The Sacraments: Eucharist

 

Ahhhh, the source and summit of the Faith, the Holy Eucharist! The very substance of Christ himself, made present through bread and wine. It truly is the very center of the Faith, from which all things we believe stems from. It is the River of the Garden of Eden, from which flows the waters of the earth which cleanse, refresh, and (most importantly) give us life. Very truly Christ's words "unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life within you" ring ever true to those who receive this most blessed sacrament. But before, in reverence, I reveal more than I intend in my intro, let us proceed in holy adoration of the Eucharist.

Where'd it come from?

It comes from the Last Supper (which I only call because saying the Eucharist came from "the Institution of the Eucharist" sounds kind of redundant), in which Christ offers his body and blood to His Apostles and commands them to "do this in remembrance of me". But this institution is not so much an addition, but a reform. The Last Supper is a fulfillment of the pinnacle of the Jewish Faith, the Passover. During the Passover, the Jews slew an unblemished lamb, that they may be set free from the bondage of Egypt. There are two parts of this feast though, that are integral to understand Christ's Institution of the Eucharist. The First, is that this wasn't simply a symbol in the way we understand "symbol" today. Rather, this was a participation in the first Passover, and in all future Passovers- the sacrifice was one and total. Secondly, those who participated in the Passover had to eat the meat of the lamb. If they did not eat of the Lamb, it would not have been a valid sacrifice. If someone had not eaten the lamb, they could most certainly expect their first born to be dead by morning (as well as their return to bondage in Egypt). So too the Eucharist, is a participation in the first Eucharist, celebrated by Christ, and we must eat of the sacrificial lamb in order to participate in the sacrifice (wait, what sacrifice?)

What it does?

THE CRUCIFIXION! BOOM! You just got Theologized!

Ok, I'm done now. The Eucharist is the meal portion of the sacrifice on Calvary. The sacrifices in the Temple were a blueprint for the complete and glorified sacrifice of the Lamb of God. So, like the sacrifices of Moses and the Passover, the sacrifice of the Mass and the consumption of the Eucharist is a participation in Christ's crucifixion. Furthermore, just as Moses and the Jews would not have escaped Egypt (and their first born sons would not have lived) had they not eaten the flesh of the unblemished lamb, so too are we not enjoined in Christ and His Crucifixon without eating of His flesh and drinking His blood. This is made so explicit in John 6:56, that the original Greek means "gnawing" or the way an animal would eat. Christ clarifies his statement by intensifying it. So, does the Eucharist do anything else?

I'm glad you asked! Wherever the King is so is the Kingdom. In following the Jewish Tradition of the Passover, the sacrifice and feast of the Eucharist is a participation of its Institution as well as the wedding feast at the eschaton. This can be seen when we read the book of Revelation. The controversial book is often times interpreted to be a book about the final judgment and the end times, and rightly so. However, what often goes unnoticed is its structural similarity to the Mass. Beginning with a focus on 7 scrolls (the Liturgy of the Word), the consistent presence of the 4 angels (iconically the 4 Gospel writers), all leading up to the wedding feast, the banquet- the Eucharist! So when we participate in the Eucharist, we are celebrating the wedding feast in the Kingdom of God, and this is as symbolic as Christ's presence in the Eucharist itself (and by that I mean, it is in no way merely "symbollic").

The Eucharist is the very pinnacle of the Catholic faith. In this heavenly banquet we receive not bread alone, but Christ himself. We are fed not simply materially, but spiritually. Furthermore, in this feast, Christ enters into us, and shapes us into who we are called to be. When I first received this heavenly host, I did not understand the absolute beauty of what was celebrated. I only knew vaguely of its connection to the sacrifice on the Cross. But what I did know, was the unquestionable burning I felt in my heart when I received it. Like the two who walked with Christ on the way to Emmaus, this burning has been my constant proof that this indeed is the Christ. As I grow to understand more about the Eucharist and the sacrifice of the Mass, my thirst for it also grows. However, it is that burning of my heart that is alone my proof that it is Christ himself, and not simply some symbollic feast.

God Bless,