Eucharist
The night before his crucifixion, Jesus Christ took bread and wine to share with his disciples. Passages in the New Testament state that he commanded them to do this in memory of him while referring to the bread as his body and the cup of wine as the blood of his covenant. The synoptic Gospels place this event at a Passover meal. Paul the Apostle wrote the earliest recorded description of this Last Supper in the First Epistle to the Corinthians during the early 50s of the 1st century. He described how the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread and gave thanks. This account includes the words This is my body which is for you and Do this in remembrance of me. The Greek word used for remembrance carries a much richer theological history than the English translation suggests. Some scholars argue that the Gospel of John contains theological allusions to the Eucharist even without explicitly referencing the Last Supper. In chapter 6 of John, a long discourse attributed to Jesus deals with the subject of living bread. Other passages also contain echoes of Eucharistic language regarding unity and the washing of feet.
Early Christian sources like the Didache date from the late 1st or early 2nd century and include instructions for baptism and the Eucharist. Ignatius of Antioch died between 98 and 117 and mentioned the Eucharist as the flesh of our Saviour Jesus Christ. Justin Martyr wrote his First Apology between 155 and 157 describing the rite. Paschasius Radbertus lived from 785 to 865 and served as abbot of Corbie. His influential work written around 831 affirmed that the Eucharist contains the true historical body of Jesus Christ. He believed God is truth itself so Christ's proclamation must be taken literally. The Fourth Council of the Lateran in 1215 spoke of the bread and wine as transubstantiated into the body and blood of Christ. This council declared that his body and blood are truly contained under the forms of bread and wine by God's power. The Council of Trent definitively declared this change in 1551 stating it takes place a change of the whole substance of the bread into the substance of the body of Christ.
The Catholic Church states that the substances of the bread and wine actually become the substances of the body and blood of Christ during consecration. The appearances or species such as colour taste feel and smell remain unaltered. This change begins at the moment of consecration and endures until the Eucharistic species subsist. Theologian Thomas Aquinas argued that once digested physically destroyed or decayed by some natural process the substance cannot return. The church holds that the body and blood of Jesus can no longer be truly separated where one is the other must be. Therefore although the priest says The Body of Christ when administering the Host and The Blood of Christ when presenting the chalice the communicant receives Christ whole and entire. Any left overs from the Passover Lamb's flesh were to be burned before daybreak so none remained. Only by marking the doorposts with the Blood of the Lamb were members saved from death. The consumption gave them energy for the journey of escape from slavery in Egypt as was also true for unleavened bread.
Lutherans believe the true body and blood of Christ are really present in with and under the forms of the bread and wine known as the sacramental union. They attribute the real presence to his word spoken in the Eucharist not to the faith of those receiving it. Reformed Christians describe this presence as spiritual rather than physical believing Christ is present to the faith of the believer as really as the bread and wine are present to their senses. Anglican theology varies depending on churchmanship though the Thirty-Nine Articles hold that the body of Christ is received only in a heavenly and spiritual manner. Evangelical Anglicans believe this is a spiritual presence while Anglo-Catholics hold to a corporeal presence. Anabaptist Churches do not believe in the concept of the real presence viewing the Eucharist as only a ceremonial remembrance or memorial of the death of Christ. The Black Rubric in the 1552 prayer book allowed kneeling when receiving Holy Communion but was omitted in the 1559 edition at Queen Elizabeth I's insistence. It was reinstated in the 1662 prayer book modified to deny any corporal presence of Christ's natural flesh and blood which are in Heaven.
Within Eastern Christianity the Eucharistic service is called the Divine Liturgy in Byzantine Rite traditions. It comprises two main divisions: the Liturgy of the Catechumens and the Liturgy of the Faithful. The actual Eucharistic prayer is called the anaphora literally meaning offering or carrying up from the Greek. In the Rite of Constantinople two different anaphoras are currently used one attributed to John Chrysostom and the other to Basil the Great. Saint Basil's is offered on Sundays of Great Lent eves of Christmas and Theophany Holy Thursday Holy Saturday and upon his feast day the 1st of January. Unlike the Latin Church the Byzantine Rite uses leavened bread with the leaven symbolizing the presence of the Holy Spirit. The Greek Orthodox Church requires parishioners to recite The Kanon of Preparation to Receive Holy Communion before receiving communion. Members who plan to receive holy communion must follow a strict guide of prescribed prayers from the Shehimo for the week. They fast from all food and water from midnight the night before and remain fasting until they receive Holy Qurbana the next morning.
Jehovah's Witnesses commemorate Jesus' death annually on the evening corresponding to Nisan 14 according to the ancient Jewish calendar. They generally refer to the observance as the Lord's Evening Meal or the Memorial of Christ's Death. A small minority worldwide partake of the wine and unleavened bread believing only 144,000 people will go to heaven to serve as under-priests and co-rulers with Christ the King in God's Kingdom. In the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints the Sacrament is administered every Sunday except General Conference using ordinary bread and water rather than wine. Priests say specific prayers found in the Book of Mormon and Doctrine and Covenants to bless the elements. The Salvation Army does not practice the sacraments of Communion or Baptism because founders William and Catherine Booth believed these placed too much stress on outward ritual. Quakers historically do not baptize or observe physical Communion emphasizing inward spiritual experience over any outward ritual. Christian Scientists do not observe physical communion but spiritual communion at two special Sunday services each year by uniting together with Christ in silent prayer.
The gluten in wheat bread is dangerous to people with celiac disease and other gluten-related disorders such as non-celiac gluten sensitivity and wheat allergy. For the Catholic Church this issue was addressed in a letter dated the 24th of July 2003 from the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. It allows low-gluten bread for celiacs but holds that if gluten has been entirely removed the result is not true wheaten bread. Many Protestant churches offer communicants gluten-free alternatives usually in the form of rice-based or other gluten-free wafers. Some fear contagion through handling involved in distributing hosts even if placed on hand rather than tongue. Accordingly some churches use mechanical wafer dispensers or pillow packs containing wine inside them. Experimental studies have demonstrated infectious diseases can be transmitted though no case related to common communion cup has ever been documented. A study of 681 individuals found taking communion up to daily did not increase risk beyond those who did not attend services. In influenza epidemics some churches suspend giving wine at communion for fear of spreading disease.
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Common questions
What did Jesus Christ command his disciples to do the night before his crucifixion?
Jesus Christ commanded his disciples to share bread and wine in memory of him while referring to the bread as his body and the cup of wine as the blood of his covenant. Passages in the New Testament state that he instructed them to perform this act during a Passover meal.
When did Paul the Apostle write the earliest recorded description of the Last Supper?
Paul the Apostle wrote the earliest recorded description of the Last Supper in the First Epistle to the Corinthians during the early 50s of the 1st century. This account includes the words This is my body which is for you and Do this in remembrance of me.
How does the Catholic Church define the change that occurs during consecration of the Eucharist?
The Catholic Church states that the substances of the bread and wine actually become the substances of the body and blood of Christ during consecration. The appearances or species such as colour taste feel and smell remain unaltered until the Eucharistic species subsist.
Which council definitively declared the change of substance in the Eucharist in 1551?
The Council of Trent definitively declared this change in 1551 stating it takes place a change of the whole substance of the bread into the substance of the body of Christ. This declaration affirmed that his body and blood are truly contained under the forms of bread and wine by God's power.
What date do Jehovah's Witnesses commemorate Jesus' death annually according to the ancient Jewish calendar?
Jehovah's Witnesses commemorate Jesus' death annually on the evening corresponding to Nisan 14 according to the ancient Jewish calendar. They generally refer to the observance as the Lord's Evening Meal or the Memorial of Christ's Death.
When did the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith issue a letter allowing low-gluten bread for celiacs?
The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith issued a letter dated the 24th of July 2003 from the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith regarding gluten issues. It allows low-gluten bread for celiacs but holds that if gluten has been entirely removed the result is not true wheaten bread.