Eucharist
The Holy Eucharist completes Christian initiation. Those who have been raised to the dignity of the royal priesthood by Baptism and configured more deeply to Christ by Confirmation participate with the whole community in the Lord's own sacrifice by means of 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." Catechism of the Catholic Church |
"For my flesh is true food and my blood is true drink" ˜John 6:55
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The Holy Eucharist is the greatest gift ever given to man. The second Sacrament of initiation, it is the greatest of all the sacraments since it is truly the living presence of Jesus Christ, Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity, which nourishes the Mystical Body with His very Flesh. That is why this sacrament is called the Blessed Sacrament, it is more than just an outward sign, it is the very Person of Christ and the very pinnacle of our faith.
The Eucharistic miracle occurs each time the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass is offered on all Catholic altars throughout the entire world. During the Consecration, Christ, through the priest, offers Himself as a sacrifice for us again. At that moment, all the events of Christ's life are unraveled before the eyes of the congregation, the newborn King again rests in the stable at Bethlehem, which is appropriately translated as "House of Grain", the promise of the Eucharist promised by Christ during His ministry is fulfilled, and the Sacrifice of the Lamb of God on Calvary is renewed for the remission of sins. That is why it is such a grave sin for one not to attend Mass on Sundays and all Holy Days of Obligation. By denying oneself the nourishment of God, the soul dies spiritually just as the body would die physically of starvation if one refuses or is denied food.
By coming to us in the simple appearances of bread and wine, Christ desires to be united with us in the most intimate way. As Fr. Joseph T. Szolack, a priest of the Diocese of Camden says, "It not so much us who consumes Him as much as it is He Who consumes us." On the part of the communicant, it is necessary for one who desires to receive Holy Communion to be in the state of grace, meaning that the communicant is a practicing Catholic and is free from all attachment to mortal sin.
The Eucharistic miracle occurs each time the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass is offered on all Catholic altars throughout the entire world. During the Consecration, Christ, through the priest, offers Himself as a sacrifice for us again. At that moment, all the events of Christ's life are unraveled before the eyes of the congregation, the newborn King again rests in the stable at Bethlehem, which is appropriately translated as "House of Grain", the promise of the Eucharist promised by Christ during His ministry is fulfilled, and the Sacrifice of the Lamb of God on Calvary is renewed for the remission of sins. That is why it is such a grave sin for one not to attend Mass on Sundays and all Holy Days of Obligation. By denying oneself the nourishment of God, the soul dies spiritually just as the body would die physically of starvation if one refuses or is denied food.
By coming to us in the simple appearances of bread and wine, Christ desires to be united with us in the most intimate way. As Fr. Joseph T. Szolack, a priest of the Diocese of Camden says, "It not so much us who consumes Him as much as it is He Who consumes us." On the part of the communicant, it is necessary for one who desires to receive Holy Communion to be in the state of grace, meaning that the communicant is a practicing Catholic and is free from all attachment to mortal sin.