The Last Supper BY LEONARDO DA VINCI (C. 1495-1498) Convent of Santa Maria della Grazie, Milan, Italy. Unit 5, Lesson 4 287
The Eucharist Directions: Read the following information about the Eucharist, then answer the focus questions. The Eucharist is the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ. The priest at Mass, through the Holy Spirit, transforms bread and wine into the actual Body and Blood of Jesus Christ. This transformation is called transubstantiation. Even though the bread and wine look and taste the same as they did before, they have become Christ s true Body and true Blood. The bread and wine are not just symbols of Jesus Body and Blood. At the Last Supper, Jesus was very clear. When He gave His Apostles the bread, He did not say, This is a sign of my body. Instead, He said, This is my body. Similarly, when He gave His Apostles the cup of wine, He did not say, This is a sign of my blood. Instead, He said, this is my blood. We can believe what Jesus said because He is God. Therefore, we know that the Holy Eucharist is the Body and Blood of Christ. When we receive Holy Communion, we grow closer to Christ. The Eucharist helps us avoid sin and strengthens our charity. It helps us see the face of Jesus in the poor. Just as real food nourishes us and gives us strength, the Eucharist nourishes us spiritually and strengthens our souls so that we can live faithfully as Christians. A desire for eternal life is placed within our hearts. When we receive the Eucharist, we are connected to Heaven, the Blessed Virgin Mary, and all the angels and saints. The Catechism of the Catholic Church no. 1394 explains that receiving the Eucharist often increases charity in our daily life. So what does increasing charity in our daily life mean? It means that we grow closer to Christ and see things in a different way a more positive and hopeful way. Seeing things in this way leads us to practice the values of the Kingdom of God and to avoid activities that go 288 Unit 5, Lesson 4
against the Catholic Faith. Catholics are required to receive Communion once a year, but the Church warmly invites us to receive it much more often: every week, even every day! 1. What is the Eucharist? 2. What happens to the bread and wine at Mass? 3. What is transubstantiation? 4. Why are the bread and wine not just symbols of Jesus Body and Blood? 5. What does receiving the Eucharist help us to do? 6. What does it mean that the Eucharist is spiritual food? 7. What desire is placed in our hearts when we receive the Eucharist? Unit 5, Lesson 4 289
8. What does increasing charity in our life mean? 9. What does an increase in charity in our life lead us to? 10. How often are Catholics required to receive the Eucharist? How often can we receive it? 290 Unit 5, Lesson 4
Titles for the Eucharist Directions: First, read about some of the different titles for the Eucharist, then complete the chart. Eucharist When we receive the Eucharist, we give thanks to God. The word Eucharist comes from a Greek word, eucharistein, which means thanksgiving. The original Greek word described the main form of worship in the ancient Jewish Temple. This liturgy was called Todah in Hebrew, which means thanksgiving. In the Temple, the Jewish priests would offer a sacred meal of bread and wine. Memorial of the Lord s Passion and Resurrection A memorial is a way of remembering the past. The word remember means to make present again. In the Eucharist, Jesus sacrifice on the Cross is made present again to us. At the Last Supper, Jesus commanded His Apostles, Do this in memory of me. Jesus was not simply asking us not to forget Him. Rather, Jesus The Institution of the Eucharist, by Nicolas Poussin sacrifice is made present to us again at every Mass. Holy and Divine Liturgy The word liturgy originally meant a public work or a service in the name of, or on behalf of, the people. In Christian tradition it means the participation of the People of God in Unit 5, Lesson 4 291
the work of God. The work of God is our salvation from sin. Through the liturgy, Jesus continues the work of our salvation in His Church. We take part in this work when we receive the Eucharist. Sacred Mysteries The word mystery does not mean a problem or puzzle to be solved. Instead, it refers the great truths of God and our salvation, which are greater than our ability to understand fully. God, however, invites us to know Him and His plan for us and makes these mysteries present to us in the Eucharist in a real, physical way. Holy Communion When we receive the Eucharist we are united to Jesus Himself. We share in the one body of Christ. All who receive the Eucharist participate in the one bread and one cup. This makes us one People of God. We become a common union, or communion, united to Christ and each other. Holy Mass The word Mass comes from the Latin phrase Ite missa est, which means Go, she (the Church) has been sent. These are the last words the priest says at every Mass. This phrase gives us the mission of Jesus Himself. We are called to make disciples of all the nations. Therefore, we are sent forth to carry out this mission and announce the Good News. 292 Unit 5, Lesson 4
Title What does it mean? 1 Eucharist 2 Memorial of the Lord s Passion and Resurrection 3 Holy and Divine Liturgy 4 Sacred Mysteries 5 Holy Communion 6 Holy Mass Unit 5, Lesson 4 293
The Eucharist Fill-in-the-Blank Directions: Fill in the blanks as you watch the video. 1. A te v e r ym a s s, a n d become the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ. 2. In the sixth chapter of the Gospel of St. John, Jesus said: I am the that came down from heaven; whoever eats this bread will ; and the bread that I will give is my f o rt h el i f eo ft h ew o r l d. 3. Here Jesus is telling us that He will give His for us to eat. 4. At the, the final meal Jesus had with His Apostles before His Crucifixion, He celebrated the very first and transformed bread and wine into His Body and Blood. 5. At the Last Supper, Christ made His Apostles the first and commanded them to follow His example a n dc e l e b r a t e f o ra l lc h r i s t i a n s. 6. To understand why Jesus gave us His flesh to eat, we have to go back to a n d. 7. They chose to listen to rather than God when they ate fruit from the one and only tree God had told them not to eat. 8. Adam and Eve used their to turn their back on G o d,w h i c hi sc a l l e d. 294 Unit 5, Lesson 4
9. Disease and crept into the world, and we b e c a m ei n c l i n e dt o w a r d. 10. So that people could experience the forgiveness of sin, God asked man to s a c r i fi c e i n t h e i r p l a c e. 11. When the animal was killed, it suffered the meant for men. 12. But animal sacrifices weren t enough. They could never pay for the ultimate offense man gave to God an offense that deserves eternal f r o mg o d. 13. In order to pay man s debts and to conquer death, God came down from Heaven, became, and paid the price for our sins on the. Jesus life, Death, and a r et h eo n l yr e a s o nh e a v e ni so p e nt ou s. 14. One reason we must eat Christ s Body is that we live by a n d. 15. If this is true for our natural life, it makes sense that the Lord would c o m m u n i c a t e l i f et ou si nt h i sw a y. 16. A l s o,i f w a sc o m m i t t e db ye a t i n g,i t makes sense that the remedy for sin would come to us through. 17. Ultimately, Jesus teaches you to eat His flesh because He wants to be w i t hy o u,a n dh ew a n t sy o ut ob eu n i t e dw i t h Him. 18. Through Holy Communion, you and I receive God s own,h i so w ns t r e n g t ha n dp o w e r,c a l l e d. Unit 5, Lesson 4 295