The Eucharist The Source and Summit of Christian Life

The Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus Christ

All other Sacraments are directed toward it

Completes Christian Initiation Instituted at the Last Supper

Was a Passover meal

Passover Meal • Historical Background: – 10 Plagues of Egypt: Final plague = death of 1st born – Only way to escape death was to offer up a Passover

Meal which required: • Sacrifice of a male lamb without blemish and no broken

bones • The heart was pierced by a high priest, and the people

placed the blood over the doorway with a hyssop branch and ate the lamb

– God keeps his Covenant with the people to love them and give them eternal life

Passover Meal • Hebrew (Jewish) people celebrated this every

year (once a year) to renew the Covenant with God

• God’s wrath and justice would “pass- over” those who did this • Those who ate the lamb would be spared

• When Jesus was celebrating this Passover meal with his disciples, he reminded them that He was the Lamb of God

• It was HIS flesh, not a lamb’s, that would need to be eaten• Lamb isn’t just sacrificed, it is consumed as well

John 6: Bread of Life Discourse• “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me will never hunger, and whoever believes in me will never thirst.” –Jn6:35

• Jews are shocked and murmur among themselves • Jesus says to stop murmuring and goes on to say:

• “I am the living bread that came down from heaven; whoever eats this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world” –Jn6:48-51

• Jews quarrel again and say: How can this man give us his flesh to eat?!• Jesus responds:

• “Unless you eat of the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you do not have life within you. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him on the last day. For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink.” –Jn6:53-55

When Jesus taught, he always clarified; he wanted to make himself understood i.e. Nicodemus: Jesus corrects him, telling him that he does not mean to go back into womb, but be born from above

Clearly, they are taking him literally here

He does not say “Wait, I don’t really mean that, you don’t quite have it right.” He reinforces what he says to them in a more graphic way!

In Original translation, Greek word used here is“Phago”: to consume/eat

In Original translation, Greek word used here is “Trojo”: to crunch with one’s teeth

As a result, many left and no longer accompanied him”- Jn6:66

He’s not kidding!

Eucharist• The Mass is not a re-killing of Jesus – Is not a new sacrifice – Just as Passover was celebrated to renew covenant, The

“Lamb’s Supper” (MASS) is celebrated regularly – It is a re-presentation (it again is made present) of the

Sacrifice (that was made once for all) of the sacrifice • Doctrine of Transubstantiation

– It is a bloodless sacrifice

– “Accidents” stay the same – Substance changes

• It is True Presence of Christ• Not a Symbol or Sign

– The whole Christ is present even if the parts are divided – Presence of Christ endures as long as what remains appears to be bread and wine, recognizable as such, and uncorrupted

Accomplished ONCE for ALL

If Jews ate “signs” of lamb, but not real lamb during Passover, they would not have been spared

Officially defined at the Council of Trent

“Do this in remembrance of me” – Mt 26 To Jews that did not mean to think about. Meant to make alive and present here and now

Eucharist: Requirements & Effects • Must…

– Be a baptized Catholic – Be of age seven – Have received first reconciliation prior to first reception of the Eucharist – Fast from food and drink except water or medicine one hour prior to reception – Have no mortal sin present on soul

• Effects: – When we receive Eucharist in state of grace, our intimate union with Christ is

strengthened – Removes venial sins – Strengthens against temptation – Decreases purgatorial debt – Reduces drives of concupiscence

• Lanciano, Italy: • 700 AD. 1250 years ago!

Eucharistic Miracles

LANCIANO, ITALY• Tests were performed in 1574 (equal weights of

various sized coagulated clumps) and 1970 (found:– The Flesh is real Flesh. The Blood is real Blood.– The Flesh and the Blood

• belong to the human species• consist of the muscular tissue of the heart• have the same blood-type: AB (Blood-type identical to that which

Prof. Baima Bollone uncovered in the Holy Shroud of Turin)

Eucharistic Miracleshttp://www.therealpresence.org/eucharst/mir/engl_mir.htm

SIENNA, ITALY

1789- placed in sealed container next to sealed

container of unconsecrated hosts; those deteriorated and the consecrated hosts

stayed intact and can still be seen today

Cascia, Italy: 1300s Priest irreverently placed the consecrated host in his breivery, only to open it up to discover bloody pages. The page can be

seen today (left) in Cascia

(also the home of St. Rita’s incorrupt body!)

Santarem, Portugal

Woman stole the host and wrapped it up. It bled and

she hid it in a drawer, and it bled for three days after

she gave it to a priest when her

husband discovered it. Can visit it there today.