Eucharist

"Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be satisfied." Mat. 5:6

"Jesus said to them, "Amen, amen, I say to you, unless you eat 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. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me and I in him. Just as the living Father sent me and I have life because of the Father, so also the one who feeds on me will have life because of me. This is the bread that came down from heaven. Unlike your ancestors who ate and still died, whoever eats this bread will live forever."  John 6:53-55

"I have told you this while I am with you. The Advocate, the holy Spirit that the Father will send in my name--he will teach you everything and remind you of all that (I) told you." John 14:25-26

"So that they may all be one, as you, Father, are in me and I in you, that they also may be in us, that the world may believe that you sent me." John 17:21

"For just as from the heavens the rain and snow come down And do not return there till they have watered the earth, making it fertile and fruitful, Giving seed to him who sows and bread to him who eats, So shall my word be that goes forth from my mouth; It shall not return to me void, but shall do my will, achieving the end for which I sent it." Isaiah 55:10-11

"For from the rising of the sun, even to its setting, my name is great among the nations; And everywhere they bring sacrifice to my name, and a pure offering; For great is my name among the nations, says the LORD of hosts." Malachi 1:11

"Clear out the old yeast, so that you may become a fresh batch of dough, inasmuch as you are unleavened. For our paschal lamb, Christ, has been sacrificed. Therefore let us celebrate the feast, not with the old yeast, the yeast of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth." 1 Cor. 5:7-8

"The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ? Because the loaf of bread is one, we, though many, are one body, for we all partake of the one loaf." 1 Cor. 10:16-18

"For I received from the Lord what I also handed on to you, that the Lord Jesus, on the night he was handed over, took bread, and, after he had given thanks, broke it and said, "This is my body that is for you. Do this in remembrance of me." In the same way also the cup, after supper, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me." For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the death of the Lord until he comes." 1 Cor. 11:23-26

"I urge you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God, your spiritual worship." Rom 12:1

'"Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, (then) I will enter his house and dine with him, and he with me." Rev 3:20


Did you know that Catholic Christians believe in Christ's Real Presence in the Eucharist? When Jesus told His disciples of this at the Last Supper, they found it difficult to accept. The Church has taught this for nearly 2000 years. The Church is the People of God and the Body of Christ. The Holy Spirit gathers you with your parish family and with Catholics all over the world. Because you have sinned during the week, it is a time to become right again with God and others. So by gathering as the Body of Christ, you are strengthened so that you will live faithfully when you leave.  

Eucharist means “Thanksgiving.”  Each time you participate in the Eucharist, you are invited to show your thankfulness to God. You should not regard the Eucharist as merely a symbol or symbolic reminder of the Last Supper celebration as other faiths may believe. The celebration of the Eucharist unites all of history as well as joins heaven and earth. You go to Mass to share a meal with Jesus. As you know, sharing a meal brings people closer together; a special meal is sometimes called a banquet or feast. The Eucharist is the Church's special meal, and you gather at the Eucharist to celebrate God's love for you. Gifts of bread and wine are brought to the altar for the priest to bless and make holy. Through the power of the Holy Spirit the bread and wine become the Body and Blood of Jesus. Because Jesus is the Bread of Life and is celebrated in the meal of the Eucharist, you share in the life of the Risen Christ.

When we celebrate the Eucharist, God changes the bread and wine so they become Jesus Himself. It still looks and tastes like bread and wine, but it is really Jesus in the form of bread and wine. He comes in the form of bread to remind us of His body and in the form of wine to remind us of His blood. It is a memorial of Jesus' death, a celebration of His resurrected life and an expectation of His coming in glory. It is the transformation of the bread and wine into the "bread of heaven" and "the cup of salvation," or in other words, the Eucharist becomes the Body and Blood of Christ ... the actual flesh and blood of Jesus which we receive in Holy Communion.  Going to Mass every Sunday, no matter what, reminds us that amid all of the uncertainty and changes, we gather to give our week to God, to praise and thank God for all the gifts we’ve been given. Going to Mass every Sunday, reminds you that even though there may be uncertainty and changes in your life, you gather to give our week to God, to praise and thank God for all the gifts you've been given. It’s about praising God and taking part in the meal that reminds us who we are: the Body of Christ. That gives us new energy to help transform our world.

Jesus wants to be very close to you. He wants to become part of you and for you to become part of Him. The Eucharist helps us to be more like Jesus.  Every time you recieve the Eucharist your soul becomes clean of any venial sin (a lesser sin that does not completely separate you from God) you committed through the week.  God really comes to you in a special way in Holy Communion. When you receive Jesus in the sacrament of Holy Communion, you are expected to bring Jesus to others. You not only receive Him but He receives you. You are having an intimate dining experience with Jesus during Mass It is a celebration offered all over the world and unites all believers to the Lord's sacrifice. All those participating from east to west in this perfect sacrifice are bound to the Lord and to one another. In this sacrificial offering, God is glorified, you are sanctified, and the Catholic Church is built up. Jesus, our Paschal Lamb becomes sacrificed at this banquet and is a worthy offering to God the Father. When you take the cup of salvation it means Jesus offers you to God as you offer yourself through Him to His Father.

The priest acts in the person of Christ, following His command to "do this in memory of me," but it is really Christ's action that causes the consecration or transubstantiation or the changing of the bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Christ. It is when the priest lays his hands over the hosts and wine that it becomes the very person of Jesus. It is through the power of God's Word and the Holy Spirit as well as the actions of the priest that the bread from earth becomes living bread from heaven.

In the Eucharist you become one body. You are filled with God's grace and love. You go forth to serve others and help those who need your help. This is how you love and serve Jesus. By eating and drinking of his Body and Blood, you proclaim the Good News and God's mighty works. With Christ in you, it will be food for the journey of your faith life. You will see that the Eucharist will satisfy your spiritual hunger. You are nourished so you may feed others and bless others with Christ's presence. He wants to feed you with the bread from heaven and quench your thirst with the cup of His salvation every time at Communion so you can spread God's message of salvation. After the last blessing in Mass, you are sent into the world as disciples of Christ and treat one another as Jesus would.  The Eucharist gives you the strength to live your life in a remarkable way.  You are called to be the hands, feet, and heart of Jesus in our world today.  The church has  a mission to send you on, the mission is to make this world a better place, a place more like the way God would have things.” You just we need a community to accompany us and send us forth, which is exactly what the Mass does each week.  The Eucharist must lead to action and this is how the power of the Eucharist can transform or change the world.