Eucharist

We explain what the Eucharist is, how its origin was and what liturgical and sacred elements make it up. Also, why it is important.

What is the eucharist?

The Eucharist (also called Holy Office, Holy Sacrament, Communion or Divine Mysteries, among other similar names) It is the main rite of Christianity, through which a believer manifests his fidelity to God and agrees to be part of the parish. It is a rite common to the Catholic, Orthodox, Coptic, Anglican, Presbyterian Churches and also some Lutheran churches.

According to Christian interpretation, the Eucharist consists of the transubstantiation of the official wine and the sacred host into the blood and body of Jesus Christ respectively. By ingesting them, the faithful do not “receive” the body of the Messiah in their own, but rather publicly reaffirm their Christian vows. For this reason, the rite is usually carried out at a specific time during the mass, and it is the priest who is in charge of delivering the consecrated host to the congregation.

the word Eucharist comes from ancient Greek euxaristy and can be translated as “gratitude”. In that sense it was used in some writings of the New Testament (specifically in “Corinthians” and “Acts of the Apostles”), since this ancient text was originally written in Greek.

The word was not used much in the gospels, with the exception of the description of the last supper made in them by Matthew, Mark and Luke. Hence the Christian priests of the 3rd century AD. C., like Clement of Alexandria (c. 150-c.216) and Tertullian (c.160-c.220), instituted the term for the ritual act of sharing bread and wine, which gave rise to the Latin term eucharistdirect predecessor of the Hispanic word Eucharist.

See also: Sacraments of the Catholic Church

Origin of the Eucharist

The origins of the Eucharist are little known, although it is clear that comes from the remembrance and ritual staging of the last supper of Jesus of Nazareth and his twelve disciples in which they shared wine and unleavened bread, under the slogan that they were the blood and body of the prophet.

There are references to the celebration of this rite as part of the Christian masses in the first Greek apologies for Christianity, such as those of Justin Martyr (c. 100 AD-114 AD), already under the name of Eucharist.

However, The most obvious references to the rite come from the 3rd century AD. c from now on, especially in the Apostolic Constitutions from the 4th century AD. C., a set of texts supposedly written by the apostles of Jesus of Nazareth and spread by Clement of Rome (Clement I). It is from this time that the Eucharist begins to form an “official” part of Christian rites.

Elements of the Eucharist

The traditional elements of the Eucharist can be classified into two sets:

Liturgical elements. They are those elements that are part of the ritual and are consumed throughout its development. These are:

• The sacred host. Generally made of unleavened bread, as dictated by the Jewish religious mandates inherited by the early Christians, the host represents the unleavened bread that Jesus of Nazareth and his disciples shared during the Last Supper. It is generally made of wheat flour, in a circular shape, and is blessed by the priest before being given to the faithful during communion.
• The wine of consecrating. Also called mass wine, it is a type of wine free of impurities and obtained directly from the vine, in exclusive crops. In the Christian imagination, wine becomes the blood of the Messiah, and during the rite of the Eucharist it is generally drunk by the priest, although depending on the church it can also be given to the faithful.
• The holy water. This is water that has been blessed by the priests and is used to sprinkle the liturgical and sacred elements, and thereby ensure that they are suitable for the rite. It is also spread on the faithful to purify them.
• The incense. Burned in censers and other ritual devices, it is intended to accompany the ceremony and produce an atmosphere conducive to religious celebration. In addition, it allows the traces of the rite to permeate the clothes of the attendees.

sacred elements. They are those essential elements to carry out the rite, but which are not consumed during its performance, but rather belong to the parish priest and the church. These are:

• The Eucharistic chalice. Generally made of gold, silver or other fine metals, it is a ritual cup or vessel into which the consecrated wine is poured. It is usually decorated with religious motifs of different artistic styles, some more baroque, neoclassical or simple.
• The paten and the ciborium. They consist of sacred dishes and depositaries, usually ornamented, in which the sacred host is deposited and given to the faithful by the priest.

Finally, for the Eucharist, the minister or priest who conducts the rite, and the community of the faithful who attend the church, are needed. The latter must be in a “state of grace” to take part in the Eucharist, that is, they must have previously confessed their sins and performed their rites of contrition.

Parts of the Eucharist

The liturgy of the Eucharist constitutes the central part of the Christian mass, and in its traditional Catholic implementation it consists of the following parts:

• The offertory. The initial part of the Eucharist consists of the offering to God of the Eucharistic species (that is, the bread and wine), which are brought to the altar where they will become, by faith, the body and blood. of Jesus Christ. Incense is also part of the consecration of the species.
• Prayer over offerings. This second stage consists of the priest praying, together with the parishioners, according to very specific prayer formulas. This stage prepares the faithful for the encounter with Christ.
• The Eucharistic Prayer. The crowning moment of the rite consists of a prayer of gratitude and consecration, through the prayer of the parishioners led by the priest, and the singing of different hymns, which are listened to and sung in a solemn and reverent manner. At this stage, the consecration of the wine and bread takes place, while the congregation contemplates on their knees, and the Last Supper of Jesus Christ is recalled loudly.
• The rite of communion. The Eucharist ends with the communion rite, which includes the breaking of bread by the priest (in remembrance of the actions of Jesus Christ), while the congregation sings the “Lamb of God.” Finally, eligible parishioners are invited to Christ's banquet and the consecrated bread is distributed to all, while communion is sung and community ties are fostered among the parishioner. Once the sacred host has been distributed, the priest consumes the rest of Christ's blood in the chalice and then purifies the utensils used during the mass.

Importance of the Eucharist

In the Christian imagination, the Eucharist plays a central and very important role, to such an extent that it is one of the most identifying rites of this religion.

The Eucharist It is at the same time the remembrance of the last acts attributed to the prophet Jesus of Nazareth before his passion, viacrucis and resurrection, and a public and community demonstration of belonging to Christianity. During the Eucharist, the faithful openly manifest their love for Christ and their total dedication (in body and soul) to his devotion and his teachings.

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References

• “Eucharist” on Wikipedia.
• “The sacrament of the Eucharist” in Catechism of the Catholic Church (The Vatican).
• “What is the Eucharist and why is it so important to Catholics like Biden?” in The New York Times en Español.
• “Eucharist (Christianity)” in The Encyclopaedia Britannica.