The Sacrament of Holy Eucharist

The Sacrament of Holy Eucharist UNIT 5, LESSON 4 Learning Goals The Eucharist is the Sacrament in which we receive the Lord s Body and Blood under the appearances of bread and wine. The Eucharist fulfills our Lord s promise to give us Himself, the Bread of Life. The Eucharist was instituted at the Last Supper, the night before Jesus died. The Eucharist is spiritual food for the soul. The Eucharist is not a symbol but is Jesus Christ s true flesh and blood. The Eucharist is the source and summit of the Christian life. There are many titles for the Eucharist that help us better understand the Sacrament. Connection to the Catechism of the Catholic Church CCC 1322-1324 CCC 1328-1333 CCC 1337 CCC 1341 CCC 1359-1368 Vocabulary The Last Supper The Eucharist Mass Transubstantiation Breaking of the Bread Memorial Liturgy Mystery Communion CCC 1374 CCC 1391-1397 CCC 1406-1409 CCC 1412-1413 CCC 1416 BIBLICAL TOUCHSTONES And it happened that, while he was with them at table, he took bread, said the blessing, broke it, and gave it to them. With that their eyes were opened and they recognized him, but he vanished from their sight. LUKE 24:30-31 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. JOHN 6:54-55 559

Lesson Plan Materials The Last Supper Titles for the Eucharist The Eucharist The Eucharist Fill-in-the-Blank DAY ONE The Last Supper BY LEONARDO DA VINCI (C. 1495-1498) Warm-Up 287 Convent of Santa Maria della Grazie, Milan, Italy. A. Project the image from The Last Supper (page 287) by Leonardo da Vinci. Give students several minutes to quietly view the art before you say or ask anything. Allow them to come up and stand closer to the image to examine details. B. Once several minutes have passed, ask your students the following questions: ӹ ӹ What do you first notice about this work of art? What do you like about this work of art? How does this work of art make you feel? Where do the colors in the work of art draw your eye? Answers will vary. What is happening in this picture? It is the Last Supper. Who is the person in the middle of the painting? Jesus. Who are the other figures? The Apostles. Can you name any of the Apostles in this painting? From left to right: Bartholomew, James son of Alphaeus, Andrew, Judas Iscariot, Peter, John, Jesus in the center, Thomas, James the Greater, Philip, Matthew, Jude, Thaddeus, and Simon the Zealot. What happened at the Last Supper? It was the last meal shared by Jesus and His disciples and took place the night before He died on the Cross. This was the institution of the Holy Eucharist, where the bread and wine become Jesus real Body and Blood as spiritual food and drink for us. 560 SOPHIA INSTITUTE FOR TEACHERS

LESSON PLAN C. Read aloud to your students John 6:48-57: I am the bread of life. Your ancestors ate the manna in the desert, but they died; this is the bread that comes down from heaven so that one may eat it and not die. I am the living bread that came down from heaven; whoever eats this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world. The Jews quarreled among themselves, saying, How can this man give us [his] flesh to eat? 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. D. Ask your students the following questions: What did Jesus tell the crowd that He was? The bread of life, the living bread that came down from heaven. How did the crowd respond to Jesus teaching? They were confused and argued among themselves, asking how Jesus could give them His flesh to eat. How did Jesus respond to the confusion of the crowd? He explained further that whoever does not eat His flesh and drink His blood does not have life within them. What does Jesus say about His flesh and blood? It is true food and true drink. Overall, what do we understand Jesus to be teaching about in this passage? (Hint: We receive it every time we attend Mass.) The Eucharist, Jesus Body and Blood. E. Read aloud to your students Matthew 26:26-29: While they were eating, Jesus took bread, said the blessing, broke it, and giving it to his disciples said, Take and eat; this is my body. Then he took a cup, gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink from it, all of you, for this is my blood of the covenant, which will be shed on behalf of many for the forgiveness of sins. I tell you, from now on I shall not drink this fruit of the vine until the day when I drink it with you new in the kingdom of my Father. F. Ask your students the following questions: What is this passage the story of? The Last Supper. How does the painting of the Last Supper help illustrate this Gospel story? Accept reasoned answers. How are the painting of the Last Supper and the passage from Matthew related to Jesus teaching about the Bread of Life in John 6? At the Last Supper, Jesus transformed the bread and wine into His Body and Blood and gave it to His Apostles to eat and drink. Jesus teaching in John 6 was fulfilled at the Last Supper, when He made a New Covenant for the forgiveness of sins. Unit 5, lesson 4 561

LESSON PLAN The Eucharist Directions: Read the following information about the Eucharist, then answer against the Catholic Faith. Catholics invites us to receive it much more the focus questions. are required to receive Communion often: every week, even every day! once a year, but the Church warmly T 8. What does increasing he charity Eucharist in our is life the mean? Body and When we receive Holy Communion, Blood of Jesus Christ. The priest we grow closer to Christ. The 1. What at is Mass, the Eucharist? through the Holy Spirit, Eucharist helps us avoid sin and transforms bread and wine into strengthens our charity. It helps 9. What does 2. an What increase the actual happens in charity Body to the in and bread our Blood life and lead of Jesus wine us at to? us see the face of Jesus in the Mass? Christ. This transformation is called poor. Just as real food nourishes transubstantiation. Even though the us and gives us strength, the bread and wine look and taste the Eucharist nourishes us spiritually same as they did before, they have and strengthens our souls so that 10. How often 3. are What Catholics is transubstantiation? required to receive the Eucharist? How often can become Christ s true Body and true we can live faithfully as Christians. we receive it? Blood. A desire for eternal life is placed within our hearts. When we receive 4. Why The are bread the bread and and wine wine are not just symbols of Jesus Body and Blood? the Eucharist, we are connected to symbols of Jesus Body and Blood. Heaven, the Blessed Virgin Mary, At the Last Supper, Jesus was very and all the angels and saints. clear. When He gave His Apostles the 5. What bread, does He receiving did not the say, Eucharist This a help sign us to The do? Catechism of the Catholic Church of my body. Instead, He said, This no. 1394 explains that receiving the is my body. Similarly, when He gave Eucharist often increases charity in His Apostles the cup of wine, He did our daily life. So what does increasing not say, This is a sign of my blood. charity in our daily life mean? It 6. What does it mean that the Eucharist is spiritual food? Instead, He said, this is my blood. means that we grow closer to Christ We can believe what Jesus said and see things in a different way a because He is God. Therefore, we more positive and hopeful way. know that the Holy Eucharist is the Seeing things in this way leads us to 7. What desire is placed in our hearts when we receive the Eucharist? Body and Blood of Christ. practice the values of the Kingdom of God and to avoid activities that go 288 Activity A. Explain to your students that the Catechism of the Catholic Church describes the Eucharist as the source and summit of the Christian life (CCC 1324). The source of something is where it begins. Think of the source of a river, where the water begins to flow. The summit of something is its highest point. Think of the summit of a mountain, the very top peak. The Eucharist is the source and summit of our faith. That means that our Christian faith begins with the Eucharist or flows out of it, and the Eucharist is the greatest expression of our faith. In other words, the whole of the Christian life begins with the Eucharist and is directed toward the Eucharist. B. Have your students turn to The Eucharist (page 288). Ask them to read the information with a partner and answer the focus questions. 289 290 Formative Assessment When students have finished, review and discuss the correct answers to The Eucharist. DAY TWO Warm-Up A. Project Luke 24:30-31, and have a student stand and read it aloud: And it happened that, while he was with them at table, he took bread, said the blessing, broke it, and gave it to them. With that their eyes were opened and they recognized him, but he vanished from their sight. B. Explain to your students that this passage from Luke s Gospel comes from a story called the Road to Emmaus. This story takes place on Easter Sunday after Jesus has risen from the dead. Two of Jesus disciples are walking to a town outside of Jerusalem called Emmaus. Along the way, they meet a stranger and have a conversation with him about Jesus suffering and death three days before. The stranger then begins to teach the disciples about everything in the Scriptures that speaks of Jesus. When they reach their destination, the two disciples and the stranger gather together to break bread. 562 SOPHIA INSTITUTE FOR TEACHERS

LESSON PLAN C. Ask your students the following questions: What did the person in this passage do while at table with the disciples? He took bread, said the blessing, broke it, and gave it to them. What do these actions sound like? The Mass. These are similar to the words the priest says during the Consecration. What happened after the breaking of the bread? The eyes of the disciples were opened, and they recognized the stranger they had been traveling with to be Jesus. Then He vanished from their sight. D. Explain to your students that one of the many titles for the Eucharist is the Breaking of the Bread. Just as with the disciples in this story, Jesus is revealed to us in the Breaking of the Bread, the Eucharist. When we participate in the Eucharist at every Mass, Jesus is made known to us. He is literally there with us, Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity. There are other important titles for the Eucharist. In this lesson, we are going to consider some of these titles. Activity Have your students turn to Titles for the Eucharist (page 291). Arrange students into pairs and trios. Have each group read Titles for the Eucharist together and then fill in the information on the chart together. Student should complete the graphic organizer by recording what each title means and then drawing a picture to represent each title. Make markers and/or colored pencils available for students to complete the activity. Formative Assessment When students have finished, review and discuss the correct answers to the chart. For each baptismal symbol, call on a few students to share and briefly explain their drawings. Titles for the Eucharist Directions: First, read about some of the different titles for the Eucharist, the work of God. The work of God Holy Communion then complete the chart. is our salvation from sin. Through When we receive the Eucharist we the liturgy, Jesus continues the are united to Jesus Himself. We share Eucharist work of our salvation in His Church. in the one body of Christ. All who Title What does it mean? When we We receive take part the in Eucharist, this work when we receive the Eucharist participate we give receive thanks the to God. Eucharist. 1The Eucharist word in the one bread and one cup. Eucharist comes from a Greek This makes us one People of God. word, eucharistein, Sacred Mysteries which means We become a common union, or thanksgiving. The word The mystery original does Greek not mean communion, united to Christ and word described a problem the or main puzzle 2 form Memorial to be solved. of the Lord s each other. of worship Instead, in the it ancient refers the Jewish Passion great truths and Resurrection Temple. of This God liturgy and our was salvation, called which Holy Mass Todah in are Hebrew, greater which than our means ability to The word Mass comes from the Latin thanksgiving. understand In the fully. Temple, 3 God, Holy however, the and Divine Liturgy phrase Ite missa est, which means Jewish priests invites us would to know offer Him a sacred and His plan Go, she (the Church) has been sent. meal of for bread us and and makes wine. these mysteries These are the last words the priest present to us in the Eucharist in a says at every Mass. This phrase gives Memorial real, of physical the Lord s way. 4 Passion Sacred and Mysteries The Institution us the of the mission Eucharist, of by Jesus Nicolas Himself. Poussin We Resurrection are called to make disciples of all A memorial is a way of remembering sacrifice is made present to us again the nations. Therefore, we are sent the past. The word remember means at every Mass. forth to carry out this mission and to make present again. 5 In Holy the Communion announce the Good News. Holy and Divine Liturgy Eucharist, Jesus sacrifice on the Cross is made present again to us. At The word liturgy originally meant the Last Supper, Jesus commanded a public work or a service in the His Apostles, Do this in 6 memory Holy Mass name of, or on behalf of, the people. of me. Jesus was not simply asking In Christian tradition it means the us not to forget Him. Rather, Jesus participation of the People of God in 291 292 293 Unit 5, lesson 4 563

LESSON PLAN DAY THREE Warm-Up Show the Sophia SketchPad video on the Eucharist, found at SophiaSketchpad.org. Spend a few minutes discussing students reactions to the video. You might ask: What stood out to you about this video? What was the most memorable part? Were you surprised by anything? The Eucharist Fill-in-the-Blank 9. Disease Directions: and Fill in the blanks as you crept watch into the the video. world, and we b e c a m ei n c l i n e dt o w a r d. 10. So that 1. A people te v e r ym could a s s experience, a the forgiveness of n d sin, God asked man to s a c r i fi c e become the Body and Blood i n of t h Jesus e i r p l a Christ. c e. 11. When 2. the In the animal sixth was chapter killed, of it the suffered Gospel the of St. John, Jesus said: I am the meant for men. that came down from heaven; whoever eats this bread will ; and the bread that I will give is my 12. But animal f sacrifices weren t enough. o rt h They el i f eo could ft h ew never o r l d pay. for the ultimate offense man gave to God an offense that deserves eternal f 3. Here Jesus is telling r o us mg that o d. He will give His for us to eat. 13. In order to pay man s debts and to conquer death, God came down from 4. Heaven, At the became, the final and meal paid Jesus the had price with for our sins His Apostles on the. before His Crucifixion, He Jesus celebrated life, Death, the very and first a r et h eo and n l yr transformed e a s o nh e a v e bread ni so and p e nt wine ou s. into His Body and Blood. 14. One reason we must eat Christ s Body is that we live by a 5. At the Last Supper, n Christ d made His Apostles the. first and commanded them to follow His example 15. If this is a true n dc e for l e b our r a t e natural f life, it makes sense o that ra l lc the h r Lord i s t i a n would s. c o m m u n i c a t e l i f et ou si nt h i sw a y. 6. To understand why Jesus gave us His flesh to eat, we have to go back to 16. A l s o,i f w a n a d 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 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. 17. Ultimately, Jesus teaches you to eat His flesh because He wants to be w 8. Adam and Eve used i t their hy o u,a n dh ew a n t sy o ut ob eu to n turn i t e dw their i t h back on Him. G o d,w h i c hi sc a l l e d. 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 294. 295 Activity A. Have your students turn to The Eucharist Fillin-the-Blank (page 294). Play the video again. This time, have your students complete the worksheet as they watch. B. Give your students a few minutes after the video to finish writing their answers. C. When students have finished, review and discuss the correct answers to The Eucharist Fill-in-the-Blank. Assessment A. On their own paper, have students write a paragraph that responds to the following prompt: ӹ ӹ What would you say to someone who said the Eucharist is just a symbol for Jesus Body and Blood? B. When students have finished, collect their paragraphs for your own review. 564 SOPHIA INSTITUTE FOR TEACHERS

The Last Supper BY LEONARDO DA VINCI (C. 1495-1498) Convent of Santa Maria della Grazie, Milan, Italy. 287 Unit 5, lesson 4 565

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 288 566 SOPHIA INSTITUTE FOR TEACHERS

Answer Key 1. It is the real Body and Blood of Jesus Christ. 2. By the Holy Spirit, the priest transforms them into the actual Body and Blood of Jesus Christ. 3. The transformation of the bread and wine into Jesus Body and Blood. 4. At the Last Supper Jesus took the bread and wine and said, This is my body and This is my blood. We can believe Jesus because He is God. 5. Grow closer to Christ, avoid sin, strengthen our charity, and see the face of Jesus in the poor. against the Catholic Faith. Catholics invites us to receive it much more are required to receive Communion often: every week, even every day! once a year, but the Church warmly 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? 289 6. 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. 7. A desire for eternal life with Mary and all the angels and saints in Heaven with God. Unit 5, lesson 4 567

Answer Key 8. It means we grow closer to Christ and see things a different way a more positive and hopeful way. 9. Practicing the values of the Kingdom of God and avoiding values and lifestyles that go against the Catholic faith. 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? 10. Catholics are required to receive the Eucharist once a year, but we can receive it more often, every week or even every day. 290 568 SOPHIA INSTITUTE FOR TEACHERS

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 291 Unit 5, lesson 4 569

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. 292 570 SOPHIA INSTITUTE FOR TEACHERS

Answer Key 1. Thanksgiving 2. Making present again Jesus sacrifice on the Cross 3. The participation of the People of God in the work of God, which is our salvation from sin 4. The great truths of God and our salvation which are greater than our ability to fully understand 5. When we receive the Eucharist we are united to Christ and to each other Title 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 What does it mean? 6. Being sent forth to carry out the mission of the Church and announce the Good News 293 Unit 5, lesson 4 571

Answer Key 1. Bread/wine 2. Living bread/live forever/flesh 3. Body 4. Last Supper/Mass 5. Priests/Mass 6. Adam/Eve 7. Satan 8. Free will/original Sin 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. 294 572 SOPHIA INSTITUTE FOR TEACHERS

Answer Key 9. Death/sin 10. Animals 11. Punishment 12. Banishment 13. Man/Cross/ Resurrection 14. Eating/drinking 15. Eternal 16. Original Sin/ Eating 17. United 18. Life/grace 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.INDD 295 Unit 5, lesson 4 573