold shape, and finally, it examines Dom Gregory Dix’s fourfol d shape theory using Bradshaw’s contribution to the field. Origins of the Eucharist All the