CHAPTER 5

Chapter 4
The
Sacrament
of
Eucharist
The Eucharist is
the
“source and
summit of the
Christian Life”
(Lumen Gentium, 11)

Understanding the Sacrament of the Eucharist

Fruits of the Earth and Vine
The signs of bread and
wine signify the
goodness of God’s
creation. In the Offertory
at Mass, the priest
remembers the blessing
of bread and wine that
God has bestowed on
the Church.

Understanding the Sacrament of the Eucharist

 References to Bread and Wine in the Bible
Old Testament Reference New testament fulfillment

Melchizedek of Salem offered bread and wine to Jesus is described as a “priest” according to the order of
Abraham. Melchizedek. Bread and wine are fulfillment under the
old Law.

Bread and wine offered as sacrifice among the first fruits Jesus multiplied loaves and fish. Jesus took the several
of the Church. loaves and the fish, gave thanks, broke the loaves, and
gave them to his disciples

Israelites ate manna in the desert commemorating their “Your fathers ate manna in the desert and they are dead;
liberation. but this is the bread which comes down from heaven, so
that a person may eat it and not die. (Jn 6:49-50)

In the New Covenant, Jewish Passover ended in “cup of “The blessing-cup, which we bless, is it not a sharing in
blessing.” the blood of Christ; and the loaf of bread which we break,
is it not a sharing in the body of Christ?” (1 Cor 10:16)
Second Coming of
Jesus Christ
Also known as the
Parousia; the time when
Jesus will return to earth,
the Kingdom of God will be
fully established, and
victory over evil will be
complete.

Understanding the Sacrament of the Eucharist

Tridentine Mass (Traditional Latin Mass)
Priest and congregation face same direction (ad
orientem)
Altar attached to back wall of church, raised up three
steps, called ”the high altar”
Celebrated in Latin—the normative for both masses
Reading of Scripture and distribution of Communion
reserved to the priest
Males serve as altar boys
Gregorian Chant
A rail separates sanctuary from the rest of church
Kneel at altar rail to receive communion on tongue
Dismissal and blessing followed by last gospel reading
John 1:1-14
Missal of Pope Paul VI
Celebrated versus populum—facing the people as
standard practice. Ad orientem is still normative
A “low altar” is typically in the middle of the sanctuary
Celebrated in the vernacular
Laity has taken on a greater role as lectors and
Eucharistic ministers
St. John Paul II allowed for female servers, leaving it up
to each bishop
All forms of music
A rail is not present in modern churches or was removed
Receive communion standing in either species on
tongue or in hand
Dismissal and blessing
Understanding the Sacrament of the Eucharist
Nicene Creed
The formal Profession of Faith recited at Mass. It came from the first two
ecumenical councils, at Nicaea in 325 and Constantinople in 381.

The councils came about to dispel the heresy Arius, a priest in Alexandria,
Egypt was spreading that discounted the divinity of Jesus.

Arius claimed that if Jesus was begotten by God the Father, he must have had
a beginning and an end and was, therefore, not fully God.

The Blessed Trinity was long referenced by Jesus in Scripture, as well as many
Church fathers from the first century A.D. onward

Understanding the Sacrament of the Eucharist

 Second Vatican Council
The Church should never depart from the sacred treasure of truth
inherited from the Fathers. But at the same time she must ever look to
the present, to the new conditions and the new forms of life introduced
into the modern world.

Understanding the Sacrament of the Eucharist

 Doxology
Doxology comes from the
Greek doxa which means
glory

• “Through him, and with

him, and in him; O God,
almighty Father; in the
unity of the Holy Spirit; all
glory and honor is yours; for
ever and ever.”

Understanding the Sacrament of the Eucharist

Transubstantiation
What happens at the consecration of the bread and wine at Mass when
their entire substance is turned into the entire substance of the Body
and Blood of Christ, even though the appearances of bread and wine
remain. The Eucharistic presence of Christ begins at the moment of
consecration and endures as long as the Eucharistic species subsist

Understanding the Sacrament of the Eucharist

 Obligations as Catholics
Precepts of the Church
1. You shall attend Mass on Sundays and on holy days of obligation
and rest from servile labor.
2. You shall confess your sins at least once a year.
3. You shall receive the Sacrament of the Eucharist at least during the
Easter season.
4. You shall observe the days of fasting and abstinence established by
the Church.
5. You shall help to provide for the needs of the Church.

Understanding the Sacrament of the Eucharist

 Viaticum
The Eucharist
received by a
dying person.
This is a Latin
term that
means “food
for the
journey.”

Understanding the Sacrament of the Eucharist

The Order of the Mass
• Introductory Rites
• Entrance (Introit is sung)
• Greeting
• Penitential Rite
• Kyrie (Lord, Have Mercy)
• Gloria (Glory to God)
• Collect (Opening Prayer)
• Liturgy of the Word
• First Reading
• Responsorial Psalm
• Second Reading
• Gospel acclamation (Alleluia)
• Gospel
• Homily
• Profession of Faith (Nicene Creed)
• Universal Prayer (Prayer of the Faithful)
 Liturgy of the
Eucharist
• Presentation of the Gifts and Preparation of
the Altar
• Prayer over the Offerings
• Eucharistic Prayer
• Preface
• Holy, Holy, Holy (Sanctus)
• First half of prayer, including consecration
• Memorial Acclamation (Anamnesis)
• Second half of prayer, ending with the doxology

• Communion Rite
• The Lord’s Prayer
• Rite of Peace
• Lamb of God (Fraction Rite)
• Communion
• Prayer after Communion

Understanding the Sacrament of the Eucharist

 White
Garment
Wine
Liturgical
Signs and
Symbols
Bread

water

Fire/Light Oil

Understanding the Sacrament of the Eucharist

Eucharistic Prayer
The Church’s great prayer of
praise and thanksgiving to
God that takes place during
the Liturgy of the Eucharist.
There are four main
Eucharistic Prayers in the
Roman Rite.

Understanding the Sacrament of the Eucharist

 Graces of Receiving Eucharist

• Unity with Christ

• Separation from sin
• Becoming united with others

Understanding the Sacrament of the Eucharist

Eucharistic Adoration
• Species of Jesus in unleavened bread kept in monstrance.
• Most parishes offer weekly times for Adoration.
• Some parishes offer perpetual adoration.
• A candle is kept lit next to the tabernacle at all times to show the light
of Christ.
• “To visit the Blessed Sacrament is a proof of gratitude, an expression
of love, and a duty of adoration toward Christ our Lord” (Pope Paul
VI).

Understanding the Sacrament of the Eucharist

• http://www.catholicnewsherald.com/faith/101-news/faith/364-the-
nicene-creed-and-its-origins

• http://www.togetheratonealtar.catholic.edu.au/craft/dsp-
content.cfm?loadref=36
• http://www.therealpresence.org/eucharst/vat/vere_2.htm