Catholicism 101

The Eucharist

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. Sacrosacntum Concilium 47

Our of the darkness of my life, so much frustrated, I put before you the one great thing to love on earth: the Blessed Sacrament…There you will find romance, glory, honor, fidelity, and the true way of all your loves on earth, and more than that: Death: by the divine paradox, that which ends life, and demands the surrender of all, and yet by the taste (or foretaste) of which alone can what you seek in your earthly relationships (love, faithfulness, joy) be maintained, or take on that complexion of reality, of eternal endurance, which every man’s heart desires. J.R.R. Tolkien in a letter to his son, Michael

Well, if it’s just a symbol, to hell with it. Flannery O’Connor

Outside of the Eucharist, the holiest thing you’ll ever see is another mortal man. C.S. Lewis

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 been merciful. St. John Chrysostom

It is manifest that the sacraments of the Church derive their power specifically from the passion of Christ, whose efficacy is linked to us, as it were, through the receiving of the sacraments. As a sign of this, from the side of Christ hanging on the Cross there flowed water and blood, of which the one belongs to Baptism and the other to the Eucharist, which are the two principal sacraments. St. Thomas Aquinas

The Eucharist is – let us repeat it – the sacrament of those who have let themselves be reconciled by God, who have thus become members of his family and put themselves into his hands. That is why there are conditions for participating in it; it presupposes that we have voluntarily entered into the mystery of Jesus Christ. Pope Benedict XVI

I am the bread of the strong, eat me! But you will not transform me and make me a part of you rather, I will transform you and make you part of me. St. Augustine

  1. A word on catechists. The spiritual life of the catechist should be characterized by:
  2. ______, ______, ______, ______, ______, ______.
  3. A Word on sacraments in general : how am I to be linked effectively with that great mystery of Christ’s death?
  4. Aquinas: through ______and ______.
  5. Why sacraments?
  6. Some Scriptural Texts to refer to on the Eucharist:
  7. Malachi 1:11
  8. Matthew 26:17-30
  9. Mark 14:12-16
  10. Luke 22:7-23
  11. John 6:1-71
  12. Acts 2:42
  13. Acts 20:7-11
  14. 1 Cor 10:14-22
  15. 1 Cor 11:17-34
  16. Patristic Texts (Cf. Steve Ray handout)
  17. Teaching of the Magisterium and Common Questions
  18. What is it?! The Eucharist is the ______, ______, ______and _____ of Christ (see CCC 1374).
  19. As a result, the Eucharist is the ______and ______of our life (Sacrosanctum Comcilium 11). It is as well ______(Eucharisticum Mysterium 6). Why? Because here we most fully on earth actualize what the divine will is for us: ______(cf. 2 Pet 1:4) and ______(cf. John 17:21-33; see also CCC 1325).
  20. How does this happen? An analogy with the Incarnation.
  21. What do we call this? ______(cf. CCC 1376)
  22. Who can come? (For an excellent treatment of this, cf. Cardinal O’Connor’s hand out.)
  23. Catholics (cf. CCC 1385)
  24. Orthodox (cf. CCC 1399)
  25. Other ecclesial traditions: one of two situations is necessary: 1)______or 2)______(to be determined by the local bishop). If one of these is present then it is permissible to receive communion if all of the following: 1)______, 2)______, 3)______and 4)______(cf. CCC 1400, 1401).
  26. A note on the “real “ Presence (cf. CCC 1374).
  27. A note on Eucharistic adoration. “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 .” John Paul II, as quoted in CCC 1380.
  28. The demands of the Eucharist (cf. handout by Fr. Walter Burghardt, SJ).